A Demon Made Me Do It(79)

“Bones, you have to tell me what to do…where are you hurt? Is there someone I should get?” I feel my eyes grow damp. He looks at me groggily and lifts his head a few inches before dropping it back down again.

“Bones?” This time it’s more of a plea. I feel his life force fading, and a panic rises deep inside me, threatening to consume me entirely. I rest his head in my lap and pet the side of his face. His breathing is shallow and labored.

“It might help him heal if he could replenish,” Kieron says. “If you want I can run to the Bar and get him something…”

“Yes! And hurry!” I don’t know who has less time left—me or Bones. I give Kieron a pleading look as he jumps on his bike and shoots off into the woods.

“You’re fine,” I whisper to Bones, though I’m not sure I believe the words myself. “You’re gonna be okay. Kieron went to get you something to drink. You’ll be tip-top in no time.”

Bones rests his head on my lap and I gently stroke his cheek. Please, Bones, please don’t die, I plead silently. He’s not supposed to die—ever. It’s not supposed to be like this. But we were able to finish off the other hellhounds, and neither Kieron nor I are pure demon. They must have had mixed blood, even the leader. Although she was clearly part succubus, she must have had some Sapie blood in there somewhere since Jax was able to kill her. But maybe the one Bones fought with and killed was pure…

Bones lets out another soft whimper and nuzzles his head into my lap. I softly stroke his massive body, not caring that my hand is covered in blood. I have to squelch the frustrated rage threatening to boil over inside me. First Kayla and Michael. Then Ivy and Cody. Now Bones.

Why do the ones I care about keep dying?

I ignore the tears that stream down my face, but cannot ignore the ominous disks in the sky merging as one. It’s almost morning in the Sapie world. Soon I will fall asleep. Liora might not wake up right away, but she will be in control. I need Kieron to hurry. I need him to get back here so Bones can drink and grow strong again. I need to be far away from them when Liora wakes up.

But I know it’s already too late. Even running as fast as I could, if I left right this moment—and there’s no way I’m doing that—I’d only make it about halfway to the cabin.

I can only hope that when Liora awakens, she’ll have an ounce of compassion for our fallen friend. After all, she was friends with Bones too, before our split. She has the same memories of our times together that I have. She knows every detail of our shared life up until the point the Amazèa cracked us in half. Although she claims to despise us now, there was a time when she cared for Bones just as much as I do now.

I can only hope she does the right thing.

******





The roar of the approaching engine sounds just as the first cool waves of weakness flutter through my body. “Kieron, hurry!”

He leaps off his bike and rushes to my side, a large flask of green liquid in his hand. “How’s he doing?” he asks, uncorking the lid.

“The same, but look…” I motion with my chin to the sky, my voice faint.

He looks at me with horror as understanding registers on his face. “Oh, no…Liora…she’s coming…”

I nod. “You must stay here, Kieron. You have to help her. She’ll be afraid, and very upset. You must take care of her and get her home safely. And Bones…please…save him…don’t let him die…”

My words fade away as the blackness seeps in all around me.





Chapter 19. Liora


I don’t dream…at least I don’t think I do. If I ever have any weird patches of memories when I awake in the morning, I always brush them off as Lucky’s. Fortunately, the thoughts always fade quickly and I don’t have to relive her nocturnal adventures.

But maybe I’m still sleeping. It’s dark, mostly. There’s a bright glare on my face. Ugh, did Lucky leave the bedroom light on?

I try to roll over and bury my face in the pillow.

But there is no pillow, and I feel like I’m falling….

“Wha!?” I wake up with a start.

….at least I think I’m awake. Here’s Kieron, holding me in his arms, gazing upon me with such love and concern.

Hello, gorgeous…

I reach up to touch his face and bring it down to kiss mine. As long as I’m dreaming….

“Liora.”

With that one word, my eyes come into focus, and my head clears….only for a moment before it goes into a terrifying tailspin.

I try to jump up, and it’s only then I realize that something is in my lap, weighing me down. Something heavy, ugly. A dead animal? And it’s wet.