Alright that's it. I am officially switching my publishing day from Wednesday to Thursday. That's what always seems to end up happening anyway. But, I hop you will all forgive me, because this is an extra long chapter and I had a ton of fun writing it. It's probably my favorite. Anyway, enjoy.

xoxo

-Sierra <3

Unfortunately peaceful sleep was not an option. The whole night I was plagued with nightmares which I suppose I should have expected. First I was in my backyard, the day Luca had taken my phone and I had yelled at him. We were wrestling, laughing, having fun. He got up and ran, but I caught up to him and tackled him, still giggling. I expected him to turn around and throw me off of him, but he didn't. He was just laying there, completely still. I got off, the laugh dying in my throat.

"Luca?" I said, turning him over. His eyes were glassy, except he didn't look the same as he had when he had actually died. He looked so much worse. His skin was pale, and he was cold, like he'd been dead for longer. And then right before my eyes, a worm broke through one of his eyes. Just one, lazily squirming as it freed itself. Something between a sob and a scream escaped me, which morphed into a pure scream as a big black spider crawled out from between Luca's lips. 

The spider scuttled toward me. I scrambled backward, still screaming. I have always hated spiders. This was not helping. The spider was fast, much faster than it should have been. More spiders followed it, all originating from Luca's mouth. I screamed as they caught up to me. I couldn't get away. Bugs were still swarming all over Luca's body, thousands of them. I tried to kick at the spiders but none of my attempts connected with anything but air. They crawled all over my body, pinning me to the ground. They were everywhere. Some crawled into my ears, others into my mouth as I screamed. I struggled pointlessly. All I could do was scream as the spiders completely covered my body.

When it got to the point where I couldn't breathe, I felt sure I was going to die. The edges of my vision blurred. My eyesight dimmed to blackness. All I could hear were my own screams, and someone laughing. 

"See what happens when you oppose me?" The voice said. It was the voice of Lilith, taunting me. "Oh poor Luna. Luna, Luna, Luna,"

LUNA!" My eyes flew open. I was on the floor, twisted up in a blanket I didn't remember having with me when I went to sleep. I gasped for air, trying to brush imaginary spiders from my body. My breathing slowed, but I still felt that disgusting sensation of little legs crawling all over me. I squirmed uncomfortably, my eyes finally focusing on the worried face in front of me.

"Alex," I said, trying not to sound too relieved. 

"Are you okay? You were screaming and writhing on the floor when I came down. Your...friend...was just standing against the wall, staring at you." He glared at Asmodeus who just shrugged.

"Just a dream," I said, sounding more like I was convincing myself than anyone else.

"Must have been one hell of a dream," Alex said, taking in my ragged appearance. I raked my hands through my hair and they came back damp. 

"Oh it was indeed. I'm mildly surprised you're still sane. That bit with the spiders? Truly terrifying," Asmodeus said nonchalantly. I slowly turned my head to him. 

"First, stay out of my head." I had tried ordering him before, but apparently that was the one thing he could do no matter what I said. "Second, why didn't you wake me up?"

"I'm afraid you had to endure it yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Asmodeus sighed. 

"You used so much magic last night that you went into a magicians' coma. That's what happens before someone fades." Asmodeus had told me about fading. It's what happens when someone uses too much magic at once. The magic consumes them and they fade into nothingness. He had told me nothing of this coma thing. 

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" I exclaimed.

"It wasn't necessary. You still would have gone into the coma."

"I still would have liked to know what was coming!" I tried to stand up and immediately collapsed onto the couch shivering. 

"I didn't want to scare you unnecessarily," Asmodeus said through gritted teeth. 

"I think the giant mass of spiders did that well enough thanks," I said in between bouts of chills. 

"Well that'll teach you not to extend yourself so much magically," he persisted. I growled at him. 

"I'm gonna get you a glass of water," Alex said awkwardly as Asmodeus and I continued to stare daggers at each other. I looked away first, down at the ground, feeling tears stinging the backs of my eyes. Asmodeus sat down next to me.

"I am truly sorry that you had to endure that," he said quietly.

"It was horrible," I agreed, my voice barely more than a whisper. He grabbed the blanket and draped it over my shoulders. I pulled it tighter around me and gave him a tentative smile of thanks. He nodded silently. Alex came in with a tall glass of water. He raised an eyebrow at the two of us sitting next to each other, but said nothing, just handing me the glass. I drank it all without taking a breath and felt instantly better. The shivering stopped and I stood up without much trouble. I looked disbelievingly at Alex. "What was in that?" 

Before he could answer, Asmodeus stated, "Don't underestimate the healing properties of water." I looked from Asmodeus to Alex, gathering my nervousness and putting it in a trash can in the very back of my mind. 

"I'm going to change, and then we're leaving." I glanced at Alex doubtfully.

"I'm still coming," he said stubbornly. I didn't fight him on it. I knew this was one argument I wouldn't win. I grabbed the small bag I had packed and went upstairs. Asmodeus followed and waited outside the door as I entered the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. 

