Chapter 18

Aku hates to admit it, but the witch is quite skilled. Her fingers settle along the girl’s forehead, slowly drawing out bits of poison every few seconds. Her nose scrunches up every now and then; demon poisoning can be taxing on a human’s body, no matter how familiar with magic they are. He stands just beside the bed, keeping his eyes on the sleeping human girl.

He’s so entranced by the peaceful look on her face he barely hears Yukari’s gasp. The purple swirls around her fingertips vanish, leaving her sweating and shaking with her hand hovering over Ichika’s forehead.

She grits her teeth, yanking her hand away. “Something’s wrong. Can you feel it?”

Aku glances at Ichika’s face. Nothing seems unusual, she’s still asleep from the effects of the witch’s blood spell. Nothing that won’t wear off in a few minutes.

Then again, he remembers the witch saying his senses have dulled… He closes his eyes and concentrates.

And suddenly he senses it—a thrumming in his bones, a twitching of his ears. The tips of his horns burn and his tail whips back and forth on its own. He can hear the scuffling of a myriad of creatures, their claws scrabbling against each other as they snarl and snap at the air. It’s a sound he’s heard a thousand times before, back in the comfort of his own realm.

His lip curls, and his nails sharpen through his gloves. “Imps.” Immediately he positions himself between the bed and the window, barricading the sleeping girl’s body with his own.

Yukari nods, then stands up on shaky legs. “Sounds like thirty—no, fifty of them. Maybe more. I could sense them, when I was getting the poison out of her system. I think it’s an aftereffect that draws weaker demons towards their target. Whatever kind of demon poisoned her, they want to make sure she’s dead.”

It doesn’t make sense to Aku—why would a rogue demon be so concerned with one specific human in the world? There were millions of them, eager to be easy prey, so what difference did it make to single one out like this?

He presses a gloved hand to Ichika’s forehead. She groans softly, but her eyes stay closed. The longer he stares at her, the more the witch’s words begin to sink in. It’s not hard to piece together the kind of poison: a special strain that slowly eats at the victim, trapping them in an uneasy slumber if removed, and drawing nearby demons to finish the job.

What’s even worse—she’s still an unmarked human. And stuck with a demon who refuses to claim her.

No, don’t start with that again. He’s refrained from constricting her to him like that far too many times already. She’s been nothing but kind and compassionate to him (save for the usual annoying quirk of hers), so why would he reward her by tethering her life to his forever? She’s a human who longs for a solitary life; it’s not right for him to get in the middle of it.

Still, unmarked humans are the kind of prey that demons are drawn to the most; other demons compare it to sinking your teeth into an untouched pastry or a slab of meat. To be the first one to claim such a delicate prey for yourself… It’s no wonder demons get drunk on the thought alone.

Yukari seems to catch onto this as well, because she looks about ready to throttle him. “Well, standing around won’t get rid of them. They’re moving fast. How long ago did you cast the blood spell?”

“Over a month ago, but I reinforce it every morning.”

She huffs. “At least you’re not completely hopeless. I can protect the door if you take the window.”

Aku nods, already moving closer to the sleeping human. But suddenly he’s yanked away from the bed, gazing into Yukari’s bright amber eyes, as she has a fistful of his shirt wrapped around her fingers. She doesn’t seem fazed by the threat of an incubus’ touch; briefly, he wonders what other kinds of demons she’s seen in her short mortal lifetime.

“I mean it, demon. You let even one of those creatures breathe the same air as her, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands. Your life is expendable; Ichika Aikawa’s is not. You put her before anything, you understand?”

Aku’s jaw clenches. He doesn’t protest or try to argue with her. He merely nods, his crimson eyes unusually calm and cold. To be honest, he didn’t expect such a strong reaction from the witch; from what he’s seen so far of her interacting with Ichika, their friendship seems completely one-sided. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person to willingly put her life on the line for another human, especially one who can’t defend themselves against demonkind. But maybe the witch has a heart after all.

As for her, Yukari sighs softly and loosens her grip on his shirt. Is she having similar thoughts about him right now? Demon or not, he values the life of the human sleeping in that bed right now.

“Okay, good luck.”

She heads for the door, while Aku lingers beside the window and peels off his gloves. He can hear the scratching already of the impending swarm, accompanied by high-pitched growls and snarls. And just as Yukari slips out of sight, the first imp sinks its claws into the glass of the window.

It’s a dastardly-looking creature, all right. No taller than Aku’s knee, with a forked tail, small black horns, and bright red eyes. Aku bares his teeth at it; he can feel his own horns lengthening and his claws extending outwards. The imp has the grace to tense up in fear; as the lowest-ranking creatures in hell, they can also be the most cowardly. They know their worth and how expendable they are.

But numbers makes them confident. A single imp is easy to dispatch, which is why they attack in groups no less than five. Their true strength lies in overwhelming their enemy with exhaustion and wearing them down to the bone. A rather smart but underhanded tactic.

There’s no honor in hunting prey that way.

The imp gnaws at the glass with tiny razor-sharp teeth. Aku can see his stomach roll when he sees its beady red eyes fixed on the girl’s sleeping body. With each second, the faint red sheen of the blood spell barrier begins to grow weaker and weaker.

Another imp joins it on the window, bashing its tiny fists into the glass. If they break through—

He doesn’t waste any time. He swaddles the human girl up in her blankets and tucks his arms beneath her knees and behind her shoulders, cradling her against his chest. He brings her into the little cove of a closet he’s called his home for the last few months or so. He rests her on the floor, cushioning her head against the pillows. She doesn’t even stir, still under the effects of the poison.

If she remains asleep for too long, her body will get weaker and eventually give out. She’s not used to the strain magic can put on her body, not like demons or mages are.

I have to wake her up.

Aku barely has time to shut the door behind him before the glass shatters, and the swarm of imps pour in.

🔥

The shadowy demons around me continue to snap aimlessly. The one in my arms bites at my skin, but I grit my teeth and tough it out. But apparently having it as a captive doesn’t seem to have much effect on its supposed buddies.

I’m on my knees in the middle, still wrestling with the writhing demon in my arms. Another scratch to my face—this time it draws blood.

“Damn it, I said take me to them! I can hear them, they need my help!”

The small demon snaps its jaws. What’s the point if it can’t even understand me?

Suddenly a burst of light coils through the blackened abyss. The demons fall silent and cower close to the ground as a wall of fire erupts, circling around us. Heat licks at my skin, sweat gathers at the centers of my palms. The demon in my arms wriggles out and scampers off to join its friends, whimpering pitifully.

The orange flames are enough to scare the demons, but as hot as they look, they don’t come close to burning me. The small demons squeak and turn to face the center, just as the flames peel back to reveal a figure.

Another demon? But no—my heart leaps in my throat when I see a boy instead. Small but lanky, with wild black hair, dark crimson eyes, and oddly enough, leathery black wings tipped with red. The boy holds up a hand and closes his fingers into a fist—and suddenly the small creatures vanish in a fit of black flames.

I swallow hard. He looks rather familiar… Didn’t I dream about a similar-looking boy when I was sick with a fever?

He steps closer, no malice in his eyes. When he gets closer, I can see a pair of red-tipped horns on his head and a row of black freckles stretched across his nose.

“Ichika!”

I can hear Aku’s voice, soft and warm beneath the roar of the flames. The boy gazes up at me, then holds out a tiny hand. In a flash something black covers him up to the wrist…much like a black leather glove. As small and nervous as the boy looks, something deep inside tells me he won’t hurt me. Not like those imps.

I reach down and take the boy’s hand. “Aku…?”

He smiles, closing his gloved fingers around mine—and then everything goes dark.