by Linsey Hall
All demons. Two dozen of them. No, more than that.
“Roarke!”
“I see them.”
The demons must have congregated during the night, hiding behind trees and waiting for us to exit. I adopted my Phantom form, letting the icy magic flow through me.
A tornado of black mist whirled around Roarke, and his magic surged on the air. A moment later, he burst off the ground, his dark gray wings carrying him into the sky. He was grace and power incarnate. He could handle this.
But more demons slunk from the trees.
More, more, more.
So many different species, so many different types of magic. The signatures were intense—everything from the smell of rotting eggs to the feel of slime, slipping between my toes.
Roarke swept through the air, picking up demons and hurling them into trees so hard that their bodies broke like matchsticks. He was so fast that he was nearly a gray blur, streaking through the air. Their claws never had a chance to land. Screams rent the air as he worked, demon bodies piling up left and right.
But no matter how fast he killed them, more appeared, creeping toward us from the trees. It was a nightmare.
My palms began to sweat, and my muscles ached to take action.
Watching Roarke fight the demons alone was torture. Just standing here, waiting to be rescued, was the worst. I should be helping. I was the one who’d caused this problem.
Soon, there were three demons only twelve feet away. Roarke was taking care of the rest, but he was outnumbered. There were just too many. While he was breaking the neck of one massive demon, four others jumped upon his back.
No!
I searched his attackers frantically for poison claws but saw none, thank magic. But they were still overpowering him.
We needed help. Where was Draka?
“Draka! Pond Flower!” I cried.
But neither dragon nor dog showed.
Roarke held his own against the four—no six, now—demons who had piled onto him, but there were still too many dropping down from perches in the trees.
I couldn’t just stand here. If saving Roarke—and myself—meant stealing some powers, so be it.
And maybe I wouldn’t steal powers if I killed remotely.
I raced to the car and shoved the folder with the map underneath the windshield wiper, making sure it was held down firmly.
Though my hands itched to draw my sword, I ignored it, calling instead upon the ice magic that I had stolen from the other demon. I let the magic chill my fingertips as it built inside me. When I felt like I was at max capacity—filled with icicles from my toes to my head—I threw out my hand and imagined shooting a massive icicle at the demon nearest me.
A shining spear of ice hurtled through the air, skewering the demon through the chest. My heart lodged in my throat as I watched to see if his soul would fly out of his body and cling to me like the others had.
Instead, he fell like a sack of rocks.
Fates alive, I could slay demons remotely without taking their power!
I grinned, then turned to another demon. The big, pale beast was only five feet from me and coming fast. The sword that he gripped in his hands was about four times bigger than mine, a comically large piece of steel that I was sure he knew how to use.
I called upon the ice power, throwing it at him before it had a chance to develop fully. The icicle that hurtled toward him was far smaller than the last one I’d thrown. It pierced him through the chest, but he didn’t fall. His sword arm lowered and he stumbled, but kept coming.
Shit!
I leapt out of the way, reaching for my ice magic once more. Apparently, if I wanted a nice big icicle, I had to let it charge fully inside of me, like a battery powering up. The magic swelled in my chest as the demon raced toward me me. When I felt like my skin was bursting with icy cold, I threw my hands out toward him.
The icicle that shot from my palms was massive, plowing straight through his chest and out the other side. The demon that stood about ten feet behind him was struck as well. He fell, impaled by the icy spear.
Jackpot! Two for one.
I spun to find more prey, grateful to see that Roarke had killed three of his demon attackers and was finishing the last three. Bodies littered the leaf-strewn ground around us, all slowly disappearing and returning to their Underworld.
In relatively quick succession, I killed eight more demons. I had found a clever way to buy myself the time to wind up my power. Jumping and dodging only worked for so long. Avoiding weapon blows and blasts of fire magic took a toll on a girl.
“Line them up like you’re playing pool,” Roarke shouted.
I grinned, remembering my two for one from earlier. There were two demons about twenty feet away. If I moved just a bit…
I sprinted to the left, letting my magic charge as I ran. When the demons were lined up, one after the other, I sent a massive bolt of ice at them. It was bigger this time and flew with a speed that made a bullet look slow.
It punched through the first demon and straight through the second, lodging in a tree behind them.
I was getting good at this!
It didn’t take long to finish off the rest of the demons. By the time we were done, the forest around his house looked like a war zone in hell, demons of all species scattered around.
Quick as a flash, Roarke shifted, leaving behind his half naked, dark gray demon self and masquerading as a normal guy in jeans and a black jacket.
I wasn’t sure which I liked better, to be honest.
“Hurry,” he said. “There’s no telling when more will show up. I think our proximity to the portal made it easier for them to sense you.”
The reminder made the glow of victory fade and my stomach pitch. He was right. The demons would keep coming, over and over. Even though I could now kill them, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life fighting demons the moment I stepped out of my house. And if they showed up at the wrong moment, they could kill innocent people or those I loved in order to get to me.
I hurried to the car, taking the map off the windshield, and climbed in.
Roarke took off, driving like it was the Indy 500.
“It’s getting worse,” he said. “More demons every time.”
