by Debra Dunbar
***
Asta narrowed her eyes. He’d just volunteered that? Last night he’d alluded to a botched summoning, but for him to give information without any kind of demand? Angels always bartered favors and information, and she’d been told demons were the same. Why was this information free?
“How do you know this? Who is the sorcerer, and what does he intend to have the demon do?” Might as well go with it. Maybe this information would also come without strings. Could be her lucky day.
The demon swallowed hard, his knuckles white on the beam. Was he lying? In her experience, when someone had sweat beading on their forehead, they were usually lying.
“I’m not saying anything else until I’m in the convention café, in a chair with a cup of overpriced, crappy coffee in my hand.”
“Fine.” Grabbing him by the shoulders, she dropped from the rafters, dumping him into a chair by the food concession area. He sat with a hard thump and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I don’t know exactly what the demon has planned. We just gotta find the sorcerer, and then we’ll have the demon.”
“And how do you propose we do this?” Asta wasn’t sure if this fell in her jurisdiction or not. Technically, she was just supposed to take out any demons who crossed over from Hel, not interfere in human activities. Even if this sorcerer was summoning a demon, she might not be able to act until the demon had actually appeared—and then she’d only be able to deliver justice to the demon. Human justice was outside her authority.
“You take that side of the convention hall, and I’ll take the other. Look for a guy with a pointy hat, a wand, and possibly a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.”
Okay, that was the funny Dar from last night. Thank goodness he’d stopped sweating like he was on the verge of a heart attack. “I think I would have noticed that particular human on my search this morning. Get serious, or you’ll find out how those little red plastic things feel crammed up your nose.”
“Promises, promises. Angels are such teases.”
Asta made a quick move, and Dar held out his hands, batting hers away as she thrust the USB sticks at him.
“A sorcerer probably won’t stand out in a crowd, but in order to summon the demon, he’ll need to have some obvious tools. There will be a circle of salt and a summoning triangle within it at the very least. Depending on who he is summoning, he’ll have protective runes around the perimeter. He’ll probably be summoning from a scroll, since doing it from memory is dangerous.”
She steepled her hands and rested her chin on the fingertips as she regarded him. “Seriously? How would that not cause notice among the other humans? Honestly, a salt ring with runes is going to stand out just as much as a man with a pointy hat.”
“It doesn’t have to. The circle and runes could be disguised in the pattern of a carpet, mosaic, or wood parquet floor. Salt could be worked into a pattern of tiles. Even the actual summoning can be buried beneath a song melody or background noise. It doesn’t have to be loud to work.” Dar leaned forward. “And from how this demon is reacting, I’m guessing it’s not an optimal summoning. It makes sense that the sorcerer is trying to disguise his actions, and there’s a break in the ritual or pattern somewhere that’s causing the in-and-out cycle of energy we’ve sensed.”
Funny, silly, and a whole lot of crazy, this demon was also smart. When it came time to get serious, he really had a brain in behind that handsome face.
Asta tilted her head and regarded the demon. “How do you know all this?”
“I’m fucking brilliant, that’s how.” Dar stood and headed to the concession area, making disgusted noises as he looked through the selections.
Seems his brain wasn’t serious for long. She hated to admit it, but that was actually part of his charm. Everyone in Aaru was so darned somber; it was refreshing to work with someone who wasn’t. Asta followed him and picked up a cellophane-wrapped sandwich. “Is this good? Should I eat this?”
Dar snatched it from her and threw it across the room. “Not unless you want to be hugging a toilet the rest of the day.”
There was something in his voice that made her wonder if the humor was forced. “Have you been summoned before?”
The demon gave up on the snack foods and grabbed a bottle of water instead. “A few times. Being summoned sucks.”
“What’s it like?”
He took a long sip of his drink before answering. “Being ripped away from whatever you’re doing and dumped in a tiny, cramped space with some bearded guy, or worse a bearded lady, ordering you to do shit for them. Whatever they want is usually boring. Then they send you back to Hel without even a ‘thank you’. Like I said, it sucks.”
