“Yeah, but why not cover Murkowski’s, too?” I asked. A small finch landed on my shoulder, tickling me with its tiny little bird feet. Yup. I was officially in love with the bird, too.
The summoner frowned. “A good question. Has the Arbiter reviewed video and demon surveillance?”
“Arbiter?” Lacey cocked her head to the side.
“One of the boss’s titles,” I said. “I just found out last night. Hannah’s apparently ‘The Intercessor.’ Fill you in later.”
Lacey shook her head and rolled her eyes. “They never tell us anything.”
“Don’t I know it.” Turning back to the summoner—I should really get his name, possibly his number—I answered his question. “He’s reviewing the video now, I think. Not sure about the demon surveillance.”
The summoner put a couple of fingers in his mouth and whistled. One of the other hollows in the ugly tree glowed as a creature emerged, its golden fur sleek and glowing in the sunlight. Roughly the size of a lion, the beast looked more like an oversize greyhound with a thicker coat and—
“You have a dog with wings?” Lacey said, gasping in awe.
“I want one.” I marveled at its graceful lines and gorgeous eyes filled with otherworldly cunning. I’d seen a few animals from the hell realm, mostly vermin on the order of the gremlins Lacey had captured the night before, but never anything as elegant and powerful. This beautiful creature must’ve been what Murkowski heard. Anything that big could produce a growl of epic proportions.
It also explained the “hellhound” sightings.
The summoner chuckled. “Archimedes is a cadejo. He’s an excellent tracker, and he helps me guard the portal.”
“Where was he the night Mephisto showed up last?” Lacey asked.
I hated to play bad cop, bad cop, but Lacey had a point. “Or the night Mephisto came from the hell realm in the first place, assuming he came through this portal.”
The summoner dropped his gaze as if sad or possibly ashamed. “Archimedes was ill. I thought perhaps he’d eaten something that disagreed with him—sometimes species differences give visitors from the hell realm indigestion—but now I think perhaps it was deliberate.”
My blood boiled at the thought. “Poison? What makes you think so?”
He shrugged. “He didn’t recover within a day after the symptoms hit. Most of the time it only takes a half a day. I was worried. I gave him a potion from the hell realm. One of the regulars who uses this portal brings me supplies for him. It still took three days, but he pulled through.”
“Bastard,” I muttered. Animal cruelty was inexcusable as far as I was concerned.
“I agree,” he said, giving the amazing creature a scratch behind his ears. “I’ll send Archimedes out to scent the area for traces of demon linked to human. If we find anything, I’ll send word.”
“Awesome. Can I have a cadejo?” I asked.
“No.” The summoner frowned. Again. He was much prettier when he smiled. “They’re not pets, not in the same sense as earth realm pets.”
“But he hangs out with you. You give him meds. Do you feed him?”
“Yes,” he said, lips twitching.
Ah-ha. I was totally going to win this. “Do you walk him?”
He fought a grin, blue eyes alight with amusement. “We patrol together, but that’s strictly professional.”
Damn it. That was a point for Dr. Doolittle, but I wasn’t finished yet. “Do you give him baths and scoop his poop?”
He finally gave in and grinned again. It made him look almost sane. Maybe he wasn’t crazy. Maybe he was simply feral. A wild beast among wild beasts, at home in his element. But surely he had a home somewhere. I’d have to find out so I could send him a thank-you note.
I was nice like that and would never dream of breaking in and stealing his cadejo.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, grin still in place. Archimedes sauntered over and licked his hand. Doolittle was such a liar. This hell realm pup was totally his pet.
Crestfallen but not completely defeated, I gave it one more try. “Fine, but if one ever comes up for adoption at the hell realm shelter, keep me in mind.” I pulled out a business card and handed it to him. He looked at it and then examined me with wide eyes.
“You should get going, Jinx McGee. You have a case to solve and less than five days to do it.”
My jaw dropped. Seriously? Did everybody know I made a deal with the boss?
Lacey patted my shoulder. “Your roomies put it all over the message boards. You’re famous in our circles.”
I pouted. “I thought I was already famous for table dancing at the annual Yule party.” I’d wowed the whole gang with my mad skills and had the video to prove it, too. Perhaps I needed a repeat performance at tonight’s staff meeting.
“Okay, well, thanks for your cooperation, Mr.…”
“I’m Cooper.” He grinned again. The man’s grin was almost as enticing as his ass.
“First or last name?” I teased, pulling out my pad and pen to record the facts. I was on a case, after all.
“Just Cooper. If you need anything, send your sigil on the wind.”
“Can’t I just text?” I asked, hopeful.
He put his hands out and gestured to the area. “Sorry. No signal out here. Send your sigil, and I’ll get a message to you.”
“Via cadejo?” A girl could hope.
Lacey picked up my file, grabbed me by the arm, and started dragging me away from the clearing, much to Cooper’s amusement. I cast a last longing glance at Archimedes and his companion. He grinned wider and waved.
“Good luck, Jinx McGee. I hope you don’t die.”
