Page 82 of Breathe Like Hell

“Get your hands off of me!” she screamed, even louder now. “I hate you and I don’t want to be here anymore!”

I let go of her, shaking my head. “Fine, Dakota. Go get yourself killed. I don’t give a fuck anymore.” Even though this was all an act, I hated saying the words.

Things moved quickly after that.

Dakota unlocked the door as Mason and I stepped into a corner of the entrance where we wouldn’t be seen. It was just dark enough to conceal us. I grabbed his hand, the warmth of his palm melting into mine before I cloaked both of us with invisibility and everything became cold.

When Dakota yanked the door open, Mason and I slipped out the front door first.

“Fuck you!” she yelled into the empty house, then slammed the door.

Dakota started stalking off down the street towards the bus stop, keeping her eyes darting side to side as I followed with Mason. We were barely half a step behind her.

Kapnos would’ve been a problem had I any space in my brain for anything other than paralyzing fear. But all I could think about was Dakota’s safety. Mason’s hand in mine was little more than a distant sensation, barely registering through the focus and the anxiety. The earlier shower would be more than enough to keep me concealed.

I wished I could touch Dakota, comfort her in some way, but I couldn’t.

She kept a quick pace all the way to the bus stop, her nose red from the cold and her eyes watering. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked the time, then her notifications. Someone—probably her friend—had messaged her, and she tapped out a quick response with her thumbs.

For an instant, a morbid thought flashed in my skull. There was a possibility this could be the last message Dakota ever sent.

I didn’t truly believe that, but it was technically possible. And the most unfortunate detail of that scenario was she was way more likely to be killed by Mason than Aamon. Even if twenty other demons showed up, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to rip them to pieces with me there. Aamon would be slightly more challenging, but still entirely doable.

The problem was that sort of power could also easily kill a human.

The three of us waited in silence for several minutes before the bus pulled up.

Dakota got on first, Mason and I right on her tail.

She didn’t have any assurance we were actually with her, which was needed. As much as I hated it, I needed her to still have doubts. Even the slightest amount of true doubt would help her act.

The bus ride felt way too short, and we were walking back towards her trailer before I knew it. Time had sped up, seconds blurring past, dragging all three of us towards an impending act of great violence.

Dakota stopped at her trailer first, grabbing some paper and pens, a few other random things. Our plan had been to make it look like she was journaling or doing some sort of small ritual. It didn’t really matter. Once she was in the woods, we’d find out quickly if Aamon had joined us, if he’d bitten our baited hook.

I wasn’t sure if I truly believed he’d fall for it or not. It did seem somewhat unlikely, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

She reemerged, then stomped down the stairs, pivoting to head straight back towards the trees. Branches snapped under her boots as she passed the tree line, boughs of pine hanging just above her head. Mason and I did our best to avoid any sticks on the ground, but we’d told Dakota to walk loudly for the reason of concealing our own footsteps. It would also be useful to draw attention.

It wasn’t long before the sharp smell of necrichor hit my nose, making all the blood in my body run cold. Mason’s fingertips dug into the back of my hand, a slight vibration in his muscles. He could smell it too.

I mentally prepared myself as best as I could for what was coming, silently mapping out the landscape of Mason’s brain while keeping enough focus to remain invisible.

The wind shifted, cold gusts blowing through the trees and tangling in Dakota’s hair. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeming less and less confident the farther she went into the forest. Like she was regretting this.

Maybe I was regretting it too. Maybe we’d been too hasty making this plan, and we should’ve continued to wait for Mason to find a way to track him down.

But it was too late to obsess over any other plan we could’ve selected because Dakota was already deep in these dark woods, and she was entirely surrounded by demons.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

DAKOTA

I kept my head on a swivel as I stomped through the forest, feeling like I was genuinely about to pass out from fear. My heart rate was through the roof, and Micah couldn’t do anything about it right now—he needed his strength for what was coming.

My peripheral vision was fuzzy like static, my field of sight narrowing as anxiety suffocated me. I had to trust that Mason and Micah would be able to take care of the situation, but none of us even knew how many demons would be here. The xiphos Mason had given me was in my pocket, but it felt entirely useless. What would a small knife wielded by a human do against a demon?

When the wind shifted, I smelled something. It was faint, really faint, disappearing on the breeze just as soon as it came, but the scent was unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. It was…sharp.