Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex Demonized #1) - Annette Marie Page 0,72

was looking my way, so I cautiously backed toward the sidewalk. I was supposed to wait for permission to leave, but I’d been sitting around for an hour. If they needed me, they could call my cell.

Turning on my heel, I hurried away from the park. It was after eleven and darkness lay thick and heavy over the abandoned roads. Streetlamps glowed overhead, holding back the shadows. I should’ve been fearful of walking alone in a poor neighborhood at night, but I wasn’t alone—not with the infernus bouncing lightly against my chest.

My thoughts spun, tangling across too many threads and puzzle pieces.

Tahēsh was dead, but the Crow and Hammer’s first officer was concerned about something else … something more.

A sorcerer had attacked me in the streets, and he hadn’t been alone.

Zylas and I had heard voices in an alley earlier that afternoon. “Where are they? I lost them.”

A mysterious third demon had attacked and injured Tahēsh.

Tahēsh had been stalking the Crow and Hammer guild.

The seven people who’d been battling Tahēsh in the park had fled the scene once the demon was dead.

The mysterious third demon’s scent had vanished with the red sports car.

I rubbed both hands over my face, almost knocking my glasses off. None of this made sense. Where had the third demon come from? Who were those people in the park? Who were the strange men we’d heard in the alley? Who was the sorcerer who’d attacked me?

And how did the Crow and Hammer fit into all this? They kept cropping up. Tahēsh had been watching their guild. Their GM had bumped into me during the search. Their first officer had sought me out a few minutes ago but hadn’t said much of anything.

I didn’t understand any of it, but at least I was alone with my thoughts instead of—

Heat washed through the infernus, followed by a flare of light. Zylas materialized beside me.

“Were you listening inside my head again?” I demanded accusingly.

“What else is there in the infernus?”

“I told you not to do that! I also told you not to pop out whenever you feel like it.” I glanced around, but the street was abandoned. “You’re lucky there’s no one nearby.”

He was unrepentant. “Where are you going?”

“To the Grand Grimoire.” I resumed walking. “The guild is a few blocks down this street. I’m supposed to see the GM.”

I drew several steps ahead before Zylas caught up and matched my pace. Noticing the undemonlike bounce in his step, I had to suppress a laugh. “Still feeling good about defeating Tahēsh?”

He smirked down at me. “You do not understand. He is First House. I am Twelfth House. The best I have killed before is Fifth House.”

“Is that what demons do all day? Plot how to kill each other?”

His nose scrunched in thought. “Hnn. Yes, mostly. Males do.”

“What do female demons do?”

“They eat and drink and lounge and raise young. And kill males.”

I laughed and shook my head, unsure how to react. “The females kill males? Do males kill them too?”

“No.” He widened his eyes. “I have never tried to kill a female. I would die.”

I blinked. “You would?”

“Females are stronger,” he said bluntly. “Their magic is …” He spread his hands wide as though measuring the size of something. “Much greater. We do not fight them. We fight each other.”

“Wait, wait. Female demons are stronger than male demons?”

“In vīsh. We are bigger, though.”

“Even you?”

His upper lip curled in a silent, offended snarl. “Now that Tahēsh is dead, you will find the way I can return home?”

“Yes,” I agreed, disappointed by the change in subject. “I’ll start first thing tomorrow. I already made a list of sources. But this won’t be quick. I can’t find answers in a few days.”

“If you are searching, I will wait.”

I nodded, understanding. As long as I was making progress, he could be patient. “I’ve been thinking. My mother had a special grimoire about demon summoning—or I think it’s about Demonica. She protected it for years, but now Uncle Jack has it. I’m pretty sure he used it to summon you and Tahēsh.”

“Na?” He walked in silence for a moment. “All Dīnen fear being taken by the hh’ainun. Any moment they can turn to light and vanish. Some come back after a short time, some after a long time. Many never return. All Houses fear this … except the First House and the Twelfth House.”

My steps slowed. “What do you mean?”

“In some Houses, each Dīnen is taken almost as soon as he claims his title.