Runaway Devil

Before the male could even grieve for his woman, he followed her in death. I bypassed Alec and stepped outside. I read the wind, inhaling, and reaching for the other demons. Alec was trying to say something to me, but I barely registered his words.

The council sent them. The council knows where I am. The council will follow in lieu of their deaths. The council was coming. My mind was working on a single track, full-throttle forward, all additional thoughts were disregarded.

One of the motel doors was open, it’s light spilling into the parking lot. I strode towards it and entered. There were bags in the beds but they were open, some things were strewn about. Someone was trying to leave in a hurry but abandoned their things in the process. I snatched a shirt from the bed and inhaled deeply, my eyes closed and my brow pulled tight.

When I opened my eyes, they were golden and piercing. These targets were far more important than the previous one. Not only were they demons, but they were employed by the council. They could have easily sent anyone who volunteered, just throwing demons at me until I couldn’t handle the sheer quantity. But I also needed to be prepared to have professionals in the mix. They wouldn’t send only amateurs. They could be trying to throw me off, make me lower my guard.

I growled and brushed passed Alec in the doorway. He grabbed my arm in a fierce grip, stopping me. I growled in his face and let my eyes shine at him. “Kara,” His tone was harsh, but no matter how curt his tone was, I wasn’t going to stop. “You need to calm down. I need to be in the loop—”

"After.” I ripped my arm from his hand and took to the sky. They couldn’t have gone far, I focused on the scent and tossed the shirt at Balan. He caught it in his beak and scanned the surrounding area. If I was in their position, I would fly as fast and hard as I could in any direction. If they were sent by the council, I couldn't let any of them escape. They would undoubtedly report back, at their own risk. If they went back empty-handed, they were taking their lives into their own hands.

I caught the scent on the wind and beat my wings harder. I knew Alec was following close behind, but I paid him no mind. I felt him trying to break through to me in my mind. These guys were mine. Mine to question. Mine to kill. Mine.

The sight of large flapping wings made me pick up speed. There were three of them. Two were smaller than the other, I picked up on two females and one male. I grit my teeth and got closer. I took advantage of the edge of my primary feathers, making my approach silent. I rose above them and hung back, placing myself near the biggest one.

Pulling my wings in and leaning forward, I collided with the biggest demon in the center, square in her back. Taken by surprise, she struggled to turn in the air, reminding me of a plane before a crash landing. In our struggle, I got my feet under me and grabbed her wings by the base. I squeezed and pulled, directing us down into a nearby clearing. I planted my heel on the back of her head, leading our decent with her face.

She landed, bounced, and skidded over the rough concrete. My weight grounded her face into the vacant lot, most of it having been left thirty feet behind us. There was a bloody streak across the pavement. It reminded me of a marker that was drying out.

Her companions were on me like flies on shit. They divebombed me, pulling me from her back. I slid on the balls of my feet, trailing my fingertips over the cement. They peeled her limp body from the gravel, a pulpy mess where her face should’ve been. She had a mane of thick, wavey, black hair. I felt a pang of disappointment. She was probably pretty, and I didn’t get to see her face before I obliterated it. Her chest still rose and fell rapidly, small flecks of blood spraying with each labored breath.

Balan landed on my shoulder and barked at them, his raspy growl sounded far more demonic than I ever did. ”You beast!” The other female spit at me. The male was on the other side of the body. His head was shaved, and he had the look of a soldier that had just made it out of boot camp. He was young and scrawny. It wouldn’t surprise me if he volunteered to take me back to prove himself.

Both of them were much younger than me, they were inexperienced and emotionally charged. But underestimating a target would get you killed. They were going to come at me with everything they had. They heard their other companions die and watched me ride that one’s face into the ground. They would be grieving and most likely fall into a rage. Rage was good. Rage meant wasted sloppy energy.

Alec landed next to me, both his knives in his hands. He looked at mush face and I could sense his disapproval. He was a bounty hunter, he did things quickly and cleanly. But it was my turn, my playtime. And if I wanted to turn someone’s face into oatmeal, I would do what I damn well please.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the sky bloom with the colors of the sunrise. We all looked at it and simultaneously understood that we needed to wrap this up.

The younger female charged, screaming, with tears in her eyes. She had a knife raised in an attempted overhead icepick stab. It was a last resort, she had no other plan. Alec intercepted her, blocking the attack and disarming her in one swift smooth movement. He buried her own knife in her throat, dropping her like a sack of flour. She twitched a gurgled her last breath as we watched in silence. The boy stared at it with wide eyes, his mouth was frozen in a horrified frown. He still held the still body of the largest female. He looked between them and he began to shake violently. I understood then why he wasn’t on the battlefield.

He ran. He tucked tail and dashed for the woods. It was a small wooded area, a good chunk of it was part of the community's backyard. I ran after him, pumping my arms and legs like a machine. He may not have had the stomach for gore but the boy could run. He was wiry and could bob and weave around the tightly knit trees. I almost had him a hand full of times, but he slipped from my grasp. I struggled to keep up with such dense underbrush all around me. He moved like a fawn, his feet whispering against the ground.

More of the world woke up with the sun. Various creatures in the woods awoke to us barreling through their territory. The boy was running on pure adrenaline, his whole body was focused on getting himself out of here. But he would run out sooner or later. He would have to slow down, especially in his human form.

He made a break for someone's backyard. Their property was backed right up against the woods, their children probably played in these woods daily. I could see the desperation in his eyes. He inhaled to scream. He thought he was saved, he would get the attention of the homeowners, and get me arrested. He would force me back by using humans and their useless morals. I grit my teeth and sneered, throwing myself forward.

We fell together not the outskirts of the yard. We rolled for a moment before I secured myself on top of him, his face pressed into the soft dirt. He bucked and struggled like a caught fish. I covered his mouth and hushed in his ear. I opened my mouth but was stopped by the sound of church bells.

They were strong and hearty, filling the early morning air with their clanging. We both froze. When humans heard church bells, they flocked to them. I let a slow grin split my face.

"Their god is calling to them," I said in his ear. "Can you hear your gods?" He whimpered, I could feel him shaking under me. "They can't hear you either." With a violent tug, his neck was broken. It swayed with each of my steps as I carried his body back. Occasionally, his loose neck would swing his head into my back. It was cumbersome and annoying to walk back with.

The other bodies were leaned against each other in a teepee shape. I added the boy to the group. The larger female had slowly turned back into her true form when I was gone. I supposed that was what happened when a demon died topside. I suddenly wondered if anyone would stick around long enough to see me turn back. The woman had the legs of a wolf and the horns of a kudu. Well, whatever was left of them. I could see her build clearly in the morning light. She had wide shoulders and a powerful torso, ribbed with muscle.

The younger female's eyes were large and starring, she reminded me of a dead deer. Her hands looked like a hawk's, her talons long and black. Her eyes were large and set high on her face, her nose was small, and there were flecks of white spread over her nose and cheeks. She was pretty but so painfully young.

The boy had changed the most out of the group. His legs had morphed back into a single reptilian tail, and he shined with beautiful scales all the way up to his neck. His tail was thick and heavy, I could see the impressive muscles beneath the skin.

It was truly a shame, they all had so much potential. "And the two back at the motel?"

"Taken care of," Alec said. He was angry, I could tell that much. I didn't have to read his mind to know that. He was sulking, and I was not looking forward to the talk we would be having in the car.