Chapter 2

I couldn't containmy excitement as we left the warehouse and started walking. "Where should we go?"

"You tell us." Vance threw the question right back at me.

"I don't know this part of the city. Is there a park nearby? Ooh, how about a Mickey D's?" I craved a breakfast sandwich and hashbrown. The greasier, the better.

"You're putting yourself in peril for junk food?" Cain grumbled.

"It's a sunny day, and I have the two best reapers accompanying me. What are the chances we'll be attacked?" I wouldn't allow his grouchiness to ruin my excitement at finally getting out.

Cain arched a brow. "Have you forgotten about the corposse?" A reminder of the demons who could possess human bodies to walk around during the day unnoticed.

"I thought they were supposed to be rare," I countered, even as I couldn't help but recall how many of them had taken over the people in my neighborhood just to get at me. Ever seen Men in Black? Remember Edgar and his stilted walk? I promise it's even creepier in person.

"Yes, they are rare." Vance spoke up in my defense. "And with these new talismans, we'll get warnings if any come near us." Vance referred to the magical necklaces with a dangling pendant we all wore. They would glow and heat up if any demons—even those possessing humans—got within range.

"See? We'll be fine." Or so I hoped. Forget admitting to Cain my own fear that this outing would turn into a disaster. Would we be attacked? Maybe. Did I need to get away from the warehouse before I went insane? Definitely. I wanted to do something other than fail at magic. Be somewhere other than surrounded by witches and reapers, most of whom remained strangers. In their defense, no one was rude or ignored me, more like my own insecurities reared their heads and insisted I didn't belong.

Vance pointed in the direction we strolled. "There's a park a few blocks from here if you're in the mood for some nature."

It led to Cain scoffing, "Winter is coming. The only nature she'll get is dying grass and naked branches."

"You forgot dog shit and cigarette butts," was my smarmy reply. "Which, I will add, is something you see in all parks." At least in the city. I'd only ever been outside of it a few times, once on a camping trip in my twenties, where the mosquitoes made a mess of my ass when I peed in the woods. The other time had been for an outdoor wedding in the Muskokas, where I learned soggy ground and heels didn't mesh and that the weatherman should be fired, given it poured non-stop. It rained so hard the bride called it a bad omen and cried hysterically.

You know what I saw as an omen? The lone butterfly that flitted past me. Odd for this time of year but I admitted its tenacity. If a butterfly could come out of its cocoon later than most, maybe I could too.

Despite the chilly nights, the lawn still held hints of green, the truly yellow parts more likely caused by dog piss than weather. The trees, as promised, held no more leaves. They littered the ground in reds, yellows, and browns. A path meandered through the tiny forest, one of those attempts to keep the city green. I wished they'd make a better attempt at curbing the drugs. As with every public outdoor space, needles spotted the ground, along with trash. It led to me watching my feet more than the foliage.

"I'm going to scout ahead," Cain announced, his stride lengthening so that he might pull away from us.

Once he got out of earshot, I murmured, "If he hates being around me so much, why doesn't he ask Asher to reassign him?"

Vance strode beside me, hands in his pockets. "He doesn't hate it."

"His tone and expression say otherwise," I dryly remarked.

"He's not a smiley kind of guy."

I snorted. "You don't say." Cain's resting face resembled his angry face which resembled his hungry face which…you get the point.

"Asher did offer to have someone take his place."

I almost stumbled as I exclaimed, "And he said no?"

"Cain might not show it, but he cares for you."

"Could have fooled me," I muttered.

"It bothers you. Is it because you like him?" A casual question, and yet it seemed like he tensed waiting for my answer.

"Is he hot? Yes? Is he an ass? Also, yes. Would I date him if circumstances were different?" I shrugged. "I doubt he'd have paid me a second glance if it weren't for the whole reaper-witch thing."

"Actually, the fact you're the messovenata is what's holding him back."

"Holding him back from what?"

"Dating you."

This time I did trip over my own feet. I recovered and planted my hands on my hips to huff, "Like fuck he would."

Vance paused and faced me. "He's interested in you."

"He's got a weird way of showing it."

"Cain isn't one to display his emotions, or even talk about them. I assure you, while he looks miserable on the outside, he is chock full of feelings on the inside."

"He'd hate the fact you're talking about him like this."

My remark tilted Vance's lips. "He would."

"You know him pretty well." Stated, not asked.

"I do. Or should say, I did. This last month is the most time we've spent together in decades given our diverging careers." Vance referenced the fact he'd gone into law enforcement to better serve the Guild of Reapers, while Cain remained a hardcore demon hunter.

"What happened between the two of you?" I asked. Questioning Mizuki had gotten me some vague story about them having a falling out over a woman. So sue me, but I wanted the juicy details.

