A surge of adrenaline shot through me. “Demons? We’re dealing withdemons?” So much for my leisure-reading theory.
“Devich.” He watched me carefully, like he was waiting for my reaction.
“We’re dealing with Devich? Or Devich is dealing with demons?”
Cale closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, clearly steeling himself for something. “Did you see the pages folded intoDemons Throughout History?” he asked, meeting my gaze again.
This can’t be good. I ripped open the carton in front of me and sucked down half of the orange juice in one gulp, desperately wishing it were laced with vodka. “Yeah, I saw them.” Although I couldn’t help noticing that he hadn’t answered my question. “What is that, some kind of report?”
Cale pulled two paper-wrapped breakfast sandwiches from the bag, followed by a package of powdered donuts and a bag of beef jerky. He was starting to remind me of Mary Poppins with her bottomless carpet bag. “As a matter of fact. It’s a college term paper I found online.”
Arching one brow at him, I reached for the donuts. “Can’t handle your own homework?”
“Laugh if you want, but it’s a nice succinct chunk of information. Those theology students really know what they’re talking about.”
Surely a rarely spoken sentiment.
“So, what do a bunch of demons and mythological gods have to do with an evil billionaire and a missing djinni?”
He unwrapped around a sausage-and-cheese biscuit. “How much of the paper did you read?”
“I only had time to scan it. But I know that Resheph was the Phoenician god of the underworld, and Jarri was the Hittite god of pestilence,” I said, hoping fervently that I’d remembered it all right. “And wasn’t Pazuzu the demon who possessed that kid inThe Exorcist?”
Cale looked so impressed that I almost felt guilty for taking credit for information Evan had given me. Maybe if the prick hadn’t hung up on me, I’d have attributed my knowledge to the proper source.
Then again, maybe not.
“Right, but there’s more to it than that.” Leaning to one side in his chair, Cale pulled open the door to the motel microwave, which sat on a shelf next to the table, and tossed the sandwich inside, still in its open wrapper. “Resheph was also known as the god of plague and pestilence…”
“Like Jarri.”
“Exactly.” Cale set the microwave for thirty seconds, and it hummed to life, the sandwich inside rotating slowly. “And Pazuzu was a demon of the hot south-east wind, which was supposed to carry disease with it. Erra and Merihim each had similar traits.”
“I’m seeing a pattern here.”
“Good.” He tore open his own box of juice. “Those mythological gods weren’t gods at all.”
“They were demons,” I said, lifting my own carton for another sip.
Cale nodded, clearly pleased that I’d caught on. The microwave beeped, and he dragged his steaming sandwich out by one cellophane corner.
“But you said demons are confined to hell, so how can they be out there tempting and torturing the masses?”
“Unfortunately, every rule has an exception or two, and that’s what we’re dealing with here.”
So, the story about Dever was true. Did Cale’s list of related demons mean there was more than one walking around unchecked in the human world?
“Well, isn’t that just fucking fantastic?” I snapped, and not even the box of Twinkies he pulled from the plastic sack was enough to appease me. After all, what was a little enriched flour, corn syrup, and polysorbate 60 compared to an army of Satan’s minions? “In the future, I’d like to be advised of all relevant exceptions up front, if that’s not too much to ask.”
Cale gave me a sheepish look. “I was working up to it. I hated to hit you with it all at once.”
Not surprising, considering he hadyetto actually “hit” me with the pertinent information. “So, how’s Devich involved in all this demon business?” I ripped the open-strip from the box of Twinkies. Cale started to answer, but I cut him off, snatching a cream-filled cake from the top of the stack. “Wait, let me guess. Devich’s trying to summon these demons to help him get his hands on the djinni. Am I close?”
He shook his head, without even a hint of a smile. “Devich doesn’t need tosummona demon, Lex.”
I stared into Cale’s eyes, unnerved by the gravity I found in them.
Oh, fuck.
