Zylas snarled, his arm tightening around my chest. All I could do was hang there, limp as a doll under Claude’s spell.
“Is it just me,” the volcanomage began in a deep voice, “or is that demon acting independently?”
“She could be controlling it even if she can’t move,” Girard suggested.
Darius stroked his beard. “Robin? If your demon stands down, we can remove that spell.”
Zylas, I thought at him, I think they’ll help us.
He bared his teeth. “One of you may approach.”
Identical expressions of disbelief washed over their faces. Why was he talking to them? He’d just blown our secret!
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Girard muttered. “I’ve never heard a demon talk before.”
Zylas snapped his tail against the concrete. “Stupid as every hh’ainun. Why would I not talk?”
Because you’re supposed to be contracted, I silently yelled at him.
“I bet you’ve never been insulted by a demon, either,” the volcanomage remarked dryly. “This is clearly an illegal contract, Darius.”
The GM studied Zylas, his gaze lingering on the demon’s arm around my chest. He sheathed his daggers. “Girard, a dispelling artifact, please.”
“You can’t approach it. That demon is out of control.”
He extended his palm expectantly.
Frowning in disapproval, Girard withdrew a silver marble from a pouch on his belt and dropped it in Darius’s hand. Holding the artifact, the guild master walked slowly toward us. Zylas’s fingers twisted in my sweater as the mythic knelt. With a lethal demon breathing down his neck, Darius touched the marble to my forehead and murmured an incantation too quiet for me to hear.
Cool magic swept over me and the numbness in my limbs faded. I gasped in my first deep breath since the spell had hit me.
Zylas shoved Darius’s arm away from me. “Get back.”
Instead, Darius sat on his heels. “You’re very protective of your contractor.”
Zylas’s lips peeled back. Because I knew him pretty well now, I was already lunging up. Before his slashing claws could find Darius’s flesh, I yanked Zylas’s face into my chest and clamped my arms around his head as tightly as I could.
He grabbed my shoulders to shove me off, but he was still weak from Claude’s mysterious injection—and I was holding on like my life depended on it. To make me let go, he’d have to hurt me.
He yanked furiously at my sleeves. “Payilas!”
“You can’t kill people whenever you want,” I told him breathlessly, bracing my knees against the concrete so he didn’t tip me over. “And you’re not killing someone who just saved us.”
Unable to free his head, he snarled into my shirt like a rabid wolf.
Tightening my hold, I peeked at Darius through my crooked glasses. “Um, so … I can explain.”
“Can you?” Darius muttered, crouched two feet away and staring at the demon whose face I was mashing into my boobs. Okay, it was a weird situation, but I didn’t have any better ideas on keeping Zylas under control for a few minutes.
He sank his claws into my sleeves and shredded the fabric to ribbons. Or … not so under control.
Darius rose to his feet and backed up until he’d rejoined his two teammates—who couldn’t decide what expression to wear and looked a bit dumbfounded as they gawked at me.
“Maybe you should let him go,” the GM suggested.
I relaxed my arms and Zylas jerked away from me, his eyes blazing with fury and returning power. “Kanish zh’ūltis! Eshathē dilēran!”
“Don’t call me stupid,” I growled back at him as I straightened my glasses. “You’re the stupid one! All you had to do was keep your big mouth shut so they wouldn’t know you aren’t properly contracted.”
“He already knew because he used his blindness vīsh on me!”
I faltered. “That wouldn’t work on a de—oh.”
He glowered at me. I grimaced.
“Ah,” Darius interrupted delicately. “I was wondering about that—why blindness doesn’t affect demons.”
“They have infrared vision as well as—”
“Why are you answering?” Zylas cut in. “Zh’ūltis!”
“Stop calling me stupid!”
He grabbed the front of my sweater. The three men took urgent steps closer, but Zylas merely yanked me to my feet. As he wobbled unsteadily, I put my arm around his waist, bracing him. He growled at me.
