"Keep telling yourself that," I said wryly. "In the meantime, what about Freya and Damo?"
"We won't know until they get back."
I waited for a moment. No door opened, letting them in as if on cue. Of course not, this isn't the movies.
I pushed myself to my feet. "I'm going to have a shower. If anyone needs me… Wait until I'm finished."
"I told you, don't call me Freyo! For fuck's sake, it's annoying." The door slammed, reopened, then closed again more softly.
"I guess they're back." I stood near the couch, my hand near the hilt of my sword.
"It's a harmless nickname," Damien protested.
"It's a pain in the ass. You're a pain in the ass." Freya appeared in the doorway and stepped into the room, her face red.
Damien followed her in, his hands raised. "It's not like you're perfect. But you know, I don't care if you call me Damo."
Freya rounded on him. "That's a stupid nickname too," she snapped. "You have a perfectly good name."
"It's a sign of affection, who gives a shit why it—"
"I give a shit," she retorted. "But of course you don't get that. You don't think about how anyone feels but yourself."
"Hey, that's not true! I don't—"
"All right, all right." Malachai stepped between the pair, palms raised in front of their chests. Everyone take a deep breath."
"I don't need a deep breath, I need him to stop being a dick." Freya's hand dropped toward her hip.
"You're not pulling a weapon on me," Malachai growled.
"Gods." I moved around behind Freya, ready to grab her, in case she did just that.
Freya's body went stiff, then sagged.
"What in the world?" She held her hands out, away from herself. "I'm not. I wouldn't dream of it. I just…"
I stepped around to face her. "We know you wouldn't." My gaze went to Damien. "What about you?"
He frowned at Freya, then shrugged. "I feel fine. Apart from having my integrity challenged, of course." He managed a grin, but his eyes looked troubled.
"There goes the theory about IQ," I said dryly.
Malachai snorted.
Damien looked from one to the other. "I have a feeling I've been insulted, but I'm not sure how."
Malachai took Freya by the elbow and led her over to the couch. "I assume you burned with anger you couldn't control?"
She nodded, her face pale. "Just for the last little while though. The rest of the night has been normal."
"If you call identical twin demons normal," Damien interjected. "Get this—if we injured one, the other would feel the pain. It was weird as hells. And then we killed one and it was like all the wounds went to the dead one. Handy trick unless you're faced with the most proficient Demon Hunter duo in Australia. We dispatched the other a few minutes later." He wiped his hands on each other.
I had forgotten Seamus was in the room until he spoke.
"A few minutes?" he asked. "You can't be that proficient then."
While I chuckled, Damien feigned insult.
"At least I didn't need a car to take one out."
Seamus gaped at him. "How did you know?"
Damien tapped his nose. "Word gets around."
"We have bigger problems at the moment," Malachai said, sounding stern. "Why were Freya, Juliet, Seamus, and I affected, and Damien not?"
All eyes turned to Damien, who shrugged. "Maybe I'm an easy going guy, who isn't bothered by a whole hells of a lot."
"I'd love to think that's all it is," Malachai said slowly. "But it's too easy."
"Maybe he's really a demon?" Freya suggested. The colour was back in her face, as was her sense of humour apparently.
"That would explain a lot," I said, appraising him with a smile.
"My mother used to call me one," he said lightly. "But I'm a hundred percent human, as far as I know."
"You are," Malachai confirmed. "That's one of the things your blood is tested for during the medical exam to become a Demon Hunter. While there are demons amongst our ranks, we need to know who is what, just in case."
"Some diseases are endemic to demons," Freya said.
"And others to humans," Malachai agreed.
"You don't think this is a disease of some kind do you?" I asked. Germ warfare wasn't new, but I'd never heard of a pathogen like this.
"I wouldn't rule anything out at this point," Malachai said.
"You can't sideline me anymore," Seamus said suddenly.
When everyone turned to him, his face reddened, but he stood his ground. "It's not just me this is happening to. If you ground me, you have to ground everyone." He looked hard toward Malachai. "Including yourself."
