Minor Magics: The Demon Code

by Sara C. Roethle

  I crossed my arms and waited patiently for her to answer.

  “Sam brought me down,” she admitted. “He was going to set me up with a new identity so I could finally stop running from the Council.”

  “Of course he was.” I wondered if Chase had known Sam was working with Nix. If he had, and hadn’t warned me she was back in the underground, I was going to be pissed. “Though that doesn’t explain why you want to hire me,” I added.

  Nix glanced at Dorrie, waiting just a few paces away with a stern expression, then back to me. “Not long ago, Sam disappeared. My guess is he ran off with my money. He told me Chase couldn’t find out we were working together, so I couldn’t ask him where Sam went.”

  Well, I didn’t need to be pissed at Chase . . . at least not about Nix. “So I was your next option?” I asked skeptically. “Forgive me if I have trouble believing that.”

  She glared at me. “You run a detective agency, and I figured you wouldn’t mind an opportunity to atone for destroying my family.”

  It was my turn to glare. “Your family tried to kill me . . . repeatedly.”

  Her scowl deepened, but she didn’t seem to have anything else to say.

  Ready to get her out of my house so I could get on with my evening, I explained, “Sam didn’t run off with your money. He’s dead. Chase came to see me less than an hour ago.”

  She gasped, then lifted a hand to her face, shaking her head as she leaned her back against the wall near our hanging coats. “I’m screwed,” she groaned. “I gave him all the money I had for this.”

  I shrugged. “Sorry, not my problem.”

  She lowered her hand to reveal tears in her eyes. I’d expected another glare, hateful daggers, anything but tears. “This was my last resort. The Council will kill me if they find me. I’m trapped down here.”

  I crossed my arms, attempting to strengthen my resolve, but . . . I was a wuss when it came to tears, and I had killed her father, even though he’d deserved it. “I’ll take you back to the human realm,” I sighed. “You’ll have more luck hiding there than down here, especially with the Demon Code in place.”

  She lifted both hands and wiped the tears from her face. “Yeah, Sam told me about the new laws. That must be soo-oo terrible for you.”

  “You do realize I just offered to help you,” I huffed, “so can the sarcasm.”

  She looked down at her combat boots. “Sorry, it’s my defense mechanism.” She raised her eyes up to meet mine. “When can we leave?”

  “I’m going up tonight,” I explained, “as soon as I get something to eat.”

  Her shoulders slumped in relief. “Great, I haven’t eaten in ages.”

  “That wasn’t an invitation,” Dorrie snapped, ever protective of me.

  I held up a hand to stop her before she could attack. “It’s fine, we’ll just get some pizza, then drop her off above ground so we can all move on with our lives.”

  Nix gave me a strange look. Almost . . . hopeful? Perhaps a few slices of pizza was all we needed to set our differences aside, but I doubted it. Our history was too far reaching, and she’d never truly forgive me for inheriting enough power to be respected by the Demon Council, while her side of the family got nothing. All we truly had in common was one crazy dead grandmother, and two dead fathers.

  Dorrie continued to glare at Nix while I slipped my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed the number to the pizza place by heart. After I placed the order, I removed my nice professional jacket to reveal the less professional Ziggy Stardust shirt underneath, hanging the jacket up on one of the free wall hooks.

  “We may as well go into the kitchen.” I gestured for Nix to lead the way. She’d probably snooped all through the house while she’d been waiting, so she’d know where it was.

  Sure enough, she led the way to the adjoining kitchen, flipped on the light, then slumped onto one of the chairs surrounding the small dining table in the center of the room. The tiles beneath the table and the surrounding walls and cabinets all still had the luster of newness to them, though they’d been installed several years prior. Things had gotten out of hand when I was still learning to make portals to other realms, and I tended to destroy any area I left. I ended up demolishing half the house in an emergency before I’d learned to travel without portals.

  My Dalmatian, Alexius, was sprawled out on the tiles. He lifted his head as I approached, then looked down at him with hands on hips. “Some guard dog you are,” I chided.

