I ground my teeth. "You can be a mage without dealing with demons. Why not use your power to help humans?"
"Maybe that was my idea in the first place."
"Bullshit. You've been hunting. You tried to be a hunter. I'm not going to give you the excuse to keep doing it. It's over, Tink! For the last time, it's all over. You won!"
"And what did I win?" Her voice was full of scorn. "Killing Azriphel won't bring my family back. It won't bring Chrissy or Julian or Vostok or anyone else back. I stopped him. We stopped him. How many other demons are out there who need to be stopped?"
"You think you're going to keep going with this?" I let scorn of my own filter into my voice. "You and what army? In case you didn't notice, it took a small army to stop one demon. Can't you see that?"
"It didn't take an army. It took you."
"I was just-"
"The brains behind the operation." She cut me off. "The source of power. There's one way to stop demons from preying on us, and that's with overwhelming force. You are that force."
"I'm not going to be your tool."
"No?"
"No. Let someone else worry about saving everyone else. You need to worry about yourself, little one. Go back to school. Learn something. Be with people, normal people, real people. Stop getting involved with demons and angels. You're human. Be human. Be happy."
"So you won't help me?"
I turned my back on her. "No. Go live your life. That's all I want for you."
She paused, her eyes fixed on mine, then her gaze dropped. "I'll think about it."
I walked away, toward my apartment, leaving her behind. Inside, there was somebody waiting for me. Tomorrow, there was a job and a paycheck waiting for me. I had a new life just starting. A normal life. Everything in my life was returning to normal, more than normal, better than normal. Everything was going to be just fine.
Something jabbed me right next to my spine, something sharp gliding through skin and muscle. Warmth flowed down my back. "I thought about it," she whispered. "I've been thinking about it ever since you left me behind in that hospital bed. I think I want to keep you around for a while. By my blood, I bind you, Isaiah Bright."
Well, not quite everything.
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The Demon Inside Me Page 34