Wow, I looked like shit. My blonde hair hung limp around my too pale face. My normally green eyes had faded to a dull gray color. There were dark circles under my eyes. I glanced briefly at the shower. I didn't have time and I knew it. I ended up just changing clothes, washing my face, and brushing my hair and teeth. I still looked pretty awful, but at least I looked human. I made my way downstairs to the smell of bacon cooking. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until that moment. 

"We don't have time for this," I said half-heartedly. Alex turned to look at me from his place in front of the stove purely to roll his eyes at me. 

"Just eat," he said shortly, attention back on the bacon. I didn't protest again. Considering my cooking skills consisted of being able to microwave a hot pocket, I was impressed by how good Alex's bacon was. Despite how hungry I was, I found that I could barely stomach three pieces. Asmodeus didn't eat anything. I thought back to all the time we had spent together and realized that I had never actually seen him eat.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" I asked him. He seemed surprised, either at me caring enough to ask, or at me being stupid enough to ask. 

"I don't need to eat. I suppose I could but I've never been terribly interested in what comes after eating," he said with a grimace. Fair enough. 

"So you don't really have a pet snake?" Alex asked suddenly. 

"What?"

"Salazar? That was him right?" I had honestly forgotten about that. 

"Oh. Um, yeah," I responded, a little confused at the relevance of this conversation.

"For the record," Asmodeus chimed in, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I am right here and am perfectly capable of speaking for myself."

"Forgive me if I'm not entirely comfortable having a conversation with a literal demon," Alex retorted. I looked at him in surprise to find that he looked just as surprised. He looked at Asmodeus fearfully, as if afraid he was going to be dragged to hell or something. Asmodeus just huffed and leaned against the wall.

"Why do you care about the snake?" I asked in an attempt to diffuse the tension that now polluted the air. Alex chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bacon before answering.

"I don't like snakes," he finally said, which I already knew. I waited for him to elaborate. He didn't, so I let it go. We were both finished eating, but neither of us was really anxious to get going. 

"We should leave," Asmodeus said when it became clear that neither Alex nor me were going to make the first move. That was all it took. I stood up slowly. 

"Are you sure you want to be a part of this?" I asked Alex, who had also stood up. 

For a moment, he looked indecisive, but he answered "Absolutely." On instinct, I reached for my phone, before remembering I had left it at home. Home. The place that I could never return to. I mentally shook myself. Now was not the time to unpack all of that. A thought occurred to me.

"You should leave your phone here." Alex looked at me in confusion and perhaps a little horror. "The police will be looking for me, and by extension you. They could track us through our phones."

"They have no way of knowing that I'm with you. I'll just leave my parents a note saying that I went on a road trip of something," Alex countered.

"You really think anyone will buy that? I go missing right after Luca...." I paused, choking back a sob. "I go missing after what happened and you, pretty much my only friend, just happens to go on a road trip the same night?" Alex looked as if he was trying to come up with an argument, but, finding nothing, set his phone dejectedly on the counter with a sigh. "I should at least text Charlie," he said weakly. As much as I wanted to see Charlie, I looked horrible and did not want her to see me like this.

"Where is she anyway?" I asked.

"She slept at a friend's last night." Thank god.

"Okay, well, even if you text her, what are you gonna tell her? That your going on a road trip with the girl suspected of murder and her demon friend?" He mumbled something under his breath that I was pretty sure was not complementary towards me. I tried to make my voice gentler. "It'll be better, safer, if she doesn't know. You can explain everything, if you want, when it's over." After a moment of indecisive silence, Alex nodded. 

"Riveting. Absolutely fantastic. Encore, encore," Asmodeus said from his place by the wall. I glared at him. In return he gave me an innocent smile. And then someone knocked at the door.

"Shit," I said. "We need to go right now." 

"It's probably nothing," Alex responded, but he too was quickly making his way to the door. He grabbed his wallet and car keys from a bowl by the door. He gestured for Asmodeus and me to go out the back. We didn't need telling twice. 

"Hello," I head Alex say.

"Sorry to bother you. You are Alex Stevens?" The voice was male, the way he spoke was formal.

"Yes officer. Is everything okay?"

"Crap," I said quietly. Asmodeus and I slipped out of the house as quietly as we could. It was a good thing that I hadn't let go of my bag at any point, or I would have left it there. Asmodeus and I crept silently around the side of the house, through the gate. I paused, looking around for Alex's car. I finally spotted the BMW parked across the street. We would either have to wait, or make a run for it. Only a moment later did I realize that police officers usually have partners. I felt a car door slam and jerked my head toward the police car. A woman was making her way towards me. The look on her face, like she was approaching a cornered and animal, told me she knew exactly who I was. Her eyes traveled over my body, probably looking for any sign of weapons. 

"Excuse me miss. I'm afraid you need to come with me. Are you aware of what happened last night at your place of residence?" The officer asked cautiously. I played dumb.

"No. What happened? Are my brother and parents okay?" I tried not to sound like I was lying, but I don't think I succeeded.

