Free Wicked Demons 2 by Reece Vita Asher

 
     
     
I
     
     
    The aroma of freshly ground coffee permeated
every centimeter of the small cafe. While it seemed like a short
lifespan, the time Andi had actually been waiting amounted to three
Sinatra songs. A barista called Andi's name and she grabbed her
latte off the counter.
    "Thank you," she mumbled, too deep in thought
to make eye contact as she walked out.
    It had been nearly four months since Andi's
encounter with Michael and Toryn, the demon lovers who managed to
leave their individual marks on her heart. She had half expected
her life to change. Blow up. Implode. Something . But she
went back to work at her legal firm as if nothing had happened.
Planted basil in her indoor window boxes like any aspiring domestic
chef. And she still paid her mortgage on the first of each month,
as if she hadn't found out that she was a fire demon.
    While nothing outwardly changed, however,
Andi couldn't help but internally fixate on the matter.
    The city was a hush of its usual enthusiasm,
a subdued observer to Andi's inner quandary as she walked the
twilight streets lined with Spanish moss and cobblestones
whispering of a bygone era. Clutching the edges of her chunky black
sweater to her chest, Andi quietly thanked the forgiving nature of
Southern winters in Savannah.
    What really boggled her emotions was the
revelation that someone in Andi's family had hidden her true
nature. Someone else, too, was a demon like her. But who, her
mother or father? The most pressing question, however, that left
her wandering in thought this night involved how to flush out the
demon without exposing her secret to the humans in her family tree.
She couldn't just ask them to fill out a demon questionnaire or
say, "I'm so hungry I could feed from someone using my demon fire
powers. Ever done that?"
    Andi walked and walked until she passed a
cathedral for the third time. It was a massive beauty in the
evening light. Pale yet warm, hard yet welcoming.
    Something made Andi ascend the front steps.
Her hand still played along the rail, doubt rising quickly, when a
fair-haired man opened the door. A half-smile thawed his otherwise
somber presence. There was a familiarity about him, though Andi had
made it a point, a quasi-new rule, never to ignore doubt. And right
now, she doubted her own ability to gauge the innocence of others.
It was best to remain vigil.
    "Would you like to enter?" he queried in a
low voice, his green eyes sparkling.
    Her heart sped. Andi didn't know if it were
even possible. She was, after all, a demon. Would "the powers that
be" grant her safe passage across the threshold? Or would they burn
her to a crisp like sulfur on a matchstick?
    "I..." Her demeanor faltered. "I'm not
sure."
    Filing through her memories, Andi tried to
recall visiting a church. Any church. Oddly enough, every
scheduled visit had been thwarted by an illness or sudden change of
plans. She and her sister, Bronwen, had one time vowed to attend a
'singles mingle' at their local church years ago, but they were
struck with food poisoning before leaving the house. Another time,
one Christmas Eve with Aunt Margery was spent nursing a sprained
ankle from slipping off the porch step on the way to Mass, so they
never went. Come to think of it, she had planned to visit her
cousin's church just last year, but they had to pick her mother up
from the airport at the last minute instead. And so on, and so
on.
    Every memory ended with a "Whoops, didn't
work out this time!" scenario. Funny how Andi had never noticed the
pattern.
    She stared at the gentle-eyed priest.
    "I was just leaving, but you are welcome to
come inside," he added. "There is still twenty minutes left for
confession."
    Forcing a smile, Andi shook her head and
forced her legs to walk down the steps.
    "You may think yourself unworthy of His love,
but He shines His light on all who trust in Him. A light so
powerful even those cloaked in the darkest of shadows can find."
The large door thudded shut and the man of