19 Chapter Nineteen: Clean Up

Derik gently lifted Jade up, cradling her in his arms. He kissed her forehead and spoke to her quietly.

"You did so very good, my love. Rest now, restore your energy."

Jones was staring at the pile of ash, while Mark stared at Jade.

"What was that?" They said in unison, yet meaning different things.

"The Incubus was banished, his physical body was abandoned," Derik explained.

"And that power from her?" Mark asked.

"That I don't know," Derik confessed.

"She's powerful," Mark said, still staring at her.

"She's also protected," Derik said, a hint of warning in his voice.

Mark nodded, taking a respectful step back. Footsteps sounded at the mouth of the alley.

"GCPD! Nobody move!" Someone yelled from the entrance.

"Easy, officers. Allow me to introduce us. I'm Derik Heath. With Mark Vice, Jones Talor, and Jaderyn Parke." He said calmly, facing the police. "We have everything under control."

"Jade?" A voice spoke up, then someone came running towards them.

"Follow him!" Another voice barked.

Mr. Parke stopped before Derik, looking at his daughter with fear.

"What did you do to her?" His voice was hard, accusing.

"Nothing. She's unconscious from a Banishing she just performed." Derik explained.

"Yeah. She banished the Incubus." Jones piped up.

"The Incubus... it's gone?" One of the police men said.

"Yes. We dealt with it." Mark replied.

Mr. Parke looked at his daughter with love and pride, then looked into Derik's eyes, a stare that would make a lesser man balk.

"The Incubus?" He asked.

"Jones," Derik said.

"Right over here, Mr. Parke, Sir," Jones said, walking over to the pile of ash.

Mr. Parke nodded, then reached for his daughter, bur Derik took a step back.

"It's best if she's not moved too much," Derik explained.

Mr. Parke nodded again, then turned to Jones and Mark.

"Clean the supplies up, and erase the pentagram. Then I need to talk to all of you." He said, adopting his dad voice.

"Yes, sir," Jones replied, not daring to disobey his idol.

"Our motel room is a couple of blocks away, I'm taking her there, where she can rest comfortably," Derik said, taking a step.

"I need an address." Mr. Parke said, putting his hand on Derik's arm.

"Simply follow Mark or Jones," Derik replied, walking away, holding Jade close to him so she wouldn't be jostled.

"Parke, sir. Where is the Incubus?" One of the men asked.

"Over there." He said, pointing to the pile of ash, his eyes watching the Demon take his precious daughter away.

"Is it dead?" The officer asked.

"No. Its soul was banished. It had no use of its body, so it was burned up." He explained.

"All of the work we did looking for it, and four children defeated it?" The officer asked, voice bordering on anger.

"Yes. But don't just blow them off. One is the founder's son, and one is a Parke." He said, looking away from the mouth of the alley. "Head on back to the station, I'll get reports from the children."

The officer nodded and waved the others over to him, repeating the given orders.

'Maybe you were right Karla...maybe being a Hunter isn't the best choice for Jade...especially after what happened tonight...'

Sighing, Mr. Parke headed over to the pentagram and began to smudge the obsidian line, just then noticing the bloodied Soul Stones.

"She couldn't have..." He mumbled.

"She couldn't what, Sir?" Jones asked, curious.

"Did Jade use a blood binding? Use her blood to force the Incubus to her will?" He asked.

"Yes. She did. Is there something unusual about that?" Mark asked, darkly curious.

"Yeah...it's something that's nearly impossible to do. It leaves the Hunter open, the Demon being bound could just have easily bound her." He said. "She took an immense risk."

Mark went quiet, thinking as he cleaned up the mess. The power he felt coming from Jade, along with her having no trouble banishing an Incubus by her blood, it all seemed very suspicious. He'd keep an eye on her. Afterall, Derik was his responsibility to protect, a job given by his parents, who protected Derik's parents. So far, Jade seemed like a very dangerous risk.

Derik opened the door with little difficulty, holding Jade against his chest with one hand. He gently placed her on the bed and turned on the light. Derik checked Jade for injuries, finding very dark marks in the shape of fingers around her neck. He brushed his fingertips against them gently, anger welling up. How dare that lesser being touch and harm His girl.

Jade groaned in her sleep and Derik attempted to calm down, laying next to her and taking a lock of her hair in his hand. Moving close to her, he breathed in her scent. Spice, like cinnamon, it was addicting. He pressed himself against Jade, putting his face in her hair, and his arm around her protectively.

'If anyone dares to harm her again, I will destroy them. No one gets close to her without my permission.' Derik told himself.

Jade was too precious to him to just to lose her. He had known her a total of three days, and in those three days, they had banished a Demon the police department and his parents had been after for months, and he had completely given himself away. Because of one girl. One. Human. Girl. Of course, she wasn't an ordinary human. She was a Demon Hunter, and a being of power that may just rival a True Demon. No matter what was said, she was easily his equal. That put her in danger, but Derik was confident he could protect her if she'd just rely on him.

He brushed his fingers across her bruises again. She never would've gotten hurt if she had woken him up. He would've protected her while she finished the pentagram.

Sighing in frustration, Derik attempted to let his mind relax. Her father would be there soon, and he would have to explain what exactly happened while Jade lay in bed, unconscious. From what he learned about Jade's father, he was extremely protective of her, so her injuries would put him on edge.

A heavy knock on the door alerted Derik that Mr. Parke was there. Reluctantly getting up, Derik walked to the door and opened it. Without so much as a word, Mr. Parke walked into the motel room and spotting his daughter, rushed to her side. Jones and Mark walked in behind him, sitting in the available chairs.

Derik watched Mr. Parke. He lightly touched Jade's bruises and checked her breathing. When he was satisfied, he addressed the boys.

"Alright. Someone better start explaining. And this better be good." Mr. Parke said, glaring at each one in turn.