I steeled myself. Things were already hard for those I loved. Azazel wouldn’t make it any easier once he controlled my powers.
“No, I’m just thinking how stupid you are for asking. What kind of crap are you spouting? Things are already hard on the people I love. But mark my words, if Azazel so much as touches a hair on the head of anyone I love, I’ll end him.”
He let out a banshee-like scream and ran for me. I sidestepped him, and he ran into the wall behind me before he could stop. The force knocked him backward, and he fell on his ass.
“See? Stupid.” I walked to the door. I wanted to run like hell, but I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of him, so I forced myself to walk calmly and slowly.
“Bitch, you have no idea the shit storm you’re bringing down on yourself. Personally, I can’t wait to see it,” he called, standing and brushing his khakis off.
“No doubt.”
Just as I walked out of the locker room, Chay rounded the corner at a full run. He took the corner too fast and slipped, catching himself with his hand on the floor before he fell. His sneakers squeaked loudly against the tiled floor.
He grabbed me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
He folded me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. “What happened?” He put his finger under my chin and tipped my head back, grazing his lips over mine in a whisper-soft kiss.
“Where’s Muriel?”
“I don’t know. When she came down the hall alone, I asked where you were and she said she didn’t know,” he said. “That’s when I knew something was wrong.”
“I was right behind her. She was talking to me. How could she not realize something was wrong?” I chewed the corner of my bottom lip. I didn’t understand why Muriel left without me, and I knew there was no way she didn’t see the demi-demon go into the locker room when she exited. My mind did the math and circled around the answer, but I didn’t like what I saw. I refused to even consider that she might be the traitor. No. She wouldn’t turn.
Chay put his hands on my shoulders. “What happened?”
“I was walking behind Muriel out of the locker room.” I waved at the door behind me. “Some of my things slipped, and I stopped for just a second to adjust them when Edward walked in front of me.”
“Edward,” Chay spat. “He’s a demi-”
“Demi-demon, yeah, I know. What I don’t know is how he slipped by Muriel without her seeing him. The entrance to the locker room is rounded. We walk in from the hallway and then follow the U-shaped curve around and into the locker room. There are no doorways or nooks where he could have been hiding. It’s all one smooth, tiled wall.”
“What did Edward do?” Chay threaded his fingers through mine.
“Just ran his mouth,” I said, still distracted by Muriel and how she missed seeing Edward. Even if he had walked into the hallway after she left, she would have seen him. And besides, he didn’t have time. He showed up too quickly after she walked by. He’d been in that hallway. I was sure of it.
“What’d he say?” Chay gave my hand a small squeeze when I didn’t elaborate.
“Oh, you know, the same old stuff. Switch sides, Azazel is great, he won’t kill you, your family will be safe, you’ll have wealth, popularity, standard stuff like that.”
Chay pushed me behind him. I looked up and saw Edward saunter past, a smile pulled across his crooked teeth.
“Chay,” he said.
Chay nodded his head once in acknowledgement.
“Think you can keep her safe forever? I just proved we can get to her whenever we want,” Edward taunted.
Chay didn’t answer. He watched Edward walk by before pulling me around to face him. He kissed me softly on the forehead. “C’mon. Let’s get outta here.”
***
Chay was quiet driving home. I tried to get him to talk several times, but he only grunted in response. Finally, I gave up.
He pulled into my driveway and got out of the car, walking around to open my door for me. I slid out of the car and grabbed my bag. Chay lifted my bag from my shoulder and shut the car door. We walked up the front steps and onto the front porch. It was a cheery porch. Flowering plants hung from the rafters, and two wicker rockers sat side-by-side. My parents sat there on summer evenings, holding hands and talking about their day. I had only good memories of the house I’d grown up in, and it made me angry that those memories were being overshadowed by demons, fighting, and the constant threat of Azazel.
“You want to have something cold to drink and sit on the back deck? Or do you want to come over to my place? I just stocked my refrigerator with all your favorites.” He grinned.
“Our parents aren’t home. They aren’t going to like—”
“I don’t care.” At the argument he saw forming on my lips, he said, “I don’t care. I’m not leaving you alone. Besides, once your dad finds out what happened, he won’t be mad.”
“You can’t tell my dad.” I grabbed Chay’s arm, my eyes wide. If it got out that we thought Muriel was a traitor, true or not, it would put a wedge the size of China between our families. I couldn’t let that happen.
“We have to tell him.”