Page 48 of Broken Moon

“He’s fine. They’re both fine.”

“You can’t tell me,” Mr. Simonsaid, “that there was a ghost in this house. She’s lost her damn mind. Thiscan’t be about ghosts and haunted houses.” He was so very angry. Patricia wasgoing to have her hands full.

“It’s not about ghosts andhaunted houses,” I told him, as I strode back into the kitchen. “It’s aboutdemons and possession. But don’t worry,” I said, as Brian’s mother gasped, “thedemon is gone.”

“I’m taking him out of here,”the daughter said, rushing from the kitchen. “You’re all fucking crazy.”

I left, drawing in deep breathsof the fresh, cold air. I don’t think I’d ever been so glad to get out of ahouse. The place was…stifling. If Brian’s mother had any sense, she’d do asshe’d threatened and get the boy out of there.

ChapterTwenty-Two

I called the detective to lethim know about my run-in with the demon, and to warn him to be prepared. Thedemon was getting desperate.

“Give it the knife,” heordered, after I told him the blade was what the demon was after. “And let thebastard go back to hell.”

I hesitated. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s important that Ihave such a weapon to fight with. If—when—other demons come, or other spirits,this blade will hurt them. I don’t have a knife that can kill supernaturals theway this one can.”

He wasn’t buying that. “Give itback the fucking knife.”

“Ican’t,Rick.”

“Why, Ms. Silver, can’t you?”

I wasn’t sure why I was soreluctant to tell him the biggest reason. “He cut me with that blade. My bloodis part of it now. I cannot give this demon or any other demon an item thatholds my blood. If he takes possession of that blade, he will have part of me.And God only knows what he could do to me then.”

He was silent for a fewseconds. Finally, he blew out a deep breath. “Then you have to kill it.”

“I don’t think I can kill him.But I can capture him. I might have had him today but the client interfered. Ihave to go. Call me if there’s chatter.” I ended the call and sped all the wayto Shadowfield, the urgency to find the demon blade growing larger by the mile.

If the demon got the bladebefore I did, he’d go back to his world—and I sincerely believed he could forceme to go with him. I could exist for eternity being tortured by beings so crueland monstrous that they were incomprehensible.

The risk was huge. I had tocapture him, and I had to keep that blade out of his greedy hands. There wereno other choices.

He couldnothave my body—ormy soul.

When I arrived at the gates ofShadowfield, the guard on duty left his little guardhouse and leaned down topeer into my car. “What do you want?” he asked gruffly.

“As I’m sure you already know,”I told him, no less hostile to him than he was to me, “your alpha hired me todo a job. I’m here to do the job.”

He stared at me for a fewseconds. “Wait.” He went back into the guardhouse and apparently got someone onthe intercom. I could see his mouth moving but couldn’t hear what he wassaying. Finally, he shrugged and shook his head, then hit the button thatopened the gates.

He watched me as I drove on,and I couldn’t resist giving him a cheery wave as I passed. When I parked infront of the administration center, two wolves were waiting. A male and afemale, both big, burly, and unfriendly, guarding their territory from me, theoutsider who couldn’t even shift.

I got out of my car, but theyblocked me from walking to the center. “I am charge warrior William Page.” Hepuffed out his chest, full of self-importance. “What do you want here?”

“I’d like to see Lennon,” Isaid, my voice measured and calm.

“You can’t go in,” he said.

I sighed. “Where’s Jared?”

“Our alpha is busy.”

“Tell him I’m here, please.”