That makes two of us, buddy.
After sending Lacey off to check on video footage from the Warner Park portal, I sent a text to Boice and Roice promising a slow and painful death to the brother who’d spread the word about my unfortunate situation. They’d even started an online betting pool. The odds of my death were about ten to one. So much for the vote of confidence.
They sent a message back asking if I wanted in on the betting pool. How thoughtful. I declined on the grounds that it represented a conflict of interest, which seemed to confuse them. Demons…
I asked them to get an update from Trinity on the boss’s book—how much she’d translated and if she’d found anything useful. Then I sent a message to Alexi asking him to bring some vodka to the meeting. At a loss for what else to do, I stopped at a local coffee shop for a pick-me-up—after I located my car—and sent a text to D.
* * *
Did you know there’s a betting pool on my death?
* * *
I took a sip of the most delicious chai latte I’d ever tasted, savoring it as if it were my last. Of course, it could be, but I decided to focus on the positives. We’d identified the portal, and we had a lead on the messenger demon’s broker. Great progress for the first day.
Speaking of…
* * *
Did you find the summoner? We know which portal he used.
* * *
He texted back immediately.
* * *
Yes. I’ve been questioning him since this morning.
* * *
Well, well, well. Looked like I picked the right muscle for the old interrogation job. D might’ve been an unreliable friend/almost boyfriend, but he was turning out to be a pretty good errand boy and hired thug. Now if he could only get me a cadejo. I texted back.
* * *
Don’t keep me in suspense.
* * *
He didn’t send me a message right away. Apparently, he liked suspense, the bastard. I took another sip of the warm and delicious beverage while checking my email. The damages for Murkowski’s medical care weren’t as bad as I thought. I’d be able to eat out at least twice a week until payday. My roomies would have to bail me out for the other days. Or cook for me.
I typed another message.
* * *
Hello? It’s only my
life and soul we’re talking about, and my family. But by all means, take your time.
* * *
He sent a photo. I wasn’t sure I recognized the summoner, but that could’ve been the bruising. And the split lip. I knew D was capable of brute force. He’d taken care of more than a few bullies in our youth—not to mention would-be attackers who thought they’d take advantage of a young, beautiful boy out roaming the streets after dark—but as a demon in his full powers, he also had more creative tools at his disposal. Judging from the look on the summoner’s face, D had also included more metaphysical means of persuasion.
It wasn’t pretty, but few things about illegal demon activity were. I only hoped D hadn’t scrambled the guy’s marbles before getting the info we needed.
* * *
He confirmed the message was from Belial and that he was supposed to send you and Hannah back through the portal with Mephisto. Claims Mephisto didn’t show for their scheduled rendezvous. He hasn’t seen the demon since.
* * *
Wow, D had the summoner singing like a canary and turning on his demon master? The summoner had probably signed his own death warrant, assuming D didn’t kill him first. I swallowed hard, wondering how to broach the subject of the summoner’s immediate future—assuming he had one.
* * *
He’ll live. He’s lucky I found him before Mephisto did. Demons hate loose ends.
* * *
I breathed an audible sigh of relief. D knew me a little too well, knew I’d been worried about how far he would take things. Of course, I had good reason. But he was older now, more in control of his strength and powers, more confident. It had taken brass balls to stand up to the boss on my behalf.
It took brass balls to stick around after the welcome I’d given him.
I fired off another text.
* * *
Okay. See what you can find out about his accomplices, especially a female summoner or demon who might have helped broker the deal with Murkowski. You can tell me all about it at the staff meeting tonight.
* * *
I sat staring at the phone, giddy with anticipation as I waited for the response he was typing. Pathetic.
I was such a fool.
He replied shortly after my heart took off at a sprint.
* * *
I don’t interrogate human females. You and your colleagues will have to handle that. We’re still on for midnight, right?
* * *
That was an odd code of chivalry for a demon. Most demons had no qualms about attacking women or females of their own species, a fact the boss had brutally reinforced last night with Mara and with me. I couldn’t decide whether it was pro- or antifeminist. Instead, I focused on the warm fuzzies that filled my soul at the prospect of my midnight rendezvous with Dominic. I had to stay cool, though. Just because I was on top of the world, the roller coaster that got me there would inevitably come crashing down at breakneck speed.
Yup. Definitely needed to play it cool. Keep things professional. Make him squirm as much as I was. I sent another text.
* * *
Fine, but you still have to attend the staff meeting. Staff meetings are mandatory.
* * *
Oh, yeah, buddy. I was the boss of him, and he’d better show up at this important gathering of demon hunters for strategic planning over tequila shots and tacos. I was an awesome manager. I’d just have to remind Roice to order tacos.
I had the tequila covered.
Still no reply. I clearly needed to turn up the heat, crack the whip, and make sure he knew exactly with whom he was dealing.
* * *
I should probably tell you that failure to attend mandatory staff meetings could result in severe punishment and loss of taco and tequila privileges.
