"Without names, we're fantasizing. Dancing like flames, mesmerizing. My dark disquiet playing such eerie harmonies. Making waves and diving under; lightning to the sound of thunder. My dark disquiet singing such haunting melodies."

Poets of the Fall, "My Dark Disquiet"

Chase

Have you ever been in trouble?

Sure you have, you little delinquents. What I mean is, have you ever done something your parents would tear into you for? They already knew what you did, so you hoped the earth would split and swallow you? I sure did. I felt that a lot, but it was worse this time. At the very least, I'd be in for a lecture about abandoning the team and my moral failings. That was if they didn't lock me in my capsule. Leo looked like he'd be more comfortable that way. A barrier between him and the demon, right?

The first ones through the door were three imps I'd never seen before. Yeah, they were dogs for a second, but the forms were shallow. They turned into their usual selves seconds after they saw me, anyways. I braced to see my family, but the imps snatched my focus by throwing themselves at my feet. One – some two-headed bobcat creature – touched one head to the floor while the other looked up at me. "Don't eat us!"

"It was Ajiiyahn's fault, not ours," another one – blue-scaled dogs were hideous – added. The third, a cat-person, sank to its knees, pressing its forehead to the floor. I scratched the base of one ear, baffled.

They are imps. It's fitting that they should grovel.

"I guess I could eat one of you instead of all three," I said at length. I waved my tissue box in a circle over their heads. "Fight amongst yourselves for that honor."

"Don't," Douglas yelped as the imps turned towards each other, the dog baring her fangs. They flinched, glaring at Douglas as they backed away from each other. What a buzzkill.

"Chasey!" Adam barreled through the doorway, scooping me into a hug. I dropped the tissues as my feet left the ground, Adam squishing my arms and wings against my body. He swayed a bit, then fixed me with a stern look. "Don't you ever run away again."

I lowered my ears, nodding. I was only away from home for four months, but Adam's voice had changed somehow. It wasn't deeper or anything like that. It was…beautiful? Soothing, compelling, things like that. Add your own synonyms. It was hard to describe, but he somehow calmed my nerves with those few words. At least he reacted with a hug instead of a scream.

Douglas watched us with arms crossed, leaning against the wall. He tracked Mr. Davenport across the room with his eyes. "You know what he loves?"

I frowned, cocking my head. I didn't know where Douglas was going with that. Adam held still, furrowing his brow as Bree slunk into the room. She skirted around Douglas to stand beside Adam as he asked, "What?"

Douglas watched Mr. Davenport now as he answered, "Ear scratches."

I was going to kick him. I pinned my ears at the words. "Don't – "

Adam was already rubbing the base of my left ear. It twitched, but I couldn't step away from him to escape. He grinned, laughing. "They're so cute."

Bree reached up and ran a finger along the missing tip of my right ear, frowning. She seemed relieved even as she scowled at me. "What happened here?"

Bite them! They're just humans.

I hissed as Oly laughed on the filing cabinet. "He ran his mouth and couldn't back it up."

"I won that fight," I growled, glaring at her. Oly rolled her eyes, snorting.

"Everybody hang on for a second."

Everybody's attention snapped to Mr. Davenport at his words. The man had put himself between Douglas and Adam, tense as a spring while he stared Douglas down. Douglas didn't move, much to his credit. He wasn't making the situation worse. Yahn inched between the two men as Mr. Davenport spoke again, never looking away from his brother. "Chase, did he hurt you?"

My tail started twitching. Why would I stick around Douglas if he hurt me? "No."

Leo cleared his throat. "Then what's up with your breathing?"

I shot Leo a look, pinning my ears. "Jasper did that, not Douglas."

I felt Adam tense against me. "Who's Jasper?" I didn't have to look at his face to know that he was ready to fight Jasper on my behalf. That wasn't surprising. It was better than Bree, who looked ready to kick my ass at the drop of a hat.

