by Karen Lynch
“All their children are important to them.” I swallowed and walked over to look at a painting to hide the panic flaring inside me.
“And imagine my surprise when two of their young people show up in my office on the same day. A coincidence, no?”
Jordan snorted. “Do we look lost to you?”
I could only muster a small laugh as I strolled toward a bookcase that held an odd assortment of books and ornaments. The demon’s presence grew stronger until it was impossible to ignore. I turned away from the shelves to find Orias watching me with a calculating gleam in his eye. It was time to get out of there.
“Thanks for taking the time to meet with –” I gasped as Orias raised a hand and the office door slammed shut behind Roland and Peter.
Roland grabbed the knob and pulled, but the door refused to open. He spun to glare at the warlock. “Not funny, dude. Open the door.”
Orias reached for his phone, looking very pleased with himself. “Why don’t you children get comfortable while I make a call? Don’t worry; you won’t come to any harm here.”
Roland, Peter, and Jordan started toward the warlock. Orias flicked a finger and the three of them suddenly found themselves sitting on the three chairs with their arms and legs bound by some invisible force. They yelled and were gagged until all they could do was struggle mutely in their bonds.
Orias glanced at me. “I only have three chairs, but you don’t look like much trouble. Behave yourself while I make this call or I’ll stick you in the closet until they get here.”
Why did everyone always assume I was the helpless one? I spun back to the bookcase, looking for something to use as a weapon. I laid my hand on one of the shelves and blue sparks danced across my skin. The demon was very close, the same demon the warlock needed to feed his magic.
I scanned the items on the shelves and my eyes lit on a small brass replica of Aladdin’s lamp. I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. “How original.”
As soon as my fingers touched the lamp, I felt something move inside it. I picked up the lamp in both hands and turned to face Orias, too desperate to ponder how a powerful demon could fit into such a small space. Orias was looking through the phone book on his computer and completely ignoring me.
I let a small amount of power infuse my palms. The lamp jumped in my hands, making the lid rattle.
Orias’s head whipped in my direction and he paled slightly when he saw what I was holding. “That is very valuable. Put it down.”
More of my power surrounded the lamp, and it began to quiver and issue a faint whining sound. I ran a hand along the side. “I wonder; if I rub this, will a genie appear?”
“That... that is not a toy, you meddlesome child.” Orias’s words were stern, but he had gone a shade whiter and small beads of moisture appeared on his brow. “You don’t know what you are messing with. Set it down before you get hurt.”
“I know exactly what this is.” I gave the lamp a shake and the whining grew louder. “You have one pissed off demon in here. I’m afraid he doesn’t like me at all. Tell me, how do you fit a demon in a lamp anyway?”
Orias stood and held out his hands, which I noticed weren’t so steady anymore. “Give that to me.”
I looked at my friends to see them all watching me with a mixture of curiosity and worry. I gave them a small smile and let my power brush against the brass sides of the lamp again. The demon rumbled and I thought I could actually feel its fear. That’s new.
“Stop!” Orias cried, panting. He put a hand on the wall to steady himself, and fear filled his eyes. “Please.”
I tilted my head toward my friends. “Release them.”
Jordan sputtered and yelled the second her magical gag fell away. She jumped up from the chair and reached for her weapons... which were in the car. By the look on her face, she might not need anything but her bare hands.
“If this is how you treat clients, it’s no wonder you have that ‘no weapons’ rule,” she shouted at the warlock.
Orias ignored her. “They are free. Now please hand over the lamp.”
“Do you honestly think I am that stupid? I give you this, and you’ll have us all tied up before we know what hit us.”
“What are you going to do with it? You can’t take it.”
Jordan made a face. “There is no way I’m getting in the car with that thing.”
I touched the lamp’s ornate lid and the demon actually growled.
“Oh, be quiet,” I said to the lamp. I met Orias’s worried gaze. “You can have your pet demon back after you promise to let us go and tell no one we were here.”
“Done.”
Jordan scoffed. “You actually expect him to keep his word?”
“No. That’s why he’s going to take the White Oath.”
Orias inhaled sharply, and my friends shot me questioning looks. “What’s that?” Peter asked.
“The White Oath is the only oath that can bind a warlock to their word.” Thank you, Remy, for everything you ever taught me.
“How could you possibly know about that?” Orias demanded, not bothering to deny it. “That is something known only to my kind.”
“Doesn’t matter how I know. Are you going to take the oath?”
Anger replaced the fear in Orias’s eyes. “Fine. I’ll do it. I swear that –”
“Not so fast.” I knew the oath had to be worded right so there was no way for him to wriggle out of it. I walked over and grabbed a pen and notepad from his desk. It took me a few minutes to write something, and then I handed the notepad to him. “Read this.”
Orias pored over what I’d written, and when his mouth set in a straight angry line, I knew I’d gotten it right. “I swear under the White Oath to the following terms: I will allow Sara, Jordan, Roland, and Peter to leave this place unharmed. I will not try to harm them or bring them back once they leave here, nor will I have someone else harm them or bring them back for me. I will tell no one I have seen Sara, Jordan, Roland, or Peter, and if anyone asks about them, I will not reveal they were here. And...” He paused and scowled at me. “I will tell them how to find the woman they are looking for.”