* * *
I waited, chewing on my nails and contemplating all the ways I could punish D severely. I’d need one of those leather corsets and a riding crop. Possibly spurs. I’d just started surfing online sex shops when a text alert sounded, setting my little heart all aflutter.
* * *
You can punish me all you like, but can you handle all I like?
* * *
Holy hotness, Batman. I practically jumped up from my seat and did a happy dance. Scratch that—I did jump out of my seat to do a happy dance, earning more than a few raised eyebrows and strange looks. I’d have to take it down a notch. Before I grabbed my bag and got ready to leave, I fired off another text to D. Two little words full of promise and hope.
* * *
Game. On.
Chapter Fourteen
The heavenly scents of tacos and queso wafted from my penthouse, which was probably why Alexi arrived first. I totally understood. Tacos rocked. Plus he was a big guy with an appetite to match.
He knocked and stood at a polite distance from the door, head down, feet shuffling, waiting for me to ask him to in.
“Are we going to do this every time?” I asked, stepping aside so he could walk right in without a gold-embossed invitation.
A shadow of a smile crossed his face. How anyone that big and burly could be so timid was beyond me, but then again, the Russian import had issues. Worse, they were daddy issues. He’d inherited his demon from his Russian mob boss father, and it manifested as a wolf, which pretty much explained the whole werewolf myth. It gave him enhanced senses, speed, and strength, which he used to subdue demons.
And sniff out tacos.
The man was built like a linebacker but had the golden hair and chiseled features of a male model. Too bad he’d missed his chance to play college or pro. He was good and could have earned a scholarship, but a jealous teammate had goaded him on the field out of spite. Alexi had accidentally injured the guy during a high school state championship game, and it had completely crushed his spirit. Worse, his teammates were too scared to play or practice with him after the incident. It sucked big time.
“Jinx, you know my rule. I do not enter where I am not welcome,” he said in his deep, accented voice, and I struggled not to giggle. Or melt. I had a thing for accents.
“I thought that only worked for vampires.” I loved teasing the big marshmallow of a man. With a low bow, I said, “Enter freely and of your own will.”
He chuckled and ducked as he came through the door, case of vodka in hand—his own creation, distilled to perfection and infused with an eclectic variety of sweet and savory flavors. I called dibs on the caramel batch and set him to bartending duty. Lacey came in next and sat down beside Mara. Those two had really hit it off. My roomies took their sweet ass time getting offline, but since they’d come through with the food, I forgave them. The boys lined our conference/goody table with baskets of chips interspersed with tiny bowls of fresh salsa and delectable queso. We’d snack on those before visiting the taco bar and hitting the booze.
Trinity arrived next, curls bouncing as she walked in like a boss in jeans and a T-shirt that read, “Black Girl Magic.” In her case, it was literally true. She held the boss’s book, Compiled Grimoires of the Wicked and Wise, in one hand and a plastic container filled with fresh guacamole in the other. It was official. She was my favorite teammate. She sat down, adjusted her glasses, and called the meeting to order. “Are we ready to get started?”
“Not yet.” I hated to do it. She was better at calling meetings to order, and running meetings, and scheduling meetings—she really should be our manager. She was way better than me, except on the entertainment front. “We’re waiting on the newest member of Demon Trackers R Us to arrive.”
Mara and Lacey sighed in unison. Alexi’s brows shot up, and Trinity pushed her glasses up her nose and steepled her fingers beneath her chin. “We have a new team member?” Her voice went a bit higher. She hated surprises.
Roice smirked. “You haven’t heard? Jinx has less than five days and counting to find out who let a messenger demon lord through an unsecured portal and stop a demon lord from coming to earth from the hell realm. She needs all the help she can get.�
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Roice wore an army-green T-shirt that read, “I’m not always rude and sarcastic. Sometimes I’m asleep.” I’d have to steal that one, too.
“I know that.” Trinity gave him the side eye and heaved an impatient sigh. “What I don’t know is why we have a new team member and who that team member is.”
Boice flashed a smirk that matched his brother’s—nothing like getting it in stereo—and said, “He’s a consultant brought in from HQ. We’ve never tracked a demon lord, so they figured we needed backup. Or cleanup if we screw up. Oh, and he’s also Jinx’s ex.”
That little shit. Of course he’d blab everything he knew. Tonight’s T-shirt read, “In my defense, I was left unsupervised.” How apropos.
“He’s not my ex,” I said, exasperated. “That would imply we dated. It didn’t get that far.” My demon bristled, too. What bug had crawled up her butt all of a sudden? I tried to subdue her with a few whispered incantations into my black mirror, but she still suffused my being with that strange mixture of anger, longing, and fear that had my head spinning and made my limbs twitch.
That was so embarrassing.
I reached for a shot glass and filled it with high-quality tequila purchased on my demon boss’s tab, hoping the twin demons of technology and gossip would let it go. If my neck was on the line, I was for damned sure enjoying booze. I also hoped it would subdue my demon, or at the very least render my limbs less susceptible to Hannah’s agitation.
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