  He grunted at me, then laid his head back down.

  Having removed her blue sweater to reveal a white tank top, Dorrie entered the kitchen behind me, clomping across the gray marble tiles to take the seat across from Nix. She crossed her arms and eyed Nix steadily. “I’m watching you.”

  Knowing I’d better diffuse the tension before Dorrie got worked up, I took one of the remaining chairs and placed my elbows on the table. “So,” I began, my attention on Nix, “do you have any idea who would want to kill Sam?”

  Nix narrowed her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m investigating his case,” I explained, not wanting to give away the fact that Chase was implicated in the murder. Knowing Nix, she’d probably go after him for revenge.

  Seeming to think about her answer for a moment, she shook her head. “Sam wasn’t the most well-liked demon around. There were probably a dozen or more demons who wanted him dead.”

  I frowned. “My thoughts exactly, but that doesn’t really narrow it down for me.”

  She sighed. “Since you’re helping me, I guess I can tell you what little I know. He’d been doing business out of the wharf at the edge of the city. Chase didn’t know about the extra office. Sam used it for his darker dealings, mostly hiding criminals who didn’t want to be found. Maybe he came across someone he didn’t want to help, and they killed him to keep him from snitching.”

  I stroked my chin in thought. “The wharf? Can you be more specific?”

  “A small warehouse right near the docks on the south side,” she explained. “Gray bricks, steel door, pretty inconspicuous except for boarded up windows, and a huge padlock on the door.”

  I nodded, taking in the information. Perhaps I’d been right to give Nix a chance, seeing as she was providing me with my one and only lead.

  The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the pizza. There were definite drawbacks to living underground, but the speedy pizza delivery was not one of them.

  With a final glare at Nix, Dorrie stood and left the kitchen.

  Nix watched her go, then whipped her gaze back to me. “One more thing,” she whispered. “Sam was in contact with a few other demon constructs like Dorrie. He was using them to run his errands inconspicuously, since no one pays much attention to them.”

  “Good to know,” I commented as Dorrie returned with the pizza.

  She set the boxes on the table, then doled out paper plates and napkins. “Coffee?” she asked, her gaze on me.

  I shook my head. “I’m sure we’ll have some at the pack meeting. Nix and I are going to have to eat and run.”

  “Pwack meetin’?” Nix asked, her mouth already full of pizza. She swallowed. “I thought you were done with that.”

  I turned to my suspicious gaze to her. “Just how long have you been spying on me?”

  She shrugged. “The Demon Council asked you to find me and turn me in. The best way for me to stay out of your way was to always know where you were. You haven’t spent much time in the human realm the past few years. I just assumed you were done with the werewolf business.”

  I shook my head as I reached into one of the boxes for a slice of pepperoni. “Once you’re in the werewolf business, you never really get out. At least, not with wolves like Abel around.”

  Thinking of Abel, I gritted my teeth. He was the Coalition leader for all the wolves in the Western portion of the U.S., and had been the one to make me a pack leader to begin with. Having a demon involved made his Coalition a little more scary. It kept would-be
usurpers at bay . . . for the most part. There were still occasional threats that I dealt with for old time’s sake, and as part of my deal with Abel. He’d been reluctant to let me leave entirely, so that had been our compromise.

  I wolfed down my first slice of pizza, then grabbed another as Nix moved on to her third. Dorrie slowly ate her first, still glaring at Nix.

  I finished my second slice, then waited while Nix had her fill. Once she’d downed four slices, she sat back in her chair and wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “As I’ll ever be. I don’t really know what I’ll do once I’m back in the human realm.”

  I briefly debated introducing her to Abel so she could get a job with one of the packs, then dismissed the idea. Nix wasn’t exactly trustworthy, and I didn’t want to risk the Council coming after any of the wolves for working with her. Come to think of it, I really needed to get her out of my house ASAP, lest the Council come after me instead.

  After wiping my hands with a napkin, I stood, motioning for Nix to do the same. “I’m not allowed to use magical means of travel once in the human world anymore, so I’m just going to have to take you to where I’m going.”