Asta caught her breath imagining how horrible it would be—minding your own business, drinking coffee and enjoying the sunrise only to be yanked away and forced to do another’s bidding.
“I’m... I’m sorry. How many times...?”
Dar gave a bitter laugh and tossed the half-full water bottle into the trash. “Too many. Sometimes I’ve been lucky enough to talk my way out of a deal. A few times lucky enough to manage to kill the sorcerer.”
Asta winced. If he did that now, she’d have to kill him for breaking the terms of his immunity. It didn’t seem fair. These summoned demons weren’t here voluntarily and were performing their vile deeds under a human’s direction. The thought opened up a whole new moral dilemma for her.
“I’m not sure I can kill this demon if he’s being summoned. Perhaps I’ll just subdue him and send him back through the gates.”
Dar snorted. “Yeah. Great idea. Do you plan on killing the sorcerer too? Because that demon will be summoned back by the end of the week if you don’t.”
“I can’t kill a human. It’s not within my authority to punish native species. I’m an enforcer, not an angel of judgment.”
“So humans are the only native species here? Because you sure as hell didn’t have any problems killing those rats last night.” He tempered the harshness of his words with a rakish grin. “Not that I see that as a character flaw or anything. Willingness to kill with wanton abandon is totally sexy in my book.”
Asta dropped her eyes. “Rats count, just as much as humans. I didn’t mean to kill them. I’m just... I’m afraid of rats.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath, his soft, quick laugh. “You’re an angel, and you’re afraid of rats.”
Asta glared, feeling defensive at his mocking tone. “I know it’s silly, but I am. And I truly regret killing them. I mourn the loss of their lives and feel the tarnish their deaths caused to my vibration levels. I strive to do better, but it’s hard here in this physical form, surrounded by all these sensations.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. Seriously, I don’t have any problem with you killing them. I’m just surprised.”
“Like I said, it’s silly. They’ve got those beady eyes and sharp teeth. Plus I get shivers when their claws make that scrabbling noise. I just envision them swarming me, crawling all over my skin and biting me.”
Dar grinned. “Sounds like foreplay. Sure you wouldn’t like it? I mean, maybe if just one rat was doing the crawling all over your skin and biting, you’d find yourself closer to orgasm then panic.”
This was ridiculous. Here she was revealing her fears and moral dilemmas to a demon—this demon. Actually the whole experience was bizarre. Angels didn’t have conversations with annoying demons. They didn’t agree to a working relationship with one, no matter how short it might be. And they certainly didn’t find themselves enjoying the quick-witted teasing of demons. Time to get back to the topic at hand. Whether she actually killed this summoned demon or some other alternative, she needed to catch him first. Demons in her territory were inexcusable, those with immunity notwithstanding, and Asta wasn’t about to sully her exemplary record so close to her return to Aaru.
“Is there an energy signature to the summoning circle? If the runes are charged, the magic should be giving off some kind
of energy. Can you recognize it?”
Dar scowled. “All right, we’ll go back to work, but I’m claiming both a rain check on the blues club and on the idea of me nibbling your soft, warm skin. All work and no play makes Asta a very dull angel.”
“Blues club, but no on the biting. No biting allowed. Biting makes Asta a very pissy angel.”
His grin was slow and seductive. “Might be worth it. And I think I like pissy Asta, although I like sense-of-humor Asta best of all.”
“Work. Back to work.” Stars it was hot in here. She fanned her face and tried to remember what she’d originally asked.
“You’d probably be better able to sense a summoning circle than me. Either way, we’d need to be fairly close. There’s a lot of energy flying around, especially at a tech conference. It’s hard to filter out all the noise and narrow in on the summoning area. If we could get a general idea of where it is, we might have an actual chance of pinpointing the exact area and possibly the caster.”
It was odd to see him switch gears so fast, from irreverent playboy to smart and quick. This demon wasn’t stupid. He was intelligent. And he couldn’t be trusted, no matter how charming he could be. Asta took a deep breath, resolving to force herself to keep things solely on work, lest she forget exactly what lay behind his charismatic face.
