The Demon in the Pastry Shop

63: A Metal Box

Kit knocked every last bit of Ravitavah's tea set off the coffee table as she bolted from the Porcupine Demons. There hadn't been time to tell Silus everything Lovell said, but Kit knew exactly what they were going to do with her if they caught up. Lovell's growl still traveled down the shivers on her spine.

Since she's a baker, I'm sure she'll appreciate getting acquainted with the oven.

She dove for the couch cushion path, but the moment her fingertips brushed the threaded edge of it, a Porcupine Demon grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her away. Kit kicked and turned, making herself impossible to hold onto (at least, she hoped). By the time the second demon clamped his arms around hers, pressing them into her torso so tight she couldn't breath, there was no struggling.

Kit stretched her neck up and watched them carry her to the kitchen, her heart shriveling with each bump.

Surely, they wouldn't turn the thing on. They couldn't. They wouldn't. Lovell needed to bring her to the Collector, it was the purpose of all this! If her body was ruined, that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?

One of the demons -Remis- let go of her and knelt by the oven. The second demon set her on her feet but kept his arms braced around her so she couldn't move. Here and there forks would fly out of the counter drawer, but the Porcupine Demon holding her stood clear of their trajectory. The cells inside Kit itched and danced with anxiety, stirring up heat in her body. Sweat slicked her palms as Remis opened the door and began taking the metal racks out.

Her thoughts swam up the hot blood stream into her head like a thermometer. The worst of it was that Kit wasn't sure it mattered if they shut her inside the oven and turned it on. Silus said he could've let her get turned into a songbird before and it wouldn't have made a difference to the Collector. He said the Collector could reverse certain things in a specimen.

Another crack pounded into the chaos of the house, loud enough to be heard in the kitchen. Kit jolted. Lovell ordered the demons to take her aside so that she couldn't stop him from attacking Silus again.

Remis winced and glanced over his shoulder. He paused with uncertainty but eventually turned back to the oven, grabbing onto the last rack with both hands. It put up a fight, screeching and jerking, making Remis work to pull it out. Kit gulped.

Before, when the Trickmaster made it look like she died in a grease fire, Silus said they couldn't have brought her to the Collector like that. At the time, Kit hadn't questioned him much about it, feeling uneasy about considering her own demise, but now she fervently wished she had. Was it the fire damage that made her unusable? The heat level? The timing? The inconvenience?

"Bring her," Remis said.

Kit started moving forward though she dug her heels into the tiles. Her bare feet were no match for the demon's strength. She gasped as he threw her into Remis' arms. He grabbed her upper arms and she looked up into his dark brown eyes, pleading with her own and pulling at his shirt, aiming for his heartstrings. She shook her head at him and she jumped when her lower back hit the cold exterior of the oven.

Silus yelled from the living room and Remis lost his concentration. He peered over his shoulder, looking guilty. When he forced his eyes back to Kit, she met his eyes and nodded toward the living room. Yes, she wanted to say to him, go help Silus. She could feel compassion peeking through the cracks in his demeanor and she wanted to be in its sight-line.

He swallowed and clenched his jaw. Then he handed her back to the second demon as he strode to the living room.

As Remis left, he said, "put her in and make sure you hold the door closed."