Double Down on Demons (Pandora's Pride Book 1)

by Annabel Chase

  I leaned forward. “I thought we were having an open and honest conversation.”

  His brow furrowed. “Aren’t we?”

  “I got better answers from Ronnie Banks.”

  “Hey, if you threatened me with plucking out my hairs, I would’ve known which ones you meant.”

  I laughed. “And yet we’re only just getting to know each other.”

  He fiddled with his fork. “You’re not going to use your enchanted card on me, are you?”

  I fell back against the booth. “Do you really think I’d do that?”

  His mismatched eyes met mine. “No.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. I was ready to hitch a ride back to A.C.”

  Saxon drew a deep breath. “Sometimes I lose control of my celestial fire. Sometimes I succumb to bloodlust. Sometimes I can’t heal one of my wounds.”

  “Can you dream walk?”

  “Nope.”

  “Teleport?”

  He shook his head. “The Pride really wanted me to develop that particular skill, but if it isn’t there, it isn’t there.” He shoveled a forkful of omelet into his mouth. “We can’t all be Doran.”

  “Does he really possess every angel trait?”

  He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Sure does. Each member of the inner circle is the most complete version of their species. They wouldn’t be qualified for the position otherwise.”

  “I didn’t realize how rare it is for a supernatural to possess all the traits of their species.”

  “You’ve lived a pretty secluded life, Callie.”

  “I guess, although it never felt like it.” The pancakes were obscenely good and I resisted the urge to release a pleasurable moan.

  “Those in bubbles don’t tend to realize they live in one until the bubble bursts.”

  “And if the bubble doesn’t?” I asked.

  He finished his water. “It always does.”

  “I guess you’re right because mine sure did.” In spectacular fashion.

  “You’re very brave, you know. Bringing that chip to Salt. Looking for your father’s killer. I don’t know that your response is the natural one.”

  “Are you calling me unnatural?”

  “I’m the unnatural one at this table,” he said. “Although that pink hair of yours qualifies.”

  My fingers brushed the colorful streak. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing, but I like your natural black.” He hesitated. “Not that you’re asking. And not that it’s any of my business how you wear your hair.” He cringed. “Holy hellfire, I need to shut up. Tate would have strangled me by now.”

  I laughed as I washed down the sticky syrup with another gulp of water. Gods, I loved syrup. If they bottled that stuff, I’d…Wait, they do bottle it. “If you want to know the truth, I color that strip for a reason.”

  “You think pink brings out the grey in your eyes? I mean, you’re right. It does.”

  The back of my neck warmed at the compliment. “It covers a birthmark.”

  He scratched the back of his head. “I don’t understand. On your scalp?”

  “No, my hair. There are a few strands with no pigment that makes it look blond. Technically it’s a birthmark.”

  “A blond streak would be every bit as cool as bright pink. Why cover it?”

  I soaked up the last of the syrup with my final piece of pancake, already lamenting the end of the delicious meal. “Because my dad thought it was best. Only certain mages have the gene for that birthmark and he didn’t want me to flaunt it.”

  “It signifies power or weakness?”

  I gave him a sharp look. “Which do you think?”

  Saxon shrugged. “Either one makes you a target, but I guess I’ll go with power.”

  “He didn’t want me to constantly be challenged by those who felt threatened by me and he didn’t want anyone thinking they could use me for traits.”

  “I can understand that. You do seem to have some good ones.”

  “Covering the birthmark was easier. It’s been colored ever since I had enough hair to dye.”

  He scraped the last of his omelet off the plate. “If it’s any consultation, you wear it well.”

  “Thanks.” I paused, eyeing my empty plate. “How would you feel about dessert?”

  “I’m not hungry anymore, but I won’t object if you want pie.”

  “Damn straight you won’t. The monsters are out there, pal, not in here.”

  It didn’t take long for me to inhale my cherry pie and, soon, Saxon and I were back on the road to Atlantica City.

  “Let me know if you find out more about the chip.”

