"I know," he said, his eyes flicking behind me to the water for a moment as if unable to hold my gaze. "Don't say it," he asked. "Wait until the sun sets tonight, and if we are both here to see it, then my heart will break knowing you are safe and yet not to be mine. If you are gone, then my heart will break knowing that God has taken you home, because there is no way in hell that that demon Ku'Sox is going to kill you. I won't allow it."
There was a lump in my throat, and I wiped my eyes, only to get the grit of sand in them.
"No," I said, taking a step back until his hands fell from me. "Pierce, I don't love you." His lips twitched, hearing a lie that wasn't there, and I took his hands. "I don't love you," I said again, my throat closing up. "I loved the idea of you and me together, and from that, maybe someday love could have come, but that isn't going to happen. Ever. I am a demon."
He took a breath to protest, his eyes wild and his denial obvious. "You are not."
My eyes dropped to his hands holding mine, seeing his calluses and strength. "I am. I did something no witch, no male demon can do, and all the demons agree. There's no way around it. It's not like I wanted this." My voice had gotten squeaky, and I looked up, seeing panic in him.
"It's okay," I whispered, sniffing back a tear before it showed. "It doesn't mean I'm bad, but it does mean that there is no way that..." I stopped. It was too hard to say.
His grip on mine tightened, but I felt dead inside. "I'm not afraid." Pierce's hand drew me closer, and I resisted until he eased his pull.
"I'd never hurt you," I protested, remembering him standing before Ku'Sox, fighting for my safety, risking his life for me. What person wouldn't be humbled by that? Grateful?
His gaze jumped to mine, his anger lighting his eyes. "I meant I'm not afraid of love being difficult. If it was easy, then everyone would find it. But have it your way."
He turned away, and I reached after him, saying nothing as my hand dropped. It was better this way. "Perhaps you should call him out," Pierce suggested, angrily looking at the hills.
I nodded, even as my stomach clenched. I'd told him I didn't love him, and he didn't seem to care. I'd told him I was a demon, and he'd said so what? Then told me love was hard. I knew that, but it shouldn't be impossible.
Shoes silent on the pavement, I walked across the street to the beach, stepping up onto the cement bench next to the boarded-up restrooms. It was covered in gang runes, and my feet spread wide, I cupped my hands around my mouth. Damn it, why couldn't I have a normal life?
"Ku'Sox!" I shouted up into the park, my frustration giving my voice some anger. "You have something that belongs to me!"
The radio, I realized, was playing bouncy beach music. With a sudden snap, it vanished. My pulse hammered, and I glanced at Pierce. He was standing with his hands clasped, ready to fight for me, even after I'd told him I didn't love him. Why?
"Just a minute!" Ku'Sox shouted back, and my lips parted. I did not believe this. Just a minute? Had he really told me to wait?
Pierce shrugged, and I jumped from the bench. "You might want to put some space between us if you want to stay alive," I suggested, forcing myself not to touch my splat gun.
Pierce put his hands on his hips, flicking his duster back. "You might want to put yourself in a bubble to do the same."
What was I thinking, taking Ku'Sox on without Al? But he had Ivy and Jenks, and I wasn't going to wait.
A soft scrape of boot on stone pulled my head around and I felt the blood drain from my face. It was Ku'Sox, his arm around Ivy's neck and his other hand twisting her arm painfully behind her as he forced her down the park steps.
"Let me go, you freak!" I heard her sputter as she strained to break his grip, but it was useless. One of her eyes was black, and she had a split lip.
"Jenks!" I shouted as they reached the bottom, and I pulled out the splat gun, my grip sweaty and the ley line I was connected to seeming to jump in me. "Where's Jenks?"
Ku'Sox stopped in the middle of the street, his steel gray hair close to his head, shining in the sun like raven wings. Looking as if he was enjoying himself, he tugged Ivy around to be his shield. "Tell her what happened to the pixy," he said softly, whispering it into her ear as his eyes bored into mine and the wind played with his hair.
My heart almost stopped. Jenks...
"He's okay!" Ivy said, Ku'Sox's hand going white-knuckled as he gripped her throat. "Short dick here had to lock him in a box. Jenks kept slicing his ear off."
Ku'Sox bore down on her, and she choked, falling to one knee.
"Hey!" I shouted, taking a step forward, splat gun raised. "Let her go. It's me you want." God, I felt as if I were in a western. Hand over the little lady there, partner, and we'll settle this like men. I was so screwed.
Ku'Sox grinned, showing his small white teeth. "Does it bother you?" he asked, yanking her up and dragging her through the rubble that littered the street. Her foot got wedged between two rocks, and he yanked her free. My face went blank at her muffled grunt of pain.
Fingers shifting on the butt of my weapon, I said, "Let her go, and come over here. I'll whisper in your ear how bothered I am."
Confident and sure of himself, Ku'Sox stopped at the curb. His hand opened, and Ivy fell, her elbow slicing open on a chunk of ragged concrete. Head down so her hair hid her face, she pulled herself together, lashing out with her good foot, making Ku'Sox dance sideways.
I shot at him as he was distracted, but he raised a bubble, absorbing it.
Ivy, though, was free, and my heart quickened. I slowly continued to draw that broken energy into me, pulling it from the jagged lines and trying to organize it.
"I only snapped every bone in her body and mended it to get you to come face me," he said, mocking me as he grabbed her shoulder and pinned her where she sat. "It took me a day before I realized you were unconscious and not simply afraid, but I thought, why stop now? I was bored, so she got a little more. We had fun, didn't we, Ivy girl?"
I seethed, my hands in fists, as Ivy didn't look up.
"It was only play," Ku'Sox was saying. "Nothing permanent. I-"
In a smooth motion, I pushed the energy from my chi into my hand. Grunting, I threw it. There was probably little besides eating her that Ku'Sox could do to Ivy that Piscary hadn't done already, but something in me had snapped.
Ivy screamed defiantly, kicking his feet out from under him and rolling away before the demon could direct my energy into her. Ku'Sox fell, arms flailing. My ball of unfocused energy arched to him.