Creative Matchmaker (The Inscrutable Paris Beaufont Book 6)

by Sarah Noffke

  “Objectivity is key. If you have that, you’ll know your limits. You’ll know when the craving is controlling you, rather the other way around. If you lose control, you will kill yourself trying to erase evil.”

  Paris nodded, taking in her father’s wisdom. “Embrace the desire. Stay objective. Stay in control.”

  “Good,” Stefan affirmed, looking around the lobby.

  “Do we go down or up first?” Faraday asked.

  “Down,” Paris answered before her father could.

  He gave her a proud look, his eyes twinkling. “Why is that?”

  It was a test, and he was trying to see if she knew the right answer. “Because,” she began, drawing out the word and considering her reply. She answered right away based on instinct, but there was a valid reason. “The demon below is closer and drawing me toward it. Also, I don’t feel that it’s as powerful as the one above us. Taking that one out will give us an idea of what we’re dealing with in these mega demons. Then we can better strategize how to take out the one above.”

  “Very good.” Stefan smiled but pointed at himself. “However, I’m the one taking out the demons. You’re my eyes. My supervisor. But yes, we’re going down first.”

  “Great.” Paris nodded. “Do we take the elevators?”

  He shook his head. “Elevators, when in battle, are always death traps. Avoid them at all costs. The demons will know that I’m here, and they'll attack knowing that it's kill or be killed.”

  Faraday scurried off to a hallway. “According to the building schematics, the stairs are this way. Also, there’s only one entrance into the basement, so we’ll have the demon trapped.”

  “Good thinking bringing the squirrel,” Stefan complimented and followed Faraday. Paris hurried to keep up and keep a constant eye on her father.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  The cold bit at Paris’ insides as they descended to the basement. The slight chattering of her teeth caught her father’s attention as he took the stairs beside her.

  “Demons prefer extreme cold,” he explained.

  “That’s surprising.” Faraday’s paws shook as he held the refraction lens.

  “Yes, most expect that demons would like fire and extreme heat, but most prefer cold because they're so hot.” Pausing at the end of the stairwell, Stefan studied a closed door at the dead-end of the hallway. He pressed his ear to the panel as though listening for the demon on the other side, but Paris thought he was using another sense to investigate—a sixth sense.

  Glancing back at her, Stefan said, “The demon knows we’re here. Remember that they're tricky and unfortunately pretty clever.”

  “And they smell really bad.” Paris pinched her nose as the odor assaulted her. She suddenly wished she could turn off that sense.

  Stefan nodded. “You never get used to it either. Remember to keep your distance from me. I have to get close to take a demon out, which is why I got bit before.”

  Paris drew in a breath through her mouth. Her father had said there were few ways to kill a demon. The most reliable was to behead them. The giant-made knives were helpful because a stab with one through the chest should be enough to take the monsters down. However, he was correct that those tactics involved getting close. Arrows were ineffective against demons. Guns, according to her parents, were for cowards and usually produced more problems in battle than they solved.

  “What do you want me to do?” Faraday held the refraction lens although there was a small chain that secured it around his neck.

  “Use your greatest asset,” Stefan offered, pointing at his head. “Use your mind to help create advantages for us. Everything about fighting a demon is about strategy. Keep your eyes open, know that they move fast, and they don’t fight fair.”

  Stefan yanked the door open, blasting the three of them with more cold.

  Chapter Fifty

  Paris tensed at the sight before them. On the other side of the door was total blackness. She blinked, willing her eyes to adjust.

  “Oh, one other thing about demons,” her father said quietly, pulling one of the swords from its sheath on his back. “They loathe light.”

  Suddenly the light of the stairwell flickered, and Paris froze. They were about to be cast in total blackness. Then she wouldn’t be able to see her father, and he’d get kicked out of FGA headquarters. And she’d be there…with a demon.

  Stefan kicked the door back with his foot and withdrew his other sword, holding them at the ready. “Create a light orb,” he ordered his daughter in a stern voice.

  Not wasting a single second as the lights flickered overhead, Paris held out her palm and created a ball of light and not a moment too soon. The lights in the stairwell vanished, casting them in darkness.

  The light orb resembled a ball of fire but wasn't hot to the touch. It reminded Paris of a crystal ball sending out rays of light that reached only five feet in all directions. She tried to magnify the spell, but she knew that would drain her magic reserves fast. Then they’d have zero light, and her father would disappear from her sight and the FGA headquarters.

  It was as if she’d gone blind when Paris peered around, seeing only blackness in the area that the light orb didn’t reach.

  Stefan blew out an angry breath. “This is going to make it more complicated. On second thought, stay close.”

  Paris nodded, knowing that this did make things extremely dangerous. She had to be within five feet of her father to see him while he was fighting a demon and swinging sharp swords. The demon was clever, cutting the lights and making them shiver. It had the advantages.

  “I think I can magnify the light using the refraction lens.” Faraday held up the device around his neck as a guttural scream ripped through the air, echoing through the basement.

