AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You need to regenerate,” I said to him.
“It’s quite a ways from the bathhouse,” he replied.
The bathhouse. That’s where I had met Jacques on that night, when he was half naked and looking at me like—
Wait. How was it that a Judge was able to soak in the bathhouse?
“Jacques,” I said. “Does holy water not affect demons?”
“Holy water is for the holy,” Jacques replied. “Demons are the rejected creatures of the king. They have no holiness within them; therefore, holy water is just the same as regular water to a demon.”
“Then what is the actual weakness of a demon?”
Jacques tilted his head back to the ceiling to think. “Demons are complicated creatures. They aren’t affected by holy defenses or human weapons. The only weakness they have is their human host. If the host is destroyed, then it’s easier to capture them.”
Adrian’s hollow eyes showed that he already understood that option, but I wasn’t going to accept it.
“There has to be another way,” I said. “Every creature has a weakness or sin that—”
I stopped. That was it.
I pointed to Adrian’s sword around his waist. “Give me one of those.”
Adrian looked down to where I was pointing and raised a pointed eyebrow at me.
“The sword, you jackass,” I replied.
He looked even more skeptical. So did Jacques.
“Are you going to try and stab a demon?” Jacques asked. “I know you can’t be that stupid.”
“Jacques?” I asked. “Why do demons possess humans?”
Jacques hesitated, but eventually decided to answer my question. “To gain power.”
“Why do they need power?”
“To create more demons.”
“And why do they possess humans and not the sirens?”
“Well, for one, sirens can’t be possessed. And second, demons despise humans. Demons are rejected creations of the Siren King. Humans are not, even though they have no power.”
I took a sword from one of the pirates and unsheathed it.
“Exactly,” I said, staring at the tip of the blade of the sword. “The demons hate humans out of jealousy. Just as I did.”
I glanced down at my arm, knowing I couldn’t see it as Jacques did, but holding it up anyway. He looked between me and my forearm, his mouth slowly gaping.
“Youremember?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I remember why I killed them,” I said. “And just as importantly, I rememberhow.”
“But how do you remember?” Jacques asked with genuine surprise. “You don’t have your wings.”
I smiled.