"I'm sure you've heard rumors."

"That you both liked the same chick and she ditched you both." I could have lied, but I preferred to be blunt.

"Then you know what happened."

"What happened to bros before hos?"

To that, Vance shrugged. "We were young and let lust cloud our judgment."

"You sound like you regret it."

"Because I do."

"Then why not make up? I mean, you're both working together now. Seems like it would be a good time to do it."

We resumed walking with Vance speaking softly. "It's hard to mend a rift spanning decades."

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know. We're not the same young men anymore."

"What does age have to do with friendship?" I questioned.

"It has to do with our lives drifting apart. Surely you have some friends you no longer see because you lack anything in common."

"Yeah, I do." Pretty much all of them had married or moved away. We hadn't bothered keeping in touch because we lacked things in common once we left school.

"So you understand then."

"Guess I do."

The asphalt path twined into the small forest, and despite the barren branches, I couldn't spot Cain. The sun still managed to filter through, though, and while it wouldn't stop a demon, it made an attack less likely. So explain the shiver on my skin, one that insisted someone watched.

I glanced over my shoulder. No one walked behind us.

Vance noticed my distraction. "Problem?"

"No. Just me being paranoid." I laughed. He didn't.

He pursed his lips. "I think we should head back."

"Why? My amulet isn't glowing." I pointed to my chest.

Vance remained grim-faced. "Call it a gut instinct then. We should head somewhere more public."

"If you insist. I think we're closer to the exit this way." I pointed ahead of us, where I could see the trees thinning out but no sign of Cain.

"Walk faster," he urged, grabbing my arm and giving me a tug.

I might have argued, only his paranoia proved infectious. My steps quickened as we headed for the edge of the woods, the weaving path not following a straight line, yet like Dorothy and her golden-cobbled road, I felt a need to stay on the gray asphalt path.

A grate sat to the side of it, the metal of it rusted and clogged with dead leaves. I skirted it. I'd seen what lived in the Toronto sewers, not to mention spent time in one. Did not recommend. I'd have given it zero stars on Yelp if it had a listing.

As we passed the grate, it rattled. Vance whirled while barking, "Keep moving."

I did better than walk. I ran, my breath huffing in my chest, but not as hard as it had a month before when I used to get no exercise. Mizuki had me doing a daily workout with her that involved more cardio than I liked.

As I jogged, I glanced over my shoulder to see Vance kneeling by the grate and tugging on the bars. Crazy bastard. Let whatever played down below stay there. No need to go chasing it.

As I left Vance behind, I wondered where the fuck Cain had gotten to. Usually, he remained glued to my ass to the point I hated going to the bathroom because I knew that he knew what I did inside there. If he'd smelled it, I doubt he'd have remained interested in me for long. I'd once had a friend joke, "You know it's love when they bring you toilet paper on the throne." I'd never reached a point in any relationship where I'd managed to do a number two while they were in the same apartment or house.

My straining lungs and aching legs propelled me out of the park. I emerged to see a street with passing cars and a few people on the sidewalks. A nearby bench held an older woman dressed in sweats, a water bottle by her side. Her face was lined with age, her gray hair a curly halo around her head.

I huffed, partially hunched over, hands on my thighs. Maybe this outing had been a bad idea. Not that I'd admit it. I couldn't remain a prisoner, locked away for the rest of my life. At the same time, I didn't want to deal with demons every time I strayed from my safe zone.

Since Vance had yet to join me, and Cain had disappeared, I chose to remain rooted on the sidewalk in the open. Guess the hugging of my body made me look in need of help because the woman on the bench said, "You look frazzled, dear. Everything okay?"

I glanced over and offered a wan smile. "Fine. Saw a big spider in the woods." It was a lame excuse, but she nodded.

"Nasty buggers. So many legs. Where I come from, they get to be quite large."

"Oh. Where are you from?" The polite thing to say.

"A place you've probably never been but heard of. I don't miss the heat or the crowding. This world is so much nicer."

The choice of the phrase "this world" brought a frown. That and the fact she'd not mentioned where she came from. Suddenly, I didn't feel so safe in the open. "I should go find my friend. He's probably squished the spider by now."

"I'm sure the reaper is fine." The woman's voice pitch lowered. "Why, one of them is watching you right now, ready to sweep in and save you."

A chill went through me. I retreated a step. "You're a demon."

The lips curved. "Oh, I'm much more than that. I am the father of all demons. The bringer of destruction. The Lord this planet needs."

"Moloch?" I whispered the name, knowing I should run but finding myself frozen in place.

"It's nice to meet you, messovenata."

I shook my head. "You can't be here. The door to your prison is closed. Your wizard failed to sacrifice me to get it open."

