“Agents of the Vatican?” Serena took a sip of her soda and arched an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying you guys are priests?”
“No,” Elton replied. “Most of us are regular citizens who’ve crossed paths with these demons at some time or another in our lives. We’re part of the international task force scouring them out. Our organization discovered a while back that certain antiques and rare collectibles bear their—well, mark, you could say. The auction house is a perfect front allowing us to identify these items and find out more about these creatures.”
It was four in the morning and the remains of their late-night meal lay scattered across the kitchen table.
Serena was surprised to find herself gradually relaxing in the company of the motley crew of individuals gathered in the room. Though she and Nate could have escaped from the warehouse after the battle with Park’s people, they had elected to follow Elton LeBlanc’s orders to accompany him and Artemus Steele to the mansion. So had Drake Hunter.
Serena didn’t know what the thief’s motive was in coming here but she suspected it mirrored her own. She was after information.
“And these creatures look like regular people?” she said. “Until they…don’t?”
Elton nodded. “The first official sighting of a being that the Church would later go on to categorize as possessed by demonic forces took place in March 2018, outside the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, in Turin. It was a woman named Sofia Delcattori. She was a local primary school teacher and, according to the Vatican’s investigation following her death, a deeply devout Catholic.” Lines marred his brow. “She transformed in the middle of her niece’s baptism. By the time a member of the public heard the screams coming from the church and raised the alarm, all thirty members of her family, their guests, and the priest and clergymen officiating the ceremony had been slaughtered.”
“That’s terrible,” Callie murmured, her face pale.
“What happened to her?” Drake said.
“The police tracked Delcattori to a cemetery half a mile away,” Elton replied. “It took an hour and twenty bullets to bring her down. The Vatican believes it was the armor-piercing rounds that finally killed her.”
Artemus frowned. “Did her autopsy reveal anything?”
“No.” Elton sighed. “They always go back to their human forms when they die. There’s never anything in their bodies that hints at what they’ve become and, hence, no way to detect them.” He looked pointedly at Artemus and Callie before glancing at the rabbit crunching on chicken bones in the corner of the kitchen. “Or there wasn’t until tonight.”
Surprise jolted through Serena. She stared at Artemus and Callie. “You guys can see what they are?”
Artemus hesitated before nodding.
“Yes,” Callie murmured.
Artemus studied Drake steadily. “He can too.”
Elton startled. “What?”
Everyone stared at Drake.
“You’ve seen his sword and shield,” Artemus told Elton, his gaze still on the dark-haired thief. “They’re similar weapons to my switchblade. He should be able to sense their auras.”
Serena recalled Drake’s expression when Park and his people had entered the warehouse. “Steele is right.” Her gaze collided with Drake’s cold stare. “This wasn’t the first time you’ve encountered their kind. You looked pissed as hell when you saw Park and his entourage tonight.”
Drake’s mouth drew into a thin line. “So what if I can make out what they are? I want nothing to do with those people.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Artemus said. “Because all of us just landed dead center on their radar. What happened tonight was just the opening salvo. Trust me, this—whatever it is—it isn’t over yet.”
“Artemus is correct,” Elton said. “This is the first time we have ever successfully engaged and defeated such a large group of these creatures. Their interest will no doubt be piqued.”
“If the cane was what they were after and they now have it in their possession, why would they bother coming after us?” Nate said. “For revenge?”
Elton shared a guarded glance with Artemus before looking at the rest of them. “No. It’s because they would have recognized we now have a way to find them and kill them.”
Drake blinked. “I’m sorry, are you talking about me?”
Elton dipped his chin before staring pointedly at Serena and Nate. “And you too.”
“Not interested,” Serena said stonily. “We’re only here because we want to know what we’re dealing with.”
“We’ve seen you fight,” Artemus said. “You can take them on with your bare hands. We could use your skills.”
Serena felt Drake’s eyes on her.
“What’s in it for us?” she said.
“I won’t tell them what you are,” came the quiet reply.
Serena stiffened. Nate tensed beside her.
She rose to her feet and glared at Artemus. “What do you mean by that?”
Artemus glanced at Elton. “I won’t reveal your true nature to him or the organization he represents.” He hesitated. “Not until you’re ready to do so yourselves.”
Elton frowned. “I don’t understand—”
“What do you know?” Serena snapped.
For the first time in a long time, a sliver of dread stabbed through her. It had been a lifetime since she had last felt fear. And right now, her every instinct was telling her that this man could expose all her secrets in one fell swoop. That he could reveal to the world the abomination that she and Nate were.
Something that looked like sympathy flitted in Artemus’s eyes. “You are not human. But neither are you demons.” He looked around the room. “If it’s any consolation, the only normal person in here right now is Elton.” He grimaced. “Even then, there are days when I have my doubts about that.”
Elton frowned.
Serena’s heart thrummed against her ribs. How? How does he know what we are?
She clenched her jaw. “Speaking of that, we haven’t addressed what you guys are either.” She narrowed her eyes at Artemus and Drake. “How did you make your weapons change like that?” Her gaze shifted to Callie. “And what exactly are you?”
Artemus leaned against a kitchen worktop and crossed his arms. “I guess you could say that I’m a metalsmith. I can—” he waved a hand vaguely in the air, “—make things other blacksmiths can’t make. And I can tell the age and origin of an object just by being in its presence.” He paused. “I can also assess its true nature if it’s an item of power.”
“Its nature?” Nate repeated.
Artemus grimaced. “If it’s good or evil.”
Nate’s expression mirrored the disbelief resonating through Serena.
Still, we’ve seen what they can do with our own eyes. And our eyes do not lie.
“And the sword?” she asked skeptically.
Artemus shrugged. “Something I came by when I was a child.” He glanced at the rabbit. “I found it the night I met him.”
Serena arched an eyebrow at Drake.
“Me? I’m just a regular thief,” he said, deadpan.
“Regular thief, my ass,” Artemus muttered. “I don’t know whether he can forge things like I can, but I’m pretty certain he shares my other talents.”
Drake eyed him stonily.
Serena turned to Callie. “And you?”
“I was normal until tonight.” Lines furrowed Callie’s brow. “Well, I think I was anyway. All I know is that when those demons manifested themselves in that ballroom and went after the cane, something inside me…changed.” She grimaced and rubbed a hand across the back of her neck. “And my marks started behaving strangely.”