by Linsey Hall
I shrugged. “It’s not like he’s a real cat.” Giving a real cat wine would be totally screwed up. But Wally was a hellcat made of hell smoke and flame who feasted on souls. A little red wine couldn’t hurt him.
Mari still frowned.
“Fine, I won’t give him tequila.”
The hell you won’t.
I looked at Wally and winked. He returned to his wine.
A moment later, three white containers of Chinese food appeared on my counter, sent through the portal from the Jade Lotus. I pounced on it, opening the containers and inspecting the contents. Three servings of Mongolian Beef.
“Looks like it’s our lucky day.” I dumped one into a bowl for Wally, then walked to the counter with the other two.
I passed one to Mari, along with the wooden chopsticks, and sat down to eat. We had stuff to talk about, but as usual, if there was food in the mix, we were scarfing first and chatting later. It’d been ages since I’d eaten, and I knew the same had to be said of Mari.
The first bite of spicy, salty meat tasted like heaven, and I ate quickly, expertly avoiding getting any on my clothes. While I’d gotten used to having blood on them—hazard of the job—I couldn’t abide food stains.
Finally sated, I leaned back and picked up my wine.
Before I could speak, Mari pounced. “Have you heard from Declan?”
I groaned, tilting my head back. “You will not let up on that.”
“Well, I don’t know, it’s pretty interesting.” She raised her brows and held up her hands, beginning to tick off the relevant points. “One, he knows you are a dragon blood. Two, he seems to like you. A lot. And three, you can’t actually touch him without your nullification power making him sick. Which has a really negative effect on point two.”
She was right, damn it. All of those points were right, and they all sucked. They made things complicated and messy. Even worse was the fact that I liked him back.
For a moment, I was sucked back in time, to the moment he’d kissed me. My head spun and heat filled me. Warmth spread through my entire body—not just desire, but affection. A feeling of acceptance.
It was intoxicating.
“Well?” Mari’s voice dragged me out of the memory. Her tone was so pointed that if it had been an object, it would have killed me.
“Fine. He’s called twice.”
“And?”
“I ignored them.” I didn’t tell her about the note. There had been only one. I had a feeling it would be the last. He’d pinned it to the door while I’d watched, wanting to drag him in and kiss him.
But I couldn’t.
If I couldn’t touch him, the only thing left to do with him was get close. Like, emotionally close. Chatting, etc.
I wasn’t up for that. Not with everything on my plate. Or, ever, really. At most, I wanted a physical relationship. With that off the table, it was best to avoid Declan.
Anyway, I had a feeling he was done trying to reach me. Three times in five days—and all of those three times had happened in the first three days. That left two days of nothing, which made it clear that he was moving on.
It was definitely time to switch topics. “So, tell me about the orbs.”
She sighed. “Subject changer.”
“No idea what you’re talking about. Now spill. This is important.”
Mari nodded, her expression turning sober. “It is. You’re right. Del helped me track the origin of one of the glass shards. I thought it might lead us to Grimrealm, but they pointed somewhere else. That’s what she’s trying to figure out now, and we’ll pick up the hunt tomorrow.”
“That sounds promising.” Del was a FireSoul, one of the few who shared a soul with a dragon. She was excellent at finding things with her magic, even better than Mari, who had a bit of Seeker talent.
“She’s working on it,” Mari said. “Hopefully she’ll have more by tomorrow.”
I lifted a shoulder. “It’s a clue, at least.”
“I think we need more clues. And faster.”
I nodded. This group had tried to hurt Magic’s Bend twice. We’d stopped them each time, but that didn’t mean they were going to up and quit. Hell, if it were me, I’d be even more determined.
“She asked about you, though,” Mari said.
My gaze flashed to hers. Even Wally looked her way, his flame red eyes bright.
“What do you mean?” Nerves prickled my skin.
“Just that she noticed you’d been acting weird lately. And that you seem to have new magic.”
I swallowed hard. “The nullification power.”
She nodded. “She probably asked Cass about it.”
Cass was her best friend, and Cass knew that I had the strange power. Along with Nix, they made up a trio and were some of our closest friends.
For us, though, close friends meant something entirely different. As in, not close at all. At least, not to the point that we’d ever shared the secrets of our species, even though they’d eventually shared theirs with us.
If the FireSouls knew I could create new magic—a deadly and terrifying power, according to the Order of the Magica—they could eventually figure out we were Dragon Bloods, since pretty much no other species had the ability to create new magic.
While I had faith that the FireSouls would never hurt us, we’d kept that info under wraps for so long that I had no desire to tell anyone else. The only other person we’d told—years ago—had turned us in to the Order of the Magica, our supposed good government. They’d locked us up and tried to use our power for their own.
No way in hell I’d let that happen again.
So, yeah. Our relationship with the FireSouls was fine. Why mess with it?
I shook my head. “Let’s worry about it later.”
“That’s the Aeri I know and love.” Mari grinned. She knew I liked to avoid things that I didn’t like.
“Well, what can I—”
A harsh alarm blared, pounding at my eardrums. Red and black smoke formed at the ceiling, smelling of fire and decay.
