Minor Magics: The Demon Code

by Sara C. Roethle

  Great. Our last lead gone. “It was probably for the best. Who knows what he might have been capable of?”

  “If he was so capable, why did he run?”

  My thoughts halted. “Good question. Either he’s low on the demon power scale, or he wanted to avoid confrontation . . . although Audrey claimed he was powerful.”

  “And we trust her judgement?” he asked.

  “Nope. Hold on.”

  The car reached the end of the road leading out onto the highway. Lucy looked to me.

  I gestured for her to keep going. We could question the innkeeper another day. For now, we were much more likely to find a lead speaking with the Demon Council.

  “We’ll head back to Devin’s,” I decided aloud, the phone still pressed to my ear. “Meet us there?”

  “Sure,” he replied, then hung up.

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. Jason used to be so polite over the phone. Devin was having a negative effect on him. Or maybe I was the negative effect, but I wasn’t about to dwell on it.

  I set the phone in my lap. “Back to the innkeeper, I don’t know what she is, or why she’d want to cover her scent, but I think we should ask Devin before we interrogate her. He may already know of her existence.”

  With a nod, Lucy flipped on her headlights, then changed lanes as we neared our exit.

  I stared out at the oncoming darkness. We’d wasted an entire day, and we weren’t any closer to figuring out who really killed Sam. Our only lead had been kidnapped. If she was taken by the Council, there was little chance of me reaching her.

  “Take the next exit!” I gasped.

  “What?” Lucy questioned.

  “Next exit!”

  Lucy swerved off just in time. I wasn’t positive the SUV I’d spotted was the same one the demon had taken off in, but it sure looked like it.

  Chase leaned forward, having obviously reached the same conclusion. “Slow down, we don’t want him to notice us.”

  Lucy eased on the brakes as we took the offramp onto a street passing under the highway. She took a right, then pulled into the run-down gas station where the SUV was parked. The place had been deserted for a while. It wouldn’t take long for the demon to realize it was us.

  Our headlights hit his SUV, illuminating the demon’s black hoodie as he leaned against the driver’s side door. Stepping away from the door, he lowered a cell phone from his ear.

  “Stay inside,” I ordered, quickly undoing my seatbelt before opening my door and stepping out.

  I approached the man in the hoodie, who was yet to make a move.

  I sighed as another door opened behind me, then Chase was at my side, staring at the man before us.

  He was of Asian decent, my guess would be Korean, tall and lanky with short hair. He could have easily been the first guy I saw at the warehouse. The hoodie looked the same, and his build was about right. So what was he doing there, and now up here?

  “Where’s Nix?” I demanded.

  He smirked. “You’re always just a little too late, aren’t you?” He stuck a hand into his hoodie pocket, then withdrew a black sphere.

  “Aw crap.” I summoned a fireball into my hand, but I was too late. The sphere hit the asphalt, erupting into a cloud of black smoke.

  When the smoke cleared, the demon was gone.

  Footsteps signaled Lucy walking up behind us. Didn’t anyone listen to directions these days?

  “That was one of the Demon Council travel spheres,” I observed.

  “So he was either part of the Council . . . ” Chase trailed off.

  “Or he was one of the jerks that reached the warehouse just before we got to go inside,” I finished for him. “The one I spotted was about his height, and wearing a black hoodie.”

  Lucy stepped forward, observing the broken shards of black glass on the asphalt. “If he wasn’t part of the Council, then why would he want Nix?”

  “Good question,” I glanced over his abandoned vehicle. We’d need to search it, but I wasn’t hopeful about finding anything of use. We could wait to see if anyone came back for it, but there was no saying how long that might take.

  “So what do we do next?” Lucy pressed.

  I turned my gaze to Chase, meeting his worried gray eyes. We both knew the next logical step to take.

  “We talk to the Demon Council,” I answered. “If they really want me to work for the wolves, and by extension them, then maybe they’ll want to do me a favor.”

