Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex Demonized #1) - Annette Marie Page 0,67
the napkin from his hand. He had a terrible habit of dropping literally everything on the floor when he was done with it. At least he wasn’t burning things like he had in the summoning circle.
As I stuffed the garbage in the bag, Amalia made a disgusted noise. “He doesn’t need food. Why are you wasting it on him?”
“Because he likes to try it,” I said simply. He wanted to taste anything I ate—except meat. Apparently, meat from this world tasted as bad as my blood and he was going full vegetarian for the duration of his earthly visit. “So? The hunt?”
“Quit indulging him. He’s already useless. You don’t need to—hey!”
In one swift move, Zylas had plucked her takeout container from her grasp. He dug his hand into it, lifted a glob of noodles, and tipped his head back to drop them in his mouth.
“That’s mine, you horned freak of—ahk!”
Her chair tipped over backward and she slammed into the floor. Zylas unhooked his barbed tail from the leg and swished it innocently as he licked sauce off his fingers.
Amalia clambered off the fallen chair. “You promised not to hurt me if I helped Robin!”
“But are you helping?” he crooned malevolently. “Are you useful? How?”
Her jaw clenched, fear dilating her pupils.
I grabbed her noodle box from Zylas in case he was planning to drop it. When I held it out to Amalia, she stepped back.
“Not after he stuck his hand in it. Yuck.”
I offered my sweet and sour chicken instead, and her eyes widened in surprise. She hesitated, then took it. I dug my fork into her noodles. Yeah, Zylas had touched them, but … whatever.
“Demon hunt?” I prompted yet again.
She picked up a chicken bite with her chopsticks. “The body count is rising. Several combat teams have engaged it, but no one has had much luck.”
My stomach twisted with guilt. As I’d feared, Tahēsh had escalated to killing his mythic hunters. I unenthusiastically hefted a forkful of slimy noodles, no longer sure I could stomach any food. “I don’t understand what Tahēsh is doing. Why is he only roaming around the Eastside? He could go anywhere. He must have a goal or purpose in mind.”
I glanced at Zylas, hoping he had a theory, but he was observing Amalia like a kid about to step on an ant hill.
“Does it matter?” she asked with a shrug. “Maybe he can’t get away anymore. One team reported that the demon is injured and can’t fly well.”
“A broken wing and a damaged hand, according to the report. Its injuries aren’t really slowing it down.”
Zylas’s eyes gleamed. He wandered to the window, his tail snapping back and forth.
“What about Uncle Jack?” I asked. “Any contact from him?”
“No.” Frustration tightened her mouth. “I have no idea why. He must’ve reached a safehouse by now.”
I nodded, squashing the question I wanted to ask. Amalia didn’t need me to point out the most likely reason behind her father’s silence.
“He isn’t dead,” she stated firmly, guessing the direction of my thoughts. “I snuck into Tae-min’s office and used his MPD login to see the investigation on your anonymous text. The only bodies they found in our house were the two guys your demon killed. They don’t know who the summoners are or who owns the house. They don’t even know there were two demons.”
That was good. I needed my uncle alive. Despite everything else, I hadn’t forgotten about my mother’s grimoire. It was right at the top of my priority list, along with getting Zylas safely back home.
“Payilas.” Zylas turned away from the window. “As long as Tahēsh wanders freely, you must stay here and blend in, yes?”
“Yes,” I agreed warily.
“Then it is time to hunt.”
My breath caught. “You mean … you want to go after him?”
“He is injured. I want to see how much.”
“But …” I shook my head. “Even injured, he’s too strong. He could kill you.”
He glided closer, staring down at me. “Small and weak ones like us, payilas, we can still kill the strong.”
My eyes widened. Like us. He was smaller and weaker than most demons, and I was smaller and weaker than most humans.
“I can sense it.” His lip pulled up to reveal his sharp canines. “The time of dh’ērrenith.”
Assured victory. I swallowed hard. “Are you certain you want to do this? We don’t have to.”
His smile widened and he leaned down, bringing our faces close. “This time, we will hunt him—and this time, he will feel my claws.”