Page 17 of Fallen Demon

She was one of the candidates for me to talk to about my unstable magic. Though, not right now. I would seek her out after the meeting.

“How are you doing, dear?” Almae asked, sounding like a doting mother, as usual.

“I’m hanging in there,” I answered honestly.

Luana also scolded me for disappearing, and Keeran joked about putting a GPS tracker on me.

Next, the demon hunters entered the room—Erin, Rey, Harvey, Ava, Claire, Harper, Doreen, and Andre. We had already seen them earlier, but after greeting the party hosts, the group approached us and we all formed a circle between the tables, the conversation flowing freely about several subjects at once.

Not long after, Hazel, Sean, Evelyn, Ash, Brita, Anna, and Shade arrived. I waved at them from my spot and they came to join us.

A few minutes later, the wolf shifters arrived. The Nightshade Alpha Shane, his mate. Raika, his brother and beta. Tyren, his other beta. Dom, and his mate. Anne, and Raika’s sister, Ivy, and … Thierry? The demon hunter?

After greeting Drake and Thea, Raika rushed to me and squeezed me in a tight hug. “Seriously, I had heard about your disappearing act, but I didn’t think you would leave like that.”

I pulled back, a little flustered for being put in the spotlight. “I had lost my magic. I was of no help to you guys. If I tried fighting, I would only end up messing it all up.”

“Nonsense,” Shane said. “You’re a great fighter.”

“Not against dozens of supernaturals when I’m powerless.”

“But you have your magic back, right?” Tyren asked.

I nodded. “I do, but it’s acting up. I'll tell you everything about it after dinner.” Then I turned to Ivy and pointed to her hand in Thierry’s. “What’s going on there?”

Ivy smiled. “It’s a long story.”

“It’s not that long,” Thierry said.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. We were on a mission, and we got stuck in a cabin in the mountains.”

“Let me guess. Snowed in?”

“You got it,” Thierry said.

“Well, the rest is history,” Ivy said.

I smiled and shook my head. Only in our world would these surreal things happen.

Then I realized someone was missing. “Where’s Minsi?” She was Shane’s younger sister, who had crippling anxiety and some other problems. But even through all that, she was super sweet and kind.

“She’s here actually,” Shane said.

Raika nodded. “With Aurora.” I had heard the two of them had a special friendship. “Rue and Sally are watching over them.”

Oh, Rue was an old wolf shifter from their pack, kind and gracious, and like a grandmother to Shane, Raika, and their family.

“That’s good,” I said.

Last but not least, the two supernaturals I had been looking for arrived.

The king and the princess of the underworld were here.

6

King Tannerand Princess Jasmin were both half demons, and half siblings, and along with Erin, children of the previous king of the underworld, Brikan.

Tanner was a handsome twenty-something man, tall and broad, with brown curls and smooth, tanned skin, and Jasmin was stunning. She had luscious red hair, lots of feminine curves, and an exquisite face. She wore a tight black and burgundy gown that seemed to have been sewn to her body.

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