“What in seven hells—” someone broke off. “It’s her. Devi Lawson.”
“Really, I had no idea.” I leaned too far and fell off the roof.
For the second time that night, I flailed my arms against empty air, screaming at the top of my lungs. I crashed into a bush, careful to land on my feet. I thought it was an Oscar-worthy performance, but I didn’t get so much as a clap.
“Miss Devina Lawson!” The inspector parted the crowd immediately, an expression of utter fury on his face.
“All right.” I held up my hands. “You caught me.”
“Give me one good reason not to lock you up,” he said.
“I’m here on guild business,” I said. “You know why I was here. You shut me out of the damned investigation.”
“Then you’ll know by now we’ve been raiding suspect houses all day, and my novices helped bring the possible culprits to jail.”
“What?” I forgot all about my excuses. “You caught the killer?”
Not bloody likely. More like he’d ordered the novices to haul in any possible scapegoat. Which meant preternaturals. The jail was on the east side of the guild, and I hadn’t thought to check there because I’d assumed they still thought Nikolas and I were the suspects. But if they’d locked anyone up, I’d bet my newly acquired boots it wasn’t the actual killer.
“A number of warlocks have abilities similar to the killer’s,” he told me.
“You locked up warlocks? Please tell me you knew they were actually guilty first.”
He eyed me coldly. “Unfortunately for you, you’re not responsible for whoever the guild decides to arrest.”
“Damn right I’m not.” I brushed grass from my knees, my hands shaking. Nikolas should have got away by now. “So you don’t need me. Clearly, I’m not the killer.”
“Whether you are or not, you’re trespassing.”
A dozen novices stared at me, not speaking. Nobody came to my defence. They were too scared of the inspector.
“I’m here because I’d like to know who the killer is,” I said. “And you refused to let me help investigate, despite hiring me to do so. Who are these suspects?”
“One suspect remains at large,” said the inspector. “That warlock you claimed to have interrogated. It seems he has the ability to hide in another dimension. Is he watching us right now?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I said.
“Then find out,” he said. “If you don’t bring that warlock in by midday tomorrow, you will be arrested—both of you.”
He’s actually letting me go? I’d expected an ultimatum, but I’d thought I’d get jail time first. I couldn’t let freedom slip between my fingers, so I faked a bored expression. “All right, I’ll bring you the warlock. If I can catch him, which I sincerely doubt. Since, as you pointed out yourself, he’s probably hiding in another dimension laughing at us.” It wasn’t like he could read my mind, but I still tensed inwardly as the inspector scanned my face. Apparently finding the right balance of disdain and annoyance he expected from me, he waved a hand impatiently.
“We have interrogations to run,” he said. “Novices, kindly escort her from the premises.”
Two novices stepped in to obey. He’d apparently taken over from Mr Roth entirely, and I’d seen no signs of Gav at all.
Bad Haircut Sammy approached me. “C’mon, you troublemaking bitch,” he said, grabbing my arm.
I yanked it out of reach. “I can walk myself to the doors, thanks. Unless someone wants to explain why you suddenly have a new boss and nobody else has any authority?”
The two younger novices ignored my questions, wearing expressions of nervous terror. I’d bet the inspector had terrorised them more thoroughly than the murders had.
Sammy kept up a stream of taunts, which I ignored. He probably wanted to bait me into a fight, one I didn’t have the energy for. I blanked him all the way to the exit, until he grabbed my arm before I could saunter out the door.
“I said, you’re the real criminal here,” he said, leaning close to my ear.
“Believe it if you like.” I shrugged. “You’re a long way from my first priority here, dog breath.”
I left him spluttering and strode away as fast as I dared. Once I was out of sight of the front entrance, I circled the guild from the side, seeing no signs of the two warlocks. Had to mean they’d got away, right? I wished I’d got Nikolas’s mobile phone number. It was the more logical development in a relationship to the ability to transport myself into his home dimension.
