Slaying Monsters for the Feeble: The Guild Codex: Demonized / Two

by Marie, Annette

  His tail snapped side to side. “The female hh’ainun said vampires are not strong.”

  “She did.” I winced as I pushed to my feet, fighting my squirming stomach as blood pooled across the broken tiles. “These vampires looked pretty strong.”

  The stairs creaked and I whirled around, stepping sharply backward and bumping into Zylas. Amalia peered around the corner, her face white.

  “Is it over?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Thanks for your help.”

  “Like I would’ve been of any use.” She sniffed, descending the last few steps. “Robin, did you hear what they said? They recognized you as ‘the niece.’”

  “Wait, as in Uncle Jack’s niece? How do they know Uncle Jack? Unless—”

  “Unless they’re also looking for my dad. There was a vampire at our house too. They’re searching for him. They beat us here and—”

  I glanced at the sledgehammer. “They searched this house for clues about Uncle Jack’s location, just like we wanted to. But what would vampires want with a demon summoner?”

  “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “But there’s a real good chance they might find my dad before we do.”

  * * *

  Perched on a stool at the Crow and Hammer’s bar, I sipped my glass of water. Why did it feel like we were further from finding Uncle Jack and the Athanas Grimoire than when we’d started?

  Uncle Jack’s disappearance. My mother’s letter and the unknown danger she’d feared. Claude, who was missing as well, and his illegal demon. And now vampires.

  Vampires. It didn’t make any sense.

  Zylas was, in my biased opinion, nearly unstoppable. With his speed, the only opponents who presented a real threat were unbound demons like him, and even if an enemy could neutralize that advantage, Zylas had demonic strength that far outstripped any human’s.

  But what happened if Zylas’s adversaries were almost as fast and almost as strong as he was?

  That was a big problem, especially if they outnumbered him. As he’d shown at the townhouse, his magic could tip the scales, but he had to be very careful about using it. If anyone witnessed his magic, it would mean a death sentence for us both.

  I pulled my glasses off and rubbed my face.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  Lowering my hands, I peeked at the bartender. I’d seen him before—a tall, thin man in his late twenties with dyed black hair that hung over one side of his face, hiding one dark-lined eye. He smiled in a friendly way as he set a bowl of limes beside his station.

  “I’m Ramsey,” he added.

  I blushed as I slid my glasses back on. “Sorry. I couldn’t remember.”

  “I figured,” he replied good-naturedly. He picked up a knife and sliced a lime in half. “Don’t worry about it. You have lots of new names to learn.”

  “Are you the bartender?” I asked hesitantly. “Or is Tori …?”

  “Tori is the all-mighty overlord of the bar. I’m just the cook.”

  “Overlady,” I corrected with a shy smile.

  “That too.” He chopped a few more limes. “She’s off for Christmas. Went to Vancouver Island with the guys, so Cooper, Clara, and I are taking turns covering the bar for the next two weeks.”

  Tori was gone? Well, that was one less thing to worry about, though I couldn’t help but feel a prickle of disappointment too. She might be alarmingly suspicious of me, but she’d also defended me from other guild members.

  My mind turned to the paper folded in my pocket. I wanted to ask about Ezra Rowe, the mage from Claude’s printout, but I needed to be careful. “How long has Tori been a member here?”

  “Six months—wait, no, seven. She’s the next newest member besides you and Amalia.”

  “What about the three mages? How long have they been members?”

  “Aaron and Kai, almost seven years now, I think. Ezra, not as long. He—”

  A bell jingled as the pub door opened and closed. Outside, rain fell in fitful sheets, whipped sideways by the wind.

  “Hey!” Ramsey greeted the new arrival. “How’s it going?”

  Zora swung onto the stool beside me and unzipped her rain-splattered coat. “The weather is a nightmare today.”

  “It’s December, so that’s nothing new.”

  She scrubbed her short hair, making the damp locks stand on end. “Hey Robin.”

  “Hi Zora,” I murmured, nervousness lightening my stomach.

