“Gran!”
Milo’s cheeks puffed out as he attempted to hold back his laughter.
“I need to focus,” I told her. “How’s Mom?”
“Your momma’s just fine. Been eating good what with the casseroles from the neighbors. Oh, and that mechanic stopped by.”
“Juice? That’s good.”
“Oh and that Neph mouthbreather is really trying my patience.”
“Wait. Neph?” I stilled. “You’ve seen Nephilim? At the house?”
“Yeah, that feisty bugger from your dad’s funeral.”
“There was a Nephilim at your dad’s funeral?” Milo asked, looking impressed.
“Raph?” I asked, ignoring Milo.
“That’s the one. He brought her flowers.” Gran made a gagging sound.
“Is she vomiting?” Milo asked.
“That little homewrecker makes me sick,” she spat.
“Gran, I need you to try and figure out what Raph wants with Mom, okay?”
Gran huffed. “I think you and I both know what he—”
“Besides that,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. This day had taken a turn, and I really needed to right this train before it derailed completely. “Neph don’t fraternize with supes. You know that. He has to want something else from her. I need you to find out what, okay?”
“You want me to do some agency shenanigans? Some recon?”
“Yes, can you do that?”
“You bet your sweet cheeks I can.”
Her wings fluttered, and she lifted into the air. Then she almost tumbled before righting herself again.
“Tried saluting. Keep forgetting I don’t have hands. Anywho, I’m going to sign off. Over and out. Roger, Roger.”
I shook my head. “Bye Gran. I love you. Be careful.”
“Tootaloo.”
When she was gone, I looked at Milo.
His expression was frozen in amused confusion.
“Care to explain that?”
“My Gran is a shapeshifter, like me,” I said. “When my grandpa Cal died last year, she took it hard, and her grief affected her magic. She shifted into a June bug and hasn’t been able to change since.”
“You’re saying she’s stuck like that?”
“So far.”
He blinked at me. “And I thought my family was crazy.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on. Let’s just get this done already.”
Turning back in the direction of our coordinates, I concentrated, magic at the ready. We didn’t have much farther to go.
From somewhere among the stacked shipping containers, I caught the sensation of a presence that went far beyond human or even supe.
I stilled.
“Do you smell it?” I whispered.
“Smells like ass-sweat and tomatoes,” Milo said.
I decided not to ask about the tomatoes part.
Together, we started forward, creeping between containers until the path narrowed.
From the depths of the alley came a shuffle.
Milo and I shared another look. Considering the glamour spell I’d woven to keep anything human out, there was only one thing that could possibly be making a noise like that.
It was go time.
With a subtle head nod and a quick hand gesture, I sent Milo around to guard my flank and started forward again.
Milo sank into the shadows until he was longer visible. Even to my fae eyes, he was just gone.
Moving silently, I crept to the back of the alley and rounded the corner. A trail of goo greeted me. By the angel, tracking these things was so easy, it was stupid.
The slimy ribbon led to a door hanging open on the back end of the building. I kept my movements measured and silent as I sucked my body in tight and slid in through the opening.
Another noise. A scuffling and then a high-pitched squeak.
Rata demons were gross and possibly the most annoying of the monsters that roamed this planet. But they weren’t gooey as far as I knew. So where the hell was the slime coming from?
I crept warily through the space, eyes sharp for some sign of my quarry.
The building had once been a print mill but now sat rotting and infested with the kind of rodent demons that thrived in damp, dark places humans had forgotten.
The smell hit me first, and I tensed, ready to blast the first scuttling thing I saw.
In the corner, something moved.
A squeak sounded.
Milo burst through the door behind me, unleashing a quick one-two of daggers at the trio of rata I’d spotted.
One of the daggers found its mark and the rata fell, writhing and squeaking as it fought the inevitable. The second missed.
I hurried forward, magic firing from my hands and zapping the little rodents hard enough to stun them. When I got close, I picked up Milo’s fallen blade and drove it into the chest of the next demon. The third made it halfway across the warehouse floor before Milo’s magic froze it in place. He stalked over, picked it up, and broke its neck.
I wrinkled my nose. “Gross.”
“No judging. I got it done.”
He dropped the dead demon and wiped his hands on his pants, his lip curling in disgust.
I retrieved Milo’s blades and handed them back to him then pulled out the burner phone Rigo had issued and snapped a pic of the evidence of our hunt. After firing off a text to Rigo, I turned back to where Milo was trying to wipe his blades clean on the fur of the demon at his feet.
“This blood is sticky,” he complained.
I opened my mouth to tell him to clean up later, but movement just behind him caught my eye.
My eyes widened.
My jaw dropped.
I struggled to find my voice in time.
“Milo, watch out!”
A wall of pudgy, gray flesh swung out, smacking Milo from behind. He went flying, arms outstretched, before slamming against the far wall. He grunted and then went still.
My chest tightened with worry, but there was no time to check on Milo. Not now.
I looked back at the hulking silhouette that had so rudely intruded on us.
