Alice in Demonland
Chapter 18: The Slaying of the Sloth

We sat at a small, round table, the top covered in glazed Aztec tiles. Peter, Wrythe, and I hadn’t made it far from the compound before the men felt the need to stop for food. They claimed to be starving, which was verified by the way they inhaled the chips and salsa the waitress brought a few moments ago. I felt nauseous. The smells wafting from the kitchen made it worse.

But there was nothing to do except wait.

I squirmed in my seat impatiently as guilt ate away at my conscience. While they sat and snacked, time slipped away, marching me that much closer to being the reason one of the trainees would die. “Maybe we should go.” I leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. I doubted either of them heard, but my voice quivered.

Both men stopped shoveling chips and salsa into their faces. Wrythe looked at me earnestly before speaking. “We are in the right place, Alice. Like I said, anywhere works. They’ll be coming for you.”

“Yes, you said that, but it’s been an hour and we still haven’t seen one.”

“Patience, Alice. It won’t be long.” Peter picked up a chip and held it out for me to take. “Why don’t you have one? They’re delicious.”

I scrunched my lips in distain. “Pass.”

“You need to keep up your strength. When we run into a demon, you’ll need it.” Wrythe gave me a stern look. One I’d normally be intimidated by.

I gave him a tiny smile. “I know.”

“And we’re here for you,” he continued, patting my hand. Warmth from his skin radiated into me, giving me strength. He seemed different outside of the compound. Less intimidating. “Those demons don’t stand a chance. We won’t let another trainee die because of them.” His gaze softened.

“Thank you.” I appreciated the sentiment. And I was grateful he and Peter had my back. They were both great warriors. It was strange. As I watched him eat and chat with Peter about mundane things, it occurred to me that he was so much more than just a king. He was a man with needs, wants, and freaking feelings of his own. The idea was eye opening. I wondered if he had a wife and children. Those thoughts sent my mind whirling and I wondered what was possible for me. I’d never considered anything past killing my sire. There hadn’t been time to think beyond that. But I considered it now. What did becoming a warrior truly mean? Could I have love? Was motherhood a possibility for me? The idea sent excited nervousness up and down my spine. Followed by paralyzing anxiety. I needed to stop. I needed to focus.

Movement in the parking lot outside caught my attention. I looked more closely and realized Kade was out there standing beside a gorgeous car. But that wasn’t what held my attention. It was the person he spoke to. The Devil himself.

“What the crazy, crazy hell?” I darted for the door even though I had no idea what I would do. That damned devil would die. And if I killed him, then my fellow trainees would surely be safe. The Devil vanished before I reached them. “Kade,” I shouted running toward him. “What the hell are you doing here? Why were you talking to,” I paused and looked around, then continued softly, “the Devil?”

Kade was still standing beside his car and his face twisted into a surprised smile at the sight of me. “Alice. You’re just the person I was looking for.”

I noticed the way his green eyes lit up with genuine happiness, but I wasn’t deterred from my questioning. “Do you know who that was you were with?”

He nodded solemnly. “Yes. Of course. Listen Alice, we need to talk.”

Betrayal and anger furrowed out of me. Was he a demon? “You’re damn right we do. I want to know what is going on.” I crossed my arms, furious and confused.

“It isn’t what you think, but I believe I’m partially to blame, and—” He held out his hands as though pleading for me to listen.

I shook my head, planting my feet, and waited for him to go on.

“Alice.” Wrythe and Peter shouted together, coming over to me. Their features were priceless, a combination of perplexity, worry, and irritation.

Before I had the opportunity to explain, an enormous demon reminiscent of a hairless cat appeared directly behind Kade. “Alice,” the demon hissed. “Are you ready to die?” His eyes shone liquid blue making it obvious he was a Sloth demon. Steven’s sire.

I debated my options as I stepped around Kade, moving forward and sizing up the demon. Sloth demons tended to move more slowly than the others. I would use that to my advantage. Their biggest strength, aside from size, was their cunning. They were good at planning several moves in advance.