“Brilliant!” Jordan crowed.
I hadn’t planned to add the bit about Madeline, but Orias had brought it on himself when he’d tried to turn us in. I watched him expectantly.
He gritted his teeth. “I don’t know where the woman is now, but she is headed to LA. Go see Adele at the Blue Nyx club. She knows everything that goes on in the city, and she can find anyone. That’s all I have.” He held out his hands. “Now can I please have that?”
I handed the lamp to him, and he cradled it like it was a baby. His eyes met mine. “What are you?”
“I’m just a girl looking for answers.” I reached into my pocket for the diamond and set it on his desk. “Payment for the information you gave me.”
Roland huffed. “Are you nuts? The dude tied us up. He doesn’t deserve payment.”
I turned, ignoring his outburst. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here.” The last thing I wanted was a powerful warlock holding a grudge against me. Anyone who could raise a demon and imprison it in a lamp was not someone I wanted as an enemy. Hopefully, the diamond would soothe his wounded ego and make up for some of the reward money he’d lost out on.
The door opened this time when Roland tried it, and we filed out into the hallway. We hurried down the stairs and along the hallway to the waiting area, all of us eager to quit this place.
“How the hell did you know about that oath thing, Sara?” Roland asked from behind me. “That was genius by the way.”
“Remy. He taught me a lot of stuff. I just never thought I’d have to use it.”
The waiting room had a few more occupants, and I knew immediately that at least one of them was a demon. It was either the short man with yellow skin and pointed ears or the young gray-skinned woman with long white hair. She glanced at us then looked away. Tucked against her side was a tiny version of her that
had to be her child. I smiled at the little one, and she returned it shyly before burying her face in her mother’s sleeve.
I was halfway across the room when cold stabbed me in the chest. “Oh, no,” I uttered, looking around frantically. But the vampire wasn’t in the waiting room. He was outside and coming closer.
Jordan grabbed my arm. “What is it?”
“Trouble.” I met her eyes and said, “Radar.”
Her eyes widened and she cursed softly. “I told you it was a mistake to leave the weapons in the car. How many? Can you tell?”
“One, I think. I can’t be sure.”
Roland came to my side. “What’s wrong?”
“Vampire,” I whispered, and he let out a low growl. I’d never heard him do that in human form, and I had a suspicion he was very close to going furry.
“What should we do?” Peter asked in a low voice.
Before I could answer, the door opened and the vampire stepped into the room. He was medium height with black hair, and he wore a brown leather jacket. Fear stole my breath as his eyes passed over us on his way to the receptionist’s desk. A second later, he stopped and I saw him sniff the air. I wondered if he was picking up the werewolf scent in the room.
When I’d almost lost Nate I made a vow to destroy every vampire that crossed my path. But we were weaponless, and I had no idea how old the vampire was. The smartest thing to do right now was get out of there.
Roland’s fingers closed around my wrist. Come on, he mouthed.
Peter was the first one through the door with Jordan close at his heels, eager to retrieve her knives. I was about to follow them when there was a sudden breeze and the door slammed in my face. I found myself face-to-face with the vampire. My heart thrummed against my ribs and I let out a small scream. Someone pounded on the door, but the vampire held it shut with one hand.
The vampire let out a hiss. “A Mohiri child all alone without her protectors.” He reached for my face, and Roland growled. The vampire’s eyes flicked to him. “I am a lot older than you, pup. Stay out of this and I might not kill you.”
I tried to step in front of Roland, but he put an arm across my chest to stop me.
“Don’t touch her,” he snarled in a voice that was several octaves deeper than his normal one.
I looked down and saw dark wiry hair sprout from his arm as claws grew from his fingers. I flexed my own fingers, feeling power hum through them. Between us, we can handle this.
“Heel, dog,” the vampire spat, showing his fangs. He reached for me again.
Roland lunged at him. The vampire moved so fast he blurred, and Roland flew backward across the room to crash into a tall ceramic vase. Shards of pottery flew everywhere.
“Roland!” I turned to run to him but my arm was held in an iron grip.
“Now where were we?” The vampire stared at me with dark hungry eyes. “I had a young Mohiri once, but his blood smelled nothing like yours. It’s so sweet.”
Revulsion coiled in my stomach. I brought my free hand up between us, and it took the vampire several seconds to notice it was glowing.
“What –?”
My hand slammed into his chest and power exploded from me. His eyes widened in shock, and he let go of my arm. Before he could recover I laid my other hand on his chest and pushed another wave of power toward his heart. He didn’t go down as I’d hoped, but he wavered stiffly as if he was momentarily frozen. I’d never taken down a mature vampire, and I had a feeling this one was strong. I hit him with another blast, and he made a strange keening sound but stayed on his feet. Jesus, what did it take to kill one of these bastards?
The door crashed open, knocking us both off balance and severing my contact with him. I fell backward and landed on the two old hags, who shrieked indignantly. Mumbling an apology, I scrambled up just as the vampire gained his own footing. He wasn’t moving nearly as fast, and his confident sneer was gone as he crouched, facing Jordan, who was now armed with two long knives. Peter crowded the doorway in wolf form.