“Caster? Would the sorcerer have some residual magic clinging to him from the summoning?”
Dar nodded. “But we’d have to locate him fast. These things fade quickly.”
Asta considered his words, tapping her fingers on the table. Dar plopped down in a chair, propping his feet on the table, inches from her fingers. “Tough one, huh?” His voice was soft with an odd edge to it. “An awful lot for one angel to do—a huge conference room filled with people and electrical false leads.”
“We’ll both just have to keep alert for the demon signature while we hunt for the summoning area and the caster. Between the two of us, we should be able to catch this sorcerer, and the demon, by the time the convention closes.” And then go listen to some blues music. Maybe ride on the Ferris wheel. Maybe do other things.
Dar rocked backward on his chair. “We? I’ll admit I’ve enjoyed following you around and harassing you for the last few days, and kissing you was pretty much the highlight of my vacation so far, but this sounds suspiciously like work. I’ll have you know, I’m highly allergic to work—especially uncompensated work.”
Negotiation time. Here we go. Asta bit back a smile. “I’m not having sex with you.”
“You’ve already mentioned your reluctance, and I’ve got to say that your resistance is quite a turn on. I’ll settle for an evening out with me.”
Asta narrowed her eyes. “Evening out doing what?” Ooh, she hoped it involved a Ferris wheel.
Dar grinned, and his resemblance to the mythical Cheshire cat was remarkable. “My choice. You need to agree to go along with any of my proposed activities, or I’m not helping.”
“No sex.” Sheesh, that sounded pretty half-hearted. She might as well have added ‘unless you ask really nicely’ at the end.
The demon looked toward the ceiling and shook his head. “You’re really hung up on the sex thing, aren’t you? Angels are such damned prudes. Okay. No sex, and no activities that would violate the terms of my immunity. Is that good enough for you?”
Bummer. She’d hoped he’d push the issue a bit more. Although, his terms definitely left a lot of wiggle room. Asta bit her lip and thought about all the things this demon could demand of her tonight. Still, she was an angel, and not without brains. If she couldn’t work her way out of anything she found terribly objectionable in this vaguely worded contract, then she deserved whatever she got.
“Deal.”
“Swear it.”
Demons. Nothing ever seemed to be on a handshake when it came to them.
“I vow that I will participate in activities of your choice with you tonight as long as it does not violate the terms of your immunity or involve sexual intercourse.”
Dar’s eyes flashed red as he smiled. “Agreed. No sex, even if you beg me on bended knees.”
Asta snorted. “Yeah. That would be the day pigs sprout wings.” Could happen. Demons were particularly good at manipulating the physical plane, and she wouldn’t put it past Dar to slap some feathery protuberances on a swine just to weasel her into bed. And a certain part of her kind of hoped he did.
Chapter 7
Dar’s feet were ready to fall off. Six hours of walking around a convention were five hours more than he’d ever wanted. The good news was, he was loaded down with bags full of freebies. The bad news was, there had been no hint of the demon. He’d taken to going from booth to booth, staring at their carpets and back panels, eyeing the geometric structure of their lighting. None had provided the appropriate circle and triangle pattern needed for a safe summoning. It was possible the sorcerer was reckless enough to do without protection runes, but there was no way he’d be stupid enough to yank a demon into this realm without the requisite circle and triangle to contain the being.
Or maybe he’s not doing the summoning here. Or maybe he knows there’s an angel breathing down his neck, and he’s waiting for Asta to take a hike. Or—.
“There’s a woman by the Environmetrics booth that has a sigil tattooed on her neck.”
Dar jumped two feet in the air, spinning as he landed, nearly colliding with Asta. “For fuck sake, woman, never sneak up on a demon like that. You’re lucky I didn’t go all ninja on your ass.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips.
Cute. Especially how her arms pushed her breasts up. If he tilted his head right, he could almost see a bit of top-boob.