"Except me," Damien said, "but I can stay home in sympathy. There's a new show I've been meaning to binge on."
Malachai sighed. "No one is grounded. We're going to need to get out there and find out what's going on."
"Speaking of that—" I told him about the meeting with Kannen and the so-called doomsday plan he mentioned.
"It's the only lead we have," Malachai said slowly. "From now on, our priority is to listen and find out what we can. Maybe somehow we can fit the pieces of the puzzle together and see the bigger picture. Juliet, liaise with Kannen, talk to his contacts and friends. Anyone he knows could be useful. He is willing to help us?"
"Yes," I replied. "He's as worried about all of this as we are."
Malachai nodded. "Very well then. Eyes and ears open; you never know when you'll see or hear anything pertinent. But first, everyone get some rest. That's an order."
I rubbed my eyes. "Yes, boss." I could sleep for days when this was over. For now, I'd make do with a few hours. After a long, hot shower.
11
Dante's wasn't a demon restaurant, as such, but some demons frequented the establishment, and Inferno, the bar next door. Like Insomniacs, the patrons wanted no trouble. Like every other place in the city, trouble happened occasionally, but the humans were largely oblivious to the demons in their midst.
I sniffed the air. My mouth watered.
Steak, chicken, herbs. and spices: the warring scents provided a delicious combination which reminded me that I hadn't eaten since morning.
Even with thoughts of demons and discord, I'd slept like the dead until my alarm went off. The pain in my shoulder was down to a dull ache, mostly relieved by another shower and dose of ibuprofen.
My mood, so far, seemed perfectly normal, as did those of the other Demon Hunters. Normal unless you factor in an edge of anxiety that emotions might explode again. I'd exchanged a few words with each, mostly small talk, as if no one dared to discuss anything more challenging than the weather, or the need to buy more milk.
Damien and Freya had stayed on opposite sides of the room, but that happened when they argued, whatever the cause. They would get past it, they always did.
At least, they always did before.
"Hey stranger." Kannen appeared at my elbow and made me startle slightly.
"Hey." I turned to take in the sight of him. Kannen's blonde hair hung loose past his shoulders in soft waves. His blue eyes held no glow now, they were just a vivid shade that looked like a tropical ocean; warm and inviting. I could have jumped right in.
Of course, my heart only pounded so hard because I was surprised.
"Are you ready to sit?" Kannen asked, those eyes now smiling.
"Yes." I hoped the flush on my cheeks wasn't too obvious.
We ordered—chicken for me, the vegetarian pasta option for Kannen—and sat in awkward silence until we both spoke at the same time.
"So about the—"
"I've been thinking—"
We both stopped and laughed.
"Is this where we both insist the other person speak first?" Kannen drawled. He poured himself a glass of water from the jug on the table, and cocked his head before he took a sip.
I smiled. "I'll go first. Have you learnt anything new?"
"Nothing," Kannen replied. "I tried to cont
act Saffeny, but no one has seen her. She's hard to get a hold of at the best of times, but if she knew anything, she'd find me."
"No news is good news?" I suggested.
"Sometimes," Kannen agreed, "but I'd rather know she knew something we could use."
Kannen stopped speaking when the server placed plates in front of us.
"Thank you." I gave the man a smile and a nod before he moved away. "This looks so good."
"If eating creatures is your thing," Kannen replied, laughing eyes regarding me over a fork of pasta and some kind of vegetable sauce.
"That depends on the creature," I replied. I paused for a moment before I blushed. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant literally eating, not…" I swallowed hard.
"There wouldn't be anything wrong with it if you did," Kannen said. "I certainly wouldn't mind." He gave me a wink.
"Yeah, well…" I bent over my meal. I needed to focus right now. "I suppose Malachai is right to be cautious. We could probably both learn from him." I glanced up and gave Kannen a sly look.
"Are you saying I'm impetuous?" Kannen asked, eyebrows raised.
