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RAUM’S FOREHEAD HEALED without scarring after Ember raked him with her claws, but his pride still smarted at her continued rejection of him. Sure, he was evil and he’d tortured her horribly, but he’d vowed he wouldn’t hurt her again. “Shouldn’t that count for something?” he muttered as he stared out the window of his office in the Demon Guildhall. He could sense her perched on the rooftop of the headquarters. She’d been absent for the past couple of nights, but she’d returned to her vigil tonight. Instead of watching him, she was waiting for one of the Immortal Triumvirate to emerge so she could follow them wherever they went.
The demon lord wasn’t sure how he was going to get Ember to believe the story he intended to tell her. He’d been wracking his brain for ideas, but had come up empty. “If there were any undrained holy men or women left, I could drag her in front of them and get them to verify that I’m telling the truth,” he said. The moment the words left his mouth, he almost smacked himself upside the head. “Of course!” he exclaimed quietly. “There has to be priests, priestesses or some kind of holy people left who aren’t completely drained.” The trick would be to find one, but he knew someone who could point him in the right direction.
Raum shot to his feet and left his office. The unholy priest who lived in the Demon District could tell when someone was lying, but Ember would never believe him. He needed one of the Night Cursed holy beings to speak on his behalf. Everyone knew they always told the truth.
Descending to the main chamber, he waved away a minion who scurried towards him. Whatever the problem was would have to wait. He no longer trusted Azazel to look into any of the disputes that were raised. His second in command was a traitor who was biding his time before he would betray his master.
Raum exited from the guildhall and strode over to the curb. A carriage stopped to let some passengers out, then rumbled over to him. “Take me to Xiara Evora,” he requested, then climbed inside. As always, it was raining. He flicked his wet hair out of his eyes as the carriage headed for the Vampire District. He became dry a few seconds later.
The skeleton knew exactly where the Guardian of Nox was. It took the demon straight to her. Ms. Evora was in one of the poorer suburbs of the bloodsuckers’ District. She was fighting several starving fledglings who were doing their best to sink their fangs into her.
Raum climbed out, nodded his thanks at the driver, then stood beneath a nearby tree to shield himself from the rain while he waited.
Xiara fended off the leeches with her staff. Wrath was blazing with bright white holy light. She bashed them with her trusty shield whenever they drew too close. Raum took a few steps back when the staff grew even brighter. Even he felt the sting of divine power and he wasn’t undead. The staff reacted to evil and no one was more malevolent than demons.
“Get out of here before Wrath melts your faces off!” Xiara snarled at the vampires. Steam rose from the shallow cuts she’d inflicted on them with her silver sword. She swung her staff threateningly towards them and they broke and ran. While she didn’t have permission to kill them, they weren’t desperate enough to continue to press their luck.
“It’s always a pleasure to watch you work, Ms. Evora,” Raum said.
Spinning around to face him, Xiara scowled. “What do you want?” she asked. The glow coming from Wrath’s blades lessened, but it didn’t change to gray. His fog would remain white until she left the Vampire District and the demon’s presence. Her shield shrank back down to a brooch now that the fight was over.
“I have a request,” Raum replied and glanced around at the faces that were pressed up against the windows of the nearby houses. “I’d like to speak to you in private,” he added.
“I know a place where we can talk,” the huntress said grudgingly. Another carriage pulled up right on cue. She climbed inside without telling the skeleton where she wanted to go. Raum joined her and handed her a pristine handkerchief. “What’s that for?” she asked suspiciously.
“You look like a racoon, my dear,” he said with a smirk.
Xiara rolled her eyes, then did her best to wipe away the mascara and eyeliner that were smeared around her eyes. “Better?” she asked and held the soiled handkerchief out to him.
“Keep it,” he said with a hint of amusement. She’d done a paltry job of cleaning away her eye makeup, but this was something she had to live with, since the weather was usually dismal.
Their chauffeur drove to the heart of the Vampire District and pulled up next to the old gothic cathedral. “Are you coming?” the Guardian of Nox asked when Raum hesitated.
“You do realize that I’m a demon, don’t you?” he asked as he followed her from the vehicle.
“Yep,” she said smugly and crossed to the stone wall that surrounded the property. “I know you can’t enter the church,” she said as she leaned against the wall. “But we can talk here. The leeches avoid this place.”
“I can see why,” the demon said, keeping his distance from the hallowed ground.
“What do you need my help with?” Xiara asked.
“I need a holy person to confirm to someone that I’m telling the truth,” he replied.
Ms. Evora faked a shocked look. “I didn’t know hell spawn were capable of telling the truth.”
“Very funny,” he said with a complete lack of amusement. Her eye makeup was running again and they were both saturated.
“Does this have something to do with Ember?” she asked shrewdly.
“You know about her?” he asked in surprise, then scowled. “Your gypsy friend knows far too much about my affairs for my liking.”
“Ember visited Madam Quilla at her boutique,” Xiara confirmed. “She’s meant to be your match, but I’m guessing you’re not doing a very good job of convincing her to become bonded to you.”
Raum heaved a small sigh. “I accidentally tortured her before I knew she would be a suitable partner for me,” he confessed.
The huntress snorted an incredulous laugh. “How can you ‘accidentally’ torture someone?”
“I didn’t know she was a half-breed and that she was allergic to silver,” he said in self-defense. “I only realized it after I captured her in a silver net.”
“Did you take the net off her when you saw it was burning her?”
“Well, no,” he admitted. “I used my demonic essence on her to force her to tell me who she was working for and why she was killing the women I was interviewing.”
Xiara shook her head in pity. “You’re even worse at this than I’d expected,” she told him. “Even if I did know a holy person who could help you, how is that going to undo what you did to Ember? You tortured her, you idiot!”
“Torture is a way of life for our kind,” he said dismissively. “Once she hears what I have to say, I’m hoping it will persuade her to give me a chance.”
Xiara wasn’t used to seeing Raum looking so uncertain. The entire future of Nox hinged on his success, so she stopped teasing him. “I know a holy person who can tell if you’re lying or not,” she said. “When do you need her help?”
“It might take me a few nights to set things in place,” the demon said.
“You need to hurry this up,” the Guardian of Nox reminded him. “Halloween is only three and a half months away now.”
“I know,” the Guild Master said sardonically. He didn’t need any reminders that his time was running out. “I’ll send you a letter when I’m ready to proceed with my plan.”
“I’ll make sure the holy person is available to help you,” she vowed. He nodded his thanks, then morphed into his demon form and flew back to his guildhall. He entered through the roof and headed for his office. Magic dried him by the time he sat down behind his desk. Ember was absent from the area, which meant she was on the hunt for her enemies. He hoped he would be able to get everything in place before she took it upon herself to attempt to kill one of their leaders.