  “Want anything, Zora?” When she shook her head, Ramsey scooped his halved limes into the bowl. “I need to juice these suckers. Holler if you change your mind.”

  He pushed through the saloon doors behind the bar, leaving Zora and me alone. The pub was empty, too late for lunch and too early for dinner. I swirled my straw through the ice in my glass, wishing Amalia were here to do the talking.

  “So.” Zora planted her elbow on the bar and faced me, her brown eyes bright with curiosity. “What can I help you with?”

  I forced a smile, trying not to look terrified. After my vampire encounter this morning, I’d looked up her number in the guild directory and asked her to meet me. Now that she was here, I didn’t know how to broach the topic.

  “I, uh, well … I have questions about … vampires.”

  She blinked, then laughed. “I was expecting something more urgent.”

  I cringed. “Sorry, but—I mean—yes, it kind of is. I think vampires are involved in the Demonica rumor I’m … investigating.”

  It felt weird to describe my fumbling search as an investigation.

  “Oh, hmm. Now that’s interesting. What makes you suspect vampires?”

  “Well, the, um …” I pulled myself together, shrugging off my nervousness. Amalia and I had gone over what we would reveal. I knew what to say. “The house I was searching on Sunday is the location where the unbound demon on Halloween was summoned. You uncovered a vampire on the neighboring property.”

  She nodded slowly.

  “A clue Amalia and I found there led us to another address, where three more vampires attacked us.”

  “Three? You handled them all right with your demon?”

  “Yes, but they were much faster and stronger than we expected. And more … human.”

  “Their mental competency depends on what stage of the transformation they’re in. Over time, their humanity erodes until you get beasts like the one we tagged. Until then, they can pass as human, though the scent or sight of blood can send them into a frenzy.”

  I described how the vampires had searched the house and stolen Claude’s computer and documents. “Do you know why vampires would be interested in a demon summoner?”

  “Hmm.” She crossed her legs at the knee. “How familiar are you with the process of vampirization?”

  “Uh … all I know is vampires are created by parasitic fae spirits that infect people.”

  I’d never seen a fae, but I’d read about them. Any story about the elusive creatures, who existed somewhere between our world and their own demesne, was an automatic favorite for me; they were so fascinating and mysterious, as were the Spiritalis mythics who dealt with them.

  The fae we were talking about right now, however, were an unpleasant subset. They were spirits that preferred human hosts—which wasn’t a good thing for the human.

  “A newly infected person,” Zora explained, “what we call a new vamp, usually has no idea what happened to them. The spirit will drive them to start biting victims, but they can control the blood cravings and continue on with their lives for a while—months or sometimes years, depending on the person.

  “Eventually, the new vamp can’t keep up the act anymore and they have to ditch their regular life. They usually join a nest. Safety in numbers, right? Nested vampires hunt nightly and hide during the day. They can blend in with the masses, usually to make hunting easier, and they’ll live like that for a long time. Old vamps are easy to find and exterminate because they’ve lost all ability to reason, but nested vamps are problematic. Har
d to identify, difficult to catch.”

  “Do you think the ones I fought this morning were nested vampires?”

  “I guarantee it. Thing is … their behavior is weird. Going out during the day, for starters. They’re weaker in daylight. Why take that risk? But what really bothers me is their methodical search of the house. Nested vamps care about three things: survival, comfort, and their next blood fix. They aren’t long-term thinkers.”

  I shifted in my chair. “So you don’t know why they’d be involved in Demonica?”

  She braced her elbows on the bar, hands fisted under her chin. “This is the weirdest occurrence yet in a string of weird vampire occurrences over the last four or five weeks. I’ve never been as busy with exterminations as I have this past month. Increased vampire activity throughout downtown, and way more new vamps than I’ve ever seen before.” Her expression closed. “I really hate exterminating new vamps.”

  “Do vampires have any interest in … money?”

  “Money?”

  “Like, acquiring something very valuable to sell.”

