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“I guess so,” I muttered, heading for the next artifact cluster.

Nero followed me.

I smirked over my shoulder at him. “Can’t stay away from me, can you, Windstriker?”

“I never can.”

My smile stretched wider.

But then he added, “Someone has to make sure you don’t blow stuff up.”

“Funny,” I muttered.

He winked at me, which told me he’d only been teasing me. Or at least he’d been mostly teasing me.

“It looks like Zarion has his people studying the artifacts, trying to figure out how they work,” Nero said as we stopped in front of a helmet so large, it must have been made for a giant. He indicated the bookshelves full of notebooks. “There are a lot of notes about them.”

“Yeah, and from the looks of those notes, a lot of these artifacts do some pretty unpleasant things.” I showed him a page from one of the research notebooks I’d grabbed off the shelf.

“The Demon Killer is not here. Its spot is empty,” Damiel declared, coming down the aisle with Cadence, toward us.

“However, I did find the researchers’ notes on that particular artifact,” Cadence added, clutching a notebook in her arms. “I know how the Demon Killer works.”

“By killing demons?” I suggested.

She was so focused that my sarcasm went right over her head. “Yes, of course, but the really interesting part is the how. The artifact is like a magic bomb. When it lets off a pulse of power, that pulse has the power to instantly kill any demon it touches. It would likely also kill a dark angel. It might even be able to kill supernatural beings with even less dark magic.”

“With this weapon, Zarion could kill a lot of people, not just demons,” I said. “That’s why he killed that hunter. That’s why he stole the artifact. He wants to go to war against dark magic and all who possess it.”

12

THE WEAPON

Just when I thought my family couldn’t possibly disappoint me any further, my crazy uncle decided to steal a weapon that could wipe out not only all the demons in the universe, but all of their subjects too.

“We need to get that weapon away from Zarion before he uses it,” I said.

“We will.” Damiel looked at Nero. “Gather up all the immortal artifacts you can fit into your pack. If Zarion is going to war, we cannot allow him to have all these powerful weapons at his disposal.”

“When we’re done here, we’ll continue our search for the Demon Killer,” Cadence added. “Maybe we can find it before Zarion uses it.”

“Do you need my help?” I asked them as Nero zipped open his backpack. “Maybe I could infiltrate Zarion’s main castle, claiming that I’m paying my dear uncle a visit. Then, while I’m there, I could pretend I need to use the bathroom.”

“Do demons even have guest bathrooms?” Damiel whispered to Cadence. “Because I’m fairly certain that they enjoy torturing their guests by forcing them to ‘hold it’.”

“Shh, don’t ruin this for her,” she hissed back. “She looks like she’s having so much fun.”

“Then, instead of going to the bathroom, I sneak off to steal the artifact!” I grinned at Nero. “It will be fun. Just like a spy movie.”

He paused for a moment—obviously to process my totally awesome plan—before he spoke. “It sounds like you have it all figured out.”

“Yep,” I said with an enthusiastic nod.

“Your plan is reckless,” he told me.

“All the best plans are.”

He chuckled, and his granite expression dissolved. “You are crazy.” He pulled me in for a hug. “And I love you,” he added, kissing my forehead.