  Chase continued to watch me. There was one other thing we both knew. I’d broken Demon Law quite a few times in the past. I was pretty sure I’d gotten away with certain things because the Council found me more useful alive than dead, but it was still a bad idea to come fully onto their radar . . . if I wasn’t there already.

  Chapter Nine

  The moon was high in the sky by the time we pulled up to Devin’s. It had been a disgustingly long day, but I had a feeling we were just getting started. Jason and Devin were both waiting by the front door as we parked, and approached the vehicle before we could all climb out.

  Devin reached me first, ire flickering in his blue eyes. He blocked my way before I could walk past him. “What the hell made you think it was a good idea to visit the witches?”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Well someone had to tell us who the bloody knife in my pocket belonged to.”

  Devin rolled his eyes, then spared a nod of greeting for Chase. “Did you call the Council yet? I’ll not have them coming after me for neglecting to relay the message.”

  My mouth formed an ‘oh’ of surprise. I’d completely forgotten about the number burning a hole in my back pocket. I was just going to go down to the underground to contact them.

  His gaze narrowed. “Call them now.”

  I frowned. I still really didn’t want to call them, but I now had more than one reason to do so. I turned to Chase. “Fill Jason in on what happened with the demon?”

  He nodded, then joined Lucy as she headed toward the front door. Jason followed, giving me an apologetic shrug.

  I smiled reassuringly. One angry werewolf was the least of my problems . . . even if said angry werewolf was still glaring daggers at me.

  I pulled my cell out of my pocket, then gestured at him with it. “Do you mind?”

  He crossed his arms. “I’ll wait.”

  Grumbling under my breath, I withdrew the folded paper from my back pocket, then dialed the number. My heart was thundering in my chest, but I’d be damned if I let Devin know it.

  The call was answered on the first ring.

  “Alexondra,” a man’s voice answered.

  Did this dude already have me programmed in his phone? “And you are?” I questioned, unable to fully keep my annoyance out of my tone.

  “My name is Ethan,” he replied pleasantly. “I will be your primary contact with the Council. You will report to me on any new developments with the witches or vampires.”

  I glared, wishing he could see it. “Why should I?”

  Devin gave me a what the hell are you doing look.

  I waved him off.

  “If you will not act out of a desire to keep your wolf friends safe,” Ethan began, “then perhaps you will be motivated by the large sum we are willing to pay you.”

  He had me there. Times were tough. “How large?”

  “One thousand credits per week.”

  I sighed. Of course they were going to pay me in demon currency. I mean, I’d take it, but having some cash in the mortal realm was nice too. Especially since I planned on helping my friends with the witch and vamp situation regardless.

  “Fifteen hundred,” I countered. Sure, I was going to help them regardless, but I might as well get as much as I could.

  “Deal. You are free to travel between the realms as much as you please, but no extra travels while you’re in the mortal realm. We will not risk discovery by the humans. Monitor the situation with the wolves, figure out what the vampires and witches are up to
. Report to me weekly.”

  Sensing he was about to hang up, I blurted, “Wait!”

  A pause. “ . . . Yes?”

  I really wasn’t sure I wanted to bring up Nix, but if I didn’t, I was out of clues. I highly doubted Rose would be willing to help me find her. “There’s a demon named Nix who’s been on the run from the Council the past five years. Do you guys have any leads on her?”

  “That does not concern you.”

  “Look pal, if you want me to work for you, you need to meet me halfway.”

  He was quiet for a moment, then answered, “No, we have no leads on that particular demon, nor is she a high priority case. Will that be all?”

  “Yes, and Ethan?”

  “Yes?”

  “I totally would have taken the job for one thousand.”

  “And I was authorized to pay you three.”

  The line went dead.

  “Demons,” I hissed, pushing the off button.

  Devin raised a brow at me. “Everything settled?”

  “Hardly. You better have coffee brewing.”

