Why You Should Never Rescue Stray Demons Chapter 16

**OZ**

I can’t say I’m exactly thrilled about heading back to the charming underground prison I was kept in for what felt like an eternity. Honestly, I’d rather do just about anything else. Crawl through bramble. Sit through a boring banquet. Have another one of those ‘let’s summon a demon’ rituals where they get the circle wrong and nearly rip you in half. Anything else. But I don’t think Kacia should be heading back there either. What if they haven’t cleared out entirely? What if they’re watching the place, just in case? What if they see her, follow her, and she doesn’t get the element of surprise this time? She’s good, sure, she scared the hell out of them the first time, but no one gets lucky twice. Not in situations like this. So, obviously, I volunteered to go with her. Even if I didn’t owe her my life, which I do, I’m getting… Unreasonably attached. To her, to this stupid, stubborn, brilliant little chaos magnet. So of course I said yes, and in the bright, comfortable atmosphere of the cafe, it even seemed like a decent idea. But just because I’m willing to go doesn’t mean I want to. There’s a difference. I tried to stall. Maybe if I took long enough trying on jackets and pretending to care about socks, she’d decide it was too late and we’d postpone the crime scene field trip. It’s not that I hate shopping. In fact, it’s kind of fascinating. The human realm is loud. So much visual clutter. So many smells. So many options that are all just slightly different shades of the same shirt. It's completely unlike shopping in the demon realm, where if you find a pair of boots your size and they’re not cursed, you take them and run. But here? There’s... Choice. And weirdly, I like it. Not everything, of course, some things are objectively stupid, like scented socks and overpriced distressed denim, but I like the variety. The novelty. And I especially like the look on Kacia’s face when she sees me cleaned up. That was definitely worth it. Still, none of my not so subtle dawdling works. Once we’re done, she gives me a look that says, Okay, let’s go track down some criminals now. And just like that, I’m out of time. So I try a new angle.

“We should go sell the blood.” I say, acting as if I’ve only just remembered. 

“You’ve been paying for everything all day. I don’t like owing you.” I complain. Which is true. But also, please let this stall you for another day. She shrugs. 

“We can do it tomorrow. Evidence doesn’t last forever.” She argues. Damn it. I throw out another delay. Something vague about needing food. Something else about being tired. None of it lands. She plants herself in front of me, eyes narrowed, arms crossed.

“Look, Oz, I know this might not be comfortable for you, and you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. But those guys aren’t just going to disappear because you got away. They’re going to find someone else. Take someone else.” She says, her voice is sharper now. I flinch at that. Not visibly, I hope. But it hits.

“You survived a stay with them, but plenty of other people haven’t.” She adds, hammering the final nail into the coffin of my hopes. And there it is. The guilt. The logic. The cold truth wrapped in her frustration. I feel like something small and hard just cracked behind my ribs. She’s right. Of course she’s right. And the worst part is, I don’t think I’m stalling because I’m scared of going back. Not really. I think I’m stalling because I want HER to be scared. I want her to look at that basement and go nope, and decide her life is worth more than this job. But that’s not who she is. She chooses this. And I... I’ve been trying to keep her from doing the thing she’s good at, the thing she’s proud of. I’m trying to turn her into some timid little creature. That’s not fair. That’s not okay. Alright, That’s enough. No more excuses. No more selfishness. From now on, she gets my support… Unless her plan is really bad. Then we’re going to have a serious conversation.

