DEMON SENSE (Completed)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Larson spent the next two months tutoring me in all things badass. Together we worked on weight training and stamina. Larson, of course, didn’t need the extra training; he was naturally gifted with mad skills by way of his vampiric DNA. I, however, needed a ton of work. Steadily, I was progressing, but not at a pace fast enough for my liking. Larson appeared honestly impressed by my improvement. Still, I was human. I was neither fast enough nor strong enough to beat a demon in hand-to-hand combat.

Larson wasn’t worried by my lack of demonic equivalence however. He always assured me that he’d be there as a failsafe should I…well, fail. The only thing I had to be good at was running. Fast. Just in case anything ever went wrong, I’d be able to flee to the safety of Nathan’s home which, I had been informed, warded off evil. I could run to my apartment of course, since Nathan had paid off the remaining lease—I’d have to pay him back eventually for that, too—but if a demon wanted in bad enough, all it’d have to do is break down the door.

Evidently, my bodyguard could strike fear into the black souls—assuming they even had one—of lesser demons who resorted to possession. If they even dared to step foot on his perfectly manicured lawn, I was willing to bet Nathan would wage an epic war against them that would put Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King to shame.

Speaking of epic battles, I was striving to win one now.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Larson taunted, flashing me his pearly white fangs.

“Ha! Don’t you wish?” Building up all the speed I could muster, I ran toward one of the bare walls of Nathan’s basement, pushing off with all my vigor and launched myself in Larson’s direction like a human torpedo.

I took him down with all the gentleness of a pissed off Orc. Larson allowed my attack to affect him, and we shot back about twenty feet or so, landing on Nathan’s couch. My legs were on either side of him, pinning him down, as I socked him in the jaw with my right fist, then my left. My knuckles stung, but it didn’t slow me down. With all my human strength, I thrust my elbow down, making contact with Larson’s collarbone. There was an audible and sickening CRACK as it snapped.

Larson chuckled as if I’d tickled him. “Nice move, love,” he praised, before sending me flying backwards.

Completely prepared for his counterattack, I had embraced the momentum, tucking into a ball. My body rolled until I slowed enough to pop into a crouch. I rushed him once more, avoiding a kick to my stomach that would have hurt like hell. Like a synchronized swimmer, I dove with grace, aiming for the only foot that kept Larson standing. I was the bowling ball and he was the pin I knocked into the gutter.

Larson fell on his ass bursting into laughter.

Breathlessly, “Okay, so I can kick your ass, but how does that help me? I won’t kill its human host.”

Larson’s laughter cut short. He sat up and regarded me with a seriousness I didn’t like. “You won’t have to—”

“And you won’t either,” I interrupted, rising to my feet. “I forbid it.”

He stood, too, looking amused as if I’d just told him a funny joke. “I didn’t plan on it. I figure, all we need to do is give them a little scare. Once it gets out that you’re going around ‘hunting’ demons, Roland will eventually get wind of it and come find you himself.”

In theory, it sounded like a good idea, but I had my doubts. “And what if he comes to us in the body of a child, or a pregnant woman? He’ll kill them without a thought just to break me.”