My heart leapt, panic flaring in my chest.
This was no normal red alert.
My attention flashed to Mari. “We’re under attack.”
Holy fates, demons were in our house.
2
Mari and I lunged to our feet, our chairs flying backward. Panic flared in my chest, making my heart beat so hard that it felt like it could break my ribs.
“The enchanted pool,” Mari said. “It’s coming from there.”
Holy fates, she was right.
We’d never had a full black and red alarm before, but this was what happened when the pool beneath our house was attacked. It was our connection with the Council of Demon Slayers, the conduit through which Agatha came to us to deliver news of our upcoming jobs. It was also a source of power for us, allowing us to enhance our blood sorcery spells.
Shit.
I sprinted from the room, shouting over my shoulder, “Come on, Wally!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the cat jerk, then jump off the counter. I never asked for Wally’s help—he just showed up when he felt like I might need him.
But if demons were attacking the enchanted pool, we were screwed and would need all the help we could get.
Mari and I sprinted to our workshop. As I ran, I sliced my finger with my sharp thumbnail, feeling blood well. We entered the quiet workshop, which was dark at this hour, the hearth dead. The shelves were cluttered with ingredients and fragrant herbs hung from the rafters.
However, I had eyes only for the huge wooden table that sat in the middle.
“No one has touched it.” Confusion echoed in Mari’s voice.
“What the hell?” To get to the sacred pool, an attacker would have to move the table to access the trapdoor beneath.
My heart thundered as I hurried to a corner of the table and let my blood drip onto it. Mari did the same on another corner, and our blood ignited the magic in the spell. The table levitated and
drifted to the side of the room.
In unison, we stepped up to the spot on the stone floor where the trapdoor was hidden. We each let a drop of our blood fall onto the stone. It hissed, and the stone door disappeared, revealing stairs that led deep underground.
I listened, but heard nothing from below. “It could be a trap.”
“We have to see.” Mari drew a sword from the ether.
I drew my dagger, since the stairs were too tight for my mace. I raced down the stairs, keeping my footsteps silent. I considered turning invisible for the advantage, but they’d still be able to see Mari. I didn’t want to make her a greater target.
The stone stairs passed quickly beneath my feet as I descended into the ground. I passed the Aerlig vines in seconds, filling my mind with thoughts of how I had no ill intentions. I moved so quickly that the handsy vine didn't even manage to land the usual slap to my ass.
The Lights of Truth let us pass without incident as well.
This was so freaking weird. The Aerlig vines and the Lights of Truth were impenetrable barriers. If someone who had no permission and negative intentions tried to get down here, they’d be trapped.
But there was no one wrapped in the vines or trapped by the Lights of Truth.
For fate’s sake, this was bad news.
A moment later, I sprinted into the cavern at the bottom of the stairs.
And into chaos.
Four demons stood near the pool, each at least eight feet tall. Their skin flickered with blue flame, their horns rising twelve inches above their heads. Their attention was directed at the shimmering blue pool in the middle of the cavern. Each of the demons shot a blast of blue fire at the water. The flames danced across the surface, which was rapidly lowering.
Somehow, they were burning away the water of the sacred pool.
Horror devoured me, gnawing at my insides. That shouldn’t be possible.
They’re cutting off our contact with the Council of Demon Slayers.
I hurled my dagger at the nearest demon, but it melted against his skin. He turned to me, his flaming yellow eyes bright with blood lust.
“Shield!” I cried, drawing mine from the ether.
Mari followed suit, and not a second too soon. The demon shot a massive burst of blue flame at us. I ducked behind the shield, my arm shaking as the flame slammed into it.
“Shit, that’s hot,” Mari hissed.
Wally sprinted in front of us, and fear chilled my skin. He was running right for the demon who’d shot the blue flame. The small black cat leapt into the air and shot a blast of red flame at the blue. For the briefest moment, the blue flame faded when the red flame hit it.
Then it surged back to life, stronger than ever.
The three other demons were still working on our pool, and it was nearly gone now.
Fates, they were too strong.
“Wally, get out of here!” I shouted.
Wally hissed, then sprinted around to the side, clearly determined to do whatever damage he could.
I didn’t move my attention away from the demon, who was still beating us back with his flame. A small lick of it crept toward my leg, which was exposed beneath the shield.
Agony burst when the fire hit me, and I gasped, my stomach turning. It felt like my veins were on fire. From beside me, a sound of pain escaped Mari.
Panic blazed.
These demons were too strong.
I looked at Mari. “Lightning.”
She nodded, dark eyes fierce in her pale face. Our weapons would melt on contact, so this was our only hope.
We split up, each of us going in opposite directions, toward the edges of the room. Pain continued to surge through my veins as we ran, a remnant of the demon’s attack. I had no idea what he’d done to me with his fire, but I was weakening.
I sucked in a steadying breath and pushed myself harder, determined not to fail Mari. If either of us faltered, we’d be dead. The only way out of this was together.
The demon who was shooting fire at us didn't know which one to attack, so he went for me. I grinned viciously, glad to be drawing his attack away from my sister.
This bastard had no idea what was coming at him.
