Chapter 33

Kariel’s abrupt disappearance left the air charged with lingering energy. Suzi collapsed onto the bed, her breath ragged.

“That went better than I thought it would have,” she muttered aloud, as if reassuring herself.

The room felt heavy. Suzi rolled off the bed, her limbs unsteady. The pellet and knife lay on the floor—otherworldly tools she did not wish to use against her angelic ally. She reabsorbed the orb, its warmth seeping into her skin, but dropped the knife on the bed.

She had information and needed to call Phineas. She dialed his number, her fingers trembling. After several rings, he answered in an unusually gruff tone: “This is Wilson.”

“Phin, it’s Suzi. I have a couple of names for you…”

“What time is it?” he interrupted, annoyance coloring his voice.

Suzi glanced at the clock. “It’s a little after 2 a.m.,” she confessed, suddenly aware of the darkness outside. Guilt prickled at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I just got back…”

She almost blurted out the truth—about the metaphysical clash with a demon and an angel—but held back. “Sorry, Phin. Go back to sleep and call me in the morning.”

“10-4,” he mumbled, and the line went dead.

Suzi wondered if would remember this or think he dreamt it.

The names—Jasper Berry and Jose Alventez—burned in her mind. The men who had hurt Ygritte and Aiden. Or rather, the demons possessing them. Suzi’s resolve hardened. Confronting them couldn’t come soon enough.

Hours dragged by. Suzi tended to Ygritte, her touch gentle. She thought of Aiden and his wounds—the broken bones, the bruises, the pain. And Zayne, bound to Kariel. If he suffered, it was a penance he deserved for his role in Aiden’s situation.

Impatience gnawed at her. She considered driving to Phineas’ home, waking him with fresh coffee. But how did he take it? Where did he live? She thought about driving to Tom’s store but realized that no one would be there because that was not where they lived. She knew where Ricky lived, but she was not going to wake him and Ellie for her problems. She thought about visiting Aiden, but it was not yet visiting hours, so they would likely ask her to leave.

She had nothing to do but to wait.

And wait, she did.

Two excruciatingly long minutes passed before she texted the team the information she had so they could all read it when they woke up. She began the group chat, realizing she did not have Kyle’s number.

‘Hey all – I have two names - Jasper Berry and Jose Alventez. They are the men who shot my dog and took Aiden. They are also possessed so if you can find them, I will do the rest to keep you all out of danger. Also, I do not have Kyle’s number, so please add him to this conversation.’

By 5 a.m., Suzi needed purpose—a bath. She hadn’t luxuriated in days. The water flowed hot, and a mango-coconut bath bomb fizzed. She undressed and sank into the tub, steam enveloping her. This was peace, her sanctuary.

Her skin tingling. “Alexa, play my music playlist,” she called out.

Meatloaf’s ‘Life is a Lemon’ filled the room—an odd choice, but it drowned her worries.

She could believe this was Heaven if only Aiden were here. The late Mr. Aday’s complaints faded as she drifted.

Then her phone shattered the tranquility.

Suzi shot out of the tub, water splashing. Naked and dripping, she answered. “Hey, Phineas. Good morning.”

“Good. You’re awake. Let’s meet at Tom’s store to go over some logistics,” Phineas said.

“Sounds good. I can be there in 20.” Suzi’s pulse quickened. The urgency of their mission hung heavy in the air. She needed answers, closure—anything to find justice for Ygritte and Aiden.

“Make it 30 and bring coffee,” Phineas’ voice crackled through the phone. “That is the least you can do for waking me up so early.”

Suzi’s lips twitched. Fair enough. She’d roused him from slumber, disrupted his dreams of Officer Garrett or whatever Phineas dreamed about. Coffee was a small penance.

“You got it. Text me everyone’s coffee order, and I’ll pick it up.”

“Consider it done. See you in a bit.”

Suzi returned to the tub and quickly bathed, rinsed, and dried. In the minutes after she hung up with Phineas, her phone beeped—a chorus of coffee orders, a symphony of caffeine cravings. Fancy cappuccinos, espressos, macchiatos—the team’s preferences spanned the caffeinated spectrum. The requests quickly escalated to doughnuts, biscuits and gravy, stacks of pancakes and desires for plentiful sides of pig-based breakfast meats. They were a quirky bunch, and she loved them for it.

