They shared a quick kiss before reluctantly pulling apart.
Quentin shook his head, wondering why he thought now was a good time to kiss.He’d never had trouble controlling his hormones before, and Grevin could be lying injured.There were probably entire dissertations written on the effect vampires had on their bonded.Hopefully, the intensity would fade a little with time.If he planned to remain at a vampire leader’s side, he had to do a deeper dive into vampire dynamics.Their relationship had so far consisted of rushing between crises and relieving stress through sex.
Some days, Quentin still felt like the naive guy who had walked into a vampire clan while reading his notes.It was a miracle no one had killed him yet.
He hoped that the trend continued.
Jaks followed him as Quentin collected everything he thought he might need.“Do you even know how to fight a demon?”
Quentin shrugged.“Nope, but I’m hoping that if I capture it, Grevin can send it back.It isn’t necessarily the demon’s fault that something went wrong.”What good was having a necromancer friend if he couldn’t banish whatever he had pulled out of a demon dimension?
“If Grevin could send him back, don’t you think he would’ve done that instead of calling you?”
“We won’t know until we talk to him.”He refused to believe Grevin had been killed.They’d been friends long enough for Quentin to appreciate Grevin’s cockroach-like survivability.
“What do you know about demons?”
Quentin shrugged.“Not much.I’m a genius in spell design and potions, not creatures.”However, with a fae inheritance, vampires, and now demons.His contact with other species was rapidly increasing, and not always in a positive way.He needed to get to the university library as soon as possible.
“And do you consider me a creature?”Jaks brushed his lips across Quentin’s, a bare whisper of contact that sent jolts of need down his spine.
“Absolutely,” Quentin teased.
“Mmm, good.Just remember I’m your creature.”Jaks kissed Quentin’s cheek.“Do you think we should bring back up?”
“Why don’t we talk to Grevin before we call in the cavalry?If it’s an escaped demon, they could be more fodder than help.”He didn’t want dozens of vampires descending on Grevin’s house before they figured out what had happened.Grevin was antisocial on a good day and blatantly hermitlike on a bad one.“If it’s only one misbehaving demon, we should be able to handle it.If not, you can call for backup, and they can rush over with their freaky speed.”
“Very true, beloved.”Jaks held out his hand.“Ready to go.”
Quentin threaded his fingers between Jaks’s.His teleportation, smoother than usual, deposited them right outside Grevin’s front door.He frowned at the change.Was this another indication of his fae heritage or just a sign that he’d been teleporting more than usual?
What they found had Quentin’s optimism dying a brutal death.
An unnatural darkness dimmed the world around them, blocking the rising sun.
Demon fog.
He’d heard of the phenomenon but had never seen it in person until now.
Frost crunched beneath their feet, coating the ground in a thin layer of ice, directly in contrast with the warm temperature.The stench of brimstone and decay hung in the air like a heavy curtain.
Maybe he would get to use his fireballs after all.
“He summoned a demon king,” Jaks whispered.“Why would he do that?”
“Are you certain?”His last flicker of optimism gave a desperate, dying twitch.He barely knew how to handle a regular demon.A demon king was a universe apart from his abilities.
Jaks squeezed him in a sideways hug.“Stay near me.”He released Quentin and walked straight to Grevin’s front door.This could go to shit in more ways than Quentin cared to count.The fact that Jaks could reach the front door without being stopped told Quentin that Grevin’s protections were down.That the front door was wide open was even worse.Grevin wasn’t the leaving-his-door-open kind of guy.
“I-I hope we’re not too late,” Quentin whispered, unable to speak any louder with fear constricting his throat.
When Quentin moved to step around Jaks and enter the house, Jaks held him back with a hand to his chest.“I’m going first.”
“I’m capable of protecting myself.”He hated it when Jaks treated him like glass.He could handle himself, damn it.
“Yes, against normal people and vampires and probably the fae, but you aren’t demon-proof, and I’d feel better if you let me go first.”
After a second of consideration, Quentin gave a jerky nod.He hated it when Jaks made sense.It took away all his best arguments.
