What to Read This Weekend!

10/23/2025

Nick’s lips were starting to turn blue, and the twitching of his limbs slowed while his eyes bulged even more. Todd experienced the odd sensation of feeling his own heartbeat become more and more sluggish. His vision was starting to gray out, and the weird choking sounds he was making sounded far away.

Todd was dying. Worse yet, he knew Nick was as well. They were separated by only a few feet, yet Todd wouldn’t even be able to hold his young mate’s hand as they died. Nick would be alone.

Some other voice cut through the ringing in Todd’s ears. It was higher, feminine, and it was joined by Benning’s shouts turning to screams of agony. The voice was saying words Todd didn’t understand. He slid farther down the wall. Now his toes touched the floor. Benning’s voice transformed to something deep, guttural, and loud. Todd realized the other voice wasn’t speaking English, which was why he couldn’t make out the words.

There was a loud thud, and Todd’s entire body jarred. Pain blossomed from his ribs, arm, and shoulder. Todd gasped and hissed in agony. Then he realized he could breathe, and the thud he’d heard was him hitting the floor. Rolling up and on to his rear, Todd backed up and used the wall for support to sit straight.

He turned to Nick just in time to see his mate drop to the floor, landing on all fours, gulping in big, deep breaths. Benning was screaming; Todd looked at the demon and immediately wished he hadn’t. Benning’s eyes glowed red. Their intensity brightened until they exploded into flames lapping from Benning’s skull. Benning bent over, pounding on his face with his fists.

The woman’s voice kept going. Todd finally thought to look for the source of the voice.

“Mrs. Larue? Heidi?” Todd rasped out. He looked over at Nick, who was staring at her, mouth open, eyes wide.

Heidi barely paid attention to Todd. Instead, she focused on Nick and snapped in English, “Do you have any more of that oil?” Nick nodded but otherwise didn’t move.

“Finish the circle!” Heidi ordered before she went back to reciting words in what Todd thought was Latin.

Nick leaned back, hands slapping at his pockets until he pulled out the sacrosanct oil. He stretched forward and sprinkled more of the oil, completing the trap he’d started. With shaking hands, Nick got another match lit and threw it into the freshly laid oil.

Benning crumpled to the floor, the rest of his decaying body igniting in flames.

“Nicky.” Todd held out his good arm, fingers wiggling. Nick scrambled along the floor until he was close enough Todd could grasp his arm.

A thick black cloud formed over what had been Benning. Nick turned his head and shielded his face with his free arm. Todd coughed from the stench of burning, rotten flesh. Another minute and there was nothing left of Benning’s body except a pile of incinerated bones.

The black cloud expanded, seemed to swarm and moved from one part of the circle to another. It banged off an invisible barrier. The thing created its own wind, blowing outward and blasting their faces with hot, putrid air.

“Is that what you saw leave that little girl when you were a child?” Todd whispered. Nick nodded and cringed closer to the wall. Todd let go of his mate and pressed his arm across Nick, pushing the young man back so Nick had one shoulder wedged between Todd and the wall. He fisted his hand in Nick’s jacket.

A high-pitched whine escalated to an ear-shattering pitch. The cloud vibrated and shimmied for a few more seconds before exploding into a grey dust that fell to blanket the bones. The whole mess suddenly ignited into black flames and burst apart.

“Look out,” Heidi shouted.