Nikolas moved his hands back to the wheel. “Considering we don’t yet know if he’s high on demon energy or not, I think it’s best to err on the side of caution.”
“Wise idea.” I settled back in my seat to enjoy the ride back to the warlocks’ place.
Chapter 2
As predicted, Javos was in full-on Grumpy Warlock Chief mode. His office was on the ground floor of the warlocks’ designated headquarters, which had been revamped a little since several demons and a vampire had escaped into it a few weeks ago. It was a fairly ordinary-looking red-brick house with no signs that it belonged to the warlocks other than the pair of devil horns Rachel had put on the gates.
Javos himself was a fearsome sight to behold. Huge and muscled, built like a statue of a Greek god, he glowered at the pair of us across the oak wood desk of his office, eyes blazing beneath a pair of sharp-looking horns. I might know his weakness—classical music, of all things—but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.
Of course, my history with authority figures was… questionable, to say the least.
“What do you mean, there isn’t a single bloodstone remaining?” he asked Nikolas and me. “Where did all that energy end up, then?”
“Possibly inside the beast that bit a chunk out of the vampire,” I said. “Hell, maybe even the vamp himself. Being infused with demon energy doesn’t mean a demon can’t bite them. If anything, it probably makes them more disposed to take stupid risks.”
He gave me a disapproving look. “And I notice you’re not wearing your cuff. How are you supposed to learn to use your demon power if you insist on whipping out your celestial mark whenever you’re faced with a problem?”
“Way to jump to conclusions,” I said. “I moved the cuff when I saw the vamp was dead so I wouldn’t get jumped by the killer. Also, I don’t think being shut in darkness is the key to unlocking my power.”
“Neither is being a smart-arse, Miss Devina,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe it is. We’ve tried everything else.”
He’d been almost amicable the first time we’d met. Then my former bosses at the celestial guild had arrested several of his warlocks and pinned the blame for the demon attacks on their warlock kin. Relations between the two were somewhat strained right now, and with me resting uneasily between the two worlds, just referencing my celestial mark could set him off. It didn’t help that he thought the best way to unlock my demon powers was to spring random tests on me and see if my powers kicked in as a response. I’d grown to treat everything he offered me as suspicious. And nothing bloody worked.
“I don’t know what my power is,” I said. “Not from the shadow realm. I know that much. If it was, I would have been more at ease in that creepy house.”
“You’re uncomfortable with your magic because you haven’t used it yet,” said Javos. “If you didn’t keep fighting it, then you’d find it easier.”
“I’m not fighting it,” I said. “I can use my demonglass power just fine. But unless you let me figure out my other abilities in my own time, you’re going to end up disappointed.”
“Let me guess,” he said. “You used your celestial power the first day you got your mark.”
“It switched on by itself.” I held up my wrist. I had to keep it covered because it lit up around warlocks or other preternaturally inclined people, and I didn’t think he’d appreciate it. “Besides, I have used the demon mark’s power. Even if it turns out all I can do is travel through demonglass, it’s still a pretty damn useful power. Why are you both so certain I ended up with more than one type of magic? Even most warlocks have only one.”
“Because shifting through realms is generally a secondary ability,” said Nikolas.
There was a knock on the door. “Prisoner’s awake!” sang Rachel’s cheerful voice.
Javos’s brow knotted. “We’ll talk about this later, Devi. You’re to accompany me to the questioning. I’ll let the sire know we’ll be delivering the vampire’s remains later along with the other body from the house.”
He strode out of the office, and Nikolas and I followed behind.
“He sure seems convinced he’s guilty,” I muttered to Nikolas. “Can he do that—kill someone without letting the vamps know he broke the law?”
“Since the vampire attacked you, yes, he can,” said Nikolas.
“All right.” I didn’t really understand how the warlocks policed one another, yet alone their fragile relations with the vampires. “Just checking it won’t provoke them.”
