Page 45 of Cold Curses

“I’m on my way. Your people are alive. Do what you have to do to keep them that way.”

* * *

Roger and Petra would stay at the office, coordinate with Gwen, and deal with any demon incidents that occurred while Theo and I were gone.

I made Theo drive the van; I was too hyped up. In the meantime, I sent Dad a message, told him to consider locking down Cadogan House, given the mural building was only a few blocks away. Roger called, advised us Gwen and her CPD team were en route. They’d set up a defensive perimeter and were waiting for further directions from us.

It took too long to get to the neighborhood, to the street. We parked on the other end of the block of buildings where the warehouse was located. I climbed out, belted on my katana. The air was so full of demon magic that it felt stiff, like clothes with dried, caked-on mud. And it was pungent enough to make my eyes water.

“Damn,” Theo whispered. “Even I can smell that.”

“Yeah,” I said, “it’s not great.”

So much demon magic, and no wards had been triggered. Although I wasn’t sure which of the ones we’d identified were supposed to cover this spot. Maybe Hugo’s machine? If so, the problem hadn’t yet been solved.

I sent Lulu a message:Me and Theo, one block away and approaching from south. Where R U?

It took seconds for her to respond, and they felt like a lifetime.

We’re behind mobile storage box in alley on north side of bldg. Alley is a dead end.

Not for a vampire.Everybody mobile?

We’ll manage, she said.

Be ready,I said.We’re moving in.

“I want to get a look first,” I whispered, and gestured toward the sidewalk.

We stayed in the shadows at the edge of the sidewalk beyond the reach of streetlamps, and moved toward the street faced by the buildings. Light flashed—leaf green and brilliantly purple—presumably as magic was tossed around. When we reached theedge of the buildings, we peeked around. The street was empty of humans, who’d been smart enough to flee the danger.

A dozen demons had taken up the space the humans had abandoned, and they were fighting with weapons, fists, and magic. One lobbed a red ball of magic that cracked and sparked as it struck a parked car, filling the night with sharp-edged scarlet light. The demons were all humanoid, no winged monsters here. They looked evenly matched, and there didn’t appear to be an obvious leader on either side.

“Why are they fighting?” I asked.

“They also want Buckley’s condo?”

I hated that that was the only concrete lead we had about demon aspirations.

We could see the floodlights set up to allow Lulu to work at night, and the scaffolding she used to reach higher portions of the building. First priority: get to the alley where Lulu and her coworkers were hiding and get them out safely. Second priority: take the demons down.

But how best to get to Lulu and the others? I looked around, gauging potential routes. Then glanced up and saw one of my favorite architectural features: an old-school fire escape.

I pointed up. “I can go up there and get to the humans from above. But you can’t make it up the fire escape with your cast. So you stay here, and I’ll bring them to you?”

“I’m not staying here,” he said dryly.

“You could go around the back.”

Somewhere nearby, glass fractured.

“I’ll try to get the humans to you,” I decided. “Then you get them to safety, and I’ll work with the CPD to get the demons down.”

“Don’t have time to wait,” he said. “I know how to stick to the shadows. I’ll go around the front, stay hidden, and meet you there.”

“You sure? Gwen will skin me if you get hurt.”

He grinned. “And you’ll skin me if Lulu gets hurt. No, thank you.”