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Mira

I found my potential accomplice staring into the refrigerator.

“Hey, Jax, do you feel up to an adventure?”

“Depends.” He closed the fridge door and cocked his head as he looked up at me. “From the look in your eyes, I’m either going to love it or hate it, aren’t I?”

“Yup.”

“And we’re doing it right now because Rome’s in bed with a migraine and Gigi’s off with Kerry on his mystery errand?” he sneered.

I was right! He’s still put out because Kerry asked Gigi and not him to go. Well, this should distract him, if nothing else.

“You catch on quick!” I had to admit that the smile I gave him was edged with mischief.

“And if I said I didn’t want to, you’d say okay and go alone?”

I only widened my smile.

“It better not be anything dangerous,” he muttered. “I refuse to be left standing alone against Rome’s wrath, so you better not get so much as a splinter.”

“Rome’s wrath,” I scoffed. “Sounds like a history documentary.”

“If you get hurt, he would kill me.” Jax grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “He would kill me dead .”

“No splinters, I promise.” Raising one finger, I made an x over my heart. “Please?”

“All right, but only because I don’t want you to get into trouble alone.”

“I know, right?” I grinned. “It’s so much more fun to get into trouble together.”

#

Rome

I woke up choking and gagging. My thoughts were sluggish, but my aching brain screamed a few words at me that I processed quick enough.

Evil.

Here.

Mira!

Leaping out of bed, I ran out of the room and called up my blades as instinct took over. I followed my nose and found Mira sitting at the kitchen table.

Jax had George in a striking position as he stared down at whatever she had swaddled in a blanket and cradled against her chest like a baby.

Hurrying over, I took in the thing’s big bat ears, almond-shaped solid black eyes, and smooth forehead studded with tiny horns. Its skin was the color of a ripe blueberry and I knew the blanket hid stubby wings.

“It’s okay. Just put it down.” I spoke in a slow, quiet voice, not wanting to panic her. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I know what I’m doing, Rome.”

“It seems to be sleeping,” Jax said. “I think it’s okay.”

“Put it down.”

“I don’t want you to kill it. I need it alive.”

“It’s gonna hurt you, and we have no healer here.” I wanted to scream, but kept my voice low and even. “Put it down.”

Her mutinous face told me all I needed to know.

Stop arguing with her and do it!

Without another word, I dropped the left blade, stepped closer, and manifested a flat pry bar.

I ignored her squawking and slid it between her and the creature, careful not to so much as scrape her skin.

Tightening my muscles, I went to flip the little demon out of her arms—and found my arm frozen in place.

#

Kerry

“She was luminous, Kerry. She looked nothing like the old lady in that cell!”

Gigi was still awe-struck over seeing Parvenah in the fullness of her power.

“She’s the peri queen.” I half-smiled. “I imagine she was very beautiful.”

“Yes, beautiful, but it was more than that. She had such a presence. I can’t describe it, but it felt … heavy to be near her. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense.”

“It does. I felt the same way when I met Mumtaz.”

“Mumtaz? Oh, the div king. Did you hang out with him? I thought you said he wasn’t nice.”

“He’s not. I met him once and, no, I didn’t hang out with him. You don’t hang out with someone like Mumtaz. But, yeah, I understand what you mean. He and Parvenah are not like us. They are,” I searched for a word and came up with, “otherworldly.”

“Thank you for asking me to help.” Gigi’s eyes glittered. “I’ll never forget that. Do you think I would feel the same way in the presence of an archangel?”

“Shoot, I dunno. Let me know if you ever meet one.”

She laughed.

“Why did they look at you like that?”

“Who?”

My nose had caught a whiff of something Diabolical and distracted me for whatever she was prattling on about.

“The people with Josef. They looked at you like you had sprouted horns or a second head. How come?”

“Gigi, I wasn’t a nice person before.”

We were only a block away from the safe house, and the scent grew stronger the closer we got.

Lots of Dark things in the city. No need to worry Gigi. Yet.

“So they knew your reputation and were surprised you turned over a new leaf.” She nodded her head, as if she’d made a decision.

They were probably wondering why Josef hadn’t brought a kill team along, but whatever she wants to believe.

I spiked up a little as we stepped through the front doors of the apartment building.

“What is it?” Gigi lowered the volume of her voice.

“Something Diabolical came in here.”

I followed the smell across the lobby to the central elevator, and she trailed along. I felt her gathering her power around her like a cloak.

“Recently?” she whispered as I pushed the call button.

“Within the last hour or so. Listen, when we get on the elevator, ’port us up to our place. And have the pass key ready. If the trail leads there, you’ll need to open the door quick. I don’t think the management will understand a door torn off its hinges.”

