Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex Demonized #1) - Annette Marie Page 0,66
him, keeping quiet watch over the sleeping demon.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hunched over the motel desk, I jotted notes on a pad of white stationary. My phone was propped beside me, the MPD app open on the screen. I’d spent the better part of the last two days researching every guild and mythic in the country that specialized in mythic history, knowledge, or magical study, plus everything I could find about Demonica.
The MPD archives weren’t my best source of information, but it was all I had to go on. Once Tahēsh was dealt with, I’d visit these guilds and begin building out the puzzle of demonic gateways—or however demons entered and exited our world.
Beside my phone was a thick textbook—The Complete Compilation of Arcane Cantrips—pulled from my suitcase. In between research, I’d been reviewing its contents. Cantrips were the weakest form of sorcery but they were all I knew and recent events had convinced me to refresh my memory.
With nothing exciting going on, I’d expected Zylas to drive me insane, but he’d turned out to be an extremely accomplished lounger. During the day, he hid on the motel roof and absorbed as much sun as he could through the persistent cloud cover. In the evenings, he entered a sort of “low-power mode,” where he lazed around the room, cat-napping and recuperating strength.
At night, Amalia insisted he return to the infernus. I was glad she’d taken that stance because I hadn’t wanted to tell Zylas that neither of us could sleep with his crimson eyes glowing in the corner. He’d be delighted to learn he was extra terrifying in the dark.
He was currently sprawled across my bed on his stomach, face in my pillow. His armor was back on, and he’d repaired the damage to the leather and metal with a series of fine-tuned spells that I was dying to learn more about. Demon magic was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It was as powerful and complex as Arcana spellwork, but as fast as elemental magery.
Adding a final guild name to my list, I sighed at the daunting scope of this task. Cracking the mystery of demonic gateways, which had gone unsolved for centuries or maybe even millennia, should’ve had me freaking out, but I was as quietly excited as I was intimidated. Uncovering ancient history was one of my favorite things ever, and it was the best sort of excuse to read all kinds of fascinating new books. Yeah, I was that much of a nerd.
But it wouldn’t be a quick process, and I hoped Zylas would be patient.
As though my thought had woken him, he rolled over and sat up, his attention turning to the door. A moment later, the handle clacked. Amalia slipped inside, a takeout bag hanging off her arm, and bolted the lock.
“Ugh,” she grunted, dropping the bag on the desk beside me. “Would you believe some creeps in a car followed me to the bus stop?”
I opened the takeout bag to find two containers of Chinese food. “What did they do?”
“Nothing … just followed me. The bus came right away, so I didn’t have to wait around.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she lifted out a box and a pair of chopsticks. “I got you sweet and sour chicken.”
“Thanks.” I cracked the box open and dug into the rice with a fork. “How did it go at the guild?”
“Tae-min is pissed you won’t come in.” She shrugged. “But what’re you gonna do? We can’t tell him your demon got his ass kicked.”
I regretted informing Amalia how badly Tahēsh had beaten Zylas. It’d only confirmed her suspicion that he was a weak and useless demon.
The demon in question appeared beside me, but he didn’t acknowledge her taunt. His attention was fixed on my takeout box.
“Any updates on the demon hunt?” I pulled out a napkin. “I can’t believe Tahēsh has evaded capture for three days now.”
“They aren’t going to capture the demon,” Amalia corrected with a roll of her eyes. She used her chopsticks to lift a tangle of noodles out of her container. “They’re going to kill it. Also, do you have to do that?”
I glanced up, then resumed scooping a few bites of saucy rice onto the napkin. I handed the sample to Zylas. He examined the offering, smelled it, then dumped it in his mouth and swallowed. I’d told him several times he’d get more out of food if he chewed it but he wouldn’t take my advice.