Free Demon's Daughter: A Cursed Book by Amy Braun Page B

tissue from the box at the table behind us. She dabbed it in the water of the plant vase next to the tissue box and walked up to Max.
    “Here,” she said, “I can actually see what I’m doing.”
    He grinned as she started wiping the lipstick away from him. “I wasn’t doing a good job?”
    She shrugged. “You were kinda smearing it all over your face. That’s all.”
    Max laughed, unable to take his eyes off my sister. She blushed and looked down. It only made him smile more. I rolled my eyes.
    I glanced over their shoulders, seeing a car pull up to the sidewalk in front of the house. I drew myself up tall, my hand resting on my hatchet.
    As a man and a woman got out of the car, I walked past Dro and Max, putting myself in front of them. The couple glanced at a piece of paper in their hand, the sign on the lawn, then back to the house. They kept their eyes on the house as they walked toward it. They were a few feet away from the porch when they noticed me. The cold look in my eyes made them stop.
    “We’re looking for Manny Garcia,” the man said.
    “Why?” I asked.
    The man almost flinched. “We called him a few days ago for an appointment, but something’s come up. We need him now.”
    Max jumped up beside me. He held out his hand and shook both of theirs. “Mr. and Mrs. Kenway, good to meet you.” I couldn’t tell if he was seeing anything with his gift, because his face was expressionless. “You guys can come in. Don’t mind her. She’s a grumpy intern.”
    I gave Max a look so black that the smile dropped off his face.
    “Let them pass, Con,” Dro whispered from behind me. Her voice was serious, and I looked over my shoulder at her. “They’re out of their minds with worry.”
    I trusted my sister, but I made no effort to soften my expression. I pulled back into the house, hearing Max apologize and make excuses for my behavior. The couple walked inside, Mr. Kenway glancing at me with suspicion as they walked down the hall. His wife still hadn’t noticed me. She looked exhausted, her eyes puffy and ringed red, like she hadn’t been able to sleep after days of crying. Max led them into the living room, where I could hear Manny greeting them and offering what sounded like a condolence.
    “They have a demon in their house,” Dro said.
    I faced her. “How do you know?”
    “I sensed it from Mrs. Kenway.” Dro looked at me with sad blue eyes. “It’s attacking their daughter. They don’t think she’s going to live.”
    My hostility toward them lessened, if only a little. Demons had attacked us for years. I had enough scars to know exactly how horrible it was. I took a couple steps toward the doorway, leaning in so I could hear what was happening.
    The couple was sitting with their backs to me, facing Manny across from his desk. Max stood at his father’s side, looking uncomfortable.
    “We can’t keep waiting, Mr. Garcia,” said Mr. Kenway, his voice filled with desperation. “We need an exorcism today.”
    “That’s a very tall order,” replied Manny. “It takes time to prepare for an exorcism. To know exactly what is possessing your daughter and how powerful it is–”
    Mrs. Kenway burst into tears. Her husband put his arm around her back and tried to calm her down, but it wasn’t working. Exhaustion had finally broken her.
    “Please,” she sobbed. “Please, we can’t keep watching her suffer like this. We’ll do anything, pay anything, just please help her. Save her.”
    Manny said nothing, watching the woman cry. He looked away, his eyes finding his son. I remembered what Manny had told me earlier, how he would protect his family at any cost. Even from where I was standing, I saw the flicker of pain in Manny’s eyes. The look of a man who had lost someone he loved in a horrible way.
    I started to understand why Manny’s wife wasn’t in the house anymore.
    Manny inhaled slowly. “All right. I’ll perform one tonight.” He looked at them. “But I can make no promises.