Demons (Darkness #4)(46)

“We need to learn to choose our linked partner, as well,” Toa continued, still analyzing. “This is too loose. What we have done is without proper guidance.”

“Nature doesn’t conform to rules,” Delilah noted. “And Jen’s right—I can’t believe this is happening! We’d always known we could call the corners—that they were real—but…this…”

“Yes, exciting,” Toa waved her away. “I need to think about what I have learned here today. There are so many more issues than I originally thought. I do not want this exposure at the council.”

His eyes glued to Sasha. “We haven’t much time. Not at all. If only that mate of yours was in any way sane.”

“You’re one to talk,” Sasha huffed.

“Yes, well.” Toa stood, his glance at the ladies brief. “Thank you, everyone. This has been helpful. I will let Sasha fill you in on our kind. You have gifts, one and all. In fact, Sasha, define the magical levels for me, please. I find I cannot sense their power unless I merge with them.”

She pointed at Birdie. “Orange. Raw power. But doesn’t seem to have much finesse. Stefan wouldn’t take her for the Watch. You know, if she could fight.”

Delilah got a point. “Not much power, but really, really deft with it. She rode my coattails in the park and undid the last portion of that spell. So, that’s handy. If you work out the linking thing, she’ll be useful, I think.”

Delilah preened. Charles wondered briefly if there was a wildcat under that mousy exterior.

“And the twins are topping at about red. But they work in tandem. They kind of always exist together. Somehow. Well, they all do. It’s what I love. It’s like holding hands.”

Toa nodded, his suspicion confirmed probably. “Well, then. I’ll leave you to your explanations. With such a large, dangling carrot, I cannot imagine they will turn down an opportunity to learn.”

“A large, dangling carrot, Toa? Really?” Sasha commented dryly.

“Do I need to stay for the explanations?” Charles asked quickly.

“Yes. You’re first watch.” Jonas glanced at Sasha. “Call me if you run into problems, human.”

Charles couldn’t help the sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned further back in his chair. It would be a long afternoon.

“Jonas, be a lamb and grab my knitting, will you?” Charles said to the retreating figure, half mockingly.

“Stop being a bitch and get a man’s hobby!” Jonas growled.

Yeah. That was about the response he expected.

Chapter 14

“God, that Birdie can be demanding.” I rubbed my eyes as I let myself into Stefan’s and my living area. It had been a long, long day.

Birdie made me explain everything at least twice, in denial about all she was seeing. Even after I proved my magic again, and after Charles agreed with my explanations about his kind, she just had more questions. For a woman who thought computers were a passing fad, it made sense—change needed to be a gradual thing. But it was still more than a little frustrating.

“The other three were easy about it, for daft humans.” Jonas loitered in the doorway, glancing around the empty area. “Where’s the Boss?”

“You know, I can actually fend for myself once in a while. I don’t always need a detail on me.”

Jonas snorted, sauntering over to the couch and sitting down. Apparently that was him not believing me.

“What’s the story with your mongrel friends?” Jonas threw a huge arm over the back of the couch as he got comfortable. “Haven’t seen them around lately.”

“You saw Ann yesterday.”

“She doesn’t count. What about that supposed head dick? What’s he up to?”

Tim, he meant. God forbid he call Tim alpha, or even by his name—that would mean Tim had some clout.

I rolled my eyes and fell into the couch kitty-corner to Jonas. “He’s had another shifter go missing. Ann said he was buckling down and checking the area. He doesn’t want to involve me unless he has to.”

“Doesn’t want the Boss knowing about his movements, huh?”

“If he wanted to keep secrets from Stefan, he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, genius. So no. But we all saw how you bunch of derelicts worked together—or didn’t work together. Tim doesn’t want to fight you if he wanders across a demon.”

“You didn’t see nothin’. Too busy making eyes at a demon.”

“Ugh—your sense of humor is the pits. Ann filled me in.”

Jonas scratched his nose and rested his hand on his bumpy stomach, more relaxed in this moment that I had seen him before. “I heard the demon situation yesterday went off easily. No mongrels present.”

“Low-powered demon. When we need to use magic, we’ll want the help of the shifters. Unless you idiots learn to trust them, and get out of the damn way, we’ll always be crippled.”

“That frosty-headed creep tell you about being able to talk to demons, yet?” Jonas asked, swinging his head my way conversationally.

It took a moment for those words to wind their way into my brain. It took another second to make sense of them. I went with the standard response in these situations. “Huh?”