Demons of the Rich and Famous (Demon Whisperer book 1)

Demons Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It was raining the day of my dad's funeral.

There were ten people gathered at the cemetery to send my dad off to the next world.  I glanced around at the others.  Remy and Claudia and the others from the I.O stuck close together, talking amongst themselves.  They'd clearly let me know that I was no longer a part of their community.  My dad's death had completely and utterly severed the ties.

Aspen and her mom had come, but either had yet to speak directly to me.  Aspen's face was still bandaged as were her hands.  I knew from the I.O. reports that Belial had played the slicing game with a razor blade on her.  She'd spent two days in the hospital after the police found her on the roof of Tank House nine.  I tried to see her but the nurses and Dina wouldn't let me in.

It was obvious Dina still blamed me for it all.

It made my stomach clench thinking about it and looking at Aspen.  I wanted to cross the growing space between us and draw her close, hug her tight and breathe in her comforting scent, but I sensed she wouldn't welcome it right now.  Neither would Dina.  I suspected she'd just about forbidden Aspen to ever see me again.  I couldn't blame her, really.

Saliesha was here, standing beside me on my right.  She'd hugged and kissed me on the cheek, telling me how sorry she was.  And I knew that she meant more than just for my dad's loss.  Logically I knew it wasn't her fault, that she'd been possessed by my enemy, but I still flinched when she touched me knowing it had been her hand to drive the crowbar through my dad's stomach.

I looked around at the surrounding trees knowing Bali was somewhere in the branches watching.  From what Dan had told me, she'd been brutally wounded from the blow from the crowbar, but Saliesha had healed her.  Her voudon roots had given her the gift of healing.  I wanted to ask her if she could heal on the inside.

I knew Bali was hanging around so I could come through with my promise of freeing her.  I'd do it, I had to, but I needed to heal a bit first.

Dan hadn't come.  I'd expected as much.  Since he'd been outed as a demon, I knew he wouldn't want to be seen. Also, since taking power from him during the exorcism, he'd been keeping his distance from me. I suppose it was like I had violated him in some way by taking from him like that.  But I knew eventually he'd come around.

The aftermath of my dad's death and the exorcism had been brutal to say the least.  I'd been held responsible for all the damage to Tank House nine and Balzacs coffee house. As well as the clean up that had to have been done at Centennial Cemetery.  The cost of putting back thirty corpses and fixing the iron fence and all the lawns that the zombies had destroyed was pricey.  And it all went on me.

Thankfully Claudia came to my rescue and all the legal charges were dropped.  I'd been looking at a few years behind bars.  Remy had pushed for that.  It seemed that Belial had told them all about my little secrets.

But because of the I.O.'s influence, and Claudia's insistence, and the fact that essentially I did save their lives, the city decided to civilly sue me for property damages instead and since I was technically an orphan now, the courts emancipated me from being a minor.  I was considered in the eyes of the law, an adult.  And therefore they could take me for all I was worth.  All in all it was going to cost me more than I was worth.  The hundred grand I had in the bank was gonzo.