"Only since I've known you," I replied. "Remember how we met?"
Kannen grinned. "I walked through the door of the headquarters. I was invited."
"Uh-ha. Except you didn't mention that. You made your eyes glow and I thought we were under attack. Although, I think Seamus was more scared than I was." I had probably never gotten off the couch so fast. Seamus turned white and fumbled for a weapon, but only found the remote for the TV.
"He did look a bit like he might wet himself." Kannen chuckled.
"To be fair, it was his first week."
"Kudos to him for sticking it out after a big bad demon walked into his workplace." Kannen raised his fork in a toast. "Lesser people would have given up after seeing me."
"I'm sure they have," I replied, with a laugh. "You're pretty terrifying."
"That I am." Kannen smiled and nodded. "Although I'm nothing compared to my baby brother."
"He's what now, two?"
"Three." Kannen's eyes widened playfully. "With all the restraint of a rhinoceros in a dressing room. And a voice to match. Lucky he's cute or he'd be an unholy terror."
"I'm sure he's adorable," I said.
Kannen's expression softened. "He is, really, but babysitting him is more hazardous than fighting bad guys. I never knew crayons came in so many colours. Or were so hard to get off the walls."
"Harder than blood and brains?" I asked. That was hard enough. Luckily, I had a strong stomach.
"Surprisingly yes. They don't train us for stuff like that."
I laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm imagining Malachai teaching Demon Hunters how to wash kiddie graffiti off walls. Speaking of graffiti though—" I pulled out my phone and showed Kannen the paint I photographed near the headquarters.
"Anything you've seen before?"
Kannen lowered his fork, took the phone, and regarded it, a finger pressed to his lips. "It looks familiar, but I can't place it. Can you send me a copy? I'll ask around." He handed the phone back.
I sent a copy to Kannen's phone via text and put mine away.
"Is it possible it means nothing?"
Kannen shrugged. "Of course. It might be the logo of a sporting team, or just a tag I've seen on the side of a train." He looked troubled.
I took a moment before saying, "Or the sign of whoever is behind this?"
"Demons don't usually have signs like that," Kannen said slowly. "But just because it's unusual doesn't mean it's not the case now. It would only take one demon who thought too much of himself. Or herself."
"Do shades often work for, or with, other demons?" I asked.
"Not really. Shades are…elusive and strange. There's a dozen theories about where they come from, but nothing anyone can agree on. Well, except that dark magic was probably involved. Of course. What sort of good witch would create a shade on purpose?" He looked rueful.
"We could say that about most things," I said. "Including humans. Especially humans in some cases."
"I'm glad you said that before I did." Kannen sipped his water and smiled. "Although I'm half human. My mother is one."
"And your father?" I asked. I had long been curious, but the opportunity to ask hadn't arisen until now.
"He's a hybrid. Part witch, part shifter, half demon. It's no wonder he could never stick around anywhere for too long. I didn't inherit anything useful from him, worse luck." Kannen sighed. "Just the eye thing." He pointed toward his face. "And a bit of extra strength and speed. What I wouldn't give to be able to turn into an animal, or do magic." He looked wistful.
"Shifting would be handy," I agreed. "Unless you get stuck as a frog or something."
"I wouldn't mind being a frog. Except the part about having to kiss a prince to turn back." He grimaced.
"Right. Princes are overrated," I said. "So I've heard anyway."
Kannen nodded. "Exactly. Who needs that kind of pressure?"
"Not me." I shrugged. "Are you… seeing anyone?"
"Why, are you interested?" Kannen arched an eyebrow at me.
I felt my face heat. "I was just curious," I muttered.
"You're so cute when your face is red."
I touched my cheek with my fingertips. "I'll have you know, I'm cute all the time," I declared, resorting to my usual bravado.
Kannen leaned in and whispered. "Yes you are, but you're damn hot when you're fighting." He sat back and smiled.
The only words I could manage were, "So are you."
"True," Kannen replied with a smile. "Anyway, we should focus on the problem at hand. So to speak." He chuckled when I almost choked on a piece of chicken.