I lowered my ears. "Jasper's an afrit. A strong demon. He burned – "

Douglas broke into a coughing fit as if to accent my point. Mr. Davenport jumped back like Douglas had the plague. Yahn frowned, climbing Douglas' leg and torso to reach the man's shoulders. Douglas flinched when Yahn skirted past his ribs, but he didn't say anything. Yahn settled on Douglas' shoulders and wrapped his tail several times around Douglas' arm, watching Mr. Davenport. Clearing his throat as the coughing fit ended, Douglas sighed. "Don, listen to me before shooting me, okay?"

A pregnant pause filled the room before Mr. Davenport nodded. "Fine."

Douglas took a deep breath, nodding himself. "Okay, so Krane is back, right? He's taking a different route this time. He has at least one Summoner working for – "

"A what?"

Douglas rolled his eyes at Adam's interruption. "A Summoner Summons demons. Anyways, I don't know what the plot is, but the Summoner has a powerful amulet that someone stole – " Douglas glanced at Oly, who curled up on the cabinet and covered her face with her wings – "so Lovett sent Jasper to get it back and kill us. The house burned down, we have nowhere to go, and now we're here."

Adam squeezed me tighter. I growled, squirming until Bree's eyes widened. She edged away from me as I went still. I guess she didn't like the growling. I sighed, leaning my head against Adam's shoulder as much as possible and closing my eyes. Screw this. I could nap until it was my turn to explain things.

"So you kidnap Chase, then nearly get him killed?" I heard Mr. Davenport take a step forward. "All over an amulet that – "

"He didn't kidnap me." So much for a nap. I opened my eyes again, watching Mr. Davenport. "This is about Krane, not the amulet."

Mr. Davenport turned to me, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know that? How exactly do you know that Krane is involved?"

Douglas raised a hand. "Don, we – "

"I asked Chase, not you," Mr. Davenport snapped, glaring at Douglas. Douglas raised his hands and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.

I almost asked Mr. Davenport who else it could be, but I didn't think that would fly. "I mean, Oly and Yahn caught an imp here who said it was from Lovett, and we – "

"How do you know the imp wasn't his?" Mr. Davenport jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards Douglas.

Are you going to let him interrupt you?

I scowled, pinning my ears. "I don't think he's playing 4D chess. He has Oly, Yahn, and these idiots." I flicked my tail towards the three imps I'd just met. "He doesn't need another one for spying."

Mr. Davenport crossed his arms. This would be an uphill battle, I was sure. "Did you see this spy?"

I nodded, my tail twitching against Adam's leg now. "It was following Adam and Leo, so we started looking into it."

Leo yelped, his eyes huge as he clutched the arms of his chair. "Following who now?"

"Was Douglas with you when you saw it?" Davenport asked, ignoring Leo.

I lowered my ears. Douglas started fidgeting in the background as I answered. "No, but – "

"So you saw a demon but have no way of telling who sent it besides what it said?"

My tail lashed harder now. "Oly and Yahn said – "

"They do what he says!" Mr. Davenport's voice shot up an octave as he jabbed a finger toward Douglas. Douglas stood straight, pressing his lips into a thin line as Mr. Davenport ranted. "He could've told them to tell you anything."

Adam shifted his weight, jostling me around as he did. Leo glanced between Davenport and Douglas, frowning. "But we saw the spy escape."

"What?" Douglas started looking around at the imps. "Who let – "

"It was me." Yahn covered his eyes with his hands, ducking his head. "I let go of her wing. She got away."

What a useless imp. You could eat him. Nobody would care.

Douglas would care, and so would I. Yahn was my demonic mentor.

Douglas fixed Yahn with a stern look. "The spy got away from you, huh? Just like that?" Douglas snapped his fingers before crossing his arms again. "You almost got us killed. You know that, right?"

