by C. L. Bright
“I do like you,” she insisted. “If I didn’t like you, then I would have watched you fight the demon hunters from a safer spot. I stayed in case you needed my help.”
Her response didn’t make me any less angry.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked.
“Yes, but I’ll get over it,” I replied.
“Because you like me?” she asked with a smile.
“And because I’m starting to realize it’s not fair to expect you to act like a spellcaster,” I explained.
“Act like a spellcaster?” Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Certainly not.”
We walked in silence for several minutes before she spoke again. “I’m sorry you couldn’t talk to your shapeshifter longer.”
I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I miss her. Is it crazy that I miss her more after communicating with her?”
She shook her head. “No. Every time your magic connects, the bond between you will grow stronger. I want to taste your energy.”
She quickly changed to a dog and raced ahead of me.
“Demons are strange.”
Chapter 13
Pops was furious.
He’d been lecturing me for more than twenty minutes after having spent ten minutes ranting about my stupidity.
I’d held my tongue the whole time because he was right to be angry. Had I simply heeded the warnings and not gone that far out, the demon hunters wouldn’t have found us.
Yes, I was angry that no one had given me any specific warnings about why I should avoid that area, but I bit back all my arguments. I could have pushed harder for an explanation. There was no denying I’d screwed up.
He blew out a frustrated breath and sat at the table before running his fingers through his hair and asking me in a much calmer tone, “What were you thinking? You’re smarter than this. At least, I thought you were.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “My bond with Juliet clouded my judgment, and I kept moving closer to the place where the connection felt stronger. I feel a constant draw to her.”
“And just how do you expect to avoid being killed when you leave here if you can’t focus on anything other than her?” he demanded. “If you ignore your surroundings, you’ll be dead in less than a day.”
“I felt more focused once I touched on her magic, so I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“You don’t think period,” he muttered.
“Why didn’t anyone warn me about the demon hunters?” I asked. “Sin said she didn’t expect any there, but you didn’t sound all that surprised by my encounter.”
“I’m not shocked, but we’ve never seen any in that area before,” he replied. “I still should have mentioned them since we’ve run into them at the far end of the valley on the other side of Reaper Ridge. I’m sure they’ll focus on the area where they saw you more after your encounter.”
“Have they found demons on the other side before?” I asked. “Is that why they keep coming back?”
Pops nodded. “We don’t lose many over there because the demons don’t often leave the protected area, but you’ve spent enough time around Sin to know how they are. They sometimes let their curiosity land them in dangerous situations.”
“I think Sin was trying to help me,” I argued.
He snorted. “That might be part of it, but I wouldn’t bet on it being the driving force behind her actions.”
Sin growled at him from her spot on the floor.
Pops pointed a finger at her. “You could have both been killed.”
She yawned and put her head on her front paws.
“As I said, I should have told you about any potential dangers you could encounter near the perimeter of the protected area,” he admitted. “I assumed you’d stay with the others on patrol and that one of them would keep you from making that kind of mistake.”
“Sin doesn’t let the others get close to me,” I explained.
“Annoying demon,” Pops grumbled, scowling at Sin when she growled again.
“The demon hunters must know spellcasters are working with the demons,” I mused. “Why else would they have followed my connection to Juliet back to me? They would have no way of knowing my identity just from touching on my magic.”
“They would if you’d worked closely with them on spells before,” Pops argued.
“It’s possible,” I agreed. “I don’t think I know any of the demon hunters.”
“You couldn’t even see their faces,” he reminded me.
“But I had to touch their magic to break free,” I reminded him. “I didn’t recognize their magic. It seems more likely they were looking for spellcaster magic in the hopes of finding a demon.”
“They could have also touched your magic and realized you have a connection to a demon,” he suggested.
“But how?” I asked. “I’m not bound to Sin in any way.”
Even as I said the words, I felt a niggling doubt.
“Am I?” I asked.
When I looked over to where Sin had been lying on the floor, she was gone.
Pops shrugged. “I sense something that’s not quite spellcaster magic. It could just be the way your shapeshifter’s magic is bound to yours, but I’m not sure.”
I nodded. “I’ll ask Sin. She probably went up to my room.”
“Don’t be surprised if she avoids answering you. She slunk out of here when we started talking about a possible link to her magic,” he stated. “I think we can put this behind us. The demon hunters will search that area for a short time, but they’ll eventually assume you moved on.”
“Why would they think that?” I asked. “They saw me disappear behind the Black Mist, so they have to know there’s something here. This is bad.”
He waved off my concerns. “Not as bad as you might think. The spell in the Black Mist causes confusion when outsiders get near it. You can go in and out of the spell because the demons and spellcasters responsible for maintaining it made an exception for you. Others get near it and get turned around.”
I nodded. “Do you think it’s possible someone set me up and told the demon hunters they could find me here if they patrolled the area?”