  Stefan narrowed his eyes in the direction the scream came from, gripping his weapons in both hands. “Good. Make it quick. Things are about to get dangerous.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Paris didn’t know what Faraday was planning on doing, but that was totally up to him at this point. She had to focus her energy on her father and the light orb as a demon burst out of the shadows, looking like the worst thing she’d ever seen.

  Its skin was a bright shade of red, and small, curved horns covered its jaw and head. In the quick flash when the monster appeared, Paris saw several silver hoops piercing its face and black tribal tattoos on its arm.

  The demon ran by in a flash, streaking past a foot in front of Stefan. He spun in the direction that it went, his sword slicing through the air, but the beast was already gone in a blur. The smell was assaulting. The noise the monster made, halfway between a growl and a scream, pierced Paris’ ears.

  She was so focused on her father that Paris barely caught the demon in her peripheral vision before it ran by again, this time between her and Stefan. Its claws brushed against her abdomen. Paris sucked in a breath as her father jerked to face her, brought up his sword, but stopped before whipping it down. He was too close to her— she would’ve been collateral damage if he tried to attack the demon and they both knew it, based on their expressions.

  Again the demon was there and gone in an instant. The only sign that it was still close by was the evil cackle in the shadows…and the smell.

  “It’s toying with us.” Stefan looked Paris over as if the demon might have cut her with its claws when it sprinted by. She guessed that it could have, but it was taunting them—trying to make her so afraid that she slipped up. Playing on Stefan’s weakness to protect his daughter over all else.

  Grabbing one of the giant-made knives on his belt, Stefan pulled it out by the hilt and flipped it around, handing it to Paris hilt-first. “Take this and use it if that thing gets close. Go for any part of it. The blade will do the work for you.”

  Paris nodded, realizing that her father had to change his mind about her fighting when they had to be so close at this point. With her free hand and thankfully her dominant one, Paris took the knife.

&n
bsp; Again, the monster ripped by in a flash, this time on the other side of Stefan. He swung around so fast that he was also a blur, both swords sweeping through the air in an incredible display. The sound of a blade slicing through material and flesh filled the room, followed by another howling scream.

  Black blood spilled to the concrete floor, but not enough and it trickled away as the demon retreated into the shadows.

  Stefan had wounded the beast. That was something. But the fact that his swords had nearly brushed Paris again was a hazard, and they both knew it. The demon hunter let out a weighted breath as he glanced at Paris. He was too close to her to effectively attack the demon, especially with the game it was playing on them.

  The light orb glowed brighter in Paris’ hand, making her eyes flicker to it, still keeping her father in her sights, though. The light stretched out farther, and Paris’ chest swelled with relief.

  Aware of Faraday at her feet, Paris nodded in his direction. “Good work.”

  “I’ll see if I can do even better,” Faraday said, his voice calculated as he turned the refraction lens one way, then another.

  The light stretched around them in all directions, taking up about a ten feet radius. That was much better than before, Paris thought with relief. With more visibility, she realized there wasn’t much in the basement except concrete floors and open space.

  Right when Paris thought they’d gotten their first break, freezing mist rose from the floor, covering their legs and making it hard to see what was around them, even in the glowing light.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  The cold was somehow more assaulting than before. Faraday was instantly covered, and Paris worried for him. Keeping her eyes on her father, Paris knelt and held out her arm with the knife. With his teeth chattering, Faraday climbed onto her jacket to her shoulder.

  She was going to have to release the light orb, letting it hover beside them since she was running out of ways to protect herself now with a squirrel hanging out on her shoulder.

  The cold mist rising from the floor made Paris’ feet feel frozen in place. It reminded her of when the Bewilder Forest froze when they’d exorcised Hemingway’s mother. Even though the light orb floated between Paris and Stefan, casting light in all directions, the mist made it so she could only see his top half. It was thicker at the edge of the light, and she assumed that if he got too far away, she’d lose sight of him.

  Things had gotten even more complicated, and based on his expression, Stefan knew it.

  However, they had little time to strategize because after making it colder, the demon seemed renewed despite its injury. It streaked between them again. Paris slashed the knife at the monster but caught only air.

  Not wasting a moment, the demon circled back, this time in front of Stefan. In an incredible display of power, Paris’ father lunged in the demon’s direction, daring to get farther from her. Thankfully the range of the light enabled her to see him as he spun, rotating the two blades around him, overhead and at his midsection. The demon was fast, but Stefan was faster, bursting through the air and catching the monster with both blades.

  This time blood spilled to the floor in heavy amounts, but Paris only heard it, unable to see her feet. The monster screamed with real pain in its voice, but it was gone again, not moving as fast.

  Low in a lunge, Stefan looked back and forth as if he’d lost sight of which direction the creature had gone when it retreated.

  Paris felt Faraday’s claws piercing into her shoulder. The squirrel was still rotating the refraction lens back and forth, trying to keep the range of light as far as it could stretch from the orb. Keeping it lit and hovering between them was costing Paris magic, but she had no other choice.

  Her gaze was centered on her father when the demon made another attempt, but this time it moved at an almost normal pace. Its feet sounded heavy on the floor as it ran past as if it was half-dragging them.

