Page 11 of The Demon’s Due (Bedeviled #5)

Not only was Ezra manifesting my shedim eye color, he’d suffered the same thread-in-chest pulling and sharp darting pain that I had.

“Worse than any of that,” he said, “was feeling Aviva’s distress so deep in my bones that I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than getting to her. I dropped my phone partway through a call with my casino manager.”

Ezra had changed from those sweats into his regular clothes while I’d been in the meeting, and he now checked the underside of his leather shoe. “I may have trampled my cell in my rush from the basement,” he said.

We moved to a different conference room. One with a door.

I pulled Ezra aside before we entered.

His sleeves were rolled down, the cuffs were buttoned, and his collar was snug against his neck. None of the bruises were visible, but I forced him to roll up his sleeve. The injuries hadn’t worsened, but they didn’t look any better either.

“Until all traces of Rukhsana’s magic disappear,” I said, “plus a decent ‘just in case’ period longer, we should keep up this thrall.”

“You’re smiling at the thought of prolonging it.” He swore. “These side effects are untenable.”

I caught myself rubbing my cheek against his chest and grimaced. “They’re not just untenable. They suck. Not knowing whether I’m happy to be with you or it’s the thrall talking?”

“I mean, I’m generally a delight,” he teased.

“Keep telling yourself that, Cardoso.” I shook my head.

“It’s worse than that for me though. I felt seriously destabilized back there, like two people at once.

That’s not something I’ve experienced with Cherry before.

And things are tense enough right now without you activating Hulk mode whenever you think I’m in danger. ”

“Especially considering how that’s become a full-time occurrence these days. Plus, the two of us getting itchy if we spend too long apart or are too far away isn’t ideal.”

“Let’s figure out our range of separation.” I entered the new conference room, telling Sach that I had a math problem for her.

Louis showed up with two operatives to deal with the busted door and give the all-clear for the level threes who worked on this floor to return.

Michael ordered Louis to spread the word that should the slightest whisper about Ezra’s outburst get back to her, every single level three would be on night shift foot patrol for the next month.

Even I blanched at that. It was January . Wet and cold and awful. Operatives were gossipy, but we did so at our own risk, well aware that Michael always managed to hear what we were repeating.

However, I was relieved that any rumors would be kiboshed fast.

Sachie looked up from her phone. “Average height of a single story is fourteen feet. We’re on the fifth floor with Spook Squad in the second level basement, so roughly one hundred feet.”

“Nice old round number for a separation range,” Silas said.

“Great,” I said waspishly. “I’ll carry a measuring tape with me at all times, shall I?”

“What? Don’t tell me you regret this raw deal,” Darsh said with a small gasp, eyes theatrically wide. “No one saw that coming.”

“Is that you having my back?”

“I always have your back,” he said sincerely. “But I toooooold you sooooo.”

“Singing it doesn’t make it less bitchy,” I snapped.

“The thrall will settle,” Ezra said, “giving us more breathing room.”

“Since Count von Cardoso is now Avi’s shadow,” Darsh said, earning a glare from Ezra, “I’m going to fill him in.”

He wasn’t asking Michael for permission, but she nodded just the same.

Sachie’s scritches were a soothing background noise.

Darsh succinctly recapped the earthquake and the baby vamp problems. “It’s not only hunger. There’s been reports of their speed stuttering and their strength surging and ebbing.”

“What can you tell us about the Luce?” Michael said.

“Just that it’s the healing magic that was released by the power word,” I said.

“Don’t ask what that was because I forgot it as soon as I spoke it.

The magic itself isn’t good or bad. It comes down to how it’s deployed.

In this case, it was mixed with half-shedim blood, giving the dhampir the same level of power as a regular vampire along with a Prime’s ability to have kids. ”

“Aviva and I didn’t believe this ritual would work on full vampires,” Michael said. “Not that Alastair ever intended that. We just didn’t foresee it adversely affecting newly turned vampires.” She clicked her pen at Ezra. “Any news from the Copper Hell?”

“We don’t get many young vampires, but my manager didn’t report any issues.”

“Your magic is a main component of the security system,” Silas said. “It might be making the Hell secure from this too.”

“Hard to say. It works in tandem with Delacroix’s,” Ezra pointed out.

“Still.” The other vampire pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Prime magic may provide a buffer against the Luce.”

I clutched my boyfriend’s sleeve. “Is Maud safe?”