Pops’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying we have a traitor who wanted to lead demon hunters to our community?”
I shook my head. “Not so much a traitor as someone who thinks you’d be safer if I wasn’t here.”
“That’s not possible.”
There was enough of a delay before his denial that I suspected he thought I might be right.
“I am a danger to everyone here,” I told him. “Harboring an Azurean criminal is risky, and I’m sure not everyone was happy about me being brought here.”
“What makes you think you’re the only Azurean criminal we’re protecting?” he asked.
“How many others are there?”
He shrugged. “Only a few now, but we’ve had more in the past. Our people have been caught spying or trying to release shapeshifters in the past, so we’ve had to rescue them.”
“I’m surprised I never heard about criminals disappearing,” I told him.
“We usually find a way to make it look like they were killed in an escape attempt,” he explained. “Your trial was more rushed, so there was no time for the usual planning. Since you aren’t one of ours, we also couldn’t count on you cooperating.”
“I’m not one of yours,” I repeated his words and waited for him to acknowledge that key difference.
“There are some who feel that way, but I still doubt any would put us all at risk to get rid of you. Few knew where you’d be today. Those involved with patrolling the perimeter all argued that they could keep us safe with you here,” he explained.
I nodded, but I still had my doubts.
“Laranissa has a lot of pull with several members of our community,” Pops added. “They don’t want to see her hurt.”
“I never understood her relationship with my father,” I remarked. “He loves her, though he’s not always goo
d at showing it. I always assumed she also loved him, but it makes more sense that it was just an assignment.”
“I wish that was the case,” Pops replied. “She was supposed to work at the disposal area so she could give us an accurate count of how many shapeshifters were dying and how they were killed. She was also to report back with details about the hunters. That’s how she met your father.”
“I didn’t know Laranissa had worked there.”
“She wasn’t there long,” he replied. “I never understood her feelings for your father, but she loves him. At least, she did. I’m not sure how much longer she plans to stay. She’s considering leaving after what happened with you.”
I nodded. “Her relationship with my father has been tenser these last few years. I’ve often wondered if there would be a breaking point. They’re both so different.”
“Yes, they are,” he agreed. “I once told her that hunters weren’t worth her love. She said I needed to see the warlock, not just the hunter. She admired your father’s decision to raise all of his children when their mothers didn’t want them.”
I felt sadness wash over me at the reminder that my father hadn’t always wanted me dead. My mother had never wanted anything to do with me, but my father had tried to be there for me.
He might not have done much to protect Serena from Nicolas, but none of us had. After Serena’s arrest, my father had argued for leniency and allowed her to move to our wing of the house when her parents turned their backs on her.
“My father is a complex warlock,” I stated.
“One who betrayed you,” Pops reminded me.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t see it that way. Back to the subject of someone possibly wanting to get rid of me. We can’t rule out that possibility. I never would have guessed my father would turn his back on me and push for my speedy execution. You can’t assume that circumstances won’t change how a person feels. For all we know, someone heard the demon hunters say they were looking for me. We just don’t know what might have happened.”
“You’re right,” Pops agreed. “I’ll look into it. If someone set you up, they’ll be dealt with.”
“I need to leave. Whether someone here betrayed me or dumb luck caused my run-in with the demon hunters, they’ll be back. After this encounter, there are going to be fewer spellcasters and demons who want me here.”
“Tell me everything you can about the demon hunters,” he prompted. “If you’re going to leave, then we’ll need to make sure you’re better prepared in case you run across them again.”
“I believe they’re using death magic. It may be a nonlethal type of blood magic, but it felt dark and powerful. They’re Azureans.”
“Azureans? Are you sure?”
“Almost positive,” I replied. “This means other Azureans will come looking for me. Hunters may be sent out here if they think I’ve met up with Juliet and the rebel shapeshifters hiding her.”
“Something tells me the demon hunters aren’t going to let many in Azuredale know they saw you,” he remarked. “If they captured you, they would have brought you back dead to avoid having you reveal anything about them. They won’t want anyone knowing they were out using dark magic to hunt demons. I think they’ll do anything to keep their hunting territory a secret.”
He had a good point.
“You’re probably right. We just have to worry about the demon hunters.”
“We’ll keep our people from traveling past the Black Mist until the demon hunters give up on finding you or another demon. If they make no progress, they’ll move on.”
“I’m sorry about this mess. You were safe until I came here.”
Pops let out a bark of laughter. “Safe? What makes you think we were safe? We engage in a lot of dangerous activities, and we all know the risks.”
“I still feel bad.”
“You should, but we need to do something more productive than place blame,” Pops stated. “I need to discuss this with the others on the leadership council so we can come up with a plan to deal with the demon hunters, and I’ll also bring up your suggestion that we may have a traitor, though I think that’s unlikely. While I’m gone, maybe you and your demon can come up with a good plan.”