  She nodded. “Anywhere is better than down here.”

  Stepping away from the table, we joined hands.

  Dorrie remained seated, her expression worried.

  “I’ll see you in a few hours,” I assured.

  She nodded, though her expression didn’t change.

  Personally, I thought she was worried about the wrong things. I could easily best Nix in a fight. It was whatever emergency Devin needed me for that had my gut in knots.

  I glanced at Alexius, lying on the floor a safe distance away, then closed my eyes and envisioned Devin’s house in Shelby. It was a cabin-style home, too large for one person, but he’d gotten it knowing he might occasionally need to house members of his pack, especially during the full moon. The house sat far away from the nearest narrow road, nestled in tall pine trees.

  The seclusion was necessary. A year ago, humans had discovered the existence of vampires and werewolves. The supernatural community had hoped it would mean no more hiding, but in reality it just meant hiding even harder, because now the humans were looking for them. Some were just curious, and even wanted to become werewolves and vampires themselves. Others were afraid, and wanted to hunt them down. Upon seeing the results, the Demon Council had decided all demons must remain in hiding, hence, the Demon Code. They couldn’t ban us from going up all together, but they could regulate our travel. It was a compromise we could all live with.

  Once I had a clear picture of Devin’s house in my mind, Nix and I became enveloped in a burst of red smoke. Seconds later, we appeared in front to the house I’d envisioned, except I’d left out the fresh coating of snow on the ground.

  “Shit, it’s cold!” Nix hissed. She pulled her hand away from mine to huddle in her green flannel.

  I glanced back in the direction of the road. It was almost dark. The temperature would drop even more soon. Nix would probably survive the walk, but . . .

  “Come inside,” I gestured toward the house. “I’ll have someone drive us wherever you want to go after the meeting.”

  She gave me a perplexed look, as if unable to believe I was helping her. I could hardly believe it myself. Sympathy wasn’t my strong suit, but she was my cousin, and we’d both lost our fathers young. I couldn’t help but feel a little pity, because I could have ended up in her shoes just as easily.

  With a nod, she followed me down the soggy gravel driveway toward the cabin’s front door.

  We were halfway there when I realized someone was lurking in the shadows of the awning. I narrowed my gaze, then sighed. It was just my luck to not only have to see my demon ex boyfriend, but the vampire one too. Though he hid in the shadows, he could step out into the sun and not burn. The burning thing was a myth, one the vampires were now keen to perpetuate to keep humans from recognizing what they were.

  I finished my approach with Nix skulking along behind me, then stepped up onto the small porch in front of the door. I looked up into Jason’s deep blue eyes. He was around 6’2”, with tousled, dark brown hair and a chiseled jaw. His lanky body was clad in his usual flannel, jeans, and hiking boots, basically the uniform for everyone living in this part of Oregon.

  Jason smiled down at me, flashing the barest hint of fangs. “It’s good to see you, Xoe.”

  I wondered if he meant it. We’d broken up years ago, but there had always been some remaining tension. He hadn’t been a fan of our breakup, though he had eventually moved on. Still, he was an immortal, and if my demon blood proved as strong as my father’s, I might end up living a few centuries myself. We had a long future of interaction ahead of us, and we both knew it. It made things awkward.

  “Good to see you too,” I replied, wondering if I meant it. “You’re still working for Abel?”

  He nodded. “I spent some time in Utah, but he sent me back here to keep an eye on things during this latest emergency.”

  I pursed my lips in thought, then asked, “Care to give me a little more info?”

  He smiled. “You know Devin won’t want me to spoil the surprise.”

  “Can we go inside now?” Nix hissed. “It’s freezing!”

  I glanced over my shoulder at her. I felt the cold, especially without my coat, but probably not as much as she did, and Jason never seemed overly fazed by high or low temperatures.

  He turned and opened the door, gesturing for us to make our way in.

  “You staying out on door duty?” I asked as Nix hustled in ahead of me.