  He smirked, then turned to lead the way inside. “I have so missed these times with you,” he teased.

  I grinned at his back. He was a pain in the ass, but I just couldn’t help my mood lifting. It was good to be home.

  I sipped my coffee—and munched on pilfered cookies since we’d forgotten lunch—leaning against the countertop in the kitchen. The others were gathered around the island.

  “So you know nothing of a supernatural innkeeper?” I asked suspiciously. “Aren’t you supposed to know all about any supernaturals in your district?”

  Devin shrugged. “I’m only one man. I monitor as much as I can.”

  “Do you think Abel might know something about her?” Lucy suggested. She was stationed near the island next to Chase. Jason was outside making phone calls, trying to find a lead on Nix.

  Devin shrugged. “Perhaps, though he’s been quite busy running the Coalition in Utah. Things have been . . . hectic, since the big reveal.”

  I laughed. “I bet.” Part of me was a little smug about Abel being the long-time head of the Werewolf Commission during the discovery of werewolves and vampires by the general public. He was an old friend of my father’s who’d roped me into werewolf business to begin with. He’d made my teenage life more than hectic.

  “Speculating will do us no good,” Chase said. “She’s our only lead. Even if we can get enough information out of her to find Nix, she might not know anything. The knife belonging to Nix could be entirely coincidental.”

  My shoulders slumped. I really was the worst detective ever. Maybe I was running down the wrong path entirely, and should have been working the travel sphere angle from the start. The demon we’d chased from the inn had used one, and since the council didn’t have Nix, it stood to reason that this guy wasn’t with them. So he must have stolen the sphere from Sam’s warehouse, but how had he known they were there? Maybe he was the one who’d murdered Sam, but then, why did he want Nix?

  “We should go check out the warehouse again,” I decided. “Maybe there was more to find than the knife.”

  Chase nodded. “The spheres,” he agreed. “This must have something to do with them.”

  Gripping my mug in both hands, I gnawed at my lip, wondering if asking my new Demon Council contact about the spheres would be a bad idea. On one hand, he might be able to give me information on anyone suspected of being involved with the theft of the spheres, on the other, they might realize I was helping Chase, and might add the theft of the spheres to his murder charge. Heck, they might add the charge against me too. After all, we hadn’t gone running to the council upon finding the spheres, and we knew about the secret warehouse containing them. We’d look pretty guilty.

  Lucy walked around the central island and poked my arm. “Earth to Xoe. We need to make a decision here.”

  I inhaled sharply, coming back to reality. “Okay,” I decided, raising my gaze to Devin. “You work on figuring out what’s going on with Rose and the vamps.” I hiked my thumb in the direction of the front door, where Jason was still presumably outside on the phone. “Jason can work on gathering info about our mysterious innkeeper.” I turned to Chase. “You and I will go back underground, get some rest, then we’ll go back to the warehouse first thing in the morning.”

  “Why yes, miss alpha,” Devin said sardonically.

  I rolled my eyes at him. He was the pack leader now, but old habits died hard. “Would you like to alter these plans in any way, oh great pack leader?” I batted my lashes at him.

  “You’re utterly incorrigible,” he sighed, then made a shooing gesture. “Now off with you. Get some rest and call me tomorrow, and don’t forget to check in with your Council contact. I don’t want him calling me again.”

  I gave him a little salute to the sound of the front door opening and shutting.

  A moment later, Jason opened entered the kitchen. “No one seems to know a thing about our new friend. As far as anyone is concerned, a human runs the Pinetop Inn.”

  “Seriously?” I questioned. “She didn’t even try to play human, and most supernaturals would smell or sense her from a mile away.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I’ll keep looking.”

  I nodded. “Thanks. Chase and I are going underground, but we’ll probably come back up tomorrow after we check out the warehouse one more time.”

  He blinked at me. “Won’t you get in trouble?”

  I grinned. “I have a free pass from the Council. I can travel back and forth as much as I please.”

