Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)(59)

“But are you helping?” he crooned malevolently. “Are you useful? How?”

Her jaw clenched, fear dilating her pupils.

I grabbed her noodle box from Zylas in case he was planning to drop it. When I held it out to Amalia, she stepped back.

“Not after he stuck his hand in it. Yuck.”

I offered my sweet and sour chicken instead, and her eyes widened in surprise. She hesitated, then took it. I dug my fork into her noodles. Yeah, Zylas had touched them, but … whatever.

“Demon hunt?” I prompted yet again.

She picked up a chicken bite with her chopsticks. “The body count is rising. Several combat teams have engaged it, but no one has had much luck.”

My stomach twisted with guilt. As I’d feared, Tahēsh had escalated to killing his mythic hunters. I unenthusiastically hefted a forkful of slimy noodles, no longer sure I could stomach any food. “I don’t understand what Tahēsh is doing. Why is he only roaming around the Eastside? He could go anywhere. He must have a goal or purpose in mind.”

I glanced at Zylas, hoping he had a theory, but he was observing Amalia like a kid about to step on an ant hill.

“Does it matter?” she asked with a shrug. “Maybe he can’t get away anymore. One team reported that the demon is injured and can’t fly well.”

“Injured?” Zylas repeated unexpectedly. “What injuries?”

“A broken wing and a damaged hand, according to the report. Its injuries aren’t really slowing it down.”

Zylas’s eyes gleamed. He wandered to the window, his tail snapping back and forth.

“What about Uncle Jack?” I asked. “Any contact from him?”

“No.” Frustration tightened her mouth. “I have no idea why. He must’ve reached a safehouse by now.”

I nodded, squashing the question I wanted to ask. Amalia didn’t need me to point out the most likely reason behind her father’s silence.

“He isn’t dead,” she stated firmly, guessing the direction of my thoughts. “I snuck into Tae-min’s office and used his MPD login to see the investigation on your anonymous text. The only bodies they found in our house were the two guys your demon killed. They don’t know who the summoners are or who owns the house. They don’t even know there were two demons.”

That was good. I needed my uncle alive. Despite everything else, I hadn’t forgotten about my mother’s grimoire. It was right at the top of my priority list, along with getting Zylas safely back home.

“Payilas.” Zylas turned away from the window. “As long as Tahēsh wanders freely, you must stay here and blend in, yes?”

“Yes,” I agreed warily.

“Then it is time to hunt.”

My breath caught. “You mean … you want to go after him?”

“He is injured. I want to see how much.”

“But …” I shook my head. “Even injured, he’s too strong. He could kill you.”

He glided closer, staring down at me. “Small and weak ones like us, payilas, we can still kill the strong.”

My eyes widened. Like us. He was smaller and weaker than most demons, and I was smaller and weaker than most humans.

“I can sense it.” His lip pulled up to reveal his sharp canines. “The time of dh’ērrenith.”

Assured victory. I swallowed hard. “Are you certain you want to do this? We don’t have to.”

His smile widened and he leaned down, bringing our faces close. “This time, we will hunt him—and this time, he will feel my claws.”





“Now what?” I whispered.

Hunkered as low as possible, I peered across the sea of rooftops. We were perched on the concrete roof of a six-story building that could’ve been an office complex or apartments, but I had no idea because we hadn’t entered it. Zylas had climbed the outside of the building, carrying me under one arm.

Crouched beside me, he scanned the downtown view, his eyes glowing in the darkness. As it turned out, he could find the other demon if he wanted, though he had to get fairly close before he could detect his adversary’s presence. That had taken us three hours, and it was now past nine o’clock.

“He is on that roof.” Zylas pointed. Four structures filled the city block between us and the similar-sized building where Tahēsh waited. “He is not moving.”

“Is he hurt?” My brow scrunched. “If he was injured, why wouldn’t he heal himself?”

“It is the most difficult vīsh to master. He did not learn it.”

“But you did?”

He cast me his taunting, wolfish grin, then refocused on his prey. I scanned the block, trying to get my bearings. I needed a map.

As I slid my phone out of my jeans pocket, I grimaced. Between rips, stains, and water, I was running critically low on clothing. For our demon hunting excursion, I was wearing a purple zip-up sweater and jeans with a flower embroidered on one hip. On my way out, Amalia had remarked that I looked ready for a hardcore book fair.

I opened the MPD map. Red X’s dotted it—the reports of demonic activity—and I squinted as I worked out where we were and where Tahēsh was. Eyes widening, I lifted my stare to the pale building the demon was parked on.

“The Crow and Hammer guild,” I whispered in disbelief, “is right across the street from Tahēsh. Why is he waiting beside a guild?”