Page 37 of Cry for Help

Sugar? The drug?

I didn’t know if there was a connection there.

I sympathized with Stolas, Caim, Malphas, and Murmur. Hell had abandoned them and cut them off from the blanket of power. I didn’t know their reasons for working with thehumangovernment; it wasn’t my business.

A plan began to form in my mind, the kind of odd manipulation that assured me I wasn’t a good person.

Ireallywasn’t a good person.

If Stolas and the others were helping thegovernment, and if I helpedthem, maybe I could get someone to repeal my sentence. Throw my case out altogether. It was a lot of maybes, but I’d lost hope a long time ago, and the spark that began to fire in my belly made me feel alive for the first time inyears.

Chapter Nine

Stolas and the others had been invited to a party. Some shindig with a demon named Behem.

Every time I’d heard the name Behem, my demons had wrinkled their noses as if there was a bad smell hanging about.

Wait...Mydemons?

When did Stolas, Caim, Malphas, and Murmur becomemydemons?

I tabled that thought.

I’d never heard of Behem, though Stolas was less than enthused to respond to the summons, so I could only imagine he wasn’t pleasant to be around.

I’d fully expected to stay home, eating leftover ravioli and watching reality TV, but maybe if I went to the party, I’d be able to find some information about Sugar.

Drug dealers went to parties, right?

I just had to convince the demons to let me join their investigation. To show that I would be a valuable resource.

I was already at a negative. I couldn’t play the ‘I’m human, and if you question any humans, I can help’ card. Most humans didn’t speak ASL and wouldn’t live long if they heard my voice.

The Tailor had told Stolas I was a Bean Sídhe. I kept waiting for Stolas to mention it, but he hadn’t.

Maybe he didn’t care.

The demon hadn’t asked me a single question. Admittingly, the Tailor had used the Irish pronunciation, so maybe Stolas didn’t know?

Maybe he was just playing dumb.

It wasn’t like I could come out and ask him, especially if I planned to keep him sweet so I could join their little task force.

What else would I do in the Red City? Arrange Caim’s lubricant bottles by color while the demons were out of the house.

Malphas shooed us from the kitchen in his quest to make ravioli, hand-stuffing every parcel and making the sauce from scratch. Every time I got a whiff of garlic and tomato, my mouth filled with saliva.

Stolas locked himself in his room as the clock ticked down for the party.

Caim, Murmur, and I watched QVC to pass the time.

Murmur growled into the phone as he tried to purchase a mop and broom vacuum device that was way too expensive.

Either Murmur was passionate about cleaning, or he was going through withdrawal. I had no idea why Murmur hadn’t slunk off to Lust to get his fix, and I didn’t want to ask.

Caim and I exchanged glances, biting back laughter as Murmur dealt with the poor call center employee.

“He really likes vacuum cleaners.” I signed, struggling to keep a straight face.

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