Relationship? I was definitely losing it. If I didn’t hand Nikolas over tomorrow… I’d been right all along. Both sides were setting me up to take the fall.
Divinities above, what a fucking night. On top of that, I couldn’t follow Nikolas home without risking being tailed by the inspector’s novices. It wasn’t late enough that the pubs had closed yet, so I was tempted to grab a drink to soothe my frazzled nerves. But going into a preternatural district after the narrow escape I’d had would be very unwise. Bloody guild. I needed actual tangible proof to bring to them, but Gav hadn’t said he’d show my messages to anyone, and he hadn’t been at the guild at all. Unless he’d left before I’d come back.
I took the train, having the misfortune to end up in the same compartment as a group of drunken tourists, all of whom decided to snap photos of me. I got off several stops early and made for the high street. I needed to tell Javos his people had been arrested, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else to look for Nikolas at this time of night that wouldn’t lead to me being ambushed.
When I turned into Prince Street, I made for the Harpy’s Nest. Before I could open the door, the shadows moved, and Nikolas appeared before me.
“I thought I’d find you where you’re not supposed to be,” he said.
“Speak for yourself.” I gestured at the receding shadows. “Is Rachel okay?”
“Yes, I managed to get her to Javos.”
“Good. But I should warn you, they’ve given me an ultimatum: bring you in tomorrow, or get locked in jail. I didn’t have any other way of contacting you, but I didn’t really expect to find you here anyway.”
“That can be dealt with.” He took my phone from my hand, where I had Gav’s message still open. “Who’s this from?”
“My old mentor. The guy I sent the proof to. Apparently it wasn’t good enough for the guild.” I heaved a sigh. “Not that I actually heard from him afterwards. The inspector’s deposed everyone else in charge.”
“Well, you can reach me at this number when I’m in this dimension.” His fingertips raced across the screen.
“No cross-dimensional messaging, huh. I always wondered how that worked.”
“Demons have alternative means of communication.” He handed my phone back to me, his fingertips lightly brushing against mine. My chest warmed. I didn’t hand my number out to just anyone, even if we had survived several near-brushes with death alongside each other.
Even if my freedom entirely depended on him.
“The proof,” he said. “What were those pictures of?”
“Just demonglass in a hidden cupboard. I tripped the alarm before I got a good look around. Nikolas, how are you planning to get out of this one? If they catch us, we’ll end up in jail with the other warlocks.”
“What other warlocks?” said a growling voice.
Javos approached us. Oh shit. He didn’t know.
“What did you do?” he growled. Power burned in his eyes like an oncoming tornado. “Tell me what you did, celestial.”
I raised my hands. “Not me. The guild locked a few people up on suspicion of being involved in the recent murders. They didn’t tell me who. I’m not working for them any longer.”
Javos let out a low growl. His huge body loomed over me, and he seemed bigger, somehow, filling the whole street with his huge presence—horned head, slavering jaws, hands built to crush. The street lights flickered and went out, and deadly silence filled the space where laughter and backgro
und noise from the pubs had been. As though he’d hit the mute button on the world.
Terror froze my limbs. I had nothing in my hands but my phone. He’d kill me before he listened to reason.
My phone buzzed with a new message, and he halted, frowning. Wait. My fingers skimmed the touch screen, loading the classical music I’d downloaded earlier. Then I upped the volume.
As Javos prepared to charge, music blared from my phone. He growled, shaking his head, his petrifying aura receding. The street lights flickered back on. My legs swayed, but I managed to stay on my feet. That was a close call.
Javos turned his back and stormed back into the pub. I breathed out shakily. “Just what I needed—another warlock who wants me dead.”
“You handled that well,” Nikolas commented. “I’ve never seen him calm down so fast.”
“Are you joking?” I fought to rein in my temper. “Is everything a game to you? The celestials want a war, and at this rate, they’ll get one. Several of your people are locked up in jail, and they want me to hand you over to them, too. What the hell am I supposed to do? We’re backed into a corner.”