We take Kacia’s car again. I sit up front this time, which is definitely an upgrade from the back seat. It’s still cramped, but at least I’m not stepping in whatever unspeakable substances soaked into the upholstery last night. That mess is... My fault. I’ll have to do something about it later. By the time we reach the place, the sun is just starting to slip down behind the buildings, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. There’s still light, but it’s fading. I remember this place being horrifying. Dark, terrifying, disgusting… Well, it’s still dirty. But in daylight, it’s a lot less terrifying. The fear I felt when I was trapped here, the bone deep dread, feels exaggerated now. Inflated by the dark, by the unknown, by pain and exhaustion and blood loss. The place is CLEARLY abandoned. No one’s lurking around. No new tracks. No scent trails. I think maybe I gave these men too much credit. Or maybe I gave myself too little. They did capture me, yes, but I was freshly summoned, half faded, and barely stable. If I’d been at full strength? I would have leveled this place in minutes. That’s the story I’m sticking with unless someone proves otherwise. I follow Kacia inside. She moves with purpose, controlled, alert, her eyes sharp as she scans the surroundings. It’s clear some of them came back, probably to grab gear or evidence. But they didn’t do a good job of clearing out. There’s trash everywhere. Syringes on the ground. Stains I don’t want to examine too closely. I never had a problem with needles before. Now? One glance at the sharp glint of one in the corner and my stomach turns. We save the basement for last. It’s still dark down here, that part hasn’t changed. My skin prickles the moment I step onto the lower floor, and something in me wants to turn around and leave. But Kacia keeps moving. Calm and careful. Going over every inch of the room with a slow, methodical sweep. Like this is just another day for her. 

“How long were you down here?” She asks eventually, her voice low. I try to keep my face neutral. I don’t want her to see how badly I want to get out. 

“Not sure. I think I was drugged for most of it.” I admit. 

“At least a few days, I’d guess, maybe more. Now that I know what you are… It would’ve taken time to get you that weak.” She decides. 

“You’re probably right.” I agree. My voice comes out flat. She pauses her search.

“I should’ve asked before now, but is there anyone looking for you? Someone we should contact? To let them know you’re okay?” She says, carefully. My chest tightens. Of course there is. My siblings. They’ll be tearing our home apart by now, trying to track my summoning signature. And if they find out I was bound and dumped here to assassinate someone, especially this someone, they’ll want to know what I’ve done about it. But I haven’t told Kacia that part yet. I haven’t told her about the summoning. Or the deal. Or the fact that I was meant to kill her. She saved me, and I lied to her by omission. Still am. And if she finds out, I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me. I don’t even blame her. She shouldn’t. I suspect she wouldn’t be so willing to let me crash on her couch and follow her around if I did. I need to protect her, I can’t risk her sending me away when I know someone wants her dead. So I do what I have to do. I lie.

“No, there’s no one looking for me.” I tell her casually. The guilt lands like a stone in my stomach. Kacia gives me a soft look, pity, maybe, and I think she reads my expression as loneliness, not guilt. 

“Sorry.” She says gently, then turns back to the wall, moving a broken chair aside with her boot.

I don’t answer. Instead, I let my tail unwrap from around my waist and lash freely behind me. I’ll have to tuck it away again before we leave, but right now I need the movement, the outlet. She notices, I think, her eyes flick in my direction for a split second, but she doesn’t say anything. I appreciate that more than I can put into words. A few minutes later, she makes a triumphant little noise and straightens up, holding what looks like a wadded up piece of trash.

“Uh... Congratulations?” I offer, baffled. Kacia rolls her eyes. 

“It’s a receipt.” She tells me, as if it should mean something. It doesn’t. 

“Oh… Congratulations?” I repeat, still confused. 

“It’s for a bar, kind of a shoddy place. I’ve heard of it, but never been. If these guys drink there regularly, someone’s bound to know them.” She explains, brushing grime off the corner of the paper. I blink. Then grin. 

“Well in that case, excellent work. You’re a top notch investigator, princess.” I say sincerely. She laughs, folding the receipt and tucking it into her coat pocket. 

“Come on. We need to get ready.” She announces. I glance around the basement one last time.

“Ready for what?” I ask, but I think I already know the answer. 

“We’re going out tonight.” She says, already heading for the stairs. Of course we are. I take one last look at the shadows clinging to the corners of the room. My body still remembers the cold chains and the sting of magic being drained out of me. But tonight? Tonight I get to be the one doing the hunting. Finally.