The spy escaping explained how Jasper found us so soon. That tidbit was a comfort, though. Mr. Davenport's interrogation was twisting situations around in my head. He was right about one thing: Douglas could scheme with the best of them. I didn't want to think of the implications if Davenport was right. I flicked an ear towards Leo, grateful for the interference.

After a second, Yahn crawled down to Douglas' arms, holding up a hand. "Listen, Donnie – "

"Don't 'Donnie' me," Mr. Davenport snapped. He turned back to me, taking a deep breath. When he spoke again, he was calmer. "Chase, you know him. If he wanted to use some demons to lie to you, he wouldn't make it easy to tell."

Bree pointed to Leo, frowning. "But – "

"What about the letters, then?" I interrupted, leaning forward as much as I could with Adam holding me in the air. I couldn't help but smile. Davenport had to believe me now. "There were letters from Krane to Lovett."

"Yeah," Douglas exclaimed, pointing at me.

Mr. Davenport held up a hand to silence Douglas. "What did they say?"

Oh, wait. My smile dropped away as my face heated up. "They were a cipher."

Douglas' face reddened as he clenched his fist against his body. "They had Krane's alias on them. I broke the code right when Jasper burned everything."

Mr. Davenport gave an exaggerated nod. "Mm-hmm. The same Jasper that burned down the house when you told your imp to steal an amulet?"

"He didn't tell us to steal anything," I said, lowering my ears. "Oly just did it."

Oly's head shot up from the filing cabinet. "Tell me Master didn't want Azazel's Bane. I dare you."

I squirmed a bit in Adam's hold. "You're not helping!"

"Why were you even there, Chase?" Mr. Davenport crossed his arms, watching me.

Douglas answered before I could. "He was trying to get evidence on Lovett so we could figure out why he's sending spy imps, dumbass."

"Okay, let me see if I understand this. A spy imp from a guy none of us have met is following us, so you broke into a house to find evidence?" Mr. Davenport pointed at Oly. "Then she happened to find a powerful amulet this guy owned? Oh, and all this is backed up by letters you've never read, but Douglas says are from Krane due to an alias you can't prove?" Mr. Davenport ran a hand down his face, his expression softening. "Chase, I'm betting this was about that amulet, not Krane."

"If it was about the amulet, why would I get Chase involved?" Douglas protested. "Why would I lie about Krane to get Chase on board when I could send Oly and Yahn? That's a big plan for a tiny necklace."

Davenport spun on his heel, rounding on Douglas. "Because your most powerful weapon is Chase! That's why!"

That kicked off a round of squabbling between the two. As for myself, I suppressed a few coughs. Douglas liked Azazel's Bane when Oly brought it home, but Mr. Davenport's story fell down in one place: Douglas could've held onto my will and made me do anything. There was no need for sneaky crap when Douglas had a silver bullet the whole time.

Mr. Davenport doesn't listen to you, does he?

I laid my ears back. Not right now, it seems.

Does he ever?

I pressed my lips into a thin line. I didn't have an answer for that.

Bree tweaked her mouth, shifting beside me. I glanced at her, noting that Douglas' cat-person imp was slinking closer to Adam. I flicked my tail at him, pinning my ears. "You, Yahn said he let the spy go. What's that mean?"

The imp shot Yahn a wary look. "He was holding her in his mouth. When he spoke, she flew away."

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to an imp to lose a spy by talking. I felt Adam lean down, whispering. "Is Yahn trying to stop them?"

Yahn again climbed to Douglas' shoulder, holding a hand out towards Mr. Davenport. It was hard to hear his voice under the arguing. "I don't know." I cleared my throat with a wince, craning my head around to look at Adam. "Can you put me down?"

Adam hesitated, squeezing me tighter. "I guess." He set me down but rested his hands on my shoulders. I had to hold my wings back from my body to make it work, but we got there. He watched Douglas and Davenport as he asked, "Where did you go?"

