The Hunt by Amy Meredith Read Free Book Online

in confusion, so Eve handled the translation. ‘You can wear legitimate designer shoes and still be carrying a knock-off handbag. By which I’d say Jess means we have had legitimate demon encounters, but that doesn’t mean we are dealing with a demon this time. Even if it looks like a demon, that doesn’t make it one.’
    ‘Right. Maybe those animals with the weird migration patterns also have strange mutations.Mutations no one has recorded yet. Weird teeth that leave weird bite marks. The ability to suck out all a person’s blood,’ Jess said, clearly trying to convince herself it was true.
    ‘Reporter sighting. To the left.’ It was the same man Luke had seen at Ola’s. ‘He’s not close enough to hear us though.’
    ‘In the offensive trench coat and the cowboy boots?’ Jess asked.
    Luke nodded, then looked over at Eve. ‘Even I can see that coat needs burning. But no fires,’ he teased.
    Jess gave the reporter a disgusted look. ‘I know those boots must be a huge temptation too, more than the coat even. But I agree with Luke. No fires. You’ve got to keep your secret superpowers secret.’
    ‘Hey, I have a pair of boots almost exactly like his. I’ve worn them to school. Why didn’t you two tell me I was a walking what-not-to-wear?’ Luke demanded, acting like he was offended, but clearly also trying not to smile.
    Eve turned so her back was to the boot-wearing reporter. ‘So what do you guys think I should I be doing with my superpowers?’ she asked her friends. ‘Like Jess said, we don’t know that we’re dealing witha you-know-what. But, in a town that used to be called Demondene, a place where a demon was going to school with us a few weeks ago, we need to give it some consideration. We need to be prepared.’
    ‘Do you think Malphas could be back?’ Luke asked.
    ‘I don’t know if I killed him exactly,’ Eve answered. ‘I mean, maybe he’s immortal. But I don’t think he’s anywhere around here any more.’
    ‘He’s as gone as hair scrunchies,’ Jess agreed. ‘He went up in smoke, and his whole mansion crumbled.’ Mal had taken over the old Razor place near the beach and completely renovated it. When Eve smoked him, the mansion reverted to the ruin it had been, complete with wild jungle of a garden.
    Eve frowned. ‘Although I did smell wood-smoke the night of that charity thing down on the beach – after he was gone. And again that day you were helping me with my powers. Mal and his demon buddies always smelled like wood-smoke. I thought all his minions disappeared with Mal. Do you think I could have missed one? Could that be what killed Kyle?’
    Jess shook her head. ‘Completely different MO. Mal basically kissed people to suck out their soul, and the victims didn’t die – they just became insane.’
    ‘Until Evie got Mal to vomit the souls back up. Don’t forget that part,’ Luke said. ‘We won last time. If we have to fight a demon again, we’ll win again.’
    ‘But even if we do, I won’t be able to save Kyle. He’s being buried right now.’ Eve could see Kyle’s family gathering graveside in the small cemetery next to the church. They’d asked that the burial be private. Eve gripped her coffee so tightly that the cardboard cup buckled, sloshing the hot liquid onto her new coat with the asymmetrical flounced hem.
    ‘Get that directly to the dry-cleaners,’ Jess said, eyeing the spot.
    ‘Yeah,’ Eve agreed, her eyes still on the cemetery, her thoughts still on Kyle. The man in the trench coat was looking over there too, watching as Kyle’s mother sobbed. Eve felt a stab of anger. ‘That reporter is a ghoul,’ she muttered. ‘How can he stand having a job where all he does is skulk around grieving people, trying to sniff out some news? Go home, Trench!’
    Jess nodded. ‘Yeah! And take your ugly boots with you.’
    The guy in the trench coat was too far away to hear them. He didn’t glance away from the graveyard.
    ‘OK, let’s think it through,