  He nodded. “Yep. You and I will just have to catch up later.”

  I nodded and forced a smile, though my insides squirmed uncomfortably. I was great at confronting my enemies, not so much at other types of confrontations. I wasn’t even sure if a confrontation was what waited in mine and Jason’s future. All I knew was that I was already regretting this meeting, and the night had only just begun.

  Chapter Three

  As Nix and I walked down the entry hall, I took in the clean lines and warm colors of Devin’s decorating, the perfect mix between chic and cozy, not that I have much of an eye for decor. I was lucky if my pillowcases matched my sheets.

  It wasn’t long before we ran into our first werewolf, a petite woman with long, silky black hair and olive skin. Lucy tugged her crimson sweater straight over her jeans as she hurried toward us from the adjoining living room.

  “Xoe!” she exclaimed warmly, wrapping me in a hug as she reached us. She pulled away to continue, “I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to come with the new Demon Code in place. What a pain.” She flicked her gaze to Nix, then took a step back. “What is she doing here?”

  I smiled. I’d known Lucy most of my life. She knew just how I felt about Nix, and probably knew just how I’d felt interacting with Jason. “I’m just giving her a ride. It’s been an eventful day.”

  She took my arm to guide me toward the nearby kitchen, muttering, “It looks like we have a lot to talk about.”

  Nix followed after us silently, then stood off by herself as we entered the spacious, brightly lit kitchen. Everything was white tile and chrome, a stark contrast to the cozier areas of the house. Around the central island stood three more werewolves, sipping from steaming mugs. Devin, pack leader and owner of the house, wore muted tones of business casual as usual, even though he was in his own home. His blond hair, a few shades darker than mine, was gelled to perfection. He always reminded me of a GQ model, though I’d never tell him to his face. Next in line was Max, short with sandy hair and freckles. He’d been a lone wolf without a pack until we’d met in high school and he’d helped with Lucy’s transition. Third was Lela, tall, dark-haired, and a total knockout. Her deep olive skin, a few shades darker than Lucy’s, was accentuated by a lavender sweater and khakis.

  Since I only saw the three of them, plus Lucy, this clearly wa
sn’t a meeting of the entire pack, which had grown to fifteen members since I’d left. We were all founding members though, minus Nix. Besides her, I trusted everyone in the room with my life. Heck, I even trusted the vampire outside.

  “Coffee?” Devin offered, raising his mug. “You know it.” I left Nix behind to approach the island. I knew Lela likely had herbal tea in her mug, but Max would be drinking coffee too, heavy on the sugar despite the hour.

  Devin poured me a fresh mug, setting it on the island before raising his gaze to Nix, then to me. “We have private matters to discuss,” he hinted.

  I glanced over my shoulder at Nix, then back to Devin. “Do we perhaps have a warm car she can wait in? I can only travel one more time today, and I’ll need it to bring me back underground. I need to drop her off somewhere after our meeting.”

  Devin seemed to think about it for a moment, then turned to Max. “Escort her to my office and keep an eye on her.”

  I bit my lip, nervous that Nix might hurt Max, but let it go. He was a big bad wolf. He could take care of himself.

  Once they’d left the kitchen, I went to the fridge and retrieved some cream for my coffee, then returned to the island to hear the news.

  Devin glanced at both Lela and Lucy, then nodded, as if coming to a silent agreement. He turned his blue eyes to me. “We want to hire Minor Magics Detective Agency.”

  I nearly sputtered on my coffee. “Seriously? That’s why you called me up here? You do know I’ll just help you with whatever you need on my own, right?”

  Devin nodded. “Yes, of course we know that, but the Demon Council has requested we hire you in a professional capacity.”

  This time I did sputter on my coffee. I set the mug down, then wiped my chin with my palm. “The Demon Council? What on earth are you doing talking to them?”

  “Some of the half-demons stuck up here in the human realm have approached the Werewolf Coalition for aid,” he explained. “The new Demon Code has been harder on them than most, it seems. We turned them down, but other packs won’t. I feel it will soon become an issue.”