Conor started the car.
“Yeah. Let’s get you home. I should clean up, too. I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening and we can both give statements then.”
I nodded. Conor spoke to someone briefly on his phone and then blessedly drove me home. When we reached my building, Conor hobbled out and came around to open my door.
“That’s not necessary,” I said, but let him help me out of the car and walk me to my door.
I fumbled for my keys, nearly dropping them. I still had Wilder’s key card. I held it out to Conor. “Evidence or whatever.”
Conor slid it into his pocket and gave me another of his hard, inscrutable looks.
“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” I asked.
“You’re an enigma, Dani Warren.” My stomach roiled. I didn’t want to be an enigma. “I look forward to working with you again sometime.”
He smiled. He meant it in a nice way, not an accusatory one, so I forced myself to smile back, even though that was the last thing I needed.
“Rest up. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
I turned and went inside my building, stumbling up the stairs to my apartment.
“I don’t like pepperoni, so I got anchovy and olive,” Penelope said, setting the pizza on my dining table. I was on the sofa not moving. I’d taken a shower and then managed to drum up enough magic to make a healing salve. Not a strong one, but it was better than nothing. I’d rubbed it all over my body, put on clean pajamas, and laid down.
Penelope, who had seen Conor drop me off, had come by to check on me. She’d been shooed away and thus had returned with an offering.
I sat up. “Anchovies and olives sounds like a salt bomb.”
“It’s delicious.” She smiled. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt and they appeared to be actual clothes. She opened the box and the smell of cheese and dough made my stomach growl. Weird toppings or not, I was too hungry to care.
I limped over to the table and grabbed a slice, not bothering with a plate. It actually wasn’t bad. But then I was so hungry, pretty much anything would have tasted amazing on a pizza. Using so much magic in a short span definitely worked up an appetite.
While I went in for a second slice, I told Penelope all about what happened with Wilder and his mages and demon blood drinking witches, and how they’d all escaped before the Watchers had gotten there to arrest them. That wasn’t a surprise. I was sure the lady mage had roused her friends and rushed them out the same back door we’d used.
“They have their scapegoat,” Penelope said, taking a large bite of her slice.
My heart hammered. “Me?”
Penelope shook her head. “Wilder. They can blame him for the deaths and for this recent chaos. If his little followers know what’s good for them, they’ll go into hiding or move very far away.”
I certainly hoped so. I was tired of having magic spells lobbed at my face everywhere I went. And I was really tired of having to use my demon magic in such close proximity to a Watcher.
“I have to give a statement tomorrow,” I said.
Penelope perked up. “So you get to see the hot Watcher again?”
I rolled my eyes. “Get to, have to.” I shamelessly grabbed a third slice. Food was a great way to help restore my energy, magical and otherwise. Besides, weird as the toppings were, Pen was right. It was delicious, with the salt and spicy sauce and buttery crust.
“What are you going to tell them?”
“The truth,” I said, wiping grease off my chin with a napkin. “Or as much of it as I can. They shot magic at me, I fought back. Wilder tried to recruit me to join his club—they don’t need to know why—and I refused, so he tried to kill me.”
Penelope pulled an anchovy from one of the remaining slices and popped it into her mouth. “They should give you an award.”
I snorted. “I’ll be happy if they don’t give me a jail cell.”
Questioning went okay, or at least as well as could be expected. Conor brought me coffee and a donut, which was easily the nicest thing he could have done, before driving me to Watcher HQ.
It took six agonizing hours and I was forced to repeat my story so many times, even I began to question what I knew. But finally, the Watchers who’d been tasked with interrogating me were satisfied and let me go.
Conor was waiting outside the building.
At first, I thought he was taking a break. He hadn’t struck me as a smoker—he certainly didn’t smell like one—but I thought maybe he’d run out for coffee or was getting some air.
He waved me over to his car.
“What’s up?” I asked, stretching with my coat over my arm. The healing salve last night had helped—so had the pizza—but I was still covered in bruises and I’d be healing for a while.
“Don’t you want a ride home?” He frowned. And somehow, I found his frown endearing. That was… disconcerting.
“I figured you’d be too busy. Didn’t you have to give a statement, too?” I asked, pulling on my leather jacket. It was still stained in the back. I needed to find some clients to pay for a new coat.
“Mine didn’t take very long,” he said.
“Of course it didn’t,” I said, with a sigh. No doubt they trusted Conor to tell the truth the first time. They probably didn’t make him repeat his story until he was sick of talking.
“Get in,” Conor said, nodding at the car.
Since it would save me cab money, I did.
“I hope they didn’t give you any trouble,” he said, as he drove.
“Nah. Just asked me the same questions over and over until I was ready to claw my way out of the room. I’m sure that’s standard procedure.” I gave him a hard side-eye.
“As a matter of fact, it is. We like to thoroughly debrief people to be certain we have the facts.” Said with no shame at all.
Of course he thought so.
Normally, I would have pointed out that forcing someone to sit in a room and repeat themselves wasn’t helpful to anyone but I was still too tired.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, instead.
Conor nodded. “It’s the least I can do. You’ve been helpful.”
I’d been a hell of a lot more than helpful, but again, I didn’t want to push it. Things had worked out. I’d managed to solve Marcus’ murder and I could report back to Savannah that while her brother had summoned a demon, he’d gotten caught up with a dangerous group of power-hungry mages who had persuaded him to do so. I didn’t know how much comfort that would be to her and her family, but at least they’d know the truth.
I’d be able to pay my rent without much worry and I’d survived working with a Watcher.
All and all, despite my aches and pains and the pounding headache that had taken root in my brain, I felt pretty darn good.
At least until Conor pulled up in front of my office.
The window had been broken. Glass was all over the sidewalk. Even from the car, I could see my office was thoroughly trashed.
I practically jumped out of the car and then stared at the damage, suddenly numb.
Who the hell had I pissed off now?
Want to find out what happens next? Dani’s adventures continue in Demon Shadow.
Also by Tori Centanni
Risky Magic: A Trash Witch Novel
The Henri Dunn Series
Being mortal is a pain in the neck
The Immortality Cure (Book 1)
Bloodless (Book 2)
Sanguinity (Book 3)
The Reluctant Werewolf Chronicles
Moon Cursed (Book 1)
Wicked Moon (Book 2)
Moon Bound (Book 3)
About the Author
Tori Centanni is a nerd girl and recovering goth who lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing or reading through her never-ending book pile, she spends her time watching competition reality shows and wrangling cats.
toricentanni.com
nni, Demon Fire (Brimstone Magic Book 1)
Demon Fire (Brimstone Magic Book 1) Page 16