Slayer(84)

Honora has a knife in her hand now. She picks at her fingernails with it. “It’s okay, really. I got assigned deep cover in a demon-worshipping cult, and then acolytes of the First Evil blew up the Council. So your mum hating mine actually saved my life.”

“Honora, I—” Artemis starts, staring down at the floor.

In a flash, Honora darts to me and holds the knife under my chin, spinning so that I’m between her and my companions. “Go on,” she says to Leo. “Try to free the remora. Artemis won’t let you. She won’t let anything happen to endanger poor little Nina. Nina’s the reason Artemis stayed with the Watchers, played their servant when she deserves so much more. ‘Nina needs me,’?” Honora says in a perfect imitation of my sister. “And now you’re a Slayer?” Her knifepoint digs into my chin. “Tell me how it makes any sense that you’re a Slayer and Artemis isn’t. What kind of fate would choose you over her?” She pauses, and her next words are so soft I wonder if she meant them to be out loud. “I wouldn’t.”

Her words cut better than her knife could. Artemis won’t meet my eyes, confirming what Honora says. I did hold her back. And it’s obvious even Artemis feels like, of the two of us, she should have been the Chosen One.

But she’s not. I am.

I grab Honora’s hand and twist until she drops the knife.

Honora’s eyes go wide with fear and pain. I remember all the taunts, the nickname, the way she humiliated me. I twist harder.

“You’re hurting me,” she whimpers.

I don’t buy it. I maintain pressure but don’t increase. She rolls her eyes, annoyed, and swings her free fist at my face. I lean back, dodging the blow, then push. She flies across the office and slams into a wall, sliding down in a heap to the floor. Fortunately, it was away from the remora tank, not into it.

“She—” She laughs, gasping in pain. “She broke my ribs.” She pulls something out of her jacket and swallows it. Her eyes close, and she takes a deep breath. Then she stands, shaking out her arms as if she’s totally fine. “Let’s go again, Slayer.”

What the hell kind of drug is she taking?

Artemis steps between us. “Please, Honora.” Her voice is quiet. Pleading. Intimate.

Honora tears her eyes away from mine. She looks at my sister, and something softens. “I wouldn’t have hurt her. Not really.” Then she shrugs, walking to the open chair and sitting in it. She puts her boots up on Sean’s desk. “You’re still letting her control your life.”

“Well, this has all been very interesting.” Sean pokes at Honora’s boots. She doesn’t move them off. “On the bright side, our search for a replacement Slayer is over before it started, innit. I have a lot of work for you if you’re interested.”

Leo has Honora’s knife, picked up during the distraction. The gun is gone too. He got both weapons when we were all looking elsewhere. “Does he know anything that will help us? Because I don’t like the things he knows now.”

Sean holds up his hands all defenselessly. His smile slides into place like the remora demon slides through the water. “We’re on the same side. You want to protect people from demons. I keep demons where they won’t hurt anyone. Our jobs are six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

“We are not the same,” I snap.

“You came to me, remember? You want me as an ally. We all want Doug caught.”

I shake my head. “You want Doug caught. I just want him to get into a Coldplay concert.”

Sean smooths his suit. “Well, we can agree that we all want whatever it was that killed Cosmina stopped. Caught. Killed, if necessary. Besides, I know more about this new world of hell-less demons than anyone else. I can give you access to things the Watchers never will. Information. Powers.”

Artemis draws an involuntary gasp. Honora tips her head back, giving my sister an upside-down wink. “We can hook you up,” she sings.

Sean’s smile gets slicker, sharper. “That’s right. There might not be magic in the world, but I’ve got the best of what’s left. You missed my big pitch, Artemis. You’d be amazed what I can do with a dash of demon and a pinch of medical science. We can change the world.”

A demon outside the office moans in pain, the sound haunting and lonely. “I don’t really like your style,” I say. Sean looks hurt, his fingers drifting to his ponytail. I roll my eyes. “Not really a fan of that, either, but I meant this whole demon-captivity thing you’ve got going on.”

“You kill them. How is what I do worse?”

“I don’t know. It just is.” I rub my face, remembering Cosmina. Remembering how brutal she was, how determined to work alone. And how alone she was at the end. We’re supposed to kill demons. She was good at it. And now she’s dead.

How has Buffy survived this long?

Sean stands. “All I want is Doug back. We’ll do a trade. You bring me my happy demon, I’ll figure out who killed Cosmina and your Watcher fellow. We’ll all come out ahead.” He sweeps his arm toward the door. “Forgive me if I don’t escort you out. And please, next time you drop by, call. No destruction necessary.”

“You know where to find me,” Honora says. I bristle, thinking it’s a threat. But she’s not looking at me. She’s looking at Artemis, and there’s no threat in her eyes.