  That’s why Paris saw the monster before it approached, again taking the path between Stefan and her.

  She didn’t think. Only acted, fueled by a deep instinct that moved her hand for her. The knife came up through the air, and Paris felt it magnetize to the beast’s chest as it ran straight for her. This time, it was ready to attack rather than tease. It was out for blood now after being injured several times.

  Unfortunately for the demon, Paris’ desire to stamp out evil was stronger than its force, and she plunged the giant-made knife straight in its chest, halting it at once—turning it into a sudden explosion of fire.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  The heat was instant and a huge contrast to the icy cold rising from the concrete floor.

  Paris was so shocked that she jumped back, pulling the knife from the demon’s chest as it ignited in flames that spread from its chest and outward, covering it. The sudden blaze would have stolen Paris’ attention and obscured her view of her father if he hadn’t darted around the demon in a flash and pulled her back with one arm, the swords still in both his hands.

  Everything about Stefan reeked of protectiveness as he put his body in front of hers, the demon burning fast and instantly turning to ash. She’d never seen anything like it as she peeked from over her father’s shoulder.

  Only when the demon disintegrated did Paris realize that her weapon was burning her. She jerked her hand down and was shocked to see the giant-made blade glowing a fiery red. The hilt was smoking in her hands.

  Automatically, Paris dropped the knife at her feet. It disappeared into the icy mist where it made a shattering noise.

  Paris glanced up at her father, so close that even when she looked down, he was still in view. The light of the orb made his expression clear as he turned—shock covered his face as he looked her over.

  Everything had happened so fast. Paris’ heart was racing with adrenaline when she remembered that Faraday was still on her shoulder, having clung to her back when she stabbed the demon in the chest. He’d nearly fallen off and was clambering to get a hold on her again.

  Since both her hands were free, Paris grabbed the shivering squirrel and pressed him protectively to her chest.

  “Are you okay?” Stefan asked, still looking her over as though she might be hiding a wound.

  In shock, with the smell of burnt flesh assaulting her nose, Paris nodded. She was simultaneously burning hot from the demon bursting into sudden flames and freezing from the still cold temperatures in the skyscraper's basement.

  With the demon gone, the icy mist started to clear. The floor and their legs and feet slowly became visible.

  “You killed that demon.” Stefan turned and appraised the large pile of ash on the floor where the demon had been.

  “I also lost the knife as Subner foretold.” Paris noted the metal shards on the floor where the knife had shattered. The only thing that remained was the hilt, scorched from when it had burned hot and fast from contacting the demon. The stark contrast of extreme heat followed by extreme cold had caused the blade to shatter.

  Stefan shook his head, dismissing her disappointment and frustration about the elf being right. “The same thing would have happened if I used the giant-made knife. When it contacted the demon, which was incredibly powerful, more so than most, it created a reaction causing instant combustion.”

  Realizing that she probably sustained burns if she dropped the knife so suddenly, Stefan sheathed both of his swords and reached for her hand to inspect it. The skin was raw and already swelling.

  Paris sucked in a breath as the pain finally registered. She tried to hide her grimace when her father examined her.

  He didn’t ask if she was okay. They both knew that she had severe burns on her dominant hand. He released her, grabbed the end of his long black traveling cloak, and ripped off a piece of it.

  Grabbing her wrist again, he wrapped the fabric around her hand. It hurt like hell, but Paris knew it was the right thing to do. They were still in battle, and she couldn’t afford to be slowed down by the injury. When he finishe
d, Stefan set his hand over hers. Warmth radiated around her fingers and palm, but not in the extreme way from seconds prior when the burn was nearly overwhelming—dominating her thoughts. The pain receded, and Paris jerked her head up in shock.

  “You healed me,” she said in awe of her father.

  He shook his head. “No, I simply put a pain relief spell on your hand. You’ll have to see a healer when we return. Hester DeVries is the best.”

  Paris nodded, grateful not to have the pain stealing her attention. She needed to focus. She needed to keep her father in sight. They needed to kill the remaining and very powerful demon on the top floor. Then they needed to take care of Happily Ever After College before fairies suffered any longer.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  “That was seriously impressive,” Stefan said to Paris as the mist cleared and they surveyed the basement. With the demon gone, Faraday restored the lights after tinkering with a fuse box in the corner.

  Paris knew there wasn’t another demon in the space, feeling its energy or rather lack thereof.

  Stefan wanted to ensure there was nothing else there of danger since it had been the demon’s lair. Paris also sensed that he was resetting before they took out the next monster. For as calm as she believed him to be in battle usually, he seemed rather shaken. Paris realized the stress of being in a dangerous situation with his daughter after their recent reunion was a lot for her father. Then, to make it even more complicated, there was the extra degree of her keeping close and always having her sights on him.

  She nodded, still in shock that she’d killed the demon on her own. It was such a gross and horrible thing, plunging a blade into flesh. Yet, it didn’t feel as awful as she would have thought. It felt right and freeing and like something she could repeatedly do if the result rid the world of evil.