“Yeah.”
“Think your sisters will have any ideas?”
“I hope so.” I played with the twin lucky pendant around my neck, regretting the loss of the other. “We’ve managed everything before this.”
For good measure, I knocked on my head.
“Anything this bad?”
I thought back to the last few months, during which Cass, Nix, and I had come face to face with the Monster from our past. “Yeah.”
He glanced at me. “No wonder you’re tough.”
“Honestly earned.”
We reached the factory district in no time flat, and Roarke found a spot right in front of my green door.
“I need to change and get a bag from my place,” I said. And if I was being honest, I wanted to get another lucky pendant. Probably switch this current one for another, since things hadn’t gone so great while I’d worn it.
Roarke followed me up the stairs to my place.
“Stay here.” I pointed to the living room, then darted into the bedroom.
It didn’t take me long to dig out a small bag. I was about to duck into my trove to get a different lucky pendant when a knock sounded at my apartment door.
“Del!” Cass hollered at the top of her lungs.
I heard Roarke open the door for her and knew she’d bust into the bedroom any second. Now was not the time to let myself in to my trove. And if I was being truly, totally honest with myself, the lucky charms were a crutch. I was clinging to them because I had no control over anything else in my life.
I spun and hurried out into the living room.
Cass stood in the middle of the room, wearing her usual fitted, brown leather jacket and jeans. “Well? Any luck with Dr. Garriso?”
“No. Where’s Nix and Aidan?”
“Aidan’s got some work to take care of. Nix is at P & P, getting coffee before she starts at Ancient Magic.”
“Let’s go. I need to talk to her.” I headed to the door, then pulled up short. “Damn it, I shouldn’t go to P & P. I need to be in a place blocked from demons. And I don’t want to draw them to the cafe.”
Fates, this sucked.
“Ancient Magic fits the bill.” Cass glanced at her watch. “Nix should be back there any minute. Let’s meet her down there.”
“Great.” I met Roarke’s gaze.
He nodded, then led the way down the stairs to the street outside. When I reached the door, I hesitated, peering out.
Looked normal. No demons in the park or hiding behind cars. It was only a matter of time though.
I darted out and turned left, slipping inside Ancient Magic behind Cass. Roarke followed. The place looked so normal, cluttered with artifacts and rich with the signatures of various spells. While I felt…not normal. Not even close.
The door opened behind us and I spun.
Nix stepped in, her cheeks bright from the cold and a paper cup clutched in her hand. “How’s it going?” she asked. “Any answers?”
“Nope. Dr. Garriso knows nothing, and Roarke’s friend says that the map is in a dead demon language that I’m supposed to be able to read.”
Nix’s eyes widened. I didn’t have to look at Cass to know that hers did the same.
“Dead demon languages are a problem,” Cass said.
“And you’re supposed to be able to speak it?” Nix said.
Movement outside on the street caught my eye. It took a second to recognize the dark-haired man hurrying toward our door, but when I did, my breath caught.
It was Orson Reyes, the Order guy who gave Claire her assignments. She appeared in the window a second later, hurrying behind him. I could just make out what she was saying through the glass.
“You’re mistaken! There’s no way she’s involved.”
My heart plummeted to my feet just as the Order member yanked open the door and burst into the shop. Claire hurried in behind him.
“Which one of you is responsible for the demon attack on Cambridge University?” His beady dark gaze darted between Nix, Cass, and me.
We all stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Don’t play dumb. I am Orson Reyes, representative of the Order of the Magica. I have it on good authority—from the Chief Constable of Cambridge—that someone living at this address has a demon following and that they attacked the university.”
“What are you talking about?” Roarke demanded. “Those are serious accusations.”
Orson held up my lucky pendant. The one I’d lost on the campus.
Shit.
“The Chief Constable apprehended an intruder who wore this. A Tracking Mage on their staff identified this address as the home of this object. It is my responsibility to find the person.”
Bad freaking luck.
His gaze zeroed in on me, on the matching pendant that I wore around my neck. “It was you.”
He stalked forward, his eyes widening as he neared. “Your magic… It’s…”
He sniffed the air and licked his lips, as if he were trying to get a feel for my magical signature. His magic filled the air, bringing with it the sound of rustling leaves and the scent of chalk.
Oh, shit. He was using his Sensor Mage powers. I stepped back, not wanting him to pick up on my demon powers.
“Stop!” He held out a hand, but I kept backing up until I hit the wall. “You’re the one with the Ubilaz powers! You’re responsible for the surge in demonic activity. I can feel it. The powers aren’t in an object at all. They’re in you!”
I opened my mouth to dispute the claim when a demon appeared on the street outside of the shop. His burnished red skin indicated that he was probably a fire demon.
Oh, eff this.
Could the timing be worse?
I glanced at Roarke, whose gaze was trained on the demon. His expression turned predatory.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, moving left, hoping that the Order member’s gaze would follow me and give Roarke time to slip outside and get rid of the demon before anyone noticed it.
Orson’s gaze did follow me, but it snapped back to Roarke as soon as he moved for the door. As if the demon had called his name, Orson turned to look onto the street.
