Touch of the Demon (Kara Gillian 5)

He laughed again and gave me a squeeze as we climbed the stairs together.

Chapter 43

Eilahn bundled me upstairs and bandaged the gash on my arm, though the bleeding had long stopped, and it already looked as if it was closing on its own. Once that was done she helped me into the bathtub and kept an eye on me as well, which was a damn good thing since I ended up falling asleep. Would’ve been an ignominious way to die, especially considering all the shit I’d managed to survive thus far. But she got me out, dried off, and into bed, and by the time I woke up late the next morning, I felt almost coherent enough to make all the decisions I knew I needed to make.

One thing I knew for sure was that I had to get back to the demon realm as soon as possible, which meant summoning Mzatal tonight. It was only a matter of time before the hunt for me began—whether to kill or capture—especially now that I had Vsuhl. I wasn’t safe here, and none of the people close to me were safe either. I needed the shikvihr and everything else I could absorb so that I could become the badass I needed to be and return here as soon as possible. I had a pretty strong feeling that Earth was where I’d be able to make the most difference with the shit coming down. Therefore, I was going to be working and studying as if the fate of the world depended on it. Which, y’know, it did.

However, a planned visit to the demon realm meant I could actually take some of the stuff with me that I missed while there before. I spent the next couple of hours running errands and shopping with Eilahn—now in human form—and Zack. Both stated quite firmly that I was not to be more than five feet away from either of them at any time, and I was to complete my errands as quickly as humanly possible and then get my ass back behind strong wards.

Around noon I headed home to discover that Tessa, Carl, Jill, and Ryan had taken over the place and were deep in the throes of readying a Welcome Back celebration. Eilahn and Zack didn’t look the least bit surprised, which led me to believe they’d been willing accomplices.

I was surprised to find a handful of presents for me, held patiently from Christmas, a month past. The best was my lovely leather coat, which had been either thoroughly and professionally cleaned or replaced outright. I apologized for not having anything to give to anyone, and everyone lovingly teased me for my failure to do any shopping before Christmas, so it was all right.

Jill gave me a fierce hug as soon as she got me alone. “If I start bawling it’s only because I’m pregnant and hormonal and has nothing to do with how worried I was about you.”

I grinned and hugged her back. “Of course not!”

She pulled back, then narrowed her eyes as she searched my face. “You’ve been well-fucked within the last couple of days.

Mouth agape, I stared at her. “How do you do that?”

Jill snorted. “It’s my only superpower.” She leveled a frown at me, but I saw the dark worry in her eyes. “Bad shit happened to you, didn’t it.”

I simply nodded. I had a sweater on that hid the sigils, but Jill had a way of seeing beyond the physical.

Her jaw tightened. “Rhyzkahl?”

I nodded again.

She glowered. “Fucker. You can tell me about it later. Come on. Let’s eat cookies until we burst.”

After presents and cookies I went hunting for Tessa. I finally found her on the back porch, sitting in the porch swing with her boyfriend Carl, their hands entwined. As I stepped out he leaned over, kissed Tessa on the cheek and stood, then surprised the hell out of me by taking my shoulders and kissing me on the forehead before heading inside. I blinked, nonplussed at the utterly unprecedented and unexpected show of affection, then sat in Carl’s spot beside Tessa.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, sweets,” Tessa said, then turned a piercing look on me. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

I thought back to all the shit that had happened—the escape, the betrayal, the torture. But she hadn’t asked if I’d had a lovely time. She wanted to know if I was okay.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling, knowing it to be true. “I’m really okay.” A comfortable silence fell as we gently rocked. Snatches of voices came back to me; the voices I’d heard in the seconds before I was summoned—Ryan and Tessa.

Are you sure it’s the right time?

“How’d you figure out how to do the storage diagram and get me back?” I asked. “And for that matter, how did you know when?” The chances of me accidentally being at a hotspot if she was trying randomly were approximately zilch.

“Would you believe me if I said it was a dream?” Tessa asked. She gave me a soft smile.

I chuckled. “Actually I think I might.” I’d had enough dream sendings to know that some could be very real. I thought back to my corny wish. I want them to know I’m safe. Well, they sure as shit knew it now. How the hell did that work?

“So,” she said after a brief silence. “Ryan’s a demonic lord.”

“Yeah.” I grimaced.

Her mouth pursed. “Well that’s just damn weird.”

I burst out laughing. Yep, that about summed it up.

She told me that Ryan and Zack had all but moved into my house, which I’d rather suspected from the contents of the fridge. I was more than fine with it. I told her about Katashi and his treachery, and my tutelage under Mzatal. I also told her that Rhyzkahl had turned out to be a colossal dickknuckle, but I didn’t go into detail, and she didn’t ask. My sweater covered the sigils, but I had no doubt she’d seen them when I’d arrived.

“Aunt Tessa,” I said, “I know this is going to sound like a really off-the-wall question, and I hope you don’t get mad at me for asking, but…”