“The evidence of a demon summoning in that house is proof enough for most vampires. They’re trying to distance themselves from the criminals who worked with the demons.”
“Let’s hope it works.”
Rachel sidled up to me as I walked down the corridor. Her hair was dyed bright pink, and she looked like a normal girl in her late teens. But below her human appearance was a fearsome demon.
“Devi!” she said. “How’d the case go? Nice job knocking out that vamp, by the way.”
“Weren’t you listening in?” I asked, walking alongside her towards the door leading into the back garden. “It was a total no-show. The bloodstones had no power left in them, and whatever was summoned chewed up the other vamp I found there.”
“And did you unlock your demon power?”
“No.”
She didn’t understand why I wanted to keep my celestial power and not rely on the demon side. But I’d trained as a celestial for years. I’d been chosen for it. The demon mark had been an accident, and unlike the celestial guild, there wasn’t a Guild of Unfortunately Demon Marked to explain to me how to use its power. Warlocks’ magic was instinctive. I’d never met another person with the same mark I had, probably because no arch-demon had set foot in this dimension for thousands of years.
“It’ll show up,” she said.
“Probably not while walking in the dark.” I jerked my head in Nikolas’s direction.
He shrugged. “It was worth a try. Beats Javos’s other idea of throwing you into the sea.”
“The part where you staged a water demon attack on me was bad enough,” I said. “I didn’t sign up for unexpected near-drownings.”
“Technically, they’re included in the small print on your contract,” Rachel put in.
“Look, you guys are used to fighting with a hundred percent demon power. That’s all well and good, but I’ve known about this mark for all of three weeks, and it’s not exactly a substitute for being able to see where I’m going in a vampire nest. Just saying.”
“Don’t worry,” said Nikolas. “Once a test fails, Javos won’t try it again.”
“You have to keep things unpredictable, huh.” I stopped walking as we reached the back door. Javos stood outside the shed where they’d thrown the vampire, the door slightly open.
The vampire slumped at the back, his hands and feet cuffed. Up close, he was even younger than I’d thought, with floppy white-blond hair and a terrified expression. Probably because of Javos—and Nikolas. When we entered, he scrambled into the corner as though hoping a secret door would open and let him out.
“I didn’t kill him!” he blurted. “He was like that when I found him. I woke up when I heard him screaming.”
“You attacked me in the dark,” I said. “Nice try.”
“I thought you were the killer,” he mumbled. “Who are you, anyway? You’re not a warlock.”
“Nope,” I said. “But it’s you who’s being questioned. What were you doing in that house? Guarding your sire’s treasure?”
I’d gone in expecting to find a single vampire napping near the bloodstones, so he was either backup or a newly turned fledgling not yet strong enough to survive without the blood of his master. Considering his age, I’d guess he was a newbie, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t complicit.
He shook his head and didn’t answer.
Nikolas stepped in. “We already know your name, Alec Jacobs, and have a report ready to deliver to your
next of kin along with your remains, should you fail to cooperate with us. Is that clear?”
He whimpered. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t even mean to attack the girl. I thought she was going to kill me.” He eyed me pleadingly. “You’re a celestial, right? Don’t let them kill me.”
“I’m reserving judgement,” I said. “Maybe I’ll be the one to burn you to cinders. If you have a good excuse as to why you were in the same house as a crate of stolen contraband, a pentagram and a dead body, this is your only chance to explain.”
He swallowed, eyes darting to the door. “I—I was asleep. I turned a week ago, and my sire wanted to keep me close by to stop me from falling into a blood frenzy. But I woke up when he screamed. I found him—dead. And I panicked. I couldn’t go outside, not during the day, or even call anyone. Then she showed up.” He jerked his head at me. “That’s it. I didn’t see what killed him.”
“A demon, obviously,” I said. “Someone set up the pentagram. And there were demonic ingredients in the house, too. I’m sure you know what it looks like.”