“Okay.”

“It’s probably nothing.”

I didn’t want to scare her, but I didn’t believe that, either. Not with my kinda luck.

“Okay.”

The second the elevator doors closed behind them, Gigi touched my hand and we flashed to right outside our apartment. The stench was strong enough to make my eyes water and, the second she flung open the door, I raced in. Stumbling to a halt, I took in the scene with wide eyes.

Mira sat in a kitchen chair, holding what looked like a baby.

Jax stood behind her, the sledge in the air and lit up orange.

Rome stood in front of her, one hand shoving what looked like a pry bar under the baby and the other holding his short sword.

He seemed to be struggling with the pry bar, as if it weighed a million tons.

“Let go, Mira!” Rome bellowed.

“You chose metal weapons, meathead. Duh.” Mira curled her lip, her eyes on fire. “Rome. Stop. I know what I’m doing. Thank you for wanting to protect me, but I don’t need help.”

“It’s a demon, you crazy woman! It is not a baby!”

Rome let go of the pry bar and stepped back. The bar, glowing gray, moved away from her and dropped to the floor, where it dissolved.

“Now this looks like fun.” Gigi closed the door behind us.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Kerry, explain to her I need to kill that thing before it attacks her,” Rome demanded, his eyes riveted on whatever Boots held.

“Chill, Rome,” Jax said. “It’s been completely docile since she wrapped it in the demon blanket.”

“If I hadn’t had such a bad headache, I would have woken up the second you brought it in here!” Rome’s usual even temper seemed to have reached its limit. “How long have you been messing around with it?”

“Maybe thirty minutes,” Jax replied. “Seems harmless enough, although its voice hurts our ears.”

“Docile, Gigi.” I said out of the side of my mouth. “What’s it mean?”

“Huh? Oh. Peaceful.”

Curious, I walked over and looked down.

“Oh. A weeping reaper.”

“Mr. Snyder called it a tenebrous demon,” Rome said.

At first, I thought it was rage rolling off him, but then realized it was concern. He was upset because Mira was in danger.

Yeah. That’s me, too. I’m scared outta mind about what could be happening to my girl. To my angel …

“Slow your roll, dude,” I muttered to him, then louder, “I’ve heard them called that, too. Those tiny horns crack me up. I mean, if you’re gonna have horns, have horns .”

The reaper chattered at me in a sleepy way. Both Jax and Gigi covered their ears, Mira grimaced, and Rome looked like he might pass out. On top of a migraine, hearing Infernal probably felt like a glass bomb exploding in his skull.

“Argh! What is that?” Gigi growled.

“Infernal. Language of the demons,” I explained.

“It doesn’t hurt your ears?” Jax scowled at me.

“No. The demon used it all the time when I was possessed, so I guess I got used to it.” I half-smiled. “Why? You jealous?”

“Yeah! I’ve been tortured for the past half hour and you come waltzing in and—

“That’s not important right now,” Mira cut in. “Can you understand it, Kerry?”

“Sure. It can understand you, too.”

“I’m still going to kill it,” Rome rumbled, but lowered his sword.

“What did it say?” Gigi tilted her head curiously as she, too, looked down at the demon.

“The more I mock its horns, the more I prove how jealous I am of them,” I translated with a grin.

“This is perfect!” Mira interrupted. “You came in at the exact right moment. Okay, so me and Jax have been experimenting with this blanket, right? When I wrapped Jax in it, I did not have my power suppressed, but he did. We tried it the other way around and it was the same. But that was all it did. When I wrapped this little demon up in it, though, he practically went to sleep. Ask him if he can access his powers, Kerry!”

Raising my eyebrows, I did as she asked. The reaper replied, then yawned and stretched out one chubby fist, as if it really were a baby safe in its mother’s arms.

If demons who hounded humans until they committed suicide had mothers.

“It says it can. It says that, at any second, it could drive you all to your deaths in despair, so you should be afraid. Very afraid.”

“Oh,” Mira’s face fell. “He can use his powers? That’s not fair!”

“Of course it can’t.” I made a face. “It’s bluffing. And don’t call it a he. It’s an it.”

“But he—I mean, it said it could!” Gigi said. Then, biting her lip, she asked Mira if she could hold it.

“Sure. Is that okay with you, lil weeping reaper?” Mira baby-talked to the demon and passed the bundle to Gigi.

I traded a disbelieving look with Rome.

“She’s all yours, my friend.” I swept my hands toward Mira, welcoming him to it. “Do not be an idiot and screw up.”

“Huh?” Mira scrunched up her eyebrows.

Rome dissolved his sword and took a knee next to Mira, then gathered her hands in his and looked up at her with concern on his face.