Demons (Darkness #4)(8)

“This is probably a class-six demon. Weak enough, but based on what Sasha said, operating with some strange magic.” Toa glided out the front door with a smooth and calm demeanor. Most wouldn’t notice the left shoulder raised slightly above the right, a sign of Toa’s tense and unsure state of mind.

Very little ruffled Toa.

“That isn’t an altogether strong demon,” Dominicous said calmly. “With it contained for now, and with Stefan’s ability to organize and lead in battle, we shouldn’t have any problem dispatching it.”

“We shouldn’t, no.” Toa’s gaze drifted toward Sasha, walking with a sure step toward one of the many parked cars.

Dominicous knew she had no idea what she was walking toward, but she kept her chin up and back straight. Such a courageous young woman.

“The demon will hone in on her, I am certain,” Toa continued. “Usually, only someone that summoned the demon can converse with it.”

“Speaking with it means one can control it, correct? Why isn’t this beneficial?”

Toa made a disgusted sound at Dominicous’ ignorance. “It could be beneficial, yes. It could. But it is a two-way affair. You can speak, but you can also understand. And if you aren’t strong enough to control, you will become the controlled. Sasha has barely emerged into our way of life, into leadership, into her magic—and now we are throwing demons at her. She barely has time to grasp one idea when we throw something else at her. How can we expect her to keep up?”

Toa smoothed his hair, and Dominicous knew he was trying to smooth his nerves at the same time. Toa had to be out in front of her training-wise to give all of them any hope of her making it through the council meeting in one piece, but so many other dangers kept arising. Toa was a perfectionist, and often contemplative, but he’d been having to sprint to the next challenge right along with Sasha. He didn’t have to tell Dominicous that it was getting to him—Dominicous could feel it all through their blood link. But they each had their duties, and all duties had a hard road as far as Sasha was concerned.

“You fear Sasha can be thus turned?” Dominicous asked quietly, trying to keep them on track.

Toa’s mouth collapsed into a thin, bloodless line. “I am not sure. She has not dealt with a demon of this magnitude. Dulcha do not even remotely compare.”

Dominicous shook his head as a chorus of car doors shut around him. “She will not turn. She has a core of steel to her.”

“Then it will attempt to destroy her. Without someone to control it, it is a free entity, able to rip, rape, and pillage as it will. She will be target number one.”

“This isn’t the age of Vikings, Toa.” Dominicous suppressed a chuckle, starting the car and pulling away from the curb. His partner at arms had always been a little…overdramatic when edging up to a battle. It was a side of him not many saw. “Plus, it won’t come anywhere near her. Stefan will see to that long before I would have to intervene and ensure it.”

“Dominicous—” Toa’s nostrils flared. “You take things too lightly. It will target her. Her defensive…talents will spring to life. She will try to dispatch it on her own, feeling out the spell like a blind man searches for a telephone. Like she has with Dulcha. It will sap her energy and rip the life out of her before she can complete the spell.”

Dominicous cleared his throat. “She has Stefan to fortify her magic until we can link. She will have plenty of power for a five or six-level demon. Toa, I really think—”

“I cannot link with her.”

Dominicous’ head whipped around. The car swerved to the right before Dominicous ripped the wheel back. “In all this time, you, a white, have not enacted the age-old partnership between a black and a white? You realize, I am sure, that the more one person links with another, the easier and more effective the bond. At the council there will be a great many trying to link with her to create just such a bond. You have the privilege of having her all to yourself, and you have not linked?”

Toa’s stare drifted across the space of the car and held his, unwaveringly. Dominicous pulled to the side, idling. The car crackled with magic, the challenge in Toa’s eyes making the hair stand up all over Dominicous’ body.

“We’ve been here before, Toa,” Dominicous said in a low tone. “I will take this moment to remind you that, despite your higher level of power, you do not usually come out on top in these instances.”

Toa’s gaze retracted slightly, but he did not drop it altogether. Nor did he speak. Dominicous had offended him. Damn.

“I was bold in my allegations.” It was as close as Dominicous would come to an apology.

That icy blue stare held. And held.

Finally, the blond head bowed ever so slightly. He turned back to the road. Dominicous pushed the gas pedal.

Into the purr of the large motor, Toa said, “Pairing with a black should be effortless. It was how we were made, after all. And I can see how this could be a possibility, but she is a magic conductor. She is wired differently. When I link, I give that raging torrent of magic another outlet. I give it more body to fill. It gushes through her and directly into me. It’s…chaos. There is no controlling it—I do not know how she manages. I have tried three times, and all three times ended up flat on my back. She, she, had to cut it off and rip it away. The novice had to protect the master.”