I took a moment to ponder the situation. We were in a parking lot, surrounded by cars. The street wasn’t too busy, but there were customers in the restaurant as well as people nearby. It was apparent by the screaming and shouting that could be heard. Obviously, the demon was arrogant enough to reveal himself to everyone.

As I debated what to do, some people came out of the restaurant and their apartment. Many had their smart phones out and were recording the whole scenario. Others got into their cars and drove away, which was what everyone should do.

“Leave,” I shouted in the direction of the crazy people sticking around to record the monster for their social media. I was thinking the Sloth Demon showed himself out of arrogance, but maybe he was just an idiot. Not that it mattered. These people needed to run away. “Get the hell out of here. Now.”

Some of them had the gall to laugh.

“Stupid!”

The demon growled and I returned my focus.

Wrythe appeared at my side.

I jumped up on the hood of Kade’s car.

“Alice, be careful,” Kade shouted. “Where’s your weapon?”

The Sloth Demon laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re trying to be a warrior, Alice. If only I could take you and keep you as my pet. Put you in my pocket and play with you when I want.” He glanced down at himself. “I don’t have a pocket, but I’ll eat you up and keep you there.” He patted his stomach.

Drool dripped from his mouth and landed on Kade’s car with a sizzle.

“There goes the car. Damn.” Kade blew out a breath as he reached into his car and grabbed his weapons.

The demon grabbed the car by the tires and lifted it. As the car rose, I used the momentum to dive over the demon’s head, stabbing a blade in each of its eyes before flipping and landing on the ground behind him. The demon screeched in pain, tossing the car through the restaurant windows. Glass shattered in all directions. People screamed and scattered.

Now they run, I thought.

There was an explosion, probably in the restaurant’s kitchen. Flames shot out of the flue on the roof and smoke billowed. Wrythe, Peter, and Kade made quick work of the demon. He turned to ash before I had a chance to catch my breath. It was very anticlimactic and a little disappointing, if I were being totally honest.

“Next time, I get the kill shot,” I shouted.

Kade rolled his eyes.

Wrythe and Peter were clapping each other on the back.

Someone was crying and I bent over, looking under one of the cars closest to me. A woman had her leg caught under the tire.

“Hang on.” I rolled the car forward.

She scooted out from under the car and stood. Though she limped, she was able to walk away and did so without so much as a thank you.

I glanced around at all of the damage. The parking lot looked like a war zone. Kade was helping an elderly couple from the building. The fire spread rapidly, engulfing what was left of the stucco building just as Kade and the others escaped.

Peter and Wrythe ran to Wrythe’s large black Hummer and were yelling at me to hurry.

“Chill, I—” I needed to speak with Kade. “Kade, come on,” I said, at the same time there was another explosion.

The Hummer’s passenger window came down. “We need to go before the police get here,” Peter yelled.

Sirens wailed in the distance. They were minutes away. I ran over to my swords and lifted them from the demon ash before running toward the vehicle.

“Let’s go.” Kade ran past me, taking my arm. I went with him, sliding into the Hummer’s backseat and buckling my seatbelt. As the Hummer pealed out of the parking lot I glanced at the back of Wrythe’s and Peter’s heads, then toward Kade. As warriors, they were awesome. I had a feeling that we could be unstoppable. Hell, I doubted I was even needed.

Wythe glanced at me through the rear view mirror. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“Oh?” I highly doubted he had a clue.

“We couldn’t have killed that demon without you,” he went on. “The knives to the eyes…” He shook his head. “Brilliant.”

“Thank you,” I said, grinding my teeth. “But I get to kill the next one. This is my trial.”

Peter turned in his seat to face me. “Alice is right,” he said, shaking his head. “We don’t want her to fail on a technicality.”

Kade nodded, though he seemed surly. I guessed it was because of his totaled car. “Yeah, from now on we’ll let you do all of the ass-kickings. The three of us will be nothing more than the clean-up crew.”

“Thanks.” That meant a lot.