“I spoke to a seer. Several years ago. She mentioned a series of events that would occur when it was time. Those events have begun.”
“Nothing has changed,” he said. “Our pact stands.”
A hint of relief lessened some of the tension in my shoulders. Finvarra would give me his people to take to war when I needed them. In return, I would help him when it was time to remove the light fae king from his throne. The two kings had been bitter enemies for centuries.
Finvarra glanced at his phone as it beeped and then silenced it. “I must go soon. How goes your investigation into the murders?”
“Slow. There has been another today. The victim was a… friend.”
I didn’t know why I was telling him this, but understanding flashed across his face.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.”
He was silent for a long moment, then tilted his head, seemingly coming to some decision.
“Our pact still stands,” he said. “You will have my armies at your disposal when it’s time to march on your enemies. And I will have yours for my own. However, I would like to propose an additional alliance.”
I sat back in my chair. “What kind of alliance?”
“An expanded pact that allows our people to travel freely within our realms.”
“I no longer have access to my realm, as you well know.”
The king waved that away. “You will. And when you do, my people will benefit, just as yours will benefit from free travel to the unseelie realm, and fae territories in this world.”
It was an interesting offer— one I’d never thought I’d hear him make.
“And what, exactly, do you need from the underworld?”
“A scroll. Hidden in Lucifer’s study. It holds answers I’ve been seeking for many years.”
An alliance that allowed my people free travel could only be a good thing.
“Very well,” I said, and his eyes lightened with satisfaction.
18
Danica
Vas was waiting for me in the lobby of Samael’s tower, his face blank. “You heard about Golen?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Yeah. I didn’t know the guy, but no one deserves to be controlled like that.”
We walked to my car in silence. Ten minutes later, I was parking outside the gas station. Barriers stretched across the perimeter, preventing lookie-loos from getting too close. A crowd had already gathered, and Vas escorted me through the police barricade and toward the body.
Tarel lay next to a gas pump, sprawled on the ground. The demon was emaciated, nothing more than a husk, but the wide span of his shoulders hinted that he’d been a mountain of a man. Dried, wrinkled black feathers surrounded his body, the power that had kept his wings invisible no longer active.
Vas cursed as he crouched next to the body, his jaw clenched. The gas station’s manager shuffled from foot to foot, wringing his hands as he watched us. The two other employees looked to be in their early twenties, and they were currently speaking with the human authorities.
“What was he doing here?” I asked. I’d never heard of a demon filling up their own tank of gas.
A muscle ticked in Vas’s jaw. “Tarel liked to pretend he was human. He found their ways fascinating. Samael’s orders were for no demons to be out alone, but I’m not surprised that he disregarded them. He was an old demon who thought he was invincible.” Grief coated his words. “Someone was watching him. They must’ve known he’d stop by for gas and set him up.”
Vas turned away as one of the cops signaled to him, and I approached the gas station manager with what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “I’m Danica. I’m working for Samael.”
He blinked, still staring at the corpse as if expecting it to come to life. It took him another few moments before he could pull his gaze from the scene in front of us. The man was about my height, but so pale he may pass out before he could give me any details.
