Chapter 71

“No, Jonah.”

“I thought I’d try.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jesse would have said more, would have explained exactly how Gideon viewed pets and ownership, but the deluge of emotions changed from anger to something much more painful. The love they shared sliced into him like a hot knife, cauterizing the wound as it separated the flesh.

* * * *

The demon roared again, knocking John aside like swatting a fly. It glared at Gideon, spindly limbs reaching out, all except for the one Jesse had maimed earlier.

His first instinct was to toss Emma aside and lunge forward, but she was boneless in his arms, unconscious in the face of the exorcism. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she left the sanctuary of the circle, if it would reverse what John had just done. When the demon swiped at him, however, he dropped to the ground, covering her with his body before rolling out, placing himself between her and it.

“Now this is more like it,” he growled. “A little fairer, don’t you think?”