  “I thought you said there was no point.”

  “Maybe, but now I feel invested.”

  I smiled. “I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.”

  We spent the remainder of the drive gossiping about the inner circle. I would guess what their quirks and vices were and Saxon would either confirm or deny. Naturally I ventured into outlandish territory with guesses like Doran bathes in the blood of innocent snakes to retain his youthful glow (denied) and Abra sleeps in high heels that she would never dare be seen wearing around HQ (also denied). I found foolish pleasure in making Saxon laugh. Take that, brooding and sullen hybrid.

  By the time we arrived back at HQ, I was hungry again.

  “Are you going back to Salt?” Saxon asked.

  I continued in step with him toward the lobby. “I thought we should check in with the others in case our absence has been noted.”

  “Good thinking.”

  The moment we stepped foot in the lobby, I knew we were in trouble. I felt like a teenager who’d snuck out of the tent that my father had very clearly stated I was not to leave under any circumstances. Even if a bear started clawing at the tent? I’d ask. He’d give me a look that told me to stop asking moronic questions. A feral werewolf, maybe, he’d reply. If it’s a bear, I’d offer him a place to sleep. They’re excellent snugglers and very soft.

  It was Abra who met us at the entrance to the elevator bank. Doran stood a foot behind her, wringing his hands.

  “Welcome back,” Abra said, in a way that suggested we were not very welcome at all. “Why don’t you come to conference room A and brief us on your excursion. We’d love to hear all about your adventure to…Baltimore, was it?”

  A lump formed in my throat. I had a feeling that angry Abra was not a witch I wanted to meet.

  We crammed into the elevator together; Saxon retracted his wings while Doran tucked his in as tightly as possible. A species hazard.

  “If I can explain…” Saxon began, but Abra’s withering glance made it clear that he could not.

  We followed dutifully behind Abra and Doran. The angel paused outside the conference room door to give me an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. All will be well, the squeeze seemed to tell me. We’ll see, was my immediate thought.

  The other members of the management team weren’t waiting in the room as I expected. We took our seats at the end of the table, adjacent to Abra and across from Doran.

  “Only the four of us?” Saxon asked, giving voice to my thoughts. I assumed Natasha was kept away on purpose. They had to know the vampire was the one who made the arrangements for us.

  “I thought it best not to disturb everyone purely because the two of you decided to go for a joyride,” Abra said.

  “It wasn’t a…” He wasn’t able to finish because Abra continued to talk right over him.

  “And did your side venture yield the desired outcome?” she pressed.

  I lowered my head, sensing the axe was about to fall and that its blade was very, very sharp. “I don’t know that I’d phrase it that way, but I did get an answer.”

  Abra cleared her throat. “You should be aware that while the two of you were playing amateur detective, more children have been taken.”

  Saxon’s head snapped to attention. “Where?”

  “Tempe, Arizona,” Doran said. “Twenty chil
dren between the ages of six and ten.”

  Nausea rolled over me. That wasn’t good news.

  “On the bright side, we have a lead.” The older witch directed a disapproving gaze at Saxon. “Would you like to hear more or are you too preoccupied with Miss Wendell’s personal vendetta?”

  Saxon squared his shoulders. “I’d like to hear more about the missing children, ma’am.”

  “Good. We’ve arranged a meeting with our informant in an hour. I don’t know what information he has, but he promises it’s worthwhile. Given your clear preference for working together without help from the team, I’d say you two should take care of it.”

  “And where do we meet this informant?” I asked.

  “It’s Tages,” Doran said, as though the name meant something.

  Apparently it did to Saxon because he nodded. “We’ll be there.”

  I pushed back my chair. “Sounds like there’s enough time to grab a bite to eat before the rendezvous.” I hesitated. “That is what you say, isn’t it?”

  “Seems to me that your little excursion today was more of a rendezvous, wouldn’t you agree?” Abra didn’t wait for a response. “Miss Wendell, you’re dismissed.” She leveled a gaze at Saxon. “Please stay, Saxon. Doran and I would like a word.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Saxon said.