I swallowed, my tail swishing against the cold floor. There was so much in that question that I couldn't find the words to describe. Not yet. Sighing, I leaned against Adam, closing my eyes. I couldn't explain the calming aura Adam had now, but I'd ask those questions later. The action prompted Adam to hug me again, scratching between my wings. It was leagues better than him throwing me around, even if I wasn't used to hugs anymore.

Beside me, Bree let out a huff. "Did you have to come back with him again?"

I winced, lowering my ears. "It's a long story," I mumbled, not opening my eyes. "I'll explain later." Mr. Davenport had rolled through the whole Krane thing, but I knew more questions were here.

Why explain anything? They're just humans.

They were my humans, though. My family. It was something that little voice never understood. I couldn't ignore their questions forever. They needed – deserved – answers. More than that, there were answers I deserved from them about this, too.

Mr. Davenport's argument reached my ears. "Your whole psychotic story almost got him killed! You – "

"You nearly got him killed!" Douglas was speaking around coughs. "Do you know the state I found him in? He put himself through hell instead of coming back here! He – "

"That's out of context."

My interjection stopped the fight, aside from a few more coughs from Douglas. Yahn was the next one to speak, rubbing his claws. "Half-Breed – "

"Don't 'Half-Breed' me." I leaned back from Adam, turning my head to fix Douglas with a look. "That's out of context."

Douglas crossed his arms. "Just because I'm not using details doesn't mean – "

"You're not using me to win an argument." A growl formed around the words. What could I say? I wanted to make a point. Bree hopped back at the sound as the tap of imp claws scurried away from me. Even Adam released me, backing up a step. Mr. Davenport stared at me with wide eyes, then glanced at Douglas, clearing his throat. Before he said anything, Douglas raised a finger, scowling.

The squeak of a chair caught my attention. I glanced sideways to see Leo standing in his chair, arms raised high. Douglas and Davenport didn't get a word out before Leo announced, "Taking all bets. One is an unstable sociopath with demonic minions, and the other is a self-absorbed genius with an unhealthy obsession with his own face. Who will win?"

The argument died before it even started as all eyes landed on Leo. A long second passed, then I raised my hand. "Twenty dollars on the big one."

Leo scrunched up his nose, gesturing towards Mr. Davenport and Douglas. "They're the same size."

I let my hand drop to my side. "I don't have twenty dollars, anyways."

The air crackled with tension, the only sound being mine and Douglas' rough breathing as Leo climbed down from his chair. Douglas' new trio of imps shuffled towards Adam, watching me as they did. Bree was back to glaring at everybody, her arms crossed. She looked exhausted. Hell, we all were. Leo might be the only one who got any sleep last night. That didn't matter, though. With the argument stopped, we could start this conversation over again.

Yahn shuffled his wings, looping his tail around Douglas' arm several times. "Donald – "

"Don't." Mr. Davenport looked down, rubbing his eyes. All the fight seemed to drain from him with the motion as he sighed. "I want you out of the house, Douglas. Take your demons with you." He gave Douglas an exhausted look. "You've done enough."

I lowered my ears. Wait, what happened to talking? Couldn't we work this out?

People don't deal with demons.

I swallowed as Douglas nodded. "Fine." He waved around the room. "Let's go."

All five imps winced. Oly hopped down from the cabinet and joined the three new imps as they crossed the room towards Douglas. My stomach dropped to the floor at the sight. I ran a hand through my hair, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. Mr. Davenport wasn't going to listen to us. He wasn't listening to me. Krane and Lovett were winning, and this was why. We needed Douglas. He needed us. There was no way around that. He knew more about Krane than any of us, something we needed. We had the firepower to act on that knowledge. Keeping to ourselves would get us killed.

No, fuck that. I needed Douglas. I didn't know what was waiting for me when the smoke cleared from this. Leo was already scared, Bree looked upset, and Mr. Davenport was gaslighting me. The only one who seemed happy to see me was Adam, but how long would that last? When would I be a punching bag again? What would Tasha think when she saw me?