“I don’t know how to summon a demon!” he said.
“Neither do most humans who try it,” Nikolas said, “but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of following instructions. Try again.”
“I didn’t do it,” he repeated. “I’m newly turned—I haven’t even left the house in a week.”
“You look a little too healthy for someone who’s apparently too blood-crazed to be outside,” said Nikolas.
“He gave me his blood. Not hours before he died.” His mouth turned down at the corners.
“You’d still show as blood-crazed,” said Nikolas. “Javos, would you object if I took care of him myself? Or perhaps Devi might like the chance to exercise her celestial—”
“It was a cure!” yelled the vampire. “There’s a cure—they’re testing it—and I was the subject. The blood cravings have gone. It’s only been a day. I don’t know if they’ll come back.”
He slumped back against the wall as though shouting had exhausted him.
Nikolas and Javos exchanged glances. “A cure?” Nikolas said. “There is no cure for vampirism.”
“It’s true,” he said. “It might not be permanent, but it’s true. I was a test subject.”
“What exactly does that have to do with the demon one of you summoned?” enquired Nikolas.
He shook his head. “That wasn’t me. I didn’t kill him.”
“Did your sire give you this cure?” asked Javos. “Tell me everything about how you came to be in that house.”
“I already did,” he mumbled. “I was there because I couldn’t leave. He gave me the cure yesterday, but didn’t let me outside. And like I said—I woke up to him screaming.”
“Were there other vampires in the house?” I asked.
“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “They don’t let fledglings near one another until we’ve learned control. I don’t know how he died, but it wasn’t me.”
“Your sire was into dark magic, if the pentagram we found was his,” Nikolas said. “And the bloodstones. Have you ever seen one of those?”
The vampire licked his lips. “Yes. I was given one yesterday. They use bloodstones to get us used to taking in energy from sources other than our sire’s blood.”
“What colour was it?” asked Nikolas.
He blinked. “Colour? Red, of course.”
Not the demon energy ones, then. His eyes didn’t show the odd darkness of the vamps infected with demon energy, so that made sense. It was possible he’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but his presence in the same house as a murderer raised all my suspicions.
“And did your sire show any signs of an interest in demon summonings before today?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. He was only interested in the cure. He wanted to test it on me, first.”
“Do you know why we were at the house?” enquired Nikolas.
The vamp hesitated. “To find out who killed him?”
“Oh, we don’t give a shit about that,” said Javos. “He can rot in the earth for all we care. No—there was a tip-off about illegal items connected with demon summonings, and the house we found you in was listed as one of the store houses. All records mentioned your sire—but your name wasn’t listed at all. Were you aware of the nature of the setup? Did he ask you to guard his store of dangerous items?”
“No. I swear—no.” He shuffled back, sweat trickling down his pale forehead. “I was there by accident. I didn’t know about demons or anything like that.”
“I see,” said Javos, stepping forwards. The air trembled as though with the promise of an oncoming storm.
“No!” he yelled. “The cure—I can tell you about it. It works on anyone infected with a vampire bite!”
Anyone.
“Wait,” I said to Javos. “Keep him alive.”
He swung his head around to face me, eyes narrowed. “Why? Nobody will miss him.”
The vampire flinched.
“We don’t have proof he’s lying,” I said. “And I’m interested to know more about this vampire cure. If it’s widespread, it might affect preternatural relations, right?” I addressed Nikolas, who nodded slowly. His piercing gaze told me he’d guessed the real reason I wanted to know about the cure—to help the three victims of infected vampire bites who could no longer fight as celestials.
“Correct,” said Nikolas. “There’s no reason to let him out of this shed. We can use him as a source of information until we find out where this cure is, and who’s making it.”
Javos scowled at him, but his magical effects died down a little. “If you prove a hindrance, you’re dead,” he snarled at the vamp. “Devina, since you apparently have sympathy for bloodsuckers, I’m putting you in charge of keeping this one alive.”
