Ancient Wings : Book 1 - Aegis

59 - Lone Hunter

Before Cidney had a chance to blow the thing apart, Khaius's sword drove into its chest.

The demon cried out in pain.

Cidney's eyes snapped to Khaius, but this wasn't his Khaius.

This gargoyle's eyes burned with fury.

Kraten took his arm and moved him back as Khaius drove the blade into the demon's thigh.

It screamed. Khaius continued driving his blade into the demon, keeping it alive as everyone else got out of the splash zone. He made the demon suffer, and the look in his eyes told Cidney he felt no regret for it.

And quite frankly, neither did he.

Finally, when the demon was mostly meat and bone, Khaius took the head, killing it.

Everyone was silent as Khaius cleaned his sword and put it back in its sheath. He lifted his head. His eyes were cold and hard when they met Cidney's.

It felt like a blow.

Khaius moved around the demon's remains. "Burn it," he ordered coldly when he strode by, not even looking at him.

He looked at the door the man left through, stunned by the change.

He turned back and set fire to the demon's body before he followed the others out of the classroom and down the hall.

Everyone was quiet as they walked down the halls.

"Where'd he go?" he asked.

"Probably bringing the car," Aveo answered. "He's the fastest on foot."

When they walked outside, Khaius was already back with the SUV running at the sidewalk. Everyone else climbed in the back leaving him the front seat.

He climbed in and closed the door. Khaius didn't look at him. His hands gripped the wheel tightly as he pulled into traffic.

The old Khaius was back, cold and silent.

He didn't understand what happened.

Khaius tore apart a demon... why was he acting this way?

"Shit," Kraten snapped.

Everyone but Khaius turned to him.

"Something's wrong in the Aether."

Then he was just gone. Poof. Just not there anymore.

"Now we're one down," Aveo muttered.

Khaius said nothing as he moved through traffic.

Cidney hadn't been paying attention to where they were going, not until they stopped in front of his store.

"What are we doing here? We have more demons out there," he asked from the passenger seat.

"We're one down," Khaius said, his voice hard and cold.

"Seriously? We're calling it a day?" he couldn't believe this.

When Khaius didn't answer, he'd had it.

He turned to the guys in the back. "Give us a minute?"

They both nodded and slipped out of the car. He waited until they moved away from the car.

"What's wrong, Khaius?" he asked directly.

"We have a job to do, and you have to work in the store," Khaius said, his voice still cold as he kept his eyes ahead of them.

"Khaius," he snapped. "Look at me."

Khaius's hands gripped the wheel tightly before he turned to him. Emotions fought in his golden eyes, they flashed cold, then hot, then cold again.