“Then we’ll think of a plan.” He rested a hand on my shoulder. Warmth radiated from his skin to mine, almost making me forget I still wore the anti-warlock trap. “I’d suggest you go home and rest. Try not to use that ability of yours again.”
“I don’t have any demonglass. Unless …” I trailed off. “Wait. I think I know how to catch the killer.”
His brows rose. “How, exactly?”
“It’s obvious.” So obvious, I should have realised the instant I’d fallen through that pillar. “My ability—I can go anywhere, as long as there’s demonglass. All I have to do is keep hopping around the city until I find the place the demons are being summoned. Since there are so few places with demonglass in this dimension, I’ll know pretty quickly if it’s definitely the guild or not. But I don’t think they summoned the demon there.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s risky. For one thing, you’ll be transporting yourself into the hands of the enemy, in all likelihood. You’ve had quite enough excitement tonight already.”
“Oh, this is pretty standard for me.” He still hadn’t removed his hand. And though he was nowhere near my demon mark, an electric shiver ran up both my arms. Oh no. I wasn’t actually attracted to the guy, was I?
“The second issue,” said Nikolas, “is that I don’t actually have any demonglass myself. It’s all at Javos’s house.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Exactly,” he said. “So if you don’t have another plan—”
My phone started to ring.
Seeing it was Gav, I sighed in relief. “Thank the Divinities for that. Gav, I need—”
“Devina,” said a stranger’s voice—it took me a minute to place it as Mr Roth’s. The former man in charge, before the inspector stepped in. “I’m going to need you to come to the guild, now.”
That wasn’t good. “What are you doing with Gav’s phone? He’s at home.”
An icy feeling had begun to spread through me. No. Please—
“We found his body two streets from the guild. He was alone.”
The words buzzed together like static, as though our connection was fading out. But I could hear perfectly fine. My mind just didn’t want to accept what I heard.
He couldn’t be dead.
He’s not a new recruit, thought the part of me not blank with shock. He wasn’t even out in the field.
In fact… the only thing that could have possibly made him a target were the messages I’d sent him. The pictures.
“Devina!” said Mr Roth, sharply. “Did you hear what I said?”
“No,” I said numbly. “No. It can’t be him.”
“Did you two speak to one another today? Apparently, the last phone conversation he had was with you.”
“We just exchanged a few messages. I sent him pictures of my findings when I was investigating—”
“You mean, trespassing. You don’t have an alibi. Where are you?”
“Walking home.” Shit a brick. I was nowhere near the guild, but they’d reach my house before I did. And if I handed myself in, I’d never find out what had happened to him.
I sent him those photos.
An image exploded into my head—Gav screaming, eyes burning with fire.
I gripped my phone hard, trying to anchor myself in the present. “Please. I need to see him, but I’m not coming to the guild if you’re going to lock me away. I wanted to find the killer.”
“That was an order, Celestial Devina.”
I gripped the phone hard. “I didn’t do it,” I said. “The phone you’re using has photo evidence on it. Check it. Please—”
A beeping tone told me he’d hung up.
“You bastard.” I threw my phone to the ground, tears burning my eyes. Gav hadn’t deserved to die. And if I hadn’t sent him those photos—if I’d swallowed my pride and gone straight to the head of the guild…
You’d still be locked up. The inspector has it in for you, and he’s suspected you from the start.
I bent down to retrieve my phone. Luckily, its protective casing had stopped it from breaking. Swallowing hard, I turned to Nikolas. His expression was almost sympathetic, which made things worse. I felt more emptiness than grief, like I’d been hollowed out by sheer exhaustion.
“It’s over,” I said quietly. “Gav is dead, and they blame me for it. I can’t go home. I can’t go anywhere. And I think it’s my fault the demons got him in the first place.” Just like Rory.
His hand rested on my arm. “You can stay at the warlocks’ headquarters tonight. They won’t find you there.”
I shook my head insistently. “No way. Isn’t that Javos’s place? The guy just nearly killed me.”