Suzi dressed swiftly: jeans, pink Doc Martens, and a Tetris T-shirt—Aiden’s gift. The blue hoodie proclaimed her as a proud “Dog Mom,” a pit bull grinning from the fabric. She replied to the group chat, promising her tardy, but breakfast loaded arrival. The grotesque knife lay in her purse, a reminder of her recent unraveling. She couldn’t risk absorbing it again—not now.

Suzi collected the team’s breakfasts, trays of coffees cradled in her hands. Kyle, Alanna’s brother, held the door for her. His smile revealed a family resemblance.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Oh, you didn’t have to get us anything,” Kyle said, reaching for the coffees.

“There’s more in the truck,” Suzi replied. “If you can go get that, please.”

He nodded, sprinting toward Aiden’s pickup. Suzi stepped inside Tom’s store, the scent of coffee and camaraderie enveloping her. The team greeted her—‘Hey,’ ‘Hello,’ ‘Good Morning.’ No one had a specific task; they were a huddle of purpose, waiting for the next move.

Coffees distributed, Suzi watched as Kyle returned, white plastic bags dangling from his massive arms. Bacon remnants hung out of his mouth, a half-eaten doughnut pinched between his fingers. He was also met with a cacophony of ‘Hey’s, ‘Hello’s, and ‘Good Morning’s, but in much more seductive, passionate, and eager tones.

They opened the foam boxes, Becca fetching paper plates and utensils. They ate, light banter weaving through the room, all partaking in the carbohydrate-laden meal. Suzi savored the moment and the camaraderie. For a while, they were just people sharing a meal, not militiamen, demon hunters, or celestial warriors.

Kyle, ever the bottomless pit, combined leftovers into one foam container. Biscuits melded with pancakes, syrup mingling with sausage. By the end of the meal, Suzi surmised that Kyle had eaten more than fifty dollars’ worth of the food.

Phineas stood, cappuccino cup half-empty. Suzi studied him—jeans, T-shirt, no suit. He looked ‘normal’, for the first time.

His words hung in the air, “We didn’t get anywhere with Spencer Isaacs. He doesn’t know anything. Suzi gave us some other names, who also appear as employees for Spector Industries.”

Suzi enjoyed the fact that no one asked where she came up with those names. They did not question her intel, which meant they saw her as an equal part of the team. Suzi squared her shoulders, bursting with a newfound pride and confidence.

“Any luck in finding them?” Suzi’s voice trembled. She craved retribution, a chance to tip the scales in her favor.

Phineas’ response was measured, his eyes guarded. “We’ve only had their names for a couple of hours. Their records show their last known addresses, but both places are empty. They’re in the wind, but we have their photos.”

The remote in Phineas’ hand came alive, projecting images on the screen. Suzi’s breath hitched. Both men looked familiar, but she recognized one—

“He was driving that van Thursday when we broke into the garage,” Suzi pointed to Jose’s image.

Phineas bristled, “We did not break in. We gained access legitimately through the gate. It was up, and we entered.”

“We know what this man looks like. Use the pellet to strike him from any distance. Once it hits, it returns to the thrower, and Miraleth can tell us where he is,” Judas whispered.

Suzi weighed the idea. “I may have another way to find them,” she told the team.

Their gazes bore into her.

“How’s that?” Ricky asked.

“The ball from the box,” Suzi said. “I can throw it, and it will seek out the target. Since I know what he looks like, it’ll lock onto him.”

Silence hung in the room.

Alanna’s laughter broke it. “Magic Missile, right? Right? She’s joking, you guys.”

Some hesitated, unsure.

Suzi held her ground. “No. I’m not joking.” She extended her hand and whispered, “Miraleth’s Pellet.”

The golden orb materialized, defying logic. Tom blinked, Kyle shot up, and Ricky leaned closer, studying the small ball.

“I thought you said it was a 30-pound lead ball?” Phineas' skepticism was intense.

“It is until you master it.” Suzi’s gaze shifted to Kyle—the strongest among them.

She nodded a silent agreement. He held out his hand, ready to catch. She released the orb, and magic unfolded. It grew, shifted, defied physics. By the time it landed in Kyle’s palm, it was full-sized, heavy.

