Page 3 of Where Exorcists Cannot Lie

Despite his slouching, Morhh towered over me by a fair bit, having me extend my neck to meet his line of sight. The unified approach of our grey silk brigade didn’t compel him to alter his relaxed stance or show any alarm. He offered my trainees the briefest of glimpses past my shoulder and dismissed them, his focus returning to me. It enveloped me like a cosy blanket.

“Oh? Words flow best over a drink. Can I offer you one? They serve decent Elven meads here.” Morhh’s voice held a smooth tone—serene, melodic and low in pitch. It did weird, and most unwelcome, things to my insides.“I don’t like to be presumptuous but given your heritage it may be a beverage to your taste.”

My ears were the tiniest bit on the pointy side, revealing my mixed ancestry only to an astute observer. Morhh’s nuanced perception caught me off guard.

What was I doing? Why did I keep complimenting the suspected offender in my mind?

Honest to gods, a shot of liquor sounded like a grand idea right then. It could make those unsolicited, out-of-sorts notions ebb away.

Protocol. Stick to the procedure.

I raided my pockets in search of the paperwork. I presented Morhh with one of the two copies. “Here’s a search and seizure order issued on suspicion of Magic misuse and possession of illegal artefacts with intent to supply,” I enunciated. “Signed and sealed by the Head of the Exorcist Departments on behalf of the Guild of Magic.”

Morhh accepted the scroll and honoured it with a single glance before stuffing it into his waistband. He finished his mead leisurely and placed the cup on the bar.

Without turning, I passed the other parchment to the juniors behind me. I refused to avert my eyes from Morhh in case he resorted to any dirty demonic tricks.

“Jiminta, serve the proprietor with his set papers,” I instructed in an undertone, inclining my head to point out the bearded innkeeper, who’d kept sneaking skittish peeks our way while pretending to wipe tankards in the corner. “Then, I want you all to get rid of the customers and close the place down while you’re having a little sweep in here. Use the detect-and-locate technique. If you find anything, notify me immediately.”

Truth be told, I doubted the trainees would find anything of interest in the main area. The real prize would be waiting upstairs in Morhh’s accommodation. But such a move served as good practice for the apprentices—and a chance to scare the shit out of the owner. I hoped it would suffice to put him off turning a blind eye to any illicit operations on the premises and taking a cut in the future. As a bonus it also provided me with a private moment with Morhh. Just to study the species and enrich my craft, of course.

“Hey, inn keep,” I waved to get the landlord’s attention, “which room does Master Morhh occupy?”

“Our best room on the top floor, my lord,” the man replied, his voice a little wobbly. “Last on the right.”

“Excellent.” I nodded and cast the juniors a swift regard over my shoulder. “You know what to do. I’ll conduct the search upstairs.”

“Don’t you want one of us to assist you, Master Bao?” one of the male trainees asked.

I squinted at Morhh, who continued to stand still, one side of his mouth curled upwards. It lent a certain boyish charm to his masculine physiognomy.

“Ah, now. Are you saying your Master Bao should fear being alone with an Alpha Demon in a confined space?” Morhh brushed one of his little horns, his intense, grey orbs boring into me.

Was that a threat? Or an attempt to unnerve me?

“There’s no need, Orgo,” I said, returning Morhh’s stare. “He tries anything, and I’ll bind him quicker than he can say abracadabra. Never mind his expensive tattoos.”

One of Morhh’s eyebrows arched at that challenge and his smirk gave way to a full-fledged grin.

I took a step closer towards the demon. “All right, then. Show me to your lodgings.”

“Well, my, Little Mage. I’d thought you’d never ask.”

It took some restraint, but I held my tongue. “After you.” I supported my instruction with a gesture towards the stairs.

Damn right, I made use of our climb to give his pert alpha arse a thorough once-over. And didn’t feel one bit bad about it, either.

Sizable and airy, the room looked of higher-than-average standard. While the furnishings could do with modernising, the massive copper bathtub set next to the fireplace and the subtle trail of sandalwood-scented candles explained the place’s claim to opulence. Taking into account some of the upstairs rooms went on a rent-by-the-hour basis, it was better than I’d expected.

On passing the wall mirror Morhh paused and tugged at the folds of his shirt in evident puzzlement, as if only then realising his clothes were in tatters. He shrugged out of the mangled garment, letting it fall onto the floor and walked towards the bed. Before sitting on the mattress, he pulled out the parchment he’d been served and chucked it onto the nightstand.

I blinked at all that unexpected naked skin popping into view—flawless and pale in contrast with the black ink of his tattoos. It stretched over Morhh’s lean but defined arm and shoulder muscles rather nicely.

I resisted an urge to loosen the front opening of my robes.

Stay calm. It’s a distraction technique.

And fuck me, wasn’t it working.

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