Aira blinked and her mouth popped open. I jerked my head toward the stairs which lead down to my office. Hudson followed, hot on my heels, with Lucifer positioned between us. Once inside I closed the door and raised the wards to ensure our privacy.
I spun on my heel just as Lucifer made himself comfy in my chair. He was gazing around the room with apt interest. “What do you want?”
His gaze lasered onto me and his grin fell as he steepled his hands together. I half expected him to drawl, ‘excellent’.
“What I want, sweet niece, is for you to use your gifts to tell me why my demons are dying.”
“Demons die, it’s hardly a mystery. They aren’t normally leading wholesome lives.”
Lucifer leaned forward. “My demons aren’t just dead, they are husks of themselves, drained of their power and energy. This isn’t a demon slayer who got lucky. This is an organized and sustained attack on my own. This is a declaration of war, and I want to be absolutely clear when I retaliate that I have the right person. So I will ask you again, because if you can’t tell me, then I will need to draw my own conclusions, and nobody will be safe.”
I glanced at Hudson. It felt like I was caught in a noose and it was tightening inch by inch. Satanic worship, the Red Dragon, and now a pissed off King of Hell.What have you done, grandmother?
Chapter Nineteen
When visiting Hell, keep your arms and legs inside the cart and don’t mind the talking heads stored in refrigerators.
If the Devil himself comes knocking, you know for sure you are in trouble. That’s what my grandmother used to tell me, and while I’m not certain she knows of my familial ties to Lucifer, it does seem to have been a prophetic saying.
“Where are these demons?” Hudson asked, folding his arms and steadying his gaze on my uncle. It seemed his laughing trip was over too.
My uncle spread his arms wide. “Where all demons are, whether dead or alive.”
My face fell, because this was not a trip I wanted to take.
Hudson glanced at me and must have read the dread on my face. “What is he talking about?”
“Hell, that’s where the demons are.”
Hudson sliced his hand through the air. “No.”
I grimaced, it wasn’t like Hell was on my bucket list. “We cannot ignore this,” I snapped.
“We can and we will. We have enough going on without adding the Devil’s issues to the mix.”
Lucifer tilted his head. That’s right, collect my secrets. I massaged my right temple, ugh, a migraine was coming.
“Remember what I said,” I reminded Hudson.
His eyes narrowed as he thought over the hundred and one things I’d landed him with in the last twenty-four hours alone. I waited for him to put it together, and then I waited some more.
“This is a time-sensitive matter, Cora, I must insist you come now while your cat figures out the meaning of life.”
“Give us a minute,” I told my uncle.
Lucifer rolled his eyes and then disappeared. “He’s gone?” Hudson checked.
I nodded once and stepped between his legs. “Remember I said magic can’t be made or destroyed?”
“Yes,” he replied carefully.
“So if my grandmother is delivering magic on the Datura—for what purpose we don’t know—she must be fueling it from somewhere, stealing it from another source.”
“Right,” Hudson said as the light dawned in his eyes. “And she can’t steal it from the factions, we would notice.”
“Exactly, and demons aren’t of this world. They pack a huge punch in magical energy.”
“You believe she’s draining demons?”
