Sin & Surrender (Demigod of San Francisco #6)(91)

She unslung the dagger from her side, and Amber covered the opening of the hallway. Daisy kicked the groaning human shield out of her way and felt a horrible wave of sadness wash over her, an emotive magic. Growing up like she had, she’d never had time for sadness, depression—any of it. Logic saved your ass. Logic got you through. The rest could be ignored. It had to be.

With both hands, she jammed the blade of her dagger into the soft spot between the shoulder and the chest of Mr. Sadness, his expression of rage doing nothing to sell the magic he was trying to cast on her. She yanked the blade out, dodged a fist filled with a knife, just missed a kick, and turned. Dagger in her left hand, she swept her right hand across her upper thigh and pulled out a small throwing knife she’d taken from Red to remember her by. Daisy had her own knives, but it felt better to hold on to Red’s memory. Besides, Red had always liked being a part of the action—she would’ve wanted her knives to keep working.

Daisy slammed Red’s blade into the upper thigh of the fourth guy, yanked it out, and slammed it in his stomach. He reached for her. She swung her forearm across her chest, blocking his attempt, stepped to the side, and rammed her knife into his side, right next to his kidney. That would freak him out.

Stepping back, she turned, knowing that all these wounds wouldn’t kill them before they could heal. Zorn had schooled her from the beginning on how to fight someone with the healing magic, and how to terrify someone you didn’t plan to kill.

He held the woman of the group at bay, his machete at her throat and her eyes as big as saucers.

Daisy stepped up to her, having to look up to reach her eyes.

“I’m that filthy Chester these guys undoubtedly talked about. I don’t recognize your boots. Maybe you weren’t in on that whole hate note thing, I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter—you’re still keeping with the wrong crowd. I mean…you’re here, right, trying to take out a teenager without magic?”

Daisy glanced at Zorn, who stepped away, giving Daisy space. The woman lunged forward, but Daisy was already moving. She jabbed her knife in the woman’s side, yanked it out, and stuck her twice more. The woman tried to twist away, crying out. Daisy punched her in the nose. Crack. Blood immediately gushed down the woman’s lips. Daisy kicked her ankles, sweeping them out from under her and taking her to the ground. A stomp of the boot and lights out.

“Too bad I don’t have a Chester ribbon,” she murmured, putting her hands on her hips and looking around.

“I gotchu.” Zorn put his machete away and then dug into a pocket. “Boman brought it. He’s been carrying it around in one of his pockets. He gave it to me when he heard Lexi gave you permission to look for your haters. He figured…” Zorn shrugged. “I have no idea what put the thought in his head. I didn’t think of it. Anyway.”

The green ribbon had a simple name in white cursive. Chester. Daisy had no idea where the term had come from, or who had started it, but some non-magical people wore it like a badge of pride, just like these clowns wore their hate for Chesters like a cape. They were all idiots.

She replaced one of Scuffed Boot’s laces with the ribbon. That oughta leave a message.

“We have a couple left, don’t we?” Zorn asked in a lazy tone, walking toward Amber.

Daisy smiled. “Yes, we do. Where is my friend with the ring? We probably have time to go find them, too.”

“We certainly do.”

The three of them kept up their hunt, the act turning into a training exercise, and Daisy felt the reassurance of this in her bones. She was meant to be in this life. Zorn, Amber, Bria, the guys—they were all part of her family now. She was growing to trust them like she trusted Mordecai and Lexi. Hell, even the cats, which were currently stalking them to make sure she didn’t come to any harm. She might not be magical, but she knew in her soul that she belonged with these magical people.

Lexi had gotten her happily ever after, and with her, Daisy had gotten hers. She’d found purpose. She’d found a life. And one day, when she was old enough to manage it, she’d find that wicked fae who turned her hot and cold, and she’d teach him a lesson for endangering her family.



The End.