What kind of punishment would I get for running in the first place? What about stealing and scamming while I was gone? Douglas felt like the only ally I had there. He didn't care about the demon thing and rationalized that I'd only done what I had to so I survived. More than that, he'd grown on me in the past month. We didn't have the best relationship, but I'd miss him if he were gone. Hell, I'd miss Oly and Yahn, too.

"Wait!" I bolted forward, drawing up beside Douglas. Imps scattered out of my way.

Mr. Davenport's eyebrows shot up. "Chase – "

"You kicked the demons out," I growled, glaring at him. "That includes me."

Adam and Bree leaned in close, whispering to each other as they tried to figure out what I was doing. Leo's brow furrowed as he sank into his chair again, watching me. Even Douglas raised an eyebrow, scratching behind an ear as if asking whether or not this was a bluff.

My heart hammered in my chest. I wasn't sure, myself. Time to find out, I guessed.

Eyes wide, Mr. Davenport held his hands out, palms up. "Chase, I didn't mean you. I was talking about – "

"I'm a demon now, too." I poked myself in the chest, my tail lashing. "We can't leave anybody alone with Krane out there. I won't leave him alone." I pointed at Douglas.

Silence descended on the Lab again. Adam took a step forward but stopped when Bree grabbed his arm. She looked between Mr. Davenport and me, frowning. Mr. Davenport took a step forward. "Chase, he – "

"I know what he did." I pinned my ears, watching Mr. Davenport as Douglas fiddled with his bracelets beside me. "I know what I saw out there."

Oh, please. Just claw his eyes out. He doesn't believe you, anyways.

But why not? I was the smartest man alive. I was his son, for Christ's sake. Didn't that matter? He couldn't just ignore what I was saying.

I jumped when a hand brushed my wing. I glanced over my shoulder at Douglas, who offered me a wry half-smile. "I told you not to get your hopes up."

I pinned my ears. This was falling apart at the seams. "But – "

"Look, you can stay if you want," Douglas interrupted. Oly let out a protest, but Douglas nudged her with his foot. "I'll be fine."

That was just it: he wouldn't be okay. There were too many 'what-ifs.' My lashing tail hit the dog imp until she moved.

He's just Douglas. Who cares?

"I care!" I whipped around to face everybody, scanning the room as I tried to find the jackass who said that. Everybody met my eyes, baffled.

Douglas fidgeted beside me, clearing his throat. "Nobody said you didn't."

Oh, sweet Jesus. I hissed, burying my face in my hands as my cheeks burned. Why did that have to happen right now?

My ear twitched towards Leo as he leaned forward in his chair, causing the springs to creak. "You were kidding about having a voice in your head, right?" he asked, his voice uncertain.

Davenport latched onto the question. "What voice? Do you hear voices? What are they saying? When did they start?"

I laid my ears back, looking up. Mr. Davenport's brows knitted together as he watched me. God, why was he so pale? I dropped my hands, groaning. "It's not like that." I wasn't a psychiatrist, but I wasn't suffering a mental break or anything.

Mr. Davenport rubbed his eyes, gesturing at Douglas with his free hand. "You live with him for one month…."

White hot outrage shot through me at the implication. My tail and ear fur fuzzed up with indignation. "I'm not crazy; he didn't mess me up!" I curled my lip back, baring my fangs. I could hear Douglas grinding his teeth beside me as I continued. "At least he bothered looking for me!" Everybody seemed surprised at that – Bree's nostrils flared with rage – but I wasn't finished. "At least he doesn't throw me across the room like it doesn't hurt! He wasn't telling me how much my personality and decisions suck all the time!" My tail lashed behind me as I let my words dissolve into a growl. My voice was rougher now, my smoke-scorched throat getting worse. Hot tears pricked at my eyes as I pointed at everybody, one by one. "With him, I didn't have to be perfect. I could fucking breathe."

