Free Road to Hell by J. C. Diem Page A

correct,” Brie corrected me. “You will not be alone. We three will aid you however we can.”
    They’d already cast a spell that should help hide me from my enemies and Sophia was giving me a place to stay. If I really was trapped in the city, then I had no choice but to trust them. “Maybe you’d better start training me so I won’t be completely helpless when I come face to face with another demon.”
    “First, we should test the spell,” the teen countered. “It would be wise to ensure that it is working properly. After all, we would not want you to lead the forces of evil directly to our door.”

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Chapter Ten
     
     
    Moving to stand on either side of me, the twins put their hands on my shoulders. I shut my eyes and bright light flared behind my closed lids. When I opened my eyes, the store was gone. We stood in an open space with people streaming by in both directions. Buildings towered over us. Most sported electronic billboards that advertised movies, plays and various products. They shone down on us brightly and I could only imagine how pretty it would be at night.
    I realized that we were standing in the heart of Times Square in full view of both humans and demons alike. “Why isn’t everyone running and screaming?” I asked. I didn’t feel quite as disoriented at being teleported this time. Keeping my eyes closed seemed to have helped.
    “Why would they do that?” Leo asked in puzzlement.
    “Didn’t we just appear out of thin air?”
    Brie made a sound of amusement. “Our teleportation allows us to blend in seamlessly.”
    “You mean not even demons can see you when you zap yourself around?”
    “That is correct.” Her smugness faded a little when she added more. “Of course, our enemies have the same ability to appear and disappear at will.”
    “But they do not have these,” Leo said and pointed at his golden bracelet. “Our spell does more than just make it difficult for them to see us. It also makes it easier for us to detect them.”
    “Can’t you tell if a human is possessed just by looking at them?” I asked.
    “Of course not,” Brie scoffed. She was back to being snotty again. If she was a few inches taller, she’d be able to look down her nose at me properly. “The reason why we inhabit these vessels is because they keep our true identities hidden.”
    “Not always,” I said and caught sight of a woman standing about fifty yards away. “Her vessel isn’t doing such a great job of hiding her identity.” I could only see the side of her face, but her skin was unnaturally black and her eyes were glowing red. The image flickered and disappeared only to reappear again a couple of seconds later.
    Leo squinted at the woman then his eyes widened in recognition. “How did you know she was a demon before we could see it?”
    “Because she’s hideous,” I said with a hint of sarcasm.
    Brie’s tone was almost cross when she spoke. “What are you talking about? Her vessel is completely ordinary.”
    “I’m not talking about the human she’s possessing.” The woman was in her twenties and had nondescript features. She wore a dress that was a truly horrible shade of lime green. “I’m talking about her true face that comes and goes at random.”
    Leo was studying me intently and Brie was frowning. “What do demons look like to you?” he asked.
    “They have inky black skin, glowing crimson eyes, sharp jagged teeth and a forked tongue.” They shared a long look without speaking. “What do they look like to you?”
    “They look like humans,” Brie said flatly. “Our spell enables us to see a faint red glow around them if we concentrate hard enough.”
    “What do we look like to you?” Leo queried.
    “You’re both kind of beautiful,” I said, feeling awkward. “So is Sophia, even though she’s apparently not an angel anymore. You two look about fourteen, but I can’t tell Sophia’s age at all.”
    “We should inform Sophia of this,” Leo said