Her Guardians - A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance(18)

She inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled just as long. “When my mom died — ”

“Shit, sorry .”

“It’s fine. Anyway, I’d found a note to come find Lorne. So long story short, that’s why I’m here .”

“You’ll like it here,” I said, not wanting to make her talk about it further .

We walked in silence for several minutes before I heard a rustling in a shrub up ahead. Polly froze and looked at me. She’d heard it too .

I pulled out my magic device, and Polly mirrored my movements. She pointed it at the shrub and scrunched up her face .

“What is it?” I asked .

“I can hear it,” she said wincing .

I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know what it was thinking about. There was no way it was about anything pleasant. Probably something more like gnawing on bones and sucking on raw flesh .

“Demon or goblin?” I asked wondering if she’d be able to tell .

“Demon.”

Guess that meant rotten fish was on the menu. “Want to give it a whirl ?”

“Think I’m ready ?”

“Point and shoot .”

She shrugged and pointed the tool at the shrub. “Point… and ….”

A blue light zipped through the air and circled around the shrub. The little demon jumped out and into the open .

“What do I do now?” Polly said shaking her hand. The little creature was running towards her as it flapped it’s scrawny, hairless arms. She placed her hands on her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh my God make it stop !”

The demon fell to the ground and sizzled into nothing. The scent of rotten fish filled the air, and when I turned to look at Polly’s face, she wasn’t there. Polly was laying on the ground rolling back and forth, as she pressed her palms against her ears .

“Shit!” I grabbed my phone and called for backup before picking her up off the ground to bring her inside. I was going to have to wake the doctor. “Hold on .”

It was a good thing she was so light because I was able to run while carrying her. She was begging for help .

“We’re almost there,” I repeated every time she cried or moaned .

I brought her into the room we used for medical purposes and laid her down on one of the beds. Our resident doctor was both medically trained and a witch. Hopefully, she’d be able to figure it out .

I pulled out my cell phone and called the doctor. The words flew out of my mouth before she’d even said hello .

“It’s the new girl. Come down quick,” I said .

“On my way,” she said in a raspy voice .

She was walking into the room in an impossible amount of time. No doubt she’d used magic to get here .

“What’s wrong with her .”

“Demon… no idea what it did to her. Didn’t even touch her .”

“This is the new girl? The reader ?”

I nodded .

“Leave me,” she said waving at the door. “Psychic attack. She’ll be fine. Off you go .”

“Um, OK,” I said watching Polly as she squirmed on the small bed. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her teeth clenched together .

The doctor pulled a curtain closed, blocking me from seeing her. I turned and left the room .

And that was precisely why Lorne shouldn’t leave me to train the new folks at something I wasn’t even that good at myself. Fighting off another human, now that I could handle. Or if you needed to figure out the best way to save several thousand dollars, I was your man. But demons and goblins… not my favorite .

As I walked back to my room, I started to worry that Lorne was going to be pissed off. Maybe she’d think I’d failed Polly, how on earth would I be able to take care of her daughter .

Shit.

I hadn’t wanted a position more than I had wanted guardian. I’d watched Eve around the temple for years. Since I’d worked closely with her mother, I’d seen her more than anyone else .

The woman was like an angel. Beyond beautiful. She didn’t belong in this world filled with demons and goblins and putrid smells .

It was all crazy how I ended up living in the temple. My family was extremely wealthy and when Lorne was looking for someone to help run her various businesses my dad volunteered me. It wasn’t long after that I moved in and started working full time .

I was pretty sure my dad had secret dealings with her, but why he volunteered me was still a mystery. It didn’t really matter though, because I loved it here, and not just because of Eve. The real world was incredibly boring .

Before I’d known about all of this, I’d been into some shit. Fast cars. Lots of booze. Whatever I’d wanted, I bought it .

Being in the temple quite possibly could have saved my life. Out there I didn’t give a shit, but working for Lorne and seeing the world for what it really was had opened my eyes .

If I fucked things up because of the encounter with the demon… ugh. I couldn’t think about it .

I opened the door to my room and slammed it shut. The second I flopped down on my bed my phone buzzed .

“Hello?” I said without having looked at the screen first .

“Your friend is perfectly fine. Do you want to take her back out for training?” the doctor asked .

I breathed a sigh of relief. “I most definitely do not. Let her get some rest. What happened to her ?”