“You weren’t going to keep him all to yourself, were you?” Jordan quipped. “Friends share, Sara.”
“Help yourself.” I darted a glance at Roland, relieved to see him sitting up. He looked dazed but otherwise okay.
The vampire glared at me. “First, I’m going to take care of this little piece, and then you and I are going to get to know each other a lot better.”
“Ew! Dude, you look old enough to be her father.” Jordan twirled one of her knives. “And don’t call me a piece, you sexist pig.”
The vampire shifted his stance.
“Jordan, watch out!” I shouted.
A shriek split the air, and the vampire grabbed at the knife that had just missed his heart. His hand smoked as he ripped the blade out of his chest. He had to be very strong if he could withstand touching pure silver. He raised his hand, his intent clear. There was no way Jordan would survive a blow at such a close range.
I dove at him.
I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, but it faded as magic surged in me. Lightning bolts leapt from my hand before it even made contact with his chest. This time, instead of drawing back for another strike, I fed more power into him. I felt it surround the demon inside him as he sank to his knees, his face frozen in a silent scream.
Something shiny caught my eye, and I turned my head to see the knife protruding from my shoulder. Bracing myself for the pain, I grasped the handle and yanked it free. Fire lanced through my shoulder, but I ignored it. I wasn’t giving the bastard time to recover. With gritted teeth I lifted my glowing hand from his chest and plunged the silver blade into his heart. He made a sound like air leaking from a balloon, and his eyes grew round in disbelief before he toppled over and was still.
“What have you done?” I turned to see Orias emerging from the hallway. He wore a look of horror mixed with shock. “Do you know who that is?”
“You mean was.” Jordan reached down, pulled her knife free from the vampire’s chest, and wiped it on his shirt. “And it’s nice of you to show up and lend us a hand by the way.”
Orias ignored her. “That was Stefan Price.”
I lifted my uninjured shoulder. “Is that supposed to mean something to us?”
“He was the oldest vampire in these parts, over one hundred and fifty years old, and very strong.” The warlock stepped into the room and stared at the dead vampire. “No one has ever fought him and lived.”
Roland limped over to us and laid an arm across my shoulders. “That’s because old Stefan never met a couple of real warriors before.”
Orias took in the state of his waiting room. “You four are nothing but trouble. You tore up my place and killed one of my clients.”
“That client tried to kill us first. Ask anyone here.” I looked around the room and caught sight of the stunned faces of the other occupants. My gaze met the eyes of the man with the yellow skin, and he jumped up and bolted for the door. Peter moved aside and the man disappeared into the night. He was followed by the two crones, who moved a lot faster than I would have expected them to.
I heard a whimper behind me, and I turned to look at the gray-skinned woman. The woman’s child clung to her neck, her little body trembling. Poor thing. I didn’t blame her for being terrified of that monster.
I walked toward them, intending to reassure the little girl, but her mother shrank away from me, holding her daughter tightly. “Please… my child,” she whispered, her black eyes glistening with tears.
“It’s okay. He’s dead.”
The woman seemed not to have heard me. She raised a hand to ward me off. “Don’t hurt us.”
Her plea stopped me in my tracks. She was afraid of me? “I wouldn’t...” I looked at my friends helplessly, but they were as surprised as I was. Facing the woman again, I took a tentative step. My fingers tingled with power. It took me a few seconds to put it all together. I stopped walking and locked my power away.
“You’re demons,” I said gently, remembering K
elvan’s reaction when he realized what Jordan and I were. Apparently, the Mohiri were known and feared everywhere.
“We’ve never hurt anyone. I promise. Please, don’t kill us.”
“No one is going to hurt you.” I knelt in front of her so she would feel less threatened. This was new territory for me. If they had been animals or some other kind of creature, I could use my power to calm their fear and earn their trust, but my power had the opposite effect on demons. “I give you my word that you and your little one are safe. What kind of demon are you?”
“She is a mox demon,” Orias said when the woman did not reply. “A very passive race, I assure you. She buys my glamour spells for her daughter, so she can attend school.”
I smiled at the woman. She didn’t return it, and I wasn’t surprised considering the situation. “I don’t know what you’ve heard about the Mohiri, but you don’t have to fear us.” I stood and looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the remaining visitors. “My friends and I aren’t here to hurt anyone.” I pointed at the dead vampire. “He was different. We kill vampires, but we don’t hurt innocent people, no matter what they are. That includes demons.”
I looked at Roland. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What about you? You’re the one who is bleeding.”
My shoulder chose that moment to twitch, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain I had forgotten until now. Adrenaline is a great pain buffer, apparently. I put up a hand to cover the wound made by the knife. It didn’t feel like anything major had been hit, and the blood was already beginning to slow. I suddenly felt tired and wanted nothing more than to lie down. It felt like forever since I’d last slept.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Jordan said. “I have something in my bag that will fix you up.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Please don’t say it’s gunna paste.”
Jordan grinned. “What else? I snagged a can before we left. I figured if I didn’t use it, you definitely would.”