"He did fail, and then you killed him. Pity. It's so hard to find decent minions. But don't worry. I'm working on a replacement to finish what he started."

"I won't let you kill me," I huffed with no idea how I'd stop him.

"Who says you need to die? It's possible to bleed you without sacrificing your life. And I'd much rather you lived, given I'm going to need a suitable vessel to carry heirs to replace the treacherous princes I'm going to kill when I finally return."

What was it with demons threatening to breed me?

I swallowed hard. "I'm not interested in having your or anyone's babies."

The old lady smiled. Widely. Wickedly. "As if you'll have a choice. And you should know, I love it when you scream."

Speaking of screaming, should I be calling for help? Where the fuck were my guardians?

"You won't succeed. We will stop you."

"Says the messovenata who can't do magic." Before I could ask how the demon knew, he answered. "I'm aware of your shameful secret. To think the fate of humanity rests on your less-than-adequate shoulders."

The insult straightened my spine. "That's rich coming from the guy who's stuck in a prison because humans put him there."

The insult wiped away the smirk, and the eyes sparked with motes of fire. "I've paid for my complacency, and upon my return, I will make your kind regret their actions."

"Well, that first requires you to actually capture me, which I can assure you will never happen," I spat with more confidence than I felt.

And he knew it.

The bastard's grin returned. "I'm going to enjoy breaking your spirit. Until we meet in the flesh, messoventa."

With that final salutation, the body slumped, and the woman pitched headfirst off the bench, leaving me gaping.

Not so the person jogging past. The dude with a fanny pack and hydration bottle ran to her side. "Ma'am? Ma'am, are you okay?"

Even from where I stood, I could see she wasn't. This innocent bystander had been possessed by the spirit of Moloch, and the wide, staring eyes that didn't blink spoke of an instant death. At least she didn't have a demon inside trying to tear its way out.

Meanwhile, I had to grapple with the knowledge that not only could Moloch hijack someone like that, but he knew my name. Knew where to find me. Wanted to fuck me.

Why did it have to be an evil demon lord from another dimension who showed an interest and not Vance, who came striding from the woods, looking disheveled with leaf crumbs dusting his pants. I'd even have preferred the grumpy Cain, who suddenly strutted toward me from across the street, ignoring the flow of traffic.

As they got within earshot, I couldn't help but snap, "Some bodyguards."

"What happened?" Vance's gaze went past me to the people performing CPR on the dead woman.

I opened my mouth, ready to blast them. Ready to say that while they were off doing whatever, I'd been verbally accosted by Moloch. Only I didn't because, if I did, my ass would be marched back to the warehouse, and who knew when I'd be allowed to leave again?

At the same time, these were supposed to be my guardians. My allies. Were they aware Moloch could see and speak through people? That he knew me? What if I told them and they didn't believe me? I had no proof. Maybe I should wait and talk to Nova. She could use her magic and would know I didn't lie.

Rather than relate what happened, I asked, "What was under that grate in the woods?"

"Raccoon." Vance's lips twisted. "It must have entered via another spot and gotten stuck. I set it free."

A racoon. "Guess that explains why our necklaces didn't light up." Which reminded me, it hadn't done a thing when Moloch possessed the woman. Did that mean they didn't work?

A glowering Cain waited until he got near to hiss, "What happened to the civilian? I saw you talking to her before she keeled over. Did you do something?"

"Of course not!" I huffed indignantly. Instead of saying Moloch killed her from afar, I gave a more plausible excuse. "Probably a heart attack."

"I think we should go back." Cain wanted to put me back in solitary.

"Why? It's not a like demon attacked." Technically true. After all, my conversation with the disembodied spirit of a monster king didn't harm me one bit, unless my frazzled nerves counted.

"Are you okay? You seem a little off." Vance eyed me suspiciously.

I faked a cheerful smile as I said, "Anyone else hungry?"

We didn't return to the warehouse but found a McDonald's. My breakfast sandwich and hashbrown tasted like cardboard, but I exaggerated my enjoyment. Just like I pretended to be cheerful and not paranoid. Meanwhile, everyone who dared look me in the eye caused me to tense up.

Would Moloch inhabit another body and try to harm or kidnap me? What did he mean he was working on another minion? Not to mention, what else could Moloch do from his prison?

I wanted to ask, and I would, but before I did, I wanted to enjoy a few more hours of freedom. When I saw a sign for a cinema, I pointed and said, "Who wants to watch a romantic comedy with me?"

A rhetorical question, of course. They both had to come, which was how I ended up sandwiched between Vance and Cain with a bucket of buttery popcorn and a giant slushie, paying absolutely no attention to the screen because I kept hoping one of them would put a hand on my leg.

They didn't. I might have been disappointed if my necklace hadn't suddenly started glowing, heating the skin on my chest.

The demons were here.