Smolder Chapter 2

Jade dashed through the house, bursting out the front door and down the driveway. She wasn’t just running to outrun the demons she was racing to escape her own emotions, which threatened to spill over like a dam about to burst.
Before she reached the street corner headlights pierced the fog, and she heard the familiar rumble of Aiden’s pickup truck. Of course, she thought, rolling her eyes.
“Get in, Jade!” he shouted, leaning out the driver’s side window as the passenger door swung open. Without hesitation, she jumped inside and slammed the door shut. He floored the gas pedal, the sudden acceleration slamming her back into the seat.
“Do we even have a plan?” she asked, yanking the seatbelt across her chest and snapping it into place.
“Yes,” he said, his eyes fixed on the road. His hands were tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. “We’re heading to the airport. The demons won’t attack us there are too many people, too many cameras.”
“How far?” she asked, her voice strained.
“Half an hour, maybe less.”
Thirty minutes. She clung to the thought as he sped through the foggy, empty streets. It wasn’t far, and maybe they were in the clear. After five minutes of tense silence, she began to hope. Maybe Benjamin threw them off or maybe, she thought bitterly, they found another target.
She twisted in her seat, peering into the darkness behind them. Just as her heart began to settle, she spotted a blur in the distance something moving fast, closing in.
“Aiden!” she shouted, grabbing his shoulder.
He flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror and his frown deepened. “They’re here,” he muttered. His voice held the weight of disappointment like he’d been holding on to a faint hope that had just been crushed. “Jade, I need you to break the back window—”
“What?” She shot him a look, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Okay, maybe not,” he admitted with a grin. “But it would’ve been cool.”
“Aiden, be serious!” she snapped, but her heart wasn’t in the scolding. She could already feel the demons closing in.
He reached behind him and slid open the truck’s small rear window. “You’ll have to fight them off, Jade. Remember stay quick, keep moving. Don’t get fixated on just one demon; we’re probably surrounded.”
She nodded, already climbing through the narrow window into the truck bed. The wind whipped her hair wildly around her face as the trees blurred by in the darkness. This is one of the worst ideas we’ve ever had she thought pulling herself fully through the window.
She tried to stand but was immediately knocked off balance by the rush of air and the jolting ride. Her shoulder slammed into the truck’s metal bed, sending a sharp pain down her arm. She spotted a coil of rope and, crawling on her stomach, grabbed it. She tied it around her waist and fastened it to one of the truck’s loops securing herself. At least now she wouldn’t be thrown overboard.
The wind roared in her ears, drowning out everything else. She didn’t even see the demon leap from the trees until Aiden shouted her name.
Instinctively, Jade flung her hand out, and flames burst from her fingertips, lighting up the night.
“Control it!” Aiden yelled from inside the truck.
She pulled back, realizing the demon had already disappeared into the shadows. Focus, she reminded herself, steadying her breath. She pressed her back against the truck bed, scanning the dark forest.
Suddenly, a blur of blue hair shot out from the right. Jade’s flame flew out, hitting the demon square in the face and sending her tumbling back into the trees. Before she could catch her breath, another demon charged from the left. She hit him with a burst of fire, watching as he somersaulted through the air and landed on his feet, still advancing.
Jade narrowed her focus, pouring more power into her next shot, forcing him to retreat into the shadows.
A chill crept up the back of her neck. She turned just as Aiden shouted, “In front!”
A female demon stood in the middle of the road, her hands outstretched, ready to stop their truck. Jade shot an arc of flames, sending the fire spiraling toward her target. The demon disintegrated into a cloud of ash just before Aiden sped through the spot.
Jade blinked, astonished at the force of her power. She had never been so fast been this accurate. She glanced at her hands. The scars on her palms glowed, pulsing like embers, bright against the night.
A sudden thud against the truck’s bed jarred her out of her thoughts. Jade whirled, throwing out another jet of fire, knocking the demon off the truck. Another came from the left she hit it. Then two more attacked at once, but she flung her arms wide, sending flames in both directions.
She was almost starting to feel in control when something cold closed around her throat. A demon had grabbed her from behind, the force of his grip making the rope around her waist slip free. Jade fought to breathe, her hands flying to her neck. She grabbed the demon’s face, letting her fire loose. He screamed, a high-pitched wail, but she held on until his body exploded into dust.
Before she could catch her breath, another demon lunged at her, slamming her down against the truck bed. His growl rumbled through the night, his blood-stained fangs inches from her face. He was poised to strike when the truck screeched to a halt.
Before Aiden could react, another figure launched itself at the demon, sending it crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.
“Go, Aiden! Drive!” Benjamin’s voice rang out as he pounded on the roof of the truck. Jade stared at him in shock, her eyes wide as she took in his ripped clothes and bloodied body. But his grin was as cheeky as ever, dimples flashing.
“Love you!” Benjamin shouted over his shoulder, winking before launching himself at another demon emerging from the trees.
He’s enjoying this, she thought, stunned. But before she could dwell on it, her heart dropped as she watched him disappear into the dark, locked in battle with a demon. She couldn’t risk using her fire without hitting him, and within moments, both he and the demon were lost to the forest.
The rumble of engines pulled her attention forward. The highway they had made it.
“Get back inside,” Aiden called, slowing the truck enough for her to scramble back through the window and into the passenger seat.
“You okay?” he asked once she was buckled in.
She took a moment to assess herself a bump on the head and a few scrapes but she was fine, exhausted but fine. She raised her hand, letting her palm glow as she healed her injuries. The warmth flowed through her, reviving her energy. She sighed and leaned back into the seat.
“Let’s never do that again,” she muttered.
Aiden grinned. “You were pretty amazing out there. That move where you torched that demon... comic book level awesome.”
She smiled. “That was pretty badass.”
“Jade, the Demon Slayer...no, wait...Jade, the Human Flame Thrower!” he teased.
“Aiden?”
“Huh?”
“Stop.”
“Fine.”
They drove in silence for a few minutes before Jade stopped staring out the window and reached for the phone on the armrest. She dialed, and after one ring, it picked up.
“Hello?” Her mother’s voice was tinged with panic.
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, thank God! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m with Aiden. We had to leave early.” She didn’t mention the demons or the fight.
“I know,” her mother replied, her voice softening. “Benjamin explained we didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Maybe it’s for the best,” she said gently. “I’ll be back soon, Mom it will fly by.”
“I know,” her mother sniffled. “Your father wants to talk.”
“Jade?”
“Hey, Dad.”
“Aiden better be treating you right.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m fine.”
After a few reassurances and promises, she finally hung up, settling back in her seat. Maybe these few months would be good for her. An adventure, she thought. And maybe she’d come back with more answers about who she was, about the Conclave’s true intentions.
She let her fingers trace the locket and ring she always wore, wondering if she might finally learn something about her real parents.
The rising sun began to color the sky in soft pinks and purples as Jade drifted off to sleep. She didn’t notice when the plane began to descend.
“Jade,” Aid’s voice softly woke her, his breath warm against her ear. “We’re here.”
Her eyes shot open.