“I don’t believe what I’m seeing,” the volcanomage rumbled.
“Me neither,” Girard muttered.
Darius nodded slowly. “This is quite the conundrum, isn’t it?”
This man was a guild master. He had influence and authority in the mythic community, and I had no idea what to do now that he and his two powerful teammates knew my secret. Not only was I loath to kill anyone else, let alone the men who’d saved us, but I wasn’t sure Zylas could win against them. Not in his current condition.
The GM studied me for a long minute, then sighed heavily. His hands closed around the hilts of his silver daggers.
“I’m sorry, Robin, but your demon is clearly a danger. We have no choice but to exterminate it for the safety of—”
“No!” I leaped in front of Zylas, my arms outspread. “You can’t!”
Darius frowned. “Robin—”
“You’ll have to kill me too!” I raised my chin defiantly even as my stomach shriveled with despair. “He saved my life. He’s not enslaved to me, but he—he’s my partner. And I won’t—”
Zylas grabbed my sweater and swung me behind him. “Stupid payilas. I will protect you.”
“You can barely stand straight!” I protested as I ducked around him. He shoved me back again. “I’ll—”
“You will what? Yell at them until they die?”
I gritted my teeth. “You’re such a jerk.”
“You are mailēshta and nailis and taridis—”
“Stop insulting me!”
Darius coughed pointedly. I peered around Zylas’s arm as the GM rubbed his mouth to erase the expression off his face. “Perhaps exterminating your demon is too hasty a decision.”
Girard looked at his superior in alarm. “Darius, the law is clear that—”
“Second rule, my friend. Let’s not destroy something before we understand it.” He regarded me. “Robin, you said you can explain, and I’d very much like to hear your explanation—but now is not an ideal time. If you agree to meet with me as soon as possible, we’ll get you out of here before I call this in.”
“All right,” I agreed cautiously.
“Excellent. Girard will escort you and your companions to a healer while Alistair and I bring the MPD’s attention to the large number of Red Rum casualties.”
“How did you know about the Red Rum …” My forehead scrunched. “Actually, how did you know to be here at all?”
He smiled and tapped his nose. “Our first encounter on Halloween, and that misbehaving sorcerer, set us on the hunt. It was abundantly clear that something larger than a single loose demon was developing—and I think your explanation will fill in the final pieces of the puzzle.”
As Girard leaned over Amalia, I murmured to Zylas, “You should return to the infernus for now.” And recover your strength in case we need it later.
He heard my silent warning. With a glower toward the Crow and Hammer mythics, he dissolved into red light and swept into the infernus. I sagged in relief.
Darius stepped to my side, watching as Girard and the volcanomage carried the unconscious siblings to the road.
“By the way, Robin,” he murmured. “The expression on your demon’s face when you called him your partner was fascinating.”
My mouth dropped open.
He smiled. “I’m looking forward to hearing the whole story.”
With that, he strode after his teammates. Pulling myself together, I wondered whether trusting this man was the right call—or my worst mistake yet.
/> Chapter Twenty-Nine
I stared at the floor between my brand-new running shoes. My old ones had been so stained with blood I’d thrown them away. I’d also bought new jeans, a sweater, and a nice coat. Resisting the pink one had been difficult, but in keeping with my new contractor title, I’d purchased a sleek black one instead.
Breathing deeply to control my nerves, I peeked up through my bangs.
Darius, guild master of the Crow and Hammer, leaned back in his chair, the width of his desk between us. He studied me with somber gray eyes, then turned his gaze to the chair beside mine.
Zylas crouched on the seat, arms braced on his knees, chin resting on one hand as he stared back at the GM. The demon’s tail hung off the chair, its barbed end swishing back and forth. The office’s fluorescent lights washed out his reddish-toffee skin, giving him a bronzy-amber tone instead. His tangled black hair teased his crimson eyes, and small horns poked through the locks.
If his unusual guests had thrown Darius off balance, he didn’t show it as he pondered the story I’d delivered—most of it a jumbled, emotional mess.
