Hurt, I let my knees touch the pavement, and I slowly got up, brushing my arms and palms free of grit. Damn it, I had ruined Ceri’s present. I glanced first at Al—who looked mildly insulted—then Trent and Quen, safe inside my circle with me.

The older elf was stiff, clearly not liking being in my bubble—large as it was. Face tight, he eyed the black smears of demon smut crawling over my amber-tinted enclosure. It looked particularly ugly in the sun, and since Quen was skilled in ley line magic, he knew that the black was a reflection of what I had done to my soul—and the only way I could have gotten it that fast was by playing with demon magic.

Angry, I backed up, still rubbing my arms. “I got it twisting a demon curse to save my boyfriend’s life,” I said in explanation. “I didn’t kill anything. I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Quen’s face was empty of emotion. “You hurt yourself,” he said.

“Yeah. I guess I did.”

Trent scuffed his feet. “That’s not Lee,” he whispered, his face ashen.

Jenks landed on my shoulder—having flown off when I hit the ground. “Good God, the man is dumber than Tink’s dildo. Didn’t I say it wasn’t him? Did my lips not move and say it wasn’t him? I’m small, not blind!”

Recovering his earlier aplomb, Al smiled. Trent retreated into Quen’s protection, away from me and Al both. Al had mauled Trent the same night the demon had first attacked me; Trent had a right to be afraid. But the sun was up. This could not be happening.

We all jumped when Al poked a finger at my bubble, and the black seemed to pool in the ripple he made. “No, not Lee,” the demon said. “Yet it is him. One hundred percent.”

“How?” I stammered. Had we been spelled into thinking it was daylight when it was really after sunset?

“The sun?” Al looked up, taking off his glasses and basking in it. “It is splendidly pretty without the red sheen. I quite like it.” His gaze fell to me, and I shivered. “Think about it.”

One hundred percent Lee, but not Lee? That left only one possibility. And whereas if someone had asked me Monday, I would have said it was impossible, I now found it remarkably easy to believe, after having shoved a demon out of my thoughts just three days ago.

“You’re possessing him,” I said, feeling my stomach clench.

Lee clapped his hands. He was wearing white gloves, and it looked wrong, so very wrong.

“You can’t do that,” Trent said from my elbow. “It’s a—”