After he left, Sin trotted into the room.
“I don’t suppose you want to change to your human form, so we can discuss how I’m going to get to Juliet, do you?”
She cocked her head to the side and stared at me.
“Fine,” I replied as I headed up to my room. “I’ll plan without you.”
It was time to find Juliet.
Chapter 14
I spent several hours trying to figure out the best way to leave without running into demon hunters. I’d had to wait for Pops to return to ask for maps since I wasn’t all that familiar with the area close to Reaper Ridge.
After he got the maps for me, I told him I was leaving the next morning, and the fight started.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he roared.
“I told you I was leaving,” I reminded him.
“Leaving tomorrow would be suicide,” Pops told me as he paced the room. “We need more time to plan, or you’ll end up dead or captured, and then all we did to rescue you will be a complete waste.”
“I’m grateful for your help,” I replied. “If it weren’t for you, I’d already be dead. My gratitude to you is part of the reason I’m eager to leave soon. I’ve put your people in even more danger. What did the others on your council say when they heard about the attack?”
He looked away and didn’t respond.
“They want me out. They want me to leave now.”
He nodded. “Yes, most want you to leave now. I got you another week here, but some aren’t happy about it. I convinced them that giving you more time to plan and train will make it safer for us.”
“Do you really think that, or are you just doing what you think Laranissa would want?”
“I’m not looking forward to Laranissa’s reaction when she hears I let you leave,” he admitted. “She’ll be even angrier if I let you go without any preparation, and I’m not sure she’ll forgive me if they bring your body back to Azuredale.”
“I don’t want her angry with you,” I assured him. “She knows me well enough that she’ll believe you when you tell her I insisted on leaving tomorrow.”
“My daughter isn’t the only reason I want you to wait,” he told me. “Give us a week to get you prepared. You can’t help your shapeshifter if you get killed.”
“I won’t be alone,” I replied. “Sin wants to go with me.”
“Why?” He sounded shocked. “Are you sleeping with her?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, it’s nothing like that. Well, I suppose she does end up on my bed some nights, but it’s just to sleep. She likes me, and she’s bored.”
“This is unexpected,” he mused. “I need to meet with the leadership council again. They’ll want to know that a demon has decided to travel with you, especially since she’s one of our original demons. I highly recommend you stay in the house until I get back.”
“Am I in danger here?” I asked. “Are people angry because of what happened today?”
“They’re skittish and worried that you might have drawn more attention to us,” he explained. “It would just be better if you stay out of sight until we have a better plan. Is there anything else I should know?”
“Nothing I can think of,” I replied.
“Are you going to agree to stay the extra week?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay one more week. You’re right about it being smart to train and plan more.”
“You aren’t as foolish as I was beginning to suspect,” he replied before heading out the front door again.
A week. I could wait one more week.
Chapter 15
Waiting a week to leave wasn’t easy.
Each day, the pull of my connection to Juliet grew stronger. I longed to be close to her, even if it
was just telepathically.
Though I wanted to ask Sin to arrange another dream meeting, I’d decided it was best if I didn’t after our encounter with the demon hunters. Any magic reaching outside of the area could be another beacon for them. I refused to risk the safety of those who’d helped me any more than I already had.
My impatience might have been harder to deal with had I not been so busy getting ready. We spent several hours mapping out the long path I’d take to get to Juliet. I didn’t know exactly where she was, so mostly I was trying to get close to where I’d been captured.
Since there were no vehicles to spare, I’d be traveling on foot. It would take me at least three days, and that was assuming I didn’t run into any problems that forced me to detour. We’d had to put all of the maps on paper since they couldn’t risk me being caught with one of their electronic devices.
The rest of my days were spent training. As a hunter, I was a pretty good fighter, but I learned a few new tricks from the witch in charge of security.
My encounter with the demon hunters had been my first with any spellcaster using death magic. I’d learned a few defensive spells against death and blood magic in Azuredale, so I wasn’t completely helpless. Since the demon hunters were from Azuredale, they were likely better prepared to defend themselves against Azurean spells.
I trained with two different spellcasters on various spells that worked against death magic. They’d also taught me a few other defensive spells and one that could temporarily cloak my magic. The last would come in handy when I needed to contact Juliet.
I’d still have to limit my telepathic communication in areas where I might encounter demon hunters. Thankfully, my maps also showed the places they’d been spotted.
It was finally time, and I felt surprisingly sad leaving Pops behind, even if I was also anxious to head out.
I had a pack with the necessities slung over my shoulder. Sin was on my left side in dog form while Pops was on my right as we walked toward the north end of the protected area, a spot where demon hunters had never been spotted. The terrain was rougher at that end, making my journey harder initially, but everyone agreed it was safest.