I’d told him almost everything. How I’d moved in with my uncle to get my inheritance, how I’d discovered his illegal summoning activities, and how I’d ended up contracted with Zylas. How I’d filed forged paperwork and joined the Grand Grimoire to hide, only for the GM to sell me out to Red Rum. I’d glossed over Amalia’s and Travis’s roles as apprentice summoners, but I didn’t think Darius was buying my suggestion that Amalia knew nothing of her father’s illegal activities.
“Well, Robin,” he finally said, “you’ve certainly had an adventure to rival all others.”
Couldn’t disagree there. I nudged my glasses up my nose.
He laced his fingers together, elbows propped on the desktop. “You’ve broken some of the strictest MPD laws, but by their very nature, laws don’t take individual circumstances into account.”
“If you’re suggesting my actions were lawfully wrong but morally right,” I mumbled, “I disagree. I put people in danger. A lot of mythics died because of me.”
“They died as a result of their own actions,” Darius corrected sharply. “If you knowingly walk in front of an oncoming car, whose fault is it when the vehicle hits you? Those rogues were fully aware of what they were doing.”
I hunched my shoulders. “But Todd from the Grand Grimoire—”
“Intended to kidnap you,” Darius interrupted. “I’m certain he knew that whatever his GM planned, it was nefarious. Like the Red Rum rogues, he knew he was stepping into danger’s path—or rather, your demon’s path.”
He appraised Zylas, then refocused on me. “Instead of putting others in danger, you risked your life to kill the unbound demon. I’m confident in your moral integrity. Your demon, however …”
Zylas snapped his tail in annoyance.
“The MPD,” Darius continued after a beat, “with a little encouragement, has determined the Red Rum squad found dead at the pier was behind the unbound demon. Agents have posted a bounty for information on the men’s deaths, but for better or worse, the case can be considered closed.
“Your involvement, Robin, has gone unnoticed. The only ones who can tie you to Red Rum are your cousin Travis, the Grand Grimoire guild master, and the summoner Claude Mercier. I think your GM will keep silent rather than risk exposing his own transgressions. Travis, you said, has gone into hiding to avoid Red Rum’s retribution.”
I nodded. As soon as a healer had deemed him fit, Travis had fled the city—though he’d promised to keep in touch and, if he found Uncle Jack, to let Amalia know where their father was hiding. He’d chosen greed over his family once, but nearly losing everything had sparked a change of heart. I hoped it would last.
“That leaves Claude,” Darius concluded. “My impression is that he’s a lone wolf. Dangerous, but not one who would report you to the MPD.”
“Actually,” I interjected with hesitant determination, “you forgot someone.”
“Who is that?”
I met his eyes. “You.”
“Ah.” Darius smiled faintly. “I’ll be frank, Robin. I don’t believe you or Zylas deserve execution—not for anything you’ve done yet. However, knowing the nature of your contract, I can’t disregard my moral responsibility. Allowing you to disappear, and potentially wreak the havoc and destruction only an unbound demon can inflict, would be unconscionably irresponsible.”
I shifted nervously in my chair. “So, if you aren’t turning us in but can’t ignore us, what do you plan to do?”
“My first inclination is to induct you into my guild. You can’t stay at the Grand Grimoire, and any other Demonica-licensed guild presents its own dangers. Here, I can keep watch over you two.”
Zylas hissed at the last part.
“However”—Darius’s face hardened—“I’m also responsible for the safety of my guild.”
And Zylas was dangerous. Powerful, unpredictable, and uncontrollable.
My shoulders wilted. “I understand. I don’t want to put your guild members in danger either.”
“Since inducting you isn’t an option, the best alternative would be—”
“Na?” Zylas cut in, his husky voice sharp with annoyance. “Why are you not asking me?”
Darius started as though he’d forgotten Zylas was an equal participant in the conversation—probably because the demon hadn’t spoken until now.
“Asking you what?” the GM inquired politely.