  “Something tells me the free pass isn’t worth your involvement with them.”

  “That’s because you have good instincts,” I quipped, then held out my hand to Chase.

  As he walked around the island and took my hand, everyone else in the room gave me an entirely knowing look. “Be careful,” they said in near unison.

  I squeezed Chase’s hand. “Careful is my middle name.”

  Seconds later, we were standing in the middle of my kitchen in the demon underground. Alexius lifted his head, previously curled up on his cushy bed in the corner. His tail thump thumped against his bed as I dropped Chase’s hand and moved to pet him.

  “I suppose I’ll get going,” Chase said to my back. “We both should get some rest.”

  Kneeling beside Alexius, I looked over my shoulder at him. “I don’t think so, buddy. Nix has already been kidnapped. I’m not going to risk them coming after you too. You’ll be sleeping here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Was I? Did I really want my ex sleeping in the house near the people he so willfully abandoned? “I’m just doing my job. If you get kidnapped, I won’t get paid.”

  “So I’m paying you now?” He smirked. “I thought maybe this was all a favor, for old time’s sake.”

  I stood. “I only do favors for friends. Now I trust you can find your own way around the house. I’m going to bed.” I turned to leave, suddenly irritated. It was fine being around Chase when we had a buffer, but when we were alone, I realized something highly important.

  I was still pissed.

  He was silent as I exited the kitchen, followed by Alexius, who was also ready for bed. I’d find Dorrie and check in with her first, then sleep. We had another big day tomorrow, and I was sure things would only get worse. It was an ongoing theme in my life.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning I awoke with the distinct urge to not get out of bed all day. I felt ever so slightly guilty for being mean to Chase. He’d just lost his brother, after all, and here I was holding on to a year-long grudge.

  Feeling defeated, I squirmed out of my bedding and got up. I opened the messy closet in my otherwise spartan room, then quickly settled on jeans and a white tee-shirt, clothes I wouldn’t mind getting destroyed if I got tossed around by the bad guys.

  It happened more often than you’d think.

  Clothes in hand, I left
my room and made a beeline for the bathroom, then nearly jumped out of my skin when the door opened just as I reached it.

  Chase stood framed in a burst of steam. His black hair was somehow even blacker when it was wet, dripping onto the shoulders of yesterday’s shirt. “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind. It’s been a while since I had the chance for a shower.”

  I pursed my lips in distaste. I hated showering in an already soggy bathroom. “No worries.” I stepped around him into the bathroom. “I’ll be quick.”

  I shut the door as soon as he was out of the way, cutting off any further conversation. Once I was alone, I leaned against the door with a heavy sigh, clutching my clothes to my chest. I was so not about to start dwelling on what could have been. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

  Setting my clothes onto the long marble countertop, I grabbed my towel from its hook, turned on the shower, then made quick work of getting myself clean. I really did want to get back to the warehouse as soon as possible, though I had low hopes about what we’d find. If the hoodie guy we’d chased was the same one we’d seen at the warehouse, he knew we knew what was there. He’d probably gone and cleared everything out as soon as we’d run off. That meant the spheres, and whatever possible leads we had left, were gone.

  My thoughts sprang again to Ethan, but I quickly dismissed the idea. I needed the Demon Council further involved in this mystery like I needed a hole in the head.

  Finished showering, I shut off the water, dried off, and got dressed, leaving my wet blonde locks to dry on their own. My hair was pin straight no matter what I did to it, so I usually didn’t bother doing anything at all.

  I took a final look in the steamy mirror above the sink, then left the bathroom, prepared to face the day . . . but first, coffee. Fortunately I could smell some already being made. Dorrie was a good roommate.

  I entered the kitchen to find her sitting with Chase at the dining table. “Hey Poptart,” she said around a bite of glazed donut. “I hear you’re working for the Demon Council now. Does this mean we can afford a new TV?”