Page 21 of Nexus
“They were torn apart by an unknown monster and their remains had to be picked up with shovels,” I replied before anyone could beat me to it.
“Exactly,” Hugh said, tightening his hold on his partner in dread. “We don’t know what killed them, which is a perfect example of why Lord Gilden won’t let us hunt alone. There were no clues for us to follow when we examined the bodies.”
“Not even Yareli or I could detect the scents of the attackers,” Zahir said.
“Where were they killed?” I asked, feeling a bit spooked by their unease.
“Near one of the entrances to the sewers that lead to Sector G,” Otis said. “The only scents these guys could pick up was sewage.”
“We think it was smeared on their remains deliberately, to cover the killers’ trail,” Theo said.
“My mom told me Sector G was the most dangerous place in Nexus back when she was a bounty hunter,” I said, trying to hide a shiver.
“Nothing has changed since your mother’s time,” Hugh said. “If anything, Sector G is probably worse now.”
“Why doesn’t Drake send us all in to clean it out?”
“No one knows who or what is living down there,” Felicity said in annoyance at my lack of knowledge. “There could be a pack of demons hiding out in there for all we know. None of us are stupid enough to take on demons. Even one can be highly dangerous. An entire pack could wipe out half the city if they’re riled up.”
Otis looked like he was going to roll his eyes, then thought better of it when she glanced at him. “It’s only a rumor that demons are hiding out in the sewers,” he said. I noticed they were both wearing necklaces with the same teardrop shaped green stones. I could feel magic coming from them and figured they allowed them to enter places that normally kept their kind out.
“Even if they are, they’ll be low-level hell spawn,” Zahir figured. “If a powerful demon was residing in Nexus, they would have made their presence known by now.”
“Which realm of the underworld do demons come from?” I asked, hating my lack of knowledge. Mom had always been a loner, but she’d picked up some information along the way. This was something she didn’t have an answer for.
“They reside in all realms,” Yareli said. “The worst ones come from the ninth realm. I’ve heard their overlord is supposed to be a powerful demon.” Each realm was run by an overlord. All of the realms were linked to each other and to our world.
We were talking quietly, but glances were thrown our way by beings with enhanced hearing. From their haunted expressions, some of them had had dealings with demons.
“This isn’t the place for this discussion,” Felicity said bossily. “We shouldn’t be talking about our business in public.”
The werelions gave her almost identical sardonic looks, as if they discussed their jobs in public all the time. Otis changed the topic to make her happy. He began talking about a new restaurant they intended to visit for dinner.
Hugh’s cell phone rang a few minutes later. Theo went on full alert as he listened in. “We’ll be there soon,” Hugh said, then the call ended. “Duty calls,” he said with a grin, pleased that he and his mate had a job to do. They both downed their drinks, then linked fingers and headed for the door.
“We should go, too,” Felicity said, seizing her chance to distance herself from me. “We wouldn’t want to be late for our reservation.”
Otis nodded amiably, then they finished their drinks. “It was good to meet you, Saige,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll get a chance to work with you soon.”
I had my doubts about that, but nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you later,” I said, then turned to the vamps. “Are you heading off, too?” I asked.
“We don’t want to be rude and leave you here by yourself,” Yareli said with stark honesty.
“I’ve got a date lined up,” I told her. “I won’t be alone for long.”
“In that case, let’s take a stroll outside and see if we can find a snack,” Zahir said to his wife with a grin. Vampires could easily ensnare humans, drink a small amount of their blood and force them to forget about it. Most bloodsuckers were careful not to leave their bites in obvious places.
My colleagues vanished into the crowd and I picked up my glass of beer to skull it. When I put the empty glass down on the table, I turned to find the cute shifter standing directly in front of me. He had sandy blond hair and was already getting hard at the prospect of seeing me naked. “Are we going to do this, or what?” he asked.
“Your place or mine?” I retorted.
“I don’t want to wait that long. Let’s get a room upstairs,” he suggested, then took my hand to tug me towards the stairs.
Chapter Seventeen
THE BOUNCER WHO WAS guarding the staircase put his hand up to stop us when we reached him. He was another huge, bearded werebear. “Solicitation isn’t allowed in this establishment,” he said in a deep voice.
“I’m not a ho,” I said with an eyeroll.