  She gave me an odd look. “Nested vampires are still human enough to see a profitable opportunity and take it, but like I said, I’ve never known them to plan more than a few days in advance.”

  Searching for Uncle Jack in order to claim the Athanas Grimoire and sell it was a lot of steps to take for creatures that didn’t plan ahead.

  “Clearly, there’s something interesting happening.” Zora’s eyes flashed with excitement. “I think it might be time to go scouting.”

  Interesting was not the word I’d choose. “What do you mean, scouting?”

  “There are only so many places where a large vampire nest can settle in for an extended stay. The guilds around here routinely flush them out, but I think we might be overdue for the next round. You in?”

  “In? In for what?”

  “In for some vampire hunting!” She grinned like she’d just offered me a basket of delicious goodies. “You and your demon are more than a match for a few bloodsuckers.”

  “Uh …”

  She laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get a good team together. Do you have a champion?”

  I’d told the Grand Grimoire that Amalia was my champion, but we’d abandoned that farce when we joined the Crow and Hammer. “No …”

  “I’ve never championed for a contractor before. We can partner up.”

  “But—” My shoulders drooped at her eager expression. “Sure. That’d be great.”

  “Awesome. I’ll schedule a team and send you a message with the details.” She hopped to her feet. “A contractor on a vamp hunt! I can’t wait to see you in action.”

  I grabbed her wrist as she stepped away. “Zora, I’m not—”

  With a flash of chagrin, I cut myself off. How could I tell her I wasn’t combat experienced? She’d never believe it, especially since Zylas and I were semi-famous now for killing the unbound demon on Halloween.

  My hand slipped off her arm and I smiled weakly. “Keep me posted.”

  “You bet.” She strolled across the bar, calling a loud farewell to Ramsey on her way out.

  I slumped in despair. Vampires like that first one? Sure, no problem. Or even like the second one. We could handle that.

  But what if we found an entire nest of super-strong, super-fast vampires like the last two?

  I puffed out a breath. Did I really have a choice? If I didn’t go, I’d have no chance of finding out why the vampires were searching for Uncle Jack—and no chance to stop them from reaching my uncle, and my grimoire, before I did.

  Chapter Nine

  “There’s a good kitty,” I cooed. “This is a yummy treat.”

  The black kitten cautiously stretched her neck out, whiskers twitching as she sniffed intently. She inched toward the morsel of deli chicken I held between the bars and her pink tongue poked out, licking it.

  “Good girl, Socks.”

  She licked more enthusiastically, then pulled the chicken from my fingers and gobbled it down. Smiling, I ripped off another strip and stuck it through the bars. Bite by bite, I coaxed her to eat the entire slice. I breathed a happy sigh as she licked her chops and looked up with eager green eyes.

  “That’s all for now,” I told her. “You don’t want a tummy ache.”

  Her stare grew reproachful, and she mewed sadly as I swung a light blanket over the crate, enclosing her for the night. Between the vampire attack and my meeting with Zora, I hadn’t had a chance to take her to the shelter. I’d do it first thing tomorrow.

  Stifling a yawn, I tugged my tank top down, cotton shorts hugging my hips. The mattress creaked as I crawled into the middle, flipped the blankets over myself, and leaned back into my pillow.

  My bedroom door opened. Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness as Zylas crossed to my bed and stopped beside it, towering over me.

  He’d been quiet this evening. No bullying Amalia, tormenting Socks, or antagonizing me. I wasn’t sure what to make of his mood, but I was too tired to worry about it.

  “Going out tonight?” I asked drowsily.

  “Var.”

  We’d arranged this compromise only a couple of weeks ago. Prior to being summoned to Earth and imprisoned in a ten-foot circle, Zylas had enjoyed a life of comparative freedom. Spending every day trapped inside an apartment or contained inside the infernus had been driving him mad—and he, in turn, had been driving me and Amalia mad.

  After a full day of debate, we’d decided he would remain with me at all times, either in the apartment if I was home or in the infernus if I wasn’t home, except when I slept. At night, he could explore the neighborhood—on the condition that he was never seen, entered no buildings, and interacted with no one.