  “And when you return from this exchange…” Abra switched that steely gaze to me. “It seems you have a choice to make, Calandra Wendell.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Saxon and I stood outside the back door of an elementary school building in the Westside neighborhood, ready to meet with a Pride informant. I’d scarfed down a cheeseburger and fries and then treated myself to a chocolate soy milkshake, which I was beginning to regret. If I had to run or climb in the next half an hour, I was going to be SOL.

  “So did Abra and Doran read you the riot act?” I asked.

  “More or less. I deserved it though.”

  “Masochist.”

  “Natasha probably got it worse. Abra can be a real hard ass, even with the other members of the inner circle.” He pushed the handle and the door clicked open.

  “This is your secret spot?”

  “Only for Tages,” he said. “It’s empty and not an obvious place for a meetup.”

  I glanced at the quiet playground behind us. There was something eerie about empty swings. “Do you mind being saddled with me?”

  “Why would I mind? You’re part of the team.” He slipped inside and I followed closely behind him.

  Darkness descended upon us, heightening my senses. The stench of rotten meat and moldy bread invaded my nostrils and I clamped a hand over my nose and mouth. Why would a school smell so bad? Beside me I heard the faint swish of Saxon’s sword being unsheathed and I reached for the dagger tucked in my belt. I began to worry that this wasn’t the friendly meeting I thought it was.

  We moved along the corridor and I noticed the wall was lined with hand-drawn pictures all entitled About Me. The quality ran the gamut from stick figures to sketches to painted self-portraits. It occurred to me that I’d never drawn a picture on paper in my entire life, not that I remembered anyway. I’d drawn plenty of images with a stick in the dirt though.

  To my right, a classroom door drifted open and I whipped toward the movement with my dagger gleaming in the darkness.

  Saxon squinted into the gloom. “Tages?” A small head emerged from the shadows and Saxon swore loudly.

  “That’s Tages?” I asked, incredulous. I expected the informant to be a scary demon, not an adorable sidekick from a fantasy film.

  Saxon ignored me. “What were you thinking hiding like that? You could’ve been hurt.”

  The demon opened the door fully. “I thought you were here to kill me. I saw blades.”

  Saxon sheathed his sword. “Didn’t you recognize us?”

  His gaze flickered to me. “I didn’t recognize her and she was blocking my view of you.”

  “This is Callie. She works with us now.”

  The demon took a renewed interest in me. “A new recruit in HQ? What’s the special occasion? That’s as rare as a comet.”

  I put away my dagger and held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Tages.”

  “I like your hair,” he said and touched the spot on his own head where the colorful stripe would be.

  “Thanks.”

  He stretched onto his toes for a better view. “Looks like you need to do the roots.” He frowned. “They’re very pale, your roots. Is black not your natural color?”

  “It is.” I twisted a strand back and casually tried to rearrange it to cover the roots.

  Tages examined one side of my face and then the other. “Do you favor your father or your mother?”

  Saxon laughed. “Lots of questions, Tages. Why don’t you leave Callie alone and tell us about the information you have?”

  Tages seemed intent on my face. “I bet you look like your mother.” Slowly he reached up and touched the end of my nose. “You have a good nose.”

  “Um, thanks?” I wasn’t sure what qualified as a good nose, but I was willing to humor him if it meant getting our information so we could leave. “I don’t look like my dad, that’s for sure.” He used to say that I got all my mother’s beauty and all his magic.

  Tages placed a hand on my arm. “Magic pulses through you like a heartbeat.”

  I offered an awkward smile. Although I didn’t love strange demons touching me, there was something sweet and childlike about this one. “Isn’t that normal for mages?”

  “You’re like a walking ley line. Maybe Supai should use you for his ritual.” His small hand flew to cover his mouth. “I didn’t mean that. It was only a joke.”

  “Speaking of Supai, what do you have for us?” Saxon asked.