He pointed and said, “Then how do you explain that?”
“Just a random demon? You really should do a better job keeping track of them,” Nix said.
Roarke strode outside and made quick work of the demon, dodging its initial blast of fire magic and then lunging and breaking its neck.
“No.” Orson shook his head and pointed at me. “It is her. I can feel it. Claire was supposed to address this, but she has failed to do so. Because she is friends with the culprit.”
“It’s not her!” Claire said.
“Of course it is.” Orson sneered.
Quietly, Roarke slipped back into the shop.
How the heck were we going to get out of this one?
“She’s a mercenary,” Cass said. “She wears a charm to attract demons so that she can more easily get the bounties. That’s all it is.”
“Yeah,” Claire said. “I’ve been really jealous of that charm. She racks up twice the kills that I do.”
“No.” Orson’s voice was hard as a rock. “That’s bullshit. She’s the one we seek. I can feel her.”
Damn.
From behind the man, Roarke’s gaze hardened. He reached to the small table at his side and picked up a heavy clay jug. Quick as a snake, he brought it down on Orson’s head. The vase shattered, the magic it had once contained drifting up toward the ceiling as pale smoke, and the man collapsed.
Roarke crouched and pressed two fingers to Orson’s neck. “Out cold.”
“We can’t kill him!” Claire cried. “He’s my boss!”
“If I wanted to kill him, he’d be dead.” Roarke stood. “But we need time to figure out how to fix this.”
I sat heavily on an old chair pressed against the wall. “This is bad.”
The Order of the Magica knew who I was. What could I do?
“Very bad.” Cass rubbed her forehead.
“We have to make him forget what he knows,” Roarke said.
“How?” I asked.
Roarke turned to Claire. “Does your brother have a potion that would do it?”
“No. Not something like this.”
Nix stepped forward. “Aerdeca and Mordaca might be able to manage it.”
“With blood magic?” I asked.
It was one of their talents, but they normally just sold charms out of their shop, Apothecary’s Jungle, because blood magic was so dangerous. And on the edge of the law. I didn’t know if I wanted to dabble in that.
Roarke frowned. From his expression, he definitely didn’t want to dabble in that.
“They’d use blood magic to influence his memory?” Cass asked. “But that’s the mind. It’s the most dangerous thing to try to manipulate.”
“And it’s illegal,” Roarke said.
Nix held up her finger. “Only if it’s without consent.”
Roarke frowned at Orson’s prone body. “I don’t think he’s going to consent.”
Cass stepped forward, her expression hard. “Look, I know you’ve got a thing for the rules and all, but Del doesn’t stand a chance if the Order knows what she can do. At best, they’ll toss her in prison. Worst—she’s dead.”
“And that’s the more likely scenario.” Nix shot me an apologetic glance. “Sorry. It’s true.”
“Yeah, I know.” Still made me sick to think of it, though.
“So, what’s it going to be, Roarke?” Cass asked. “You going to stick to your rules and throw Del under the bus?”
“No.” Roarke’s voice was firm. He didn’t even hesitate, which made me feel a bit bet
ter. “We can go to these women and ask if they can help.”
“Good,” Nix said.
“How do you know about this anyway?” I asked. Nix wasn’t particularly good friends with Aerdeca and Mordaca—that was more Cass’s territory.
Nix shrugged, her gaze sad. “When Cass remembered her past, and you remembered your true last name, I wanted to know more about my past as well.”
My heart hurt for her. For me, too. We knew almost nothing of our lives before we woke in the dungeon owned by the Monster from our past. My only memory was of being a slave to a man who wanted to control FireSouls. And my dream last night hadn’t revealed anything good.
“Did you have any luck?” I asked.
“No.” Disappointment was stark in Nix’s voice. “Memory is a hard one for them—particularly remembering. And recalling big pieces of the past isn’t possible. The process would kill me. I decided it wasn’t worth it.”
“But they can make Orson forget?” Cass asked.
“I hope so,” Nix said. “It’s at least a possibility.”
“Then let’s try,” Roarke said. He still clearly didn’t like the idea of relying on illegal magic, but he’d do it. For me.
Why, I didn’t know. But I had to thank the fates that he was on my side.
Chapter Seven
Getting Orson’s body into the car wasn’t fun—again, I felt like I was in the mob—nor was the surprise attack by another demon who appeared out of nowhere right after we shoved Orson into the backseat. Claire took care of the demon as I climbed into the passenger seat. Cass and Nix piled into the back with Orson, who slumped against the window.
“We really need to get this demon thing taken care of,” Cass said as she watched Claire kick some demon ass.
“No kidding.” It was for sure getting worse. I clutched the bag I’d brought, which contained the map.
Fortunately, we made it to Darklane without further incident. The neighborhood where Aerdeca and Mordaca lived and ran their shop looked dark and dingy even in the light of the mid-day sun. No matter how brightly it shined, it couldn’t cut through the grime covering the once colorful paint of the old buildings.
Roarke found a spot right in front of their door, but we didn’t have to be particularly stealthy with a body in this neighborhood. No one would dream of going to the police here. Particularly to help an Order member.
