The Devil's Prey (The Demon Within) (16 page)

I could see the sadness in his eyes
, and I knew he wanted to help. ‘I am fine now, I think.’ But his expression indicated that he didn’t believe me.

‘T
his was meant to be a fun holiday, learning to use my power and all, but I think that it is not going to be like that.’ I sighed.

‘D
on’t look so glum. Let’s try something, ok? Try to move that weight again.’ He pointed over to where the weight was sitting, behind a burnt tree.

‘Y
ou’ve got to be joking.’ I raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head. He let me stand up, and I didn’t even have to close my eyes. I lifted my hand and the weight moved to the side.

‘I think we just unlocked your power
,’ he said.

I stood
there, dumbfounded.

‘S
o you are saying for me to unlock my powers, all I had to do was kill some dummies that looked like…well…you know.’ I didn’t have the heart to say their names.

‘I guess that was all
it took.’

We spent
the rest of the day cleaning the place. I was told that I had to use my powers often, because it was like a muscle- the more I used it, the stronger it would get. I was moving everything with my mind.

‘O
k, so I think we are done, and you have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever you like,’ Liam said.

‘Y
ou serious? How can I look around Italy when I can barely move?’ He smiled, and I knew it was a tactical move. I managed to drag myself into my room. I lied on the bed and closed my eyes.

‘
Ohh, I do really like this.’

I open
ed my eyes to see Michel standing at my suitcase, holding up a tight black dress. ‘Hey! Give that here.’ I looked at it and realized I had never seen that dress before. ‘I don’t even own a dress like that.’

Michel grinned,
and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

‘
Michel, why did you buy me a dress?’ I asked. He didn’t answer me, too busy looking through my shoes and jewelry. He shook his head at what he was seeing.

‘I will be back
.’ Before I could say anything, he was gone with the dress. I waited for a bit, and just when I felt myself dozing off, he was back.

‘I think this will suit fine for where we ar
e going.’ He tossed me the dress, shoes and accessories, and I caught them.

‘
What do you mean by “we?”’ I asked. Last time I checked, I was planning on staying in. I could barely move.

‘I am taking you around
- a treat for your performance.’ It shouldn’t have surprised me that Michel was watching me. He always does. From where, I did not know, and I didn’t think I ever would.

‘
Fine, but where are we going? Because if it is dinner or sightseeing, I don’t think this is appropriate. And there is no way I am wearing this! There is nothing on it.’  I took a closer look at the dress, and it was black, so small as to undoubtedly be skintight, with thick straps and an open back. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was a bit too low-cut for my tastes. Michel was out of his mind if he thought for one second that I would agree to wear a dress like that.

‘I am taking you clubbing
, and I guess you have never been with your boyfriend around, so what better way to experience your first club in Italy than with me?’

I coughed to cover up a sudden fit of laughter. ‘Y
ou can’t be serious.’ But when I looked at his face, I could tell he was dead serious. ‘No way, Michel. No way in hell am I going to a club- especially not in that dress.’ I looked at the dress and cringed.

‘Y
es, you are, so you better get that little fairy butt moving, or I will strip you down bare and force you into that dress!’ He grinned, and I scowled at him.

‘O
h, I bet you would enjoy that!’ I grabbed the dress and its accessories, and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I took a look at the stuff Michel had bought me. I had to admit that he had good taste. I heard him knock on the door.

‘Summer
, you better be getting ready, or I will put you in the shower!’

I stuck my hand out the door and ga
ve him the finger, and he burst out laughing. I started the shower because I knew that Michel always got what he wanted, one way or another. When I opened the door to get a clean towel, Michel was sitting on the bed.

‘Are you going to leave me to get ready
?’ I asked, looking at him.

‘
And miss out on all the fun? Not a chance.’ He was smiling, and I rolled my eyes.

‘O
h, bite me,’ I said, and walked off to the bathroom.

‘D
on’t tempt me,’ he replied, and burst into laughter.

When I poke
d my head out later, he was gone. I took a shower and got dressed. I decided to wear my hair down. For some reason, my hair had started getting curlier since the attack, and it grew curlier still every time I used a large amount of power. When I was done drying it, my hair hung halfway down my back, with a braid in the side.  It curled prettily, and bounced when I walked.

When I slip
ped into my dress, it fit me nicely, and I was surprised that Michel knew my size. When I looked in the floor length mirror, I could not believe he was making me wear this dress. I pulled on the shoes he bought me, which were black with a bright purple sole and a heel with a corset pattern at the back. I applied some heavy eyeliner and mascara with glitter gold eyeliner to make my eyes stand out.  I put on the bracelet, which I quite liked. It started at my wrist and wrapped its way up my lower arm like a snake.

I took
a look in the mirror at myself, and couldn’t believe what I was about to do. If Ethan and Amanda were here, they would have a fit. In a moment of weakness, and because I was annoyed at Ethan, I took a photo and sent it to him, just to spite him. Within minutes, they both replied. Obviously Ethan had shown Amanda as well.

Amanda:
What have you done?

Ethan:
where the hell do you think you are going?

Amanda:
you do look hot but what the hell do you think you are doing

Ethan:
no way are you going out dressed like that?

And so on and so on
. I replied to both of them saying I was going out, and then left my phone on the table beside my bed. When I was walking through the house, Liam asked me where I was going, and I told him. He seemed pleased at what I was doing, and let me go.  When I got outside, I could see Michel’s eyes widen from across the road. When I reached him, I did a twirl. ‘So what do you think?’ I asked, hoping for his approval- unlike Ethan and Amanda.