Crouching low, I sprinted to the far side of the cavern. Mari and I needed to get the demons between us. When I reached the far edge, I dragged my sharp thumbnail against my palm. Normally I’d use a blade for this, but I couldn't drop my shield.
Blood welled—just enough for the spell to work--and I pointed my palm at Mari, who stood at the other end of the room. The demons stood between us, nearly done with their horrible work. They’d turn their killing fire toward us as soon as the pool was gone.
Not if I had anything to say about it.
I called upon the lightning inside me, letting it crackle and burn. It competed with the fire that still roared through my veins, growing more painful with every second that passed.
Had the strange fire demon already delivered a killing blow?
I shoved aside the fear and dragged up the lightning from the bottom of my soul. It rose to the surface, surging toward my bloodied hand. Though I couldn’t see her, I knew that Mari did the same. We had this plan of attack worked out to a science by now.
A crack of white lightning burst from my palm, meeting Mari’s lightning in the middle. We formed a sparking current of energy, a deadly bar about waist high.
Confidence surged in me. We ran, sprinting toward the demons, making sure to keep them between us. The lightning cut through the first like butter. He shook, falling to the ground as a crisp, blackened shell. We kept going, feeding all of our magic into the bolt of electric energy. I could feel Mari’s magic on the air as she forced it into the lightning. It felt like the burn of whiskey on the back of my tongue.
I followed suit, shoving every bit of magic I possessed into the lightning. It crackled fiercely, cutting through two more demons, then the fourth.
They dropped like stones, their blue flame dying as their skin turned gray and black.
As soon as the last one fell, our lightning faded. I couldn’t have kept it going for a second more. I sagged against the stone wall, dropping my shield. Across the way, Mari did the same. Her face was so pale that she looked almost dead.
She groaned. “You look like shit.”
“You too.” The words were quiet as they left my throat.
Wally sprinted toward the demon bodies, his eyes bright.
Before I could blink, he unhinged his jaw and swallowed one whole.
Holy fates!
Was that what he meant by eating souls? Because damn, I did not want to get in his way if he could do that.
“Wally, stop!” I shouted. “We need to search the bodies.”
He stopped, shooting me an irritated glare. But it was clear he agreed.
Fire ate me alive from the inside as I dropped to my knees. These demons would disappear any minute now. We didn’t have long. I ignored the pain as I crawled toward the demons, the hard, rocky ground cutting into my hands and knees.
Mari did the same, not able to move any faster than I was. I spotted a burn on her leg, as well.
I stopped at the nearest demon body, my eyes going straight for the medallion around his neck.
“Oh, shit.” I grabbed the thing off.
It looked just like the one the necromancer demon had worn when he’d come to Magic’s Bend to raise an army of the dead two weeks ago. The Oraxia demon had worn one as well.
I shoved the medallion into my pocket, then checked the rest of the demon’s pockets.
Empty.
Across the way, Mari moved onto the last demon. I joined her. Wally traded places with me and ate the demon I’d been searching.
“Nothing on this one except the medallion.” Dread filled Mari’s voice, though it was hard to hear since she was so quiet.
I turned toward the enchanted pool. It wasn’t completely gone. Relief sagged my shoulders. As long as there was some water left, it would replenish.
>
My gaze caught on a circle of chalk drawn on the floor. I crawled to it, swiping my hand though the white chalk and feeling magic spark.
“What is it?” Mari asked. She still hadn’t stood. I wasn’t sure she could.
I lifted my fingertips to my nose and sniffed the white powder, then winced. “I think it’s some kind of spell that allowed them to get down here without going the normal way.”
“It is.” Agatha’s creaky voice sounded from the pond.
I turned to look. Her spectral form was more faded than normal, no doubt due to the low level of the pond.
“A very rare spell,” Agatha said. “We’ll find a way to prevent them from entering in the future.”
“Good.” I didn’t like the idea of living on top of something that would draw demons to us. Not that I’d ever move. This was my job. My calling.
“What’s wrong with us?” Mari croaked.
Agatha’s pale face turned even more serious. “I do not know. A curse of some kind.”
Shit. Agatha needed to know these things. There had to be some extra benefit to being a demon slayer.
“But you must hurry,” she said. “I can see your auras weakening.”
I looked away from Agatha. This was the most help she could give.
“Come on, Mir.” My veins were truly on fire now. “We need an antidote.”
“Yeah.” She turned toward me, face pale and eyes stark.
Together, we helped each other rise and stagger toward the stairs. Every step felt like the last one up Mount Everest. Behind us, I could feel Agatha disappear. Hopefully the pool would refill quickly.
“What did that bastard hit us with?” Mari asked.
“No idea.” And it scared the shit out of me. Especially since the pain was getting worse and Agatha had no idea what it was.
Talk about bad news.
We staggered up the stairs, moving way too slowly. Eventually, Wally joined us. He walked alongside, his energy flowing into us and giving us strength. The black smoke of his fur wrapped around us, and by the top of the stairs, I swore it was the only thing that had gotten us there.
“Thanks, pal.” I gasped, almost unable to speak the words.
Hurry. The fear in his voice chilled me to my bones.
