Why You Should Never Rescue Stray Demons Chapter 54

**KACIA**

Once I have coffee in hand, sweet, blessed coffee, I go check on Angelo. The smell of my drink must have reached him because when I peek into the living room, he’s blinking awake, eyes crusty with sleep and hair sticking out in little tufts. He looks so drowsy it’s honestly adorable. Like an exhausted kitten that doesn’t want to move from its warm spot in the sun. 

“Hey, Angelo, I’m planning on going out for a bit. Do you know what you’re planning to do today? Do you have somewhere you want to go? I’m happy to give you a ride if you need one.” I say softly, not wanting to startle him. His brow furrows, eyes going wide with a sleepy kind of panic as his brain processes the question.

“I… I don’t know. I don’t have anywhere to go.” He whispers. The words are so small, and the way he says them twists painfully in my chest. I immediately shut that down.

“Woah, hey, that’s totally fine.” I rush to assure him, crouching down to his eye level. 

“You’re completely welcome to stay here for as long as you need. We can figure out what comes next later. Maybe think about what you might want to do with your time, how you want to support yourself, what you actually want for once. But there’s no rush, okay? I’m not kicking you out or anything.” I promise. His shoulders slump in relief, eyes going glassy as the panic melts away. He sinks back into the couch cushions, clutching the blanket tighter around himself.

“Thank you.” He whispers, his voice so quiet I almost don’t hear it. I smile softly and reach out to gently pat his knee.

“Of course, you deserve a little help after everything you’ve been through.” I say. He nods, eyelids already starting to droop shut again.

“For now, why don’t you just sleep a bit longer?” I suggest. 

“You still look exhausted, and you’re definitely due a sleep-in. When you wake up, feel free to use the bathroom, and help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’m not totally sure what time I’ll be home.” I inform him. He blinks up at me, hesitant. 

“Is that really okay?” He asks, a little nervous. 

“Of course it is.” I reassure him firmly. 

“Enjoy your first full day off in… What, like ten years? You deserve it. I’ll check in with you when I get back. I fully expect that there will be not one bit of milk left in the house when I get home.” I say with a wink.

His lips twitch into the smallest, sleepiest smile, and within seconds his eyes close again, breathing evening out. I stand there for a moment, just watching him, feeling a soft warmth spread through my chest. Helping people is what I do. And seeing him finally free, finally safe, it makes the world feel a little less bleak.

I head back to my room and get dressed, opting for practical clothes that still look decent. Jeans, boots, a dark grey fitted t-shirt, and my worn black leather jacket. I leave my hair down again, brushing it out so the purple falls smooth over my shoulders before tugging a beanie down to cover my ears.

Sure, it might fly off in the wind and expose me, but honestly? Most humans wouldn’t see pointed ears and think oh my gosh, a magical creature. They’d probably just think huh, weird ears or cool cosplay. And if someone does figure it out… Well, I’ll deal with that when it happens.

With a final glance back at Angelo, who’s already fast asleep again, little snores drifting through the quiet room, I grab my keys and head out the door. First stop, the library. Because if Oz is anywhere, it’ll be there. And if he’s not… Then I’ll just keep looking until I find him.

I pull into the library parking lot, half distracted by my racing thoughts about Oz and what I’m going to say to him. The lot is mostly empty at this hour, with just a few cars scattered near the front entrance. The early morning sun hasn’t quite burned away the shadows clinging to the corners of the lot, and there’s a faint chill in the air that raises goosebumps along my arms, even through my jacket.

I kill the engine, grip the steering wheel for a moment to steady myself, and take a deep breath. Okay. I can do this. I have to do this. I might not know exactly where my relationship with Oz is going, but I definitely know that whatever it is to me, it’s worth more than this argument.

I step out of the car, slinging my bag over my shoulder. The world is quiet. Too quiet. I know it’s early, but I should be hearing more cars, or maybe birds chirping or something. Just normal, early morning sounds. But there’s nothing.

And the air feels… Wrong. Heavy. Like I’m breathing through a thick blanket.

I frown and glance around, suddenly alert. It is far too early for this crap. Can’t the assassins wait until after like, eleven? That would be the polite thing to do.

That’s when I feel it.

The air behind me feels colder than the air in front of me, like I’m standing in front of one of those open door fridges at the supermarket. I go to turn, but before I can, something slams into me from behind, knocking the breath out of my lungs.

I was at least a little prepared so when I hit the asphalt hard, pain flaring in my side and scraping my palms bloody, I at least managed to protect my head and face. I gasp, trying to push myself up, but before I can manage it, an ice cold weight pins me down.

A scream tears from my throat. I twist my head around awkwardly and see my attacker.

What I see looking down at me is horrific. A skeletal face half hidden beneath a shredded hood, and long, clawed hands that scrape against my shoulders as it leans close. Its presence is like a vacuum, sucking all the warmth from the morning air. Shadows ripple and writhe around it, thickening and blocking out the sun.

A wraith.

I try to kick and shove at it, but my hands just go straight through like it’s nothing but air. Its body is little more than a drifting black shadow. I have no idea how it’s so substantial as to pin me down.

The wraith lets out a rattling, hollow noise, almost like a sigh, and its claws dig into my arms. For a moment, the weight lessens, but before I can react it flips me over, forcing me onto my back.

My chest burns as terror explodes through me. The wraith tightens its grasp. They feed on pain and fear. And right now, I’m drowning in both, and that just makes it stronger.

My vision blurs with tears as it leans closer. Its face is only bone and void, empty eye sockets boring into mine. Cold, sharp agony pulses through my body as the claws tighten, slicing my skin. It hurts so badly. More than the cuts should, it’s doing something to make it worse. Every breath feels like knives in my chest.

My limbs go weak and heavy and my heart races as darkness creeps in at the edges of my sight. I can’t… I can’t fight this. I can’t move. I can’t breathe.

I’m dying right now. I know it. I can quite literally feel the life draining out of me, my fear and pain pouring into the creature like a feast. I’m getting weaker and with every second, it’s just getting stronger.

My head lolls to the side, vision dimming as the shadows tighten around me. My blood is pounding in my ears, so loud that it nearly drowns everything else out.

But all of a sudden, the wraith pauses. A slight hesitation, the tiniest reprieve that lets me pull in a single breath. Something has distracted it.

Then I hear it. A voice, deep and furious, echoing through the darkness.

“Get away from her.”