"I'm afraid not. In fact, your brother, Luca Anderson, was killed last night." I schooled my face into a mask of shock.

"What?"

"That's why you need to come with me. Your parents are worried and we just need to ask you a few questions."

"Of course. Of course I'll come." I tried to fake some tears, I really did. I hoped that the police officer, officer McAlister judging from her badge, would put my lack of emotion down to shock. I had to get out of this somehow. I wracked my brain for any way that I could possibly do that. A spell, or maybe I could talk my way out. I had never been particularly good with words. Just then, Alex and the male officer came around the corner. 

"Alex tells me you've been here all night? Is that right?" Alex nodded vigorously from behind the officer, which was unnecessary.

"Yes. That's correct," I responded. I never once gave any thought to where Asmodeus was during this entire exchange until I felt an inexplicable tug forcing me to take a step backward. 

"Are you all right?" Officer McAlister asked, noticing me stumbling backward.

"Yes. I'm fine. I just, don't, like being close, to people," I said haltingly. I could tell from her facial expression that she didn't believe me. I was forced to take another stumbling step backward. I mentally cursed this stupid bond thing between Asmodeus and I and simultaneously prayed that he knew what he was doing. Suddenly, a scream erupted from behind the fence of the yard next door. It was the scream of a terrified child. Both officers look in the direction it had come from in surprise and fear. After no more than a moment of hesitation, the man looked at me.

"Stay right here," he ordered. I nodded. He and his partner went running away to investigate the source of that bloodcurdling scream. I found myself able to move again. I looked around and noticed a hummingbird hovering very close to my head.

Move, a voice said in my head. I lurched into action, dragging Alex with me. He stumbled along with me towards his car. I shoved him toward the drivers' seat and ran around to the other side of the car.

"Let's go," I told him. He hesitated. "Either drive or I swear I will take your keys and do it myself, license or no." My patience was running thin. The police officers would be back any second, finding nothing that could have produced that scream. Alex got in the car without a word, but his hands were shaking. He unlocked the doors and I hopped in, the hummingbird following me. Asmodeus became his more normal white kitten. I'm sure he would have preferred a snake, but given how scared Alex already was, it wouldn't have been a good idea. Alex started the car just as the cops ran back into sight. They looked at the car pulling away from the curb, and at the spot where we had been standing minutes before and ran to their car. Alex stepped on the gas. I think he realized just how much trouble we'd be in if we got caught. I grabbed the book out of my bag and looked through it.

"You're not ready for more magic. It could kill you. You're not fully recovered," Asmodeus cautioned me urgently. 

"Shut up, As." Not being able to disobey a direct order, he did. I looked through the book. Page after page of spells, and none that could do anything about our current situation. A flight spell? No, we weren't in ET. Teleportation? Not meant for this many people and a car. Maybe I could do something to the cop car. My aim wasn't that good though so it would have to be something that didn't require aiming, which didn't exist. The cop car's sirens started going, which did not help my concentration. Alex's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, and his face was just as pale. Ah. There. Invisibility spell. That could work. Maybe. It's not like I had a choice. I looked down the ingredients list. "Sorry about this," I said to Alex. He looked at me in alarm.

"What? What are you--. OW!" I yanked some of his hair out. 

"Watch the road," I snapped. Asmodeus hissed at me, but I took some of his hair anyway. I took a few strands of my own hair and then started picking at the very nicely upholstered seat. Curse my short fingernails, and thank god for Asmodeus's kitten claws. He caught on to what I was doing and promptly began doing what cats do best. Shredding the seat. I finally managed to free a strip. I prayed it was enough. Wow, I had prayed a lot recently. I quickly tied the strands of hair around the piece of the seat. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. I glanced down at the incantation. I saw the entrance to an alley up ahead. 

"Turn there," I said.

"That's a dead end," Alex responded, panic edging his voice.

"Just do it," I snapped. 

"But--"

"For God's sake trust me!" He clenched his jaw but I knew he would do as I said. I would have to time this perfectly. Just as Alex jerked the wheel to the right, I forced out the words.

"Dissimulare, non sentio, non sciant." I felt the the power flow through me and into the strands of hair and car upholstery. Alex stopped just shy of hitting a wall. I knew the spell had worked because I could feel it draining me. It was taking every bit of energy and power I had to keep it up. The police car pulled in behind us. It stayed there for a moment. I could feel myself losing my grip on reality. I reached to grab the door handle in order to steady myself. My hand went right through it. Asmodeus mewed in distress. And then, miraculously, the police car backed out of the alley and drove away. I let the pieces of hair and upholstery fall out of my hand. The spell stopped working. I carefully reached toward the car door again. My hand connected with it and I let out something between a laugh and a sigh. 

"Wow," Alex said. Judging from Asmodeus's baleful stare, he had something other than 'wow' to say to me, but at the moment I couldn't bring myself to care about anything. I leaned my head back.

"Drive. Don't get us arrested," I managed to force out before I passed out.