  Letting a demon loose in the city caused me daily indigestion, but I wasn’t that worried about what he got up to on his own. He understood the consequences of causing trouble.

  “Zora texted me,” I murmured, eyes drifting closed. “She’s organizing a vampire hunt for tomorrow evening.”

  “These vampires, don’t they prefer night?”

  “Yeah, but she’s the expert. I’m sure she has a reason.” I forced my tired eyes open. “Should we back out?”

  His face was a shadow in the darkness, his silhouette broken only by his softly glowing eyes.

  “I’m worried,” I confessed. “The vampires this morning gave you a lot of trouble. If we hunt them at night, when they’re even stronger, and you can’t use magic …”

  The mattress dipped as he sat on it. “I am not helpless like you, drādah. I know how they fight now.”

  “Dray-da? What does that mean?”

  The faint light from my window caught on his teeth as he smirked. Damn it. He wasn’t going to tell me. I scowled at him.

  He thumped a hand against my thigh under the blanket, making me jump. “You are weak.”

  My scowl deepened and I rolled onto my side, putting my back to the demon.

  “You are slow and easy to scare. When you see hunters, you scream and fall down.”

  “Yes, thank you,” I ground out through clenched teeth, burrowing my head into my pillow. “And I’m helpless and stupid, too. You don’t need to keep reminding me.”

  The mattress bounced as he shifted his weight. I expected him to get up and head for my window, but the bed dipped again. Glowing eyes appeared as he leaned over me, his face six inches from mine.

  “Zylas!” I exclaimed, lurching onto my back. “Would you—”

  I broke off. By rolling onto my back, I’d put myself directly under him as he braced himself on one elbow.

  “You are bad prey,” he said decisively, his quiet voice too close for comfort.

  “Can you lay off the insults for two minutes?”

  He leaned down even more, his warm breath tickling my cheek. “Listen, drādah. I am telling you an important thing.”

  “Get off my bed.”

  A moment of silence—then he pushed up. Instead of sliding off the bed, h
e swung a leg over me and sat on my hips, pinning me with only the blanket between our bodies. My eyes bulged.

  “Zylas, get off—”

  His hand closed over my mouth. I went rigid, adrenaline stinging my nerves. Trapped under his weight, desperately aware of his strength, I sucked in air through my nose.

  Don’t make me use the infernus command, I warned.

  “You are not listening, drādah.”

  I made an angry noise against his hand. This is not making me want to listen!

  “You must listen anyway.”

  Hesitating in the midst of wrenching my arms free from the blankets, I peered up at his shadowed face, wishing I could see his expression. He sounded … unusually serious.

  “When you are scared, you scream and fall. I watched you. You do not evade your hunter. You do all the wrong things.”

  My temper flared again. Why did he keep pointing that out? I knew I was useless in a fight.

  Either he saw the anger on my face or heard it in my thoughts, but his hand tightened over my mouth, his warm fingers pressing into my cheeks. It didn’t hurt, his touch firm but careful. I grabbed his wrist and tried to pry his hand off anyway.

  “Against many enemies, I cannot be beside you every moment. You will be in danger.”

  My defensive anger faltered. What are you saying?

  He lifted his hand from my face, my fingers wrapped around his wrist. “You must learn differently before we hunt the vampires.”

  “Learn differently? I don’t understand.”

  He stared down at me, silence stretching through the room—then he heaved a long-suffering sigh. “I will teach you.”

  My hand reflexively squeezed his wrist. He was going to teach me, the stupid human, something from that mysterious demonic brain of his?

  I angled my head, face scrunched with suspicion. “Teach me what, exactly?”

  His weight pressed into my hips and then his face was inches from mine. His glowing eyes filled my vision, blocking out everything else.

  “I will teach you how to be drādah ahktallis.”

  My breath locked inside my chest as I pressed back into my pillow. “How to be what?”