“His powers are switched off, and he won’t attack you,” Nikolas said. “It’s safer than my place, if the guild really is keeping tabs on you.”
“You’d better be right.” I rubbed my eyes. “Also, we’re grounded in this realm until your brother calms down. I get the impression he won’t forget about us overnight.”
I didn’t even have space in my head to worry about the dude with the army of demons.
I’d be inclined to believe Nikolas’s brother was behind all this crap, but he didn’t even know we were investigating a murder until I’d told him. Despite the futility of winning a fight against the guild, I wished I had found incriminating evidence. The pictures on Gav’s phone weren’t enough.
And now they’ve killed him for it.
Even in my mind, I didn’t know if I meant the demons or the guild.
Nikolas and I walked down the street in silence until he stopped beside his car, which he must have moved from near the celestial guild. If not for Rachel’s shoes, I’d have killer blisters by now, so I sank into the passenger seat with relief. He drove in silence, which I was grateful for. My thoughts were a tempest and only exhaustion kept me from breaking down in rage and grief.
Finally, we stopped outside a large brick house behind a high fence. After getting out of the car, Nikolas pressed a hand to the wooden gate much like celestials did when entering our guild. It opened with barely a sound, though the hum of magic permeated the air, suggesting protective spells were on the gates.
Inside the house, a dark hallway led to carpeted stairs. Upstairs, Nikolas pushed open a wooden door, revealing a small bedroom.
“One of the guest rooms,” he said. “There’s nobody here but Rachel and me, but I’d advise you not to go wandering around the house on your own. I’ll talk to Javos in the morning. Get some rest.”
And the demonglass? I was too tired to make a desperate attempt to find the killer now. I’d end up in even worse trouble, and besides, I didn’t even have a plan. Not yet. Gav’s death ate a hole in my chest, tearing open the wound of losing Rory. I didn’t say a word more to Nikolas, and he left in silence.
A sob caught in my lungs, and I sank onto the bed, pressing a fist
to my mouth.
I won’t break. I won’t surrender. I’ll make them pay.
Chapter 18
The smell of brimstone greeted me, tickling my nostrils. I inched my eyes open, frowning around at the small unfamiliar room. I’d draped mud and brimstone all over the bed covers and the floor, which explained the smell. And then it hit me: I was a fugitive. I had nothing but the clothes on my back and my phone. I picked it up. Dead battery. Great. Did warlocks keep iPhone chargers? If Javos was in as bad a mood as last night, my source of music to calm him down was gone.
I brushed my hair out of my face, catching sight of my reflection in the small mirror above the bedside table. My eyes were puffy, there was a growing bruise on my cheekbone I didn’t remember receiving, and my hair was tangled. My body ached all over, and I apparently hadn’t remembered to use the en-suite bathroom to shower before I’d crashed, sucked under by the crushing weight of grief. With Gav dead, I had no reasons remaining to catch the killer, except to save my own skin. But the black mark on my right wrist told me I was doomed to flee from the celestials no matter what. My future was as blank as it’d been when I’d turned my back on the celestials, and my freedom dangled from the hands of a half-demon who’d nearly trampled me into the pavement last night. Maybe that’s why I felt so calm about my oncoming demise. From rock bottom, you could only look up.
There was a knock on my door, and I walked to answer it, hoping it wasn’t Javos.
Nikolas stood outside, dressed casually in jeans and a plain T-shirt that showed off his muscled arms. He also held a pile of fresh clothes. “These are Rachel’s old clothes. They should fit you.”
“Thanks.” I took them from him. “Is she okay?”
“She’s here, but recovering. She doesn’t have regenerative abilities, so it takes a little longer for her to heal compared to some other warlocks.”
“Must come in handy,” I said. “Do you have anywhere I can charge my phone? I’ll bet the celestials have been hounding me all night.”
There was a clock on the wall I hadn’t noticed, which told me it was ten in the morning. I’d slept heavily, worn down by the events of the last few days.
Celestial Magic (Celestial Marked Book 1) Page 17