“It came back though,” Luna says, standing by my side. I have a feeling she’s the only thing keeping them from lashing out at me. Everyone respects Luna. “I hid. I was too afraid to face it.”
Karla blows out a frustrated breath, walking away in irritation. “If that’s what happened then we have nothing to go off of then. Did Mr. Black seem off last you saw him?”
Luna shakes her head. “He was the same man he’s always been. Nothing was out of the ordinary.”
“You don’t know,” says Gregory, lounging on the wall by the door. Though his stance is relaxed, his eyes are razor sharp. “You might have missed something. Or forgotten something in your shock.”
Luna stiffens indignantly. “I did not forget anything. If there’s anyone in this Guild who would know the second there’s something wrong with Mr. Black, it would be me. Trust me when I say, there was nothing out of the ordinary with him.”
“Which means whoever did this,” I say, “surprised him as well as it did us.”
“An attack on the Guild?”
“A possibility. And since we don’t have many possibilities, this particular one is one we’ll have to explore closely.”
“The only thing that would want to attack the Guild is a demon,” Leon spits. “There’s no other option.”
I know that as well as he does. I nod, schooling my features expertly. “Still a broad aspect to approach. Demons are everywhere. And there are millions of them. There’s no way to pinpoint who exactly is behind this. And,” I say before Karla can interject with her usual violent suggestions, “there’s no way we can wipe them all out. As of record, we’ve only managed to kill a hundred of them at once. Even if we top that, they can always be reborn. Slaughtering as many demons as possible isn’t the answer here. At least not yet. Our top priority is to find Mr. Black.”
I pick up the small slip of paper sitting atop the desk and slip it across the table to the others. They shuffle forward curiously. “Luna and I scoured the room before you all got here. This is the only thing I found that hints at anything.”
“‘Cut one head off, another will grow’” Ben reads. He’s been silent all this time, only watching me closely. “Hydra?”
“Alluding to it, yes. Do you all remember Natalia?”
At her name, almost everyone flinches. They aren’t expecting to hear her name, especially not here, especially not from me. “What about her?” Leon prods.
“The person who caused her death said the same thing as this. Whoever these people are, they want the destruction of demons.”
“Then why go after Mr. Black?” someone I don’t recognize asks.
“That, I don’t know. But it’s a start at least. We have a lead now, though it’s small.”
Leon nods at that. He straightens, shoulders pulled back, and nods again. “Understood, we’ll get right on it.”
I resist the urge to sigh. Here it comes. Sitting in his chair, conducting this short, urgent meeting. It only naturally follows that they’ll start treating me as if I’m stepping into Mr. Black’s shoes to lead in his absence. Now isn't’ the time to complain about that. “Okay, Leon, you’re in charge of organizing the teams. Find whatever you can on this and report to me as soon as you find something. That goes for all of you,” I say, eyes roving over the lot of them. Most of them nod, determination in the eyes. The rest stare at me with a mixture of skepticism and mistrust. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to be ordered around by someone like me either.
“Yes, ma’am,” Leon says and I almost outwardly cringe.
“Good. You guys may go now. Don’t let anyone in on your way out.”
They all nod, even Karla although she narrows her eyes at me first. Screw you too, I say mentally, watching her leave. Once the door closes to the chaos and noise outside, I swivel my chair – Mr. Black’s chair – to face the window behind me. Spotless, I notice.
“I’ll address them by conference within two hours,” I say to Luna.
“I’ll make the preparations.”
I nod at her, grateful that she’s here. I’m going to need someone who actually knows what the Hell she’s doing. Someone who knows how to sail this ship.
This time, I don’t hold back my sigh. Queen of Hell, leader of the Guild. There’s no way I’ll be able to do both.
Within the time it takes Luna to announce the conference, trepidation slices through me like a hot knife – and it doesn’t take a very long time. Luna tells me what to say, going over how I should project my voice, modulations, what the best words to use are. She reminds me not to let my anger get the best of me. Her words swirl around my head but nothing solid registers.
I’ve always been a fan of strong women. Women who have titles under their belt. Women who go head to head with male rivals and best them at anything. Women who know their strengths and know how to wield it. But no one will be able to top Luna. The way she bounces back, as if the fear, the tears, never happened at all. The way she’s counseling me instead of the other way around. The way she seemingly has everything under control despite the fact that our leader is missing and the Guild is close to shattering.
Funny how that all works. Mr. Black always preached self-efficiency. How to survive on your own with the least resources possible. It’s mandatory for the newbs, and if you can’t pass that, then you aren’t fit to become a hunter. But here we are, headless. Not able to function. Walking into walls, cursing whoever it was that cut our heads off, and waiting for the least qualified person to step up to the plate.
Of course, they’ll turn to me. Of course. As soon as Luna wiped her tears, and gave me that pointed look, I knew what she would say. And I agree because there’s no escaping it. I’m his daughter, his seed. It’s only fitting that I step to the fore, lead where my father cannot. And the thought makes me want to rip my hair out because they couldn’t have chosen a worst replacement. I’m not fit to lead anyone. I’m not even fit to take control of my own chaotic life. I’m a slave to my indecisive, restless thoughts. How do they expect me to take control of an entire Guild at the same time?