My eyes narrowed as I took in the six-foot tall demon. It had a lumpy torso that reminded me a bit of cotton candy gone moldy and every inch of it was covered in goo.
Yahtzee.
“You snot-nosed little . . .”
I grit my teeth and grabbed for the blade tucked into my boot. It flipped end over end until the tip bounced harmlessly off the demon’s skin and only served to make its three eyes narrow in irritation.
Damn.
I’d read about how tough a snorgaut’s flesh could be, but I’d never seen it up close. Until now.
Its mouth opened, a gurgly roar building from deep in its throat, and a half-eaten rata demon fell out. The rodent-turned-snack hit the floor with a wet thud. On its heels, slime sprayed from its open maw.
Shit.
I barely made it out of the way.
Lifting my hands, I tried again, this time hitting it with a magic fireball, but the flames barely singed the demon’s chin hair before winking out.
The gray snorgaut demon surged toward me, its wide torso stretching across the doorway at its back. I was boxed in and without backup.
Milo still hadn’t moved, and I couldn’t spare the time to go to him now.
Hopefully, he would recover. And hopefully, someone would come looking for us soon when we didn’t show up at the meeting point.
For now, it was up to me to take care of this asshole.
I scrambled to where Milo lay unconscious and snagged his daggers from the cargo pocket of his pants. With one gripped firmly in each hand, I turned and charged at the snorgaut rushing me.
Slime sprayed from its mouth and nose, and I twisted to avoid getting hit.
At the last second, I leaped, using my momentum to scale the beast and then twist onto its back. With my thighs gripping its neck, I buried each of the daggers in an eyeball.
The demon
screamed loud enough to rattle the windows. It twisted violently, tossing me aside. Pain lanced through me as I landed hard on my hip then tucked and let the momentum carry me forward. I rolled and came up on my feet, turning in time to see its meaty hands ripping the blades free, a long, thin trail of slime attached to each tip.
My stomach heaved as I watched more slimy goo leaking from its injured eyes.
The demon moaned then stumbled and fell.
I jumped to my feet and hurried to finish this.
Calling up my shifter magic, I let my beast take shape. Gone were my pointed ears and lean body. By the time I reached the writhing monster, I was half-griffin, with claws where my hands had been and a sharpened beak for a mouth.
Giving in to my beast, I tore the demon’s eyes from their sockets then buried the daggers in its heart.
The demon went down easily then.
Panting and utterly grossed out, I backed away, letting my beast fade. I’d just returned to my fae form when footsteps sounded from the doorway at my back.
I raised my hands, ready with another burst of magic, just as Rigo rushed inside.
“Whoa, it’s just me,” he called when he saw my ready stance.
Behind him, three more agents spilled into the space. I watched as they assessed the scene and broke off to check on Milo and approach the dead demons.
“Nice timing,” I told Rigo.
“Looks like you had more than you bargained for.”
Something about his tone had me sharpening my attention.
“Three ratas and a snorgaut demon,” I said carefully.
It was more than they’d warned us about. Had he known that snorgaut would be here too? Had he set me up?
“No signs of life among the demons, sir,” one of the agents called back.
Rigo nodded. “Call for cleanup. Secure the area until this can be dealt with.”
They all exchanged more instructions, but I tuned them out and hurried over to Milo. Professor Thorne was bent over him, fingers searching Milo’s throat for a pulse.
My magic hummed, and I used it to probe my friend’s life force.
It was there.
Thank the angel.
“He’s alive.” I sagged against the wall, finally feeling the exhaustion left behind in the wake of the adrenaline I’d been operating on.
“What happened?” Rigo demanded, coming closer.
“The snorgaut got a good hit in,” I said without looking up.
“What kind of idiot gets that close to a snorgaut?” Rigo asked.
I shot him a look. “The kind who helped distract it long enough for me to take it down.”
Rigo looked ready to argue.
“He’s coming around,” Professor Thorne said, and Rigo fell silent.
Milo’s eyes fluttered.
I bent closer, exhaling in relief as I watched him wake up.
“What happened?” His voice was groggy. “Did we get it?”
“We got it,” I assured him. “You did great.”
His eyes found mine, and he smiled a wobbly smile. “We make a hell of a team, Hawkins.”
“Damn right we do.”
“Next time, how about you get body-slammed and I save the day?”
I grinned and offered my hand to help him up. “Deal. Come on. I’ll buy lunch.”
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, I stood along the outskirts of the group and scanned the faces of those gathered. Tony wasn’t among them. He hadn’t been at breakfast either.
“Maybe he pissed of Rodrigo and got kitchen duty,” Milo said.
“Or maybe he mysteriously turned green and they disappeared him,” I muttered.
Milo shot me a look.
It was a terrible joke but only because I was starting to worry the truth wasn’t far from it.
Before I could voice my fears, something hit me in the back.
I turned and frowned at the weapon in Faith’s hand. The ball on the end of the handle was spiked, and my back was now throbbing because of it.
“What the hell,” I grumbled.
“Hey, losers. You’re in my way. Move your ass.”
Faith smiled sweetly—in a serial killer kind of way.