“Holy Christ!” Kyle staggered, gripping the ball. “How did you do that?”

Suzi approached, her touch reverent. “I tried to tell you. It’s different when you’ve mastered it.” The ball shrank, golden and obedient.

Ricky’s question hung in the air. “And you can just randomly pick a target and hit it?”

“No,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I think I have to envision them as the target when I throw it and intend to strike them.”

Phineas scoffed. “You think. THINK?” His eyes bore into hers, demanding answers.

“Yeah,” Suzi replied, her gaze unwavering. “I’ve not actually thrown it at someone.”

Becca leaned forward, curiosity etching lines on her face. “How did you make it appear in your hand?”

Suzi held out her palm, the orb in place. She whispered its name, and it dissolved into her skin, leaving no trace. “It’s one of the things I can do.”

Tom’s reaction was less subtle. He threw his hands up, panic etching his features. “Fuck it! I’m out.” His terror mirrored Kyle’s when the pellet had materialized earlier.

Detective Wilson cut through the tension. “She made the knife disappear the same way that day in the garage.”

The room buzzed with anticipation.

“Let’s see the knife,” Alanna suggested.

Suzi retrieved her purse, fingers brushing the cold metal. “I’ve decided not to absorb it as it messes with my thoughts in a negative way.” She pulled out the knife, its blade gleaming under the harsh light.

“What does it do?” Kyle’s voice trembled.

Phineas remembered. “It makes her terrifying.”

Ricky chimed in, “It looks terrifying.”

Suzi hesitated, her secret weighing heavily. “It also makes you uncontrollably angry,” she admitted, leaving out the part about the bound demon.

“These people we’re looking for—do they have these abilities too?” Becca asked concerned.

The look of concern on her face spoke volumes to Suzi. She was concerned that Tom and her friends would get hurt while trying to help this woman they barely knew. Suzi’s heart clenched. She didn’t want Tom and his crew hurt.

“No, I don’t think so. They’re just human men possessed by demons.”

Alanna’s fear echoed in her voice. “Just human men?”

“That is not what I meant,” Suzi began. “I just …”

Suzi glanced at the blade in her hand, its faint red glow, realizing that just by its touch and presence, it was influencing the fear and anger of the room.

“Rogzeil’s Blade,” she said, absorbing it against her better judgment. “I’m sorry,” Suzi addressed the team. “I know this is a lot. I should go. It’ll keep you all safe.”

She reached for her purse, but Becca stopped her.

“Sit, missy,” Becca commanded.

“Oh, fuck,” Ralph, the lover, not the fighter of the collective, said. Ralph was the friend to all, and she certainly did not want to fight six of their newest friends.

Suzi stared at Becca and complied as she took her seat.

“You are family to Rick, so you are family to us. We would all take a bullet for each other, and now that includes you, and we would expect the same from you. We get that you are not military-trained, but you clearly have some skills that make you valuable. We may be in something we do not understand, but if you are in it, we are in it. Got it?”

Suzi swallowed hard. The mood in the room was palpable.

Tom raised his hand. “I’ve already taken a bullet for a couple of you fuckers. It’s someone else’s turn.”

Kyle and Phin grinned.

Suzi tried to lighten the mood. “I can get shot, and I don’t think I’d die.”

It had the opposite effect of making the room go silent once again as everyone stared at her for a solid minute. Silence settled over the room.

Then Tom broke it. “On the front of the mystery delivery of your magical ball, we got footage of the car he drove and the delivery man. We haven’t identified him yet.” He pressed a button, revealing a slender person in a dark green hoodie.

“Does he look familiar?” Tom asked Suzi.

The person looked familiar, but the hood hung low and no facial features could be made out. “No, but that’s definitely the package. You can tell how he’s carrying it—how heavy it is.”

“We have the make and model of his car,” Tom continued, “but no tags. He had a passenger.”

The room leaned in, ready for the next revelation. Suzi’s pulse raced. The screen flickered, revealing a side-by-side view of a blue sedan and a close-up of the man carrying the package. Suzi’s breath caught. The passenger—a little older but unmistakable—was Dr. Adamson.

Her pulse raced as she stood, pointing at the screen. She met Phineas’ gaze. “That’s Dr. Adamson,” she said, her voice trembling. “And that’s the man who shot him.”