I sigh. Luna pauses, cocking her head to the side as she regards me. “Am I boring you?”
I blink at her. “No, of course not.”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
“Maybe half?” She looks at me, deadpan. I concede. “Alright, I didn’t hear much. I blanked out after you told me how I should dress.”
“I said, what you’re wearing is fine. Hunter gear inspires them. They’ll be more determined to carry out whatever order you give seeing you dressed like you’re willing to go to the ends to carry it out yourself.”
“I don’t think that’ll be very effective coming from me since I’m almost always in hunter gear.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she says with a shake of her head. “It does the job, subconsciously or not.”
“Alright.” I don’t plan to argue. In fact, thinking about it only gives me a headache. I glance at the clock on the nearby wall. “I have a half an hour before the conference.”
Luna lifts her chin a bit higher, expecting what I’m about to say. “I still have a few things we need to go over.”
“I get it, Luna, okay? Go before them, don’t smile, don’t laugh. Don’t do anything but say what I need to say. Tell them what the plan is and allocate tasks. Be the little Guild leader I’m expected to be because my father decided to get himself kidnapped. I get it. I understand.”
“A resentful tone isn’t going to be appreciated.”
I blow air out my nose in frustration. “Luna, I get it. Just … give me some time to process all of this. Please.”
She doesn’t answer straight away. She watches me, eyes indecipherable, clearly searching for something. After a few moments, she nods. “Okay. I’ll come back when it’s time for the conference.”
“Thank you.”
Luna nods and turns to leave. Before she’s out the room, she pauses, throwing another look over her shoulder. “He’s you
r father, Melody. He deserves your help.”
Nothing but a wave of ice comes over at me at her words. “He’s the Guild leader. He shouldn’t need help.”
Luna doesn’t say anything to that, she just makes her way out the room. When the door clicks shut, I sigh, but that does nothing but settle more weight over my shoulders. I swivel the chair to face the window where my father would stand and stare, lost in thought. Behind me, the mess he left behind remains untouched.
Then, I feel it. A flush over my skin, the hairs on my arm standing on end. I tense at the sensation, instantly thinking it’s the abductor coming back, coming to take the next of kin. But, once the familiar energy registers, I relax.
“That must have been how you managed to spy on the Western Cape Guild.”
In the corner of my eye I see Merlidon materialize out of nowhere with that same infernal smirk that screams trouble. I’m way too tired to face it. “Gotta love that brain of yours.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Came to check up on my favorite queen, what else could it be?”
I grit my teeth at the word. “Stop calling me that. I’m not your queen.”
Merlidon shrugs, coming to stand beside me. He stares at me a while longer, then turns to the window along with me, leaning against the desk. “I would press you on that, but judging by everything that went on here, I don’t think you’re in the right frame of mind. It isn’t fun when you don’t fight back.”
For a few moments, I don’t say anything, I just stare at him, at his ridiculously gorgeous face. I’m not surprised by the pull of attraction inside me the more I stare. “How long have you been here?”
“Since you found the woman.”
Somehow, I’m not surprised. Still, I sense the familiar tug of anger within me rivaling with the sexual tension in the air. Or maybe that’s just inside me. Not the time or place to be thinking of these things, and yet here I fucking am. “Lucifer couldn’t come himself?”
He doesn’t glance at me. I’m sure what I’m thinking is plain as day on my face, but he doesn’t face it, almost as if he’s avoiding it. Merlidon and Brotus will stay to help you with what you’ll need help with .To fulfill all the desires I don’t have the time to fulfill. Lucifer’s words ring loud and clear in my mind.
With the tension in my body, I can’t shake the thought that one night with the beauty before me won’t hurt. If there’s one thing that’d be guaranteed to relieve stress, it’d be sex.
I shake the thought away, knowing that this is neither the time or the place. As much as I’d like to turn around and run away, pretend that none of this is happening, I know that’s not how the story will play out.
“Otherwise occupied, that one,” Merlidon says pulling my thoughts back to the matter at hand. “So he sent me. All urgent and everything. Quite a pickle you’re in, Melody.”
“Something that doesn’t surprise you, I’m sure.”
“Not at all, actually. It isn’t hard to believe that a demon would go after the Guild. But like this? Against the head huncho himself? That’s ballsy.”
“Which shows this can’t possibly be a regular demon. Mr. Black is strong. He’s a damn good hunter. There’s no way normal, low ranking demons could have taken him down like this, even if they came in a cluster.”
“And low ranking demons wouldn’t have been able to get in and out so easily.” He points a long finger around the room. “No evidence of a break-in. No shattered window glass, no forced entry at the door, nothing. Whatever did this walked right in through the door.”
“Or teleported.” I look at him, noticing that his smile is gone. Thinking better than to carry on with my insults, I add “we aren’t ruling out people as well. It could have been a hunter or a member of the Guild.”
“Chances aren’t likely,” he says, though he nods. “But it’s worth looking into.”
I tap my fingers against the armrest, thinking. So far, there isn’t very much I can go on. The likely answer is that a demon is behind all this, but that takes me so far and no more. And the fact that we found that note? Right after Charmeine said the same thing to me before she died? There’s absolutely no way that’s a coincidence.