“She’s not at the Hell anymore,” Michael said. “I contacted her when you were first discovered missing because I had no idea whether Delacroix was behind it. She’s back home. Maccabees from the Hong Kong chapter are guarding her.”

“Delacroix wouldn’t hurt Maud,” I said. “She’s safer at the Hell…which is a yacht full of vamps who could go off at any moment. Fuck. Right call.”

“I can’t take credit for that,” Michael said, “because the Luce hadn’t hit when I pulled her. However, Maud’s godmother was a Maccabee in Hong Kong. They take care of their own and that includes Maud.”

“I agree with Michael,” Ezra said. “Delacroix probably wouldn’t hurt her, but he’s still a demon. And there are no issues on the yacht yet, but if my magic doesn’t hold against the Luce, she’s safer in predominantly human territory.”

I fished a random elastic band out of my pocket and tied my hair back in a low ponytail. “I wasn’t affected by Alastair’s ritual, and given that the yacht’s security system with Delacroix’s magic has held up, I think anyone or anything with shedim magic is impervious to the Luce.”

“Babel won’t be affected, then, since it was built in an abandoned demon realm,” Ezra said.

Silas shook his head. “That doesn’t preclude weaker vampires over there being hit.”

“Communications with Babel are spotty.” Darsh frowned. “We think we got a message to Nasir but there’s been no response.”

“So far none of Babel’s residents have shown up here in a panic,” Michael said. “Let’s hope that reinforces the theory that the city is exempt from the effects of the Luce.”

“I don’t mean to sound uncaring,” Sachie said, “but we’ve got enough on our plate to worry about without Babel. The Brink is gone. Young vampires are freaking out and attacking humans. Let the other realms take care of themselves for a hot minute.”

Michael wrote some notes on a pad. “I’ll update the Authority and the other chapters. Helping these young vamps stay safe also helps humans.”

“Ah, but will the Authority share that view?” Darsh said wryly. “There’s only one solution that helps humans truly stay safe.”

“No more vamps.” Silas crossed his arms.

Of all the times for them to be on the same page.

I swallowed, assuring myself that this enormous displeased vampire did not want to hurt us mortals. Well, not the ones in this room.

“They’ll use us to ‘help’ the injured now,” Darsh said. “It might not involve staking them but there’ll be a tipping point. And should their own operatives show signs of this infection, you’ll be ordered to help us .”

Silas snorted. “Help us right off this mortal coil.”

Michael flinched, dropping the pen. “I’ll never let it come to that.”

Darsh’s gentle smile was more damning than any retort.

“Maybe if the ritual had been conducted here on earth,” I said, steering us away from that charged topic, “no one else would have been affected. But the Brink has always been a wild card.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Darsh said. “There must have been other successful supplicants for the power word who wanted the Luce for themselves. All of them waited until they got back to use it?” He shook his head.

“Doubtful. There’s a more likely cause. Alastair’s rune.

” He slid a pad from the middle of the table toward me. “Can you draw it?”

“No.” I huffed a laugh.

“That’s okay,” Ezra immediately said. “You can’t be expected to remember it.”

“It’s not that.” I frowned, trying to explain it. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I just can’t draw it. It bent and twisted, and looking at it was like looking through reality. Everything about it was wrong, and there’s no way to recount it.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Michael said. “Darsh?”

He shook his head. None of the others were familiar with such a thing either.

Sachie rubbed her index finger and thumb together to wipe off some smudged pencil. “The rune’s magic has to be shedim-based, right?”

Darsh nodded. “That makes sense with the description and that it was used in conjunction with demon magic in those victims’ blood.”

“Give me a team to learn everything about the Luce so we can stop it from spreading further,” I said.

Michael laughed incredulously. “You’re taking time off.”

“But—”

“But nothing, Operative Fleischer.”

“Uh-oh,” Sachie said in a low voice, putting the finishing touches on a raven.

Michael clicked her pen. “You just survived a traumatic ordeal and are negotiating the effects of your enthrallment.”

“Sure, but that’s just background noise.”

“Ouch.” Ezra placed a hand on his heart.

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Let me go see Burning Eddie.” Sachie closed her notebook and slid the pencil in through the spiral binding. “He’s got a library of rare books about magic. There might be something on that rune that gives us insights. And he’s fun to talk to if nothing else.”

“I need you here,” Darsh said.

“I’ll be gone less than two days.”

“Fine,” he said reluctantly, “but I’m holding you to that timeframe.”

Sachie kicked me under the table.