“Are you dangerous? Will you kill my guild members?” His imitation of Darius’s accent and inflection was so good I did a double take. Zylas planted his hands on the seat of his chair and leaned forward. “Or do you think I am a stupid beast and cannot answer?”
Darius blinked in renewed surprise. “My apologies, Zylas. However, I don’t see how I can trust your answers.”
“Because you did not ask.”
The GM placed his hands on the desktop. “All right. Are you dangerous?”
Zylas flashed his canines. “Yes.”
“Will you kill my guild members?”
“Yes.”
As silence settled over the office, I put a hand over my eyes and suppressed an embarrassed groan.
“Enlightening,” Darius commented dryly.
“Ch. You are as stupid as the rest.”
This time, I didn’t hold back my groan. “Zylas, would you just—”
“Ask me now: Will I kill Robin’s allies?”
Behind my hand, my eyes flew open. Zylas hadn’t used my name since I’d told it to him.
Darius was quiet for a moment. “Will you kill Robin’s allies?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because she needs them.” As Zylas spoke, I peeked over my hand. He gazed steadily at Darius. “If your guild members are her allies, I will not harm them. If they betray her, like the last ones, I will kill them.”
Studying the demon, Darius sat back. “I see. And I have your word on that? Your promise?”
His mouth twisted with distaste. “I will not promise you anything, hh’ainun.”
“Then—”
Zylas spun on his chair to face me. “Payilas. I will not harm your allies.”
I resisted an unexpected sting of tears. “Thank you, Zylas.”
“If you were not so weak, you would not need any allies but me.”
My sappy gratitude evaporated. “Every time you say something nice, you ruin it.”
“We talked about nice.”
“And I told you being nice has benefits, but you’re too stubborn to—”
Darius cleared his throat. “In lieu of a promise to me, I’ll accept his promise to you, but your abnormal contract must remain a secret, even here, Robin. I won’t implicate my entire guild in a coverup. If you’re discovered, I will have to turn you in.”
That had been a risk all along, and in his place, I would do the same. “I understand. Zylas is good at pretending to be properly contracted—”<
br />
“Enslaved,” the demon corrected.
“—as long as he can keep his mouth shut.”
“Do you accept my offer, then, Robin? And … you as well, Zylas?”
“We accept.” I shot Zylas a glare before he could speak. “Just be quiet for once.”
“Very well,” Darius said. “There are more details to arrange, but for now, let’s adjourn this meeting. I’ll have my AGM start your paperwork. If all goes well, we can formally induct you within a week.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Darius. This is … we really appreciate it.”
Zylas growled at the “we.” I ignored him.
Darius smiled and my anxieties quieted as a feeling of safety spread through me. He was taking a big risk—and saving my life. Without him, without this guild, I had no idea what I would do.
“Welcome to the Crow and Hammer, Robin.”
I tried to smile and my lips quivered with emotion. A true welcome. A safe haven. If I didn’t screw it up, this guild could be the sanctuary I needed. I wouldn’t let Darius down.
With that in mind, I thanked him again, bid him farewell, and hauled Zylas out of the office and into a larger work area filled with three unmanned desks.
“Zylas, we have to do this right,” I whispered ferociously. “This guild will keep me safe, and if I’m safe, I can focus on researching a way to get you home.”
The demon speared me with a disparaging look. “I know that, payilas. Why do you think I convinced him to accept you?”
I hadn’t explained to Zylas how important it was to win Darius’s approval—though in retrospect, I really should have. Zylas was disconcertingly observant; he could figure out far more than I ever anticipated without needing any explanation.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, “for convincing him.”
I could feel the demon’s attention on me as I stared at the floor.
“Find me a way home, payilas.”
“I will. I promise.” With a deep breath, I pushed my shoulders back. “You’ll have to pretend to be enslaved when you’re outside the infernus. No more talking.”
Taming Demons for Beginners: The Guild Codex: Demonized / One Page 23
