almost lose my grip on the staff in surprise.
The demon’s eyes gleam with delight. “Her name is Cassidy Morgan, right? She didn’t tell you, did she? Little sis has become the favorite pet of Hazuldar. It won’t be long before he has your girl too.”
The words slam home. Cassidy Morgan’s sister was kidnapped, and Hazuldar was behind it?
So he is after her.
“Those three men you killed in the park,” the demon goes on. “It’ll be in all the papers before the day is out. This whole city will think you’re a murderer terrorizing Chance. How long do you think you’ve got before the humans in this city figure out what you are and how to deal with you?”
“I have no problem spending the whole day cutting off your air until you talk.” I press the staff into his windpipe until he thrashes and gags. When his face turns black with lack of air, I let up. “Where is Garl?”
“He’s been hanging out in Ho Dan’s club with those fucking humans,” he chokes, clutching his throat. “Hardly ever see him now.”
A club in Ho Dan. There’s been rumors of people going missing from that area for weeks.
“Why is Hazuldar after her?”
“Fuck if I know. You know Hazuldar doesn’t tell us shit.”
“Arcayos,” Hagor calls out.
I remove my staff from the demon’s throat, right the table, and slam his head into it. Then I pin him there with the staff across the back of his neck. It’s angled so that one jerk, and his neck will snap. “Why is he after her?”
“I told you, I don’t know!” he screams.
“Arcayos, stop.” Hagor groans. “I—”
“I don’t have to slice off your head right away,” I growl. “I’ll cut off your limbs and beat you with them first.”
“I don’t know what he wants with her, I swear!”
Va’halzoret take me, he doesn’t, or he would have told me by now. Most demons don’t hold well with the idea of losing limbs while they’re alive to feel it.
Taking the staff away, I will it back into the Sword of Shadows and slice off his head with one stroke. The table splits, and the wood and the demon’s head drop. His body slides to the floor.
His human form appears. A tailored gray suit covers a muscled frame built for fighting, and dark eyes stare up at the ceiling from a smooth, blocky face. Ink—human gang tattoos—cover his hands and neck. He wears a lot of gold—an expensive-looking watch and several rings. Demons posing as Mafia. Who knew?
A wave of my hand causes the Sword of Shadows to vanish in a flash of light.
“Arcayos, you didn’t have to do that,” Hagor complains. “Now no one will come here. You just destroyed my business.”
“If you hadn’t gone against our agreement, I wouldn’t have had to ruin your business, Hagor.” I glance at the four dead demons. “I need these bodies taken care of.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?”
“You have a fire demon on your staff.”
“Tell me why I should help you after the mess you made,” he says, crossing his arms.
I grab him by the collar. His eyes widen with panic. “Hey, take it easy, Arc!
“Take care of these bodies, and I let you live.”
He nods and I release him.
“Grom! Get over here!” Hagor bellows.
A big, blocky demon with the same sort of red skin as the dead ones stumps over. He gives me a scathing look, offering the Ak’tar a sneer. “Want me to throw him out, boss?”
“No,” Hagor grumbles. He gestures to the bodies. “Clean up this mess for me, will you?”
Grom pushes me aside. Standing over the bodies, he waves his hands. A ball of fire materializes between his palms. He flings his hands out. The fire engulfs the four corpses, heads and all. In seconds, all that is left are a few dark burn marks and smears of blood on the floor.
I grab Hagor by the collar, hauling him toward a set of stairs at the back.
“Hey, chill out, Arc! I think I know why Hazuldar wants your girl.”
“I bet you do. You and I are going to have a chat.”
“Yeah, and then you’re gonna kill me,” he whines.
“No. You’re going to tell me everything you know, and then I need a few things. You give me everything I want, and you live.”
That’s part of our deal. Hagor supplies me with things I need, and he gets to keep his business running as long as he follows my rules.
A few minutes later, Hagor is