Milo eyed her. “I don’t move for nasty women or trolls. You decide which category you fall into.”
Faith’s jaw dropped. Her eyes narrowed, but her response was cut short.
“Milo Greene?”
Professor Thorne worked her way through the crowd of students and stopped in front of Milo. Faith stepped back to give the older woman space.
“Ma’am?” Milo said.
“You’re to report upstairs for final testing today,” Professor Thorne said.
Milo frowned. “Ma’am? I thought finals weren’t for another week.”
“Finals are administered once the student has shown sufficient aptitude for placement,” she said flatly.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means our instructors already have an idea about where to place you,” she explained. “Your final exam tells us whether we’re right.”
“Sounds like you guys should be the ones taking the test if you’re so unsure,” he joked.
Professor Thorne just stared back at him, clearly unamused.
“Right then. I’ll just get going,” Milo muttered, shuffling off. He shot a glance at me. “See you at lunch,” he mouthed before hurrying out.
“What about me, ma’am?” Faith asked.
“What about you?” Professor Thorne asked.
“Aren’t I being called upstairs to test?” she asked. “I took down my mud demon in record time during my field test.”
“You mean you and Mr. Trettel took it down.”
Faith’s smile faltered. “Of course. Anyway, surely you’ve recognized my aptitude for detective work by now.”
Professor Thorne sniffed, gave Faith a once-over that made my day, and walked off without a word.
I wished Milo had stayed long enough to see it.
“You’re all here because you’ve completed your courses,” Professor Thorne said to those assembled. “All that’s left is your final exam. Starting today, you’ll spend your morning in this room, and we’ll do all we can to prepare you for the test to come.”
“How can we prepare without magic?” someone asked.
She smiled thinly. “Your magic will sharpen you, but you must not rely on it. Prove to me you can do your job without it.”
Well, that didn’t sound fun.
The next couple of hours were spent running hypothetical drills and being tested on our strategy in the field. None of it was from our textbook, and the longer it went, the more outlandish the setups became. By the time we were wrapping up, I realized this was the real test; running scenarios no one could prepare for or see coming.
Professor Thorne made it clear none of us had all the answers. I just hoped Milo did. And that he aced whatever exam they were giving him.
After lunch, we resumed.
By the end of the day, the exhaustion had taken its toll on everyone. When class ended for the day, we all made our way to the cafeteria in relative silence. Between the pressure to pass and the physical exhaustion, I was done. Even Faith was quiet. Somehow, knowing the Queen B herself had been affected made me feel mildly better.
By dinner, Tony still hadn’t shown, and I was beginning to worry.
Dumping my half-eaten tray, I headed for the clinic.
Leslie wasn’t at her desk, but I found Starla in the hall. She had shadows under her eyes and a deep-set frown that only lightened a little when she saw me coming.
“Gem, everything okay? Do you need the nurse?”
“I was looking for a friend, actually. Tony Coffell. He wasn’t in class or at lunch.”
“Of course. He tested out last night and was released for duty.”
I stopped short. “What?”
“Professor Garcia observed his final evaluation, and he was assigned according to
his performance.” She said the words with mounting confusion. “Is there a problem?”
“No, I . . . He didn’t tell me his exam was coming up so fast.”
“Maybe he didn’t know.”
I frowned, thinking of the way they’d just sprung it on Milo today. And last night, when we’d returned from our demon test, I’d spent the evening in the clinic with Milo while he recovered. Maybe Tony had come looking and hadn’t known where to find us.
“Exams are scheduled based on instructor availability and student readiness. Sometimes that means last-minute scheduling.”
“Do you know what the outcome was?” I asked. “Where he was assigned.”
“I’m not permitted to give that information out,” she said. “Privacy reasons. You understand.”
“Of course.”
I hesitated.
“Anything else?”
“That’s all, thanks.”
I made my way back to the dorms, fingers crossed Tony had at least been assigned something local. Hopefully, he’d been given leave and was maybe even now on Fiona’s doorstep with a dozen roses. The thought made me smile even if it did make me sad for Milo.
The halls were empty by the time I made my way back to my room. Kicking the door shut behind me, I jumped at the sight of someone stretched out on my bed.
When I saw it was Milo, I relaxed.
“Shit, you scared me.” I kicked his feet aside and sat on the mattress beside him. “How’d it go?”
One look at his expression and I knew it wasn’t good.
“Toledo,” he said flatly.
“What the heck is a Toledo?”
“A city in Ohio, apparently.”
“What’s important about it?”
“Nothing, at least in my opinion. But it’s where I’ve been cross-assigned.”
“Wait, the agency is sending you to Toledo?”
“If I want a patrol job, that’s my only option.”
“What if you took another job?”
“Rodrigo informed me Burger Bin is hiring.”
“Ugh. What a prick.” I sat beside Milo, shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry.”
“The worst part is I nailed the exam. Took out a wraith demon before it could get out a single moan.”
“That’s great,” I said.
He shook his head. “Didn’t matter. It’s like they’d already made up their minds.”
Kiss of Death (Supernatural Security Force Book 1) Page 11