“Ninja. Riiiiight. Come look at this tattoo.”
Anything was better than wandering around this convention hall one more time, but her request sounded very much like a command, and Dar wasn’t fond of commands, even if they came from a beautiful angel.
“Carry one of these bags for me. They weigh a fucking ton.” An order from her would be acceptable if he were to give one in return. Surprisingly, she took the bag without argument, weaving her way through the crowd.
“What’s in this thing anyway?” she called back to him, turning her head over her shoulder and sending her brown curls dancing across her back. “It weighs a lot.”
“Stuff.” Dar had no idea what he’d put into the bags. Anytime there had been a freebie offered, he’d taken it. Anytime there had been something not offered, he’d taken it. It was a strange compulsion for him to gather trinkets and little items and hide them away. His home in Hel looked like it should be featured on a hoarders show. The rat in him could never resist anything brightly colored, shiny, or intriguing in any way. One human’s junk was a demon’s treasure.
“Here. The redhead.”
Dar thrust the other bag into Asta’s hand and waltzed to the human in question. She was breathtakingly tall, taller even than Asta. The woman towered a good four inches over Dar with her modest heels. Auburn hair was pulled into a soft braid that draped over one shoulder and revealed the blue tattoo at the back of her neck.
It was a sigil, and Dar recognized the mark right away. With a muffled laugh, he made his way back to the angel.
“Uh, no. If she’s our sorcerer, and she’s summoning that demon, you might as well call it a night and go for drinks.”
Asta frowned. “Why? Do you recognize the sigil? It didn’t appear to be one for any of the angels I know, and I thought it might be a demon mark.”
“It’s mine.”
The angel stopped breathing for a second, her brown eyes wide. “Yours? What do you mean; it’s yours? Why would that human possibly have your mark on the back of her neck?”
Dar wiggled his eyebrows at the angel. “I may be a demon, but I don’t kiss and tell. And I certainly don’t fuck and tell. Even if the fuck in question was a particularly wild week in Jamaica during spring break five years ago. Oh, you have no ide
a what young college women do when under the influence of quality reggae music and good rum. It was a week to remember, even though there were moments when I feared for my life. Whew, humans can give us demons a run for our money when it comes to crazy. Good times. Seriously good times.”
Asta craned her neck and stared at the woman. “You’re telling me you made such an impression on that woman that she permanently affixed your sigil on her skin? Just with sex? No untold riches, career success, promises of immortality, or anything like that?”
Dar smirked. “Yep. Just sex. Because I’m that incredible in the sack, baby. You should try me out. Sample the goods. Take me out for a test-drive.”
The angel shook her head, taking another quick look at the woman in question. “She’s got to have the IQ of a hamster. I can’t see any other explanation.”
“Hey!” He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m very fond of hamsters. Although I prefer angels. At least, I think I’d prefer angels. I won’t know until I’ve actually had one.”
“As soon as I meet an angel with the IQ of a hamster, I’ll send him your way.” Asta sighed, her shoulders drooping. “We’ve been at this all day with no hint of the demon. Part of me wants to call it a night, but I’m afraid the moment we leave, the demon will show up.”
She was probably right. He’d begun to suspect the demon was laying low until she left. Or there was no demon. Dar was starting to think that whoever they’d sensed last night was long gone. The best way to rule one theory out was to test it, and that would conveniently play right into his main goal. “Tell you what, you get outa here, get a cup of coffee, and shoplift some clothing. I’ll hang here for another few hours until the convention closes, just to make sure our guy doesn’t appear. Then we’ll go on our date.”
Asta shifted the two bags into one hand to free the other and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s my job. I’ll stay.”
Dar gave an exasperated sigh and swatted her hand away, kneading her shoulders and neck. “I mean it. Run this stuff by my hotel room; take advantage of the huge Jacuzzi tub. I’ll call the room if I sense the demon. Chill out, raid the mini bar, watch some television, and meet me at Grand and Dearborn at six. Deal?”
