Convoke

Chapter 10

Tom stormed up the verge and climbed through the bush. Cal's dad, Andy, gripped Tom by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked with wide eyes.

"I am, thanks to him!" Tom yelled, motioned towards Ezra who was rubbing dirt from his hands. Andy looked at the barbed wire demon mark across his neck, and his brows bent together. "You could have seriously injured me. I could have totally been killed from the speed you were driving!"

"I know, I'm so sorry. Tom seriously, I'm so sorry!"

Tom wanted to yell, but Andy's eyes had started to water. The hands that gripped his shoulders were trembling. He was just as spooked too. Tom sighed and accepted the hug Andy kept trying to give him. "You need to stop speeding. You'll end up in prison or in a coffin. Think of Cal."

"This is my wake-up call." Andy blinked back his shock and turned to Ezra who had climbed out of the ditch and stood patiently by the side of the road. Andy extended a hand towards him. "Thank you, I am so grateful that you were nearby. Thank you so much for helping Tom."

Tom studied him now that his hood was down, and he could see his face. But Ezra kept his expressions hidden and shook his hand.

"It's not the first time you've nearly ran me over," Tom said, running a hand through his brown hair. "The risk is not work the minutes you're saving by driving at that speed. If you're wanting adrenaline, take up an extreme sport or something."

"No more speeding," Andy said. "I promise." He hugged Tom again before getting back in his car. Tom and Ezra watched him drive away slowly, until he was out of sight and the engine was a distant hum in the quiet countryside.

Tom turned around, looking up at Ezra who was standing with his hood down and hands buried into his denim jacket. The dull orange streetlight was the only light source around. "Thank you," Tom said, circling Ezra's handsome face with grateful eyes. "You really did just save my life."

Ezra awkwardly looked away. "It's ok," he mumbled before shrugging.

Tom smiled at the softness of his voice and pointed up the road. "I was just going to Berry Pond. Do you want to come?"

"You should go home. Demons went this way not long before you left the pub."

Tom raised a brow. "Were you following me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"A new moon is coming."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Violence."

"Demons are more violent on a new moon?"

"We're more easily angered, and humans are more provocative."

Tom looked at his demon mark. Black barbed wire tattoos wrapped around is neck four times. Each row had sharply pointed barbs all along the wires. "You handle your anger well, though," Tom complimented.

"Every day, I see demon's die who spill human blood. I don't want that for myself."

"Have you always been a soul stripper?" Tom pursed his lips. Curiosity had got the better of him.

"No." The intensity returned to Ezra's large dark eyes, expecting Tom to ask more.

Tom felt that the next question would be too personal. They didn't yet know each other well enough, and he didn't want to make Ezra uncomfortable, especially now that they were getting familiar with one another. But he desperately wanted to know why Ezra became a soul stripper. Maybe one day he would ask him if he stuck around for long enough. "So, you're here to investigate the rise in violence. What was the thing you said about something happening here twice that-"