The Demon in the Pastry Shop

13: It's Time to Leave the Past Behind

 Kit didn't know anything about running away. In fact, if she did know anything about running away, it was that she was bad at it.

A year and a half ago, a human pointed a gun at her husband while they were walking down the street and she didn't run away.

Convincing Jude that they needed to pack some clothes and leave the house immediately was a hard sell that required a lot of explanation. Especially since Kit didn't tell him about the bloodthirsty demon she was making pastries for and flirting with at work. Her hand shook a lot and her words were basically illegible but Jude was as familiar with her writing as she was and eventually he made it through with mounting concern.

Jude said they'd better catch the train to a different Realm. That was their best bet to get lost. Kit had never traveled before and considering Jude used to Realm Hop in his younger years, she trusted his knowledge.

With rucksacks that would probably prove woefully underpacked in the coming days, Kit and Jude made their way quietly across the city to the outskirts of the Realm of Inspiration. Kit remembered Luca talking about how he used to play in the caves here and she wrote a frantic note to Jude saying that they could hide there until they figured out where they were going.

This was not a good hiding place.

Kit and Jude walked around the caves for about an hour, thinking of where Silus might not look for her, when they carelessly stumbled upon two other cave-tourists. One had spikes growing out of thick fur on his arms and back. The other one was a Terrorling. Jude screamed for the both of them.

For a fleeting second, Kit thought maybe they were misfits. Outcasts living in the caves because the spirits in the Realm of Inspiration didn't like them. Maybe they could befriend them. A Terrorling for a friend might keep Silus from coming after her.

The Terrorling with his wolf body and human upper half, turned around and grinned at them. Calmly. And that calmness is what made Kit uneasy as she took shallow breaths, squeezing Jude's hand. He wore a clean white suit jacket and black button-up underneath, his shoulder-length black hair cropped perfectly. His skin had a blue quality that unsettled Kit, though she couldn't quite identify why.

"Kit, no doubt?" the Terrorling presented warmly.

She swallowed and clung to Jude's arm for support. Her eyes darted to the Porcupine Demon. He looked stern. He looked like he was about to do something grisly. When Kit glanced back at the Terrorling, his soothing voice became all the more horrifying.

Kit knew something was wrong. She wasn't good at running away.

Jude tried to encourage her to move out of the alcove and down the tunnels, but Kit found it hard to move her feet.

"Silus told me about you," the Terrorling disclosed with his eyes locked on her, his paws on the prowl toward her, "my name is Lovell. Silus has asked me not to touch you."

"Has he?" Jude coughed out.

"Yes. He really wants to take care of you himself," Lovell explained with a fang-filled simper, "I think he's had his eyes on you for a while."

Kit's heart knocked about in her chest. Was Silus luring her in before? The whole time? His awkwardness toward her felt genuine. As did his laughter at her jokes. As did his interest in her baking. There was a boiling pot in Kit's stomach starting to overflow. Had she fallen for a clever trick?

"Anyways, he made me promise him I'd keep my hands off of you," Lovell confessed, turning his palms up as if in surrender, but that's not what it was (Kit could tell).

Before anyone could do a single thing about it, Lovell reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun. He laughed, darkly, filling the whole space of the cave with his mirth. Kit's knees gave way, but Jude kept her standing.

"But unfortunately for him, he said nothing about guns," the Terrorling said.

Jude pushed Kit away with all the might that he could muster and she stumbled toward the system of tunnels. She heard him say it before he said it and before the gun went off.

"Run!"

Kit wasn't good at running away, but Jude sparked her with inspiration just enough to make her turn her back on him and sprint down the tunnels.