“Oh no.” I raised my hands. “I didn’t sign up to give blood to vampires.”
“We have bloodstones,” Nikolas said. “I think it’s a good idea.”
I bristled. “It’s not my job to babysit teenage vamps.”
“I’m twenty,” said the vampire in question, looking highly insulted. “And I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” said Nikolas.
Fuming, I returned my glare to the vampire himself. “I’m looking forward to hearing more about this cure of yours. Are there any samples available?”
I hadn’t seen any dubious-looking bottles in the house, but doubtless the people Javos sent to remove the body would thoroughly comb the place. Still, knowing who was developing the cure would help.
He shook his head. “No. I don’t know where he got it from, but it’s not his. Someone else made it.”
“Are you absolutely certain you don’t have any more information?” I asked. “Because to be honest, I’m really not keen on being in charge of keeping you alive.”
His throat bobbed. “I don’t know. I swear. He took the cure, too, before he bit me.”
I looked at the others. “If it’s true, the dead guy’s blood is laced with this so-called cure. Might be worth looking into.”
“Agreed,” Nikolas said. “If not, I’d be more than happy to extract a blood sample from our guest.”
The vamp made an indignant noise, then fell silent. “Don’t kill me,” he said. “I—I only became a vampire because I didn’t want to die. Please—don’t.” His voice cracked, and bloody tears trailed down his face.
Nikolas glanced at me. “There goes our need for a sample. Devi?”
The vampire yelped. I glared at the two warlocks. “This isn’t my job either. My contract didn’t mention bottling vampire tears.”
“Technically,” Rachel said from behind, “the small print—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” I looked back at the vampire. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”
Five minutes and a lot of screaming later, I stalked out of the shed carrying a bottle of vampire tears. As I’d predicted, the vampire’s instincts had
kicked in upon me grabbing him and he’d tried to choke me. Javos, the prick, had watched the two of us wrestle with one another without offering a hand to stop me spilling the bloody tears all over myself. The result was that I had more vampire blood on me than in the bottle, but it was done. Javos took the sample without so much as a thank you, and strode off to the house after locking the shed. Rachel skipped after him, leaving Nikolas and me alone. I made to follow her, too.
“Devi.” He held up a hand, telling me to wait. “Don’t tell the celestial guild about the cure.”
“That wasn’t my plan,” I said. “There’s no proof yet that the cure works on demon-infected venom anyway. Never mind searching for vampire cures, you ought to be working on a Chill Pill for Agitated Warlocks.”
“I’m not agitated, I’m concerned.” He looked at me. “If vampires are finding a new way to disperse their demonic energy in the guise of a cure, for instance, then we’re in for a lot of trouble.”
“That’s your theory?” I frowned. “If anything, it’s a new way of hiding the evidence. Give all the demon energy to a new vamp, then use the cure. Of course, if the cure’s permanent, it’d render their demonic energy boosters useless, but there’s no proof it is.”
“I’d suspect not,” he said. “The boost of a regular bloodstone only lasts twenty-four hours, but the demonic taint might linger a little longer. Or perhaps not. We’ve never caught a vampire alive who used it.”
“Until now, potentially,” I said. “Now do you see why I think we should keep him alive? Not only is he the only living source of the cure—if it exists—he might be proof that we can actually measure how long the effects of that demon-infected venom last. Maybe if it’s only twenty-four hours, it explains why all the murders last time took place within such a short time frame.”
“Precisely. You do like being proved right, don’t you?”
“I like being taken seriously.” I glanced at the shed. “And not given pointless tasks. There’s no reason why Javos can’t order someone else to feed the vampire. I don’t even live here.”
“Perhaps not, but you’re more likely to be able to get answers from him. Assuming he has any more information. If this cure has a time limit, we’ll need to periodically check on him.”
Celestial Fire (Celestial Marked Book 2) Page 2
