Angie Fox - ADS 03 - A Tale of Two Demon Slayers

He swallowed. The tension traveled down his long neck as he gathered his thoughts. “The day after Diana and Dyonne woke up from the curse,” he said, choosing each word carefully as he remembered, “after we gave thanks in the garden—”

Dyonne hitched a brow. “After Diana tricked you into climbing the pomegranate tree?”

“Yes,” he answered, a blush tinting his cheeks. “Afterward you called to your Skye magic. You thanked the heavens for your safe delivery from evil, and together you made blessings over the house.”

“We set up a protective barrier to protect the family from any more demonic surprises,” Dyonne said slowly, remembering.

I stopped next to Diana. This could change everything.

Talos lifted a slim finger. “If nothing can get in, maybe nothing can get out either.”

Diana clapped a hand over my arm. “By Helios himself, that could be it. We sealed the house. Of course we were thinking of threats from the outside.”

Talos held up a palm like a professor making a point. “Now to play devil’s advocate, I must point out that the thieves were able to get in.”

“And the imps,” I said, loath to point it out.

Diana shook her head, unfazed. “But,” she said, “what if our spell worked better at keeping things in than keeping them out? Everybody knows we’re not up to full strength. Talos is helping, but a month ago, we were completely powerless. It’s not like everything comes back right away.”

Dimitri had stopped pacing. His eyes narrowed, considering it.

“We don’t know for sure,” I said, not wanting to celebrate too early. Granted, it helped to know our enemies might be trapped. Sort of. It was certainly better than knowing they were waiting to ambush us. But it didn’t mean the spell would hold forever—or that they wouldn’t discover a way around it. They’d sure figured out how to bypass the security in Dimitri’s office.

“So let’s find them,” I said. “Would we recognize Dimitri’s magic if we saw it?”

Amara stood. “I would.”

“I would as well,” Dimitri said, coming up behind her. “Come,” he said, touching her shoulder. “Mara and I will search the grounds.”

Mara. I squashed down a thread of jealousy. Now wasn’t the time.

“I’m coming with you,” I said. “I may be able to lead you to it.” My demon slayer instincts had guided me to threats in the past. Of course, those had included poisonous snakes, rabid bats and telemarketers. Still, I was willing to stumble on a hostile badger or a swarm of hornets in order to root out our new enemy.

Amara squinched her nose. “We’d actually be able to cover a lot more ground without you. Unless you’ve learned to fly in the last five minutes.”

“Lizzie can ride with me,” Dimitri said, unbuttoning his shirt.

Talos rose from the table. “While you do that, I will work with Diana and Dyonne to concentrate their Skye magic.” His eyes widened as Amara slipped her dress from one shoulder.

Oh no. She was not going to get naked right here, although no doubt she’d enjoy it.

“You three, go,” Diana said. “We can try to get a better hold on things.” She winced, apologetic.

She had nothing to be sorry for. It was a wonder she’d woken up at all last month. Nobody expected her to have her powers fully charged. Besides, from the sound of it, she and Dyonne had bought us valuable time.

Dimitri took my hand and we headed for the back porch.

Outside, I spotted Pirate by the rose garden, chasing fireflies.

“Time to head in, little guy,” I said. Just in case.

“But I’m busy!” my dog protested. “See that one?” He leapt up, missing the lightning bug by a foot. “And that one? Can’t let this one get away.”

Dimitri tried a new tactic. “Pirate, I think Christolo needs you in the kitchen. You can help him start a bacon breakfast casserole for tomorrow.”

Pirate spun so fast he almost ran smack into a climbing rosebush. “I am on it,” he said, dashing past us. “It will be the best breakfast ever.”

Sure. Since yesterday’s breakfast.

Dimitri winked as he moved past me and down into the garden.

How I loved that man.

Amara nearly tripped over Pirate as she left the house. “Watch it!” she said to my dog, her eyes on Dimitri.

The bodice of her dress pooled at her waist. Her scrap of a white lace bra highlighted more than it hid. I was glad Dimitri hadn’t bothered to look back at her. Maybe he already knew what he’d see.

While Amara staged a one-woman show behind us, Dimitri stalked out into the garden. He drew his white shirt off and tossed it over a hedge, his wide back beautiful in the moonlight. While I would have preferred to see his khaki shorts go next, I was thankful he didn’t make a move to take them off in front of Miss Exhibitionist.

The shorts ripped at the seams as he shifted in them. His muscles stretched and grew. Brightly colored wings unfolded from his back—red, blue, purple and green, his feathers tipped in gold. It was an immense reminder of the power he held. And as thick lion’s fur sprouted along his back and legs, I couldn’t help being amazed all over again that I shared a life with the extraordinary man in front of me.

Dimitri bent his massive lion’s body low to the ground and I climbed onto his back. He’d allowed me to ride before, but it still gave me a thrill. I loved the feel of his massive back underneath me. His fur was smooth and warm, like a cat’s. His back was much too wide to straddle, so I rode with my legs over his shoulders and my fingers twined in the thick fur at his neck.

Amara padded in circles in front of us. Her lion’s body shone almost white in the side-porch light, with a silver beak and massive silver and blue wings. She bent her head and called to Dimitri. Her voice sounded like an eagle’s screech.

He returned her call, pawing at the ground. I wrapped my fingers around him extra tight. “All set,” I said, bracing for takeoff. Griffins were like Ferraris. They could go from zero to two hundred in about five seconds flat.

And to imagine, I used to get woozy on the back of a Harley.

My teeth clacked together as Dimitri bolted skyward. The wind buffeted my face and body, and I tried not to think of the stomach I’d left back on the ground.

When we leveled out, I gave him a quick caress on the neck and readjusted my grip. His massive wings beat in a steady rhythm, sending a gust of air against my calves on each downward stroke.

A full moon shone its watery light on the darkened landscape below. Shadowed trees rose up over uneven ground. Waves pounded the edge of the black cliffs as all kinds of night creatures called out to the heavens.

Lights glowed from the house below as Dimitri and Amara made a wide arc over the front drive and back toward the darkened gardens. I frowned. If there had been something back there, I’d probably have sensed it while I was on the ground. We were limited in what we could see with our eyes—not that it would make much of a difference. Whoever had stolen from us wasn’t going to be sitting out in the open.

We’d have to rely on my demon slayer instinct to run toward danger, then count on Amara’s psychic abilities once we arrived.

Dimitri’s massive wings stroked the night sky with a heavy, rhythmic whoosh , whoosh . We flew past the garden, over the hills to the north. I strained my senses, trying to detect anything unusual, anything strong enough to indicate evil.

At the edge of the hillside, where the cliffs dropped into the ocean, I felt a tug and an intense desire to see where it led. This could be it.

I squeezed my knees into the curve of Dimitri’s shoulders and pointed toward an outcropping of rocks at the top of the cliffs overlooking the sea.