  Tages pulled a folded piece of plastic from his pocket and handed it to Saxon. “This.”

  Saxon opened the plastic to reveal a paper map with handwritten markings on it inside. “Is this the Grand Canyon?”

  “A section of it. It’s pretty big, you know,” Tages said.

  I peered over Saxon’s shoulder. “Where did you get this?”

  “Rex’s office,” Tages said. “Or what he’d been using as an office.”

  My eyes rounded. “He left crucial evidence sitting on a desk like it was a stapler?”

  Tages evaded my gaze. “Not exactly.”

  Saxon looked at me. “Tages likes to spend time in dumpsters.”

  Ew. Gross. I guess that explained the stench as well as the plastic.

  “You’d be surprised what important pieces of evidence get thrown away and not shredded,” Tages said.

  “Once they figured out their location, they chucked everything,” Tages said. “I found all sorts of random stuff, even a huge bag of lollipops.”

  A moment of silence passed as we contemplated the significance of that.

  Saxon patted his back. “This is great, Tages. Thanks.” He passed him an envelope. “Payment as discussed.”

  The demon’s eyes lit up. “You guys are the best.” He stuffed the envelope into the pocket where the map had been. “Hope it works out for you. I don’t like anything bad happening to little kids, even though they sometimes make fun of me. They can’t help it, you know? Their frontal lobes haven’t developed yet.”

  “Take care of yourself, Tages.” I waited until the small demon scrambled down the corridor and out of earshot. “That was an awfully thin envelope. How much money was in there?”

  “It wasn’t money. We pay him in vouchers for breakfast buffets at the casinos. Natasha has a deal with both the Opulentia and the Potestas.”

  “But they don’t know who the informant is, do they?”

  Saxon shook his head. “No, they just supply unmarked vouchers. Tages is a huge fan of breakfast food—waffles, pancakes, burritos, you name it.”

  “He and I have more in common than I realized.”

  Saxon burst into laughter. “Stay at Salt long enough a
nd I’m sure you’ll run into him.”

  “You’re in a good mood,” I said as we flew back to HQ. Despite the glittering casinos in the distance, there was something inherently peaceful about gliding just above the city heights.

  “This map is the break we’ve been waiting for.”

  “Sure, it’s a location,” I said.

  “It’s more than a location.” He landed on the pavement outside HQ and retracted his wings. “It’s the date too.”

  “I didn’t see a date on the map.” How did I miss such a crucial piece of information?

  “It’ll be implied from the location. Supai chose that spot because he needs enough power to complete the ritual.”

  “I thought the power came from child sacrifice.” As soon as I finished the statement, I realized that I didn’t even like to utter the words ‘child sacrifice.’ I’d never considered myself particularly maternal, but I was more sensitive to children in peril than I ever knew.

  “That’s how he amasses the power as a result of the ritual, but he needs to channel magic in order to perform the ritual.”

  “And Supai’s a demon, so that magic has to come from somewhere else.”

  “Nita will be able to give us the date as soon as she has time to analyze the map.”

  “I sure hope you gave Tages plenty of vouchers. Sounds like he earned them.”

  We entered the lobby where Evadne was waiting to pounce. “Any luck?”

  Saxon patted his pocket. “Looks like it. I’m bringing this straight to the lab for Nita.”

  She extended her long, slender fingers. “Can I see?”

  “You can see when everyone else does.” I started to follow Saxon, but Evadne inserted herself between us.

  “Abra wants to see you now.”

  “She told you that?” I had a hard time believing the management team would rely on Evadne as a messenger.

  “No, but I overheard her talking to Doran.” She gave me a sultry wink. “I have exceptional hearing, among other things.”

  Saxon stopped at the elevator. “I’ll take this to Nita. You go ahead. I’m sure you know what she wants.”

  I did. Before I left to meet Tages, she said I had a choice to make. After my detour to Baltimore, my guess was that she wanted a commitment from me that I intended to keep my end of the bargain.