‘Y
ou look amazing! I wonder…who was the tasteful person who bought you that lovely dress?’

I smack
ed him in the arm, and he laughed. ‘I can’t believe I am even wearing this.’ I shook my head, and he wrapped his arm around my waist.

‘W
ell, you do look amazing, so let’s get going before we are late.’ Like that, we were gone.

When we reached the club
, we were in the middle of the dance floor. ‘Did you just queue jump?’ I had to yell over the music, which was blasting my ears.

‘W
ell, I have these powers for a reason. Why not use them?’ he said in my ear. ‘Let’s get a drink.’ I followed him over to the bar, where he ordered two cocktails.

‘I have
never had a drink before,’ I said as he led me over to a table. I was beginning to get a very bad feeling about what was going to happen.

‘T
hat’s ok, it takes fairies a few drinks to start feeling tipsy. I have tried.’ He held up the glass and forced me to take it.

‘T
o a great night!’ Even as we were drinking, I knew I was going to regret this. After we finished the cocktails, we went onto the dance floor. I hadn’t danced for ages, so I let it all go. This was the most fun I’d had in a long while. Most of the time, I was dancing with Michel, and if not, I was by myself while he went to get some more drinks. A few times, I had random guys dance with me, but it was never long before Michel took their place.

‘S
ummer!’ He waved over to me after I had been dancing by myself.

‘W
hat’s up, Michel?’ I asked, feeling all happy and giddy.

‘I have never
seen you like this, but you might want to calm down. You are starting to glow. I only know because I know what it looks like- but any brighter, and it won’t look like lights anymore.’  He smiled as I took a swing of my drink.

‘S
ure, will do. Bottoms up!’ We both downed our shots.

‘C
ome on, let’s dance!’ I dragged him back onto the dance floor.

‘S
ummer, I think we should head back,’ he said into my ear later. I thought it was about one in the morning, but I was not sure.

‘N
ah, I don’t want this to end,’ I said back into his ear. The music was still blasting, and people were still coming in.

‘S
ummer, it is almost four in the morning, and we’re both at our limits.’ I knew what he meant by that. He was trying to say we’d both had enough drinks, but I didn’t ever want to stop.

‘P
lease, just until this song is done.’

He let
me keep dancing until the song was over. ‘Ok, time to go.’ We walked out the front door instead of jumping.

‘I love this weather
,’ I said as we stepped outside, still dancing and humming to myself and giggling at nothing. ‘Can you imagine if Ethan was here? He would have a heart attack.’ I laughed and tripped a bit, but Michel caught me.

‘Ok
, Summer, maybe I was wrong. You really have never had a drink in your life.’ I was leaning on him as we walked away from the club.

‘N
ope, I feel fine. Hey, Michel! Watch this!’ I twirled around and fell on my butt, laughing and muttering something about Ethan and what he would do if he ever found out.

‘O
k, Summer, I am taking you home.’ He picked me up, and I pouted.

‘I am having
waaayyy too much fun,’ I whined, and he set me back down on my own two feet.

‘N
o, you are as drunk as a skunk.’

I laugh
ed, but then I felt sick. I unlatched my arm around Michel, and ran to a tree to vomit. Michel was standing beside me in no time at all, holding back my hair.

‘Y
ou’re right, I want to go home,’ I admitted.

H
e picked me up, and next thing I knew, we were in my bathroom, where I was being sick again.

‘C
ome on, Summer, let’s get you to bed. Tou will feel better in the morning.’ I tried to get up, but I just fell back down again, moaning about the taste in my mouth.

‘O
k.’ Michel picked me up and placed me in bed. He took off my shoes and tucked me in. ‘Get some sleep.’ After that, I was gone, into the deepest sleep I think I have ever had.

I woke the next morning, and my head was throbbing. I felt like I was going to explode. My feet were aching, and my mouth was really dry. How did Amy do this? I found a note on my bed, and groaned when I read what it said.

Summer
, I heard you had a great time, so that means I expect to see you in one hour in the training room.

I moaned and rolled over
.

‘Good morning
, princess.’ Michel was too cheerful, and way too happy and loud. I just wanted to punch him so hard.

‘
Shhhhh, you’re talking too loud.’ I placed one hand on his lips.

‘I see you have training this morning
. Good luck with that.’

I c
ould see him waiting to laugh, and I groaned. ‘Go ahead and laugh. I know you are itching to.’

H
e burst into laughter, while I sat up, rubbing my very sore head. ‘Summer, you should see yourself. Wait until Liam sees you- wait, I need a photo.’ He pulled out his phone and mine, and was snapping away. I knew what he was going to do next.

‘Michel
, don’t you dare send that!’ I threatened.

‘T
oo late! This lovely picture is going to Ethan, and Amanda, and Lauren, and…oops! I think I sent it to your mum.’ My heart dropped, and so did his face.

  ‘I am so dead
!’ And like that, I had Amanda pounding in my head, and my phone was going off like a rocket with messages and phone calls.

‘M
y head is so sore, Michel. How many drinks did we have?’ I tried to block out Amanda yelling at me, and my phone, which kept ringing.

‘W
ell, we had about fifty altogether, and you had about, let’s say…twenty-six.’ I felt like my head was about to explode.

‘You, Michel, are the biggest shit stirrer I have ever known.’