Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)(74)

I swallowed. If I refused his offer, he might kill us. I would agree for now, and find a way out later, when Zylas had recovered—assuming he recovered before we were in too deep. Assuming he recovered at all.

“You have to leave Amalia and Travis alive. Don’t hurt them anymore.”

“If you prefer.” He held out his hand. “So you’re with me, then?”

“Yes,” I lied, cautiously reaching for his hand.

He closed cool fingers over mine. “Hmm. I’m disappointed, Robin. Haven’t you realized yet that demons can detect lies?”

My eyes, widening with horror, shot to his demon, and I tried to yank my hand away. A silver ring on his index finger bit into my skin.

“Ori profundior decidas.”

Hot magic rushed into my hand and swept down my arm. Every muscle in my body clenched, then went limp. I collapsed sideways, unable to move, Zylas’s dead weight pinning my numb legs.

Claude rose to his full height. “Kill the Harper brats, then bring those two. The extract will wear off soon, so I need to dose the demon again.”

His demon chuckled nastily. I couldn’t move, my head canted at an awkward angle, jaw slack, glasses askew. The demon’s blurred shape loomed over the unconscious siblings as it reached down.

Reddish light erupted—but not demon magic.

A burning orb struck the demon between its wings. The fire burst like a water balloon, liquid flames splattering the demon’s skin. As it reared back with an agonized bellow, the ground trembled. The concrete between the demon’s feet split and the beast staggered sideways.

Three men appeared—literally out of thin air. A trio of mythics in black combat gear, weapons in their hands, formed a triangle around the demon. The nearest—salt-and-pepper hair, close-cropped beard. Recognition punched me in the gut.

Darius King, the guild master of the Crow and Hammer.

A pair of silver daggers in his hands, he pointed a blade at Claude from a dozen paces away. The summoner stumbled backward, grabbing at his face.

“What’s happening?” he yelped. “I can’t see!”

His demon snapped its wings, flinging the liquid flames off its back, and lunged for Darius. The mythic vanished, but the demon whirled as though tracking an invisible target.

Darius’s teammate leaped in behind the demon, a heavy staff spinning in his hands. He slammed the end into the concrete. A fissure opened under the demon, spewing a geyser of lava over its legs. Snarling, the demon leaped away from the bubbling lava.

Darius reappeared, arm cocked back, and he hurled a small object at the demon. It exploded, throwing the beast forward.

The third teammate pulled a pistol from the holster on his belt. His lips moved in an incantation, then he fired. Each bullet hit the demon with a burst of displaced air, the force hammering it backward. It crashed down.

But a demon wasn’t so easily defeated.

It lunged up, slowed by neither pain nor injuries. Red magic swirled along its arms. The air turned arctic and frost swept over the lava, hardening it into black lumps. A six-foot-wide rune circle appeared beneath its feet.

Zylas pushed up on shaking arms and dragged himself on top of me.

The demon’s spell exploded and the impact hit us like a speeding car. Zylas shielded me with his body, his arms wrapped around my head. The ground shook and crimson light flared wildly.

The fierce glow faded and quiet settled over the concrete lot. Zylas laboriously lifted his head. I still couldn’t move but I could see the winged demon. It carried Claude under one arm, its wings beating hard as it flew out of range.

“Damn,” a voice muttered.

Footsteps crunched, coming nearer. Scooping my limp body against him, Zylas lurched onto unsteady feet. He got a few steps before dropping to one knee, unable to stand.

Darius and his two teammates—Girard, the guild officer I’d spoken to last night, and a volcanomage—formed a half-circle around us. Girard was unscathed, but the other two were banged up, their clothes singed and scuffed with dirt; they hadn’t escaped that magical explosion.

Zylas snarled, his arm tightening around my chest. All I could do was hang there, limp as a doll under Claude’s spell.

“Is it just me,” the volcanomage began in a deep voice, “or is that demon acting independently?”

“She could be controlling it even if she can’t move,” Girard suggested.

Darius stroked his beard. “Robin? If your demon stands down, we can remove that spell.”

Zylas, I thought at him, I think they’ll help us.

He bared his teeth. “One of you may approach.”

Identical expressions of disbelief washed over their faces. Why was he talking to them? He’d just blown our secret!

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Girard muttered. “I’ve never heard a demon talk before.”

Zylas snapped his tail against the concrete. “Stupid as every hh’ainun. Why would I not talk?”

Because you’re supposed to be contracted, I silently yelled at him.

“I bet you’ve never been insulted by a demon, either,” the volcanomage remarked dryly. “This is clearly an illegal contract, Darius.”

The GM studied Zylas, his gaze lingering on the demon’s arm around my chest. He sheathed his daggers. “Girard, a dispelling artifact, please.”