I coughed a few times, but managed a few gulps of wine to wash it down.
"All we can do is keep our eyes and ears open," I replied, relieved to be on safer ground again. Flirting was not my strength. Although I enjoyed a good innuendo as much as the next person, I liked to be straightforward. "This might be something obvious that we just haven't noticed." I didn't believe that though.
"So, going out straight after dinner?"
I nodded. "The sooner we figure this out, the better. I just wish we understood what's happening. We know it's affecting humans, and apparently not demons. What about other paranormals?"
"Good question," Kannen mused. "The hells know whether it's my demon blood or the other stuff keeping it at bay. Or something else we don't know about yet. Maybe I'm just irrational all the time anyway." He looked amused.
"I don't think that's it," I said. "You seem perfectly rational to me." I tapped my fingers on the cloth-covered tabletop. "The last thing we need is a bunch of angry demons behaving like Seamus and I did." I told Kannen about the argument we had that morning.
He waved a hand. "I know plenty of demons who behave like that anyway. It's called "being an asshole." It's universal amongst members of all species, paranormal or otherwise. I mean, have you seen the way chickens peck at each other?"
"I usually don't see a chicken until it's in a packet or on my plate," I replied, "but point taken." I paused for a moment. "There are other paranormals out there. Irrational shifters and witches might be bad. The world is enough of a mess without having wayward magic, and lions, or the gods know what else, all over the place."
"If this is deliberate, then I think they'd find a way to affect only humans," Kannen said slowly. "Paranormals can be dicks, but they tend to prefer their own kind. Take demons like Calvin from the café, for example. They're not interested in world domination, just eradicating humans."
"Is that all?" I said dryly.
"Genocide is nothing new," Kannen replied. "It's only who is trying to kill off who which changes."
"Let's hope the media doesn't get wind of this then. People would panic. Human or otherwise."
"Maybe that's what they're hoping for," Kannen said. "Panic. People turning on other people. Chaos. Anarchy. I love a good uprising as much as the next person,
but not like this."
"A lot of people could die," I said softly. My food started to sour in my stomach.
Kannen reached over to place his hand on the back of mine and squeezed lightly.
"It won't come to that," he said firmly. "Whatever this is, it's just begun. We'll do whatever we can to make sure it doesn't escalate. In a day or two, this will all be over and we can look back and laugh. All right?"
I nodded. "You're right. We've got this."
Kannen nodded and drew his hand back.
"Have you noticed something?" I asked, after a few minutes. My eyes shifted slowly left to right, taking in the rest of the room.
"I've noticed a lot of things," Kannen replied, "you might need to be more specific."
I gestured around us, just a slight flick of my hand, back and forth to avoid drawing attention to myself. "It's gotten noisy in here." I spoke loud enough to be heard over the other diners.
"Is this where I invite you back to my place?" Kannen asked, a slight smile on his lips.
"No." I shook her head. My face heated again. "I mean—that wasn't what I meant." At least not yet.
The people around us were talking at an elevated volume. One or two, off to the side, looked to be keeping to themselves. The people beside Kannen and me were discussing football while they ate, but every word was loud. From what I could tell, they weren't drinking. They were agitated but not arguing.
"Yeah, it was a great game. What about the goal in the second half—"
"Yes, that was epic, but Jones is such a dick, I don't know why he—"
I shrugged. Some people were passionate about their sports. Still, I watched the room while I finished my meal.
"You're a fuckin' idiot," a woman declared from across the restaurant, her voice even louder than anyone else.
If whoever she was addressing responded, it was lost in the cacophony.
"It's not usually like this here," I had to almost yell to be heard.
Kannen said something I couldn't make out.
"What?"
"I said, maybe we should go. I have a bad feeling about this!"
From the corner of my eye, I saw a glass fly across the room. It passed over several heads before it landed in the middle of a table, where it shattered.
Hunting Darkness (City of Darkness Book 1) Page 7