“Yes.” Tino’s voice drips with impatience.
“Pasrood didn’t fall for it. He knew it was a trap, but he underestimated the borrowed magic Maggard had at his disposal, so he fell into sleep paralysis. Maggard used his few minutes to retrieve the dagger Pasrood used to kill demons.”
“This is riveting,” Nico says flatly, clearly not riveted, “but can you get to the point?”
“Settle down, hothead,” Dahlia answers without missing a beat while Lake playfully smacks his husband’s shoulder. “The backstory matters.”
“Go on, please,” Lord says.
“Pasrood’s dagger was dipped in poisonous magic,” Dempsey says, now vibrating with excited energy. The boy loves his demon lore. “The hunter himself was shielded behind magic. That’s what made Pasrood indestructible. The magic is also what killed him when Maggard cut his throat with the dagger.”
Dahlia nods. “Right. Maggard isn’t special. The dagger is. The magic attached to it is powerful enough to pierce any demon barrier or magic. He’s kept it hidden away all these centuries, knowing its power, and using the myth to make sure no one ever dares rise up against him.”
My attention shifts to Mac as his scent sours instantly. Tino hasn’t noticed the shift yet, still focused on Dahlia’s story.
“And?” Tino asks.
“And the dagger is most powerful in the demon realm, where any demon can use it and become…” She shrugs. “I don’t know. Leader of the demons?”
“The high ranks,” I supply, slowly filling with concern about where this story is heading. “If a demon were to kill Maggard, they would automatically rise in status. An ambitious lower demon would love the opportunity. Hell, several middle ranking demons probably would too.”
“We assume Maggard knows this,” Dempsey says, “because he kept the dagger hidden in this realm, far away from demons, and protected behind powerful magic.”
“But not powerful enough,” Dahlia says as her eyes shift to Mac, who cringes under her gaze.
“Oh gods,” Lord says. “Don’t tell me…”
“Mac stole the dagger,” Dahlia says. “Didn’t you?”
He pales even more, dragging a shaky hand through his wild hair. “I had no idea. It was… so pretty.” His dragon eyes flash as his skin ripples with scales. “It called to me. I swear. I didn’t even know what I was chasing. It felt like it was part of me or something.”
“Where is it?” Tino asks, his voice hard and laced with concern. “Mighty Hades, Mac. Where is the dagger?”
Mac swallows hard enough for me to hear it across the room. “My secret hoard room. It’s in Switzerland.”
My head spins while I put together the story. “Did you just walk into the cave?”
Mac nods. “Yeah. No one was guarding it for a while. I thought there was nothing in there at first, but I could feel the tug in my chest, so I kept walking until I found it sitting between two rocks like it was nothing special. I took it, and as I was leaving some demons returned, but they couldn’t catch me when I shifted and took off.”
“That’s how they knew,” I whisper. “They caught his scent. They must be low level too if they couldn’t catch up with him. I have to wonder if they even knew what they were guarding.”
“No offense,” Mac says, “but stealing from demons is pretty easy.”
“Mac,” Lord warns.
“Maybe, but we hold grudges,” I mutter darkly.
Mac shivers and groans.
“So, what do we do?” Lord asks. “Now that we know Mac has this dagger, what’s the solution?”
“We have two options,” Dempsey says. “We can attempt to negotiate Mac’s safety with Maggard if we return the dagger.”
“I wouldn’t take that one.” Everyone looks at me. “He betrayed the witch he made a deal with, remember? He’ll do it again. Personally, I’d rather he not have a demon killing dagger at his disposal since I’m on his shit list.”
Tino growls and smoke rises from his ears and nose. I pat his thigh, catching the knowing glances that pass between his brothers.
“I figured you might say that,” Dempsey says. “Dahlia?”