And there it was, out in the open for the world to see. Adam's physical violence and my vicious mental voice were massive parts of this, but those weren't the only problems. There was a freedom I had now, the idea that the only person I was accountable to was myself. Mr. Davenport wasn't breathing down my neck, second-guessing everything I did. Nobody was picking at my flaws and weaknesses until they were raw. I didn't have to spend time living up to the title of "smartest man alive." The only expectations I had to reach were the ones I set for myself.

Douglas giving me space to adjust was perfect. It gave me room to live.

Bree's mouth opened in a perfect 'o', realization washing over her face like a tidal wave. Adam focused on the floor, swallowing before he clenched his jaw. Leo was silent, leaning his elbows on the cyber desk and glancing between Mr. Davenport and me. As for Davenport, he flinched like I slapped him. His eyes were huge, a deer in the headlights. I rarely saw him at a loss for words like that. I stared him down, breathing hard until my throat twinged. I shuddered, covering my mouth as I broke into a dry coughing fit. Douglas patted my back, letting out a sigh. Whatever he was going to say, though, Oly started laughing. "Tell him, Half-Breed!" She shoved my legs, claws clicking on the tile as her feet slid against the floor. "Get him!"

I hit her with my tail as my coughing fit ended. It didn't hurt her, but she backed off, snapping her beak shut with a resounding crack.

Mr. Davenport's eyes slid to the floor as he nodded. "We'll talk about it when Douglas leaves." He turned to Adam and Bree, waving them forward. "Can you guys get him out of here? You might have to hold Chase."

The fucking audacity. I pinned my ears, growling. What was I expecting here? A real talk? An admission of guilt? I couldn't be sure, but I knew it wasn't this. I hadn't expected Mr. Davenport to treat me like I wasn't in my right mind.

Just burn them alive. It's the best option.

It wasn't the best option, but a show of force was more appealing now. I snarled, raising my hands up to shoulder height. I reached into what little energy I had left, letting it surge through me as I snarled. "Fucking try." My voice dropped a couple of octaves as beakers flew from the shelves. Tools and bits of technology followed, swirling around the room in a circle.

I know: why was I using my molecularkinesis to destroy the Lab? I'll explain in a moment.

Adam grabbed Bree, pulling her towards him and ducking behind the cyber desk. Leo hopped out of his chair, crouching behind the desk to shield himself. Mr. Davenport stepped towards me, then jumped back as furniture joined the chaos. Leo's chair, our capsules, and even the desk flew away. Chunks of wall, floor, and ceiling tore free as Davenport dove towards the desk with the others.

Everything spun around us as I lashed my tail, the wind roaring as it tugged at everybody. "You couldn't hope to touch me!" I flexed my fingers as soil and pieces of the house above joined the vortex. "I am more powerful than you could imagine!" The sky was visible now, the yard and fence rising into the air. The street, the sidewalk, cars, and homes in the neighborhood. I raised my hands above my head, spreading my wings out and snarling, "Even the stars bow to me!" I sucked the sky into my storm, stars and space blurring into the tornado.

Hands landed on my shoulder. Douglas' voice reached my ears before I could do anything else. "Chase, calm down. Look at them."

I frowned, focusing on my family again. Adam held everybody close, trying to shield them with his body. Mr. Davenport shook like a leaf and hugged Leo, who covered his head and squeezed his eyes closed. Bree stared at me with huge eyes, tears streaking down her cheeks. I'd never seen her so pale before. My tail stilled as I watched them, a lump rising in my throat. What was I doing besides scaring the piss out of them? Where would that get me?

I dropped my hands. The vortex collapsed, and everything caught was right back where it started. It was like nothing happened at all. So, why was I using my molecularkinesis to destroy the Lab? I wasn't. It was an illusion. Neat, huh?

Exhaustion crashed over me as I released the illusion, darkness crowding in on the edge of my vision. God, I felt like I hadn't slept in a week. I managed a whimper before I dropped to the floor, my consciousness slipping away.