And if so, that means we might have angels to go up against.
“Are you okay?”
The question shocks me, so much so that my head whips toward him with lightning speed. I narrow my eyes at him, frowning. “Now isn’t a good time for your jokes, Merlidon.”
“I’m not joking.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “I only want to know if you’re okay.”
“Why?”
Something flickers in his eyes. I almost frown at it, but when he shrugs and says, “You mean something to us, Melody,” I feel a part of me soften.
He pulls me into his arms and reluctantly, I allow my head to steady against his chest.
“I’m fine,” I say, “No need to worry about me. You can tell Lucifer there’s no reason to keep checking up on me like this.”
Pulling back, Merlidon holds me at arm’s length. His eyes search mine for seconds that feel like hours. “You’re strong, Melody. There’s no questioning that. But sometimes, even the strongest of people need someone to lean on. You have more than just one someone to lean on. Promise me that if you ever need us –“
“If I ever need you - ” I say, leaving him to complete my thought.
After a deep breath, Merlidon drops his hands and steps away from me. His smile is back in place, but it doesn’t quite sit as firmly as it usually does.
“Tell Lucifer I’m okay,” I say. He nods and turns to make an exit, but I grab his arm before he’s able to leave. “Thanks for caring, Merlidon.”
“No need to thank me for something I can’t help.” He smiles and this time it lights up his face the way it usually does.
“Okay, then how about you thank me for the fact that you don’t have a hundred hunters on your ass for being here.”
“No need to thank you either,” he says confidently. “My glamour is stronger than any of your pathetic radars. They’ll never know when I’m around.”
“You’re not the only one with that skill, are you?” I ask, deep in thought.
“No, of course not. That ability isn’t particularly rare, you know. Anyone could do it. As long as it’s a high ranking demon, of course …” He straightens. “You don’t think …”
I nod at the look of realization in his eyes. “If it’s a demon, I’m willing to bet someone with that ability is who we’re looking for.”
9
The conference hall is jam packed, something I haven’t seen in a long time. Whenever Mr. Black called a conference, there would always be a number of hunters out on missions who couldn’t attend. Because of that, there were usually a few empty seats littered about the expansive room. Now, looking at it, I’m surprised the room is large enough to fit this many people in the first place.
The rows seem smaller somehow, packed with long legs and steaming under the haze of chatter. The seats descend towards me, putting me at the attention of everyone in the room, though I’m at the lowest possible level. Behind me, standing a little to the left, Luna has her hands clasped. Somehow, she managed to get rid of her red rimmed eyes and is the epitome of grace and professionalism as she regards the unsettled crowd.
I, on the other hand, am struggling not to bolt from the room.
It’s at times like this I wish I had my sword on hand. The item gives me strength whenever I need it. But the thin bladed extension of my arm is locked away in the war room, leaving me defenseless, with only Luna as protection. She’s the one who pushed me out here, all dressed up to calm the frayed nerves and restless hunters seeking fresh blood.
I clear my throat, but the noise in the hall doesn’t dim. Sitting smack in the center of the front row, I see Ben, who gives me an encouraging smile. It doesn’t do very much. “Hunters, may I have your attention.”
A few turn in my direction, and even fewer try to hus
h the ones talking around them, but the majority of them continue yammering away. I pick up snippets of conversation, not at all surprised that most of them are either cursing the existence of demons on a whole, or trying to figure out how they could have gotten in and taken their leader.
“Hey!” I bark this time. Most flinch visibly, but the noise dies down. “Will you all shut the fuck up so I can speak?”
“Melody,” comes Luna’s voice by my ear. How she got so close without me seeing or hearing her, I can’t fathom. “Remember what we spoke about.”
“Fuck that,” I tell her, loud enough so she doesn’t miss it.
I focus my eyes on the mass of hunters before me, feeling a thread of satisfaction go through me as I notice that I know have their attention.
“I’m not going to stand up here and sing for you like you’re all a bunch of bitches. That’s more Mr. Black’s style, not mine. And if you prefer that over this, then I suggest you listen up so we can get everything back to the way it should be. Mr. Black is gone.” I don’t wait long enough for the collective gasp to fully permeate the air. “Yes. He was taken. By who? We aren’t entirely sure. I went into his office a few short hours ago, and discovered that the place had been turned upside down. Luna was there. She heard the commotion, then was present in the room when whatever had taken Mr. Black came back. For now, we have no sweet fucking clue who the Hell is behind this, but I’m sure you’re all thinking the same thing as me.”
“Demons!” one person shouts. Answering roars of agreement raise into the air. I nod. Standing far to the back of the room, hidden within the shadows, glamored against the hunters, Merlidon grimaces. I ignore him as best as I can.
“That’s the only explanation we can go on for now,” I agree. “There is, however, one more thing. Something the attacker left behind. It’s a card.” I hold it up, and though there is no way they will be able to see what’s written on it, they all lean forward in unison. “It says: “Cut one head off, another will grow.”
Hunting Light: Hunter her Lovers (Demon Hunter Book 2) Page 6