Page 74 of Death Wish

“Oh, sweetie,” he said with fake sincerity, “I would love to tell you, but that’s not my place.”

“Bullshit. Like you care about that.”

“You’re right. I don’t,” he said. “I’m all for breaking some rules. But”—his voice dropped low, ominous—“the answer to that questions will cost you a lot more than a measly peck on the lips. And it’s a price I doubt you’re willing to pay.”

I was about to press him for more information, like what that price would actually be, but I stopped myself. As much as I wanted to know who and what I was, deep down, I knew I had already kept this interaction going for long enough. And something told me he was right—the price he would ask of me would be too much, and I wasn’t willing to risk anything else for a demon.

If Monnie was telling the truth, the tattoo on me was called an angel mark, which apparently meant I was touched by an angel. The only angel I knew was Azrael. I wondered if this had anything to do with him.

Either way, I had more information than I had before. Maybe I could go back to Sean and Wyatt and ask them about it. Having an actual name to go on might help in the search.

I’d find out the answer I’d been looking for on my own. Later.

For now, I needed to get the secret he’d promise to tell me for the cure. That was more important.

“Fine,” I said. “You got your stupid kiss from me. Now it’s time for you to hold up your end. What else do I need for the cure?”

He tugged at the jacket of his expensive suit, readjusting it. “Yes, well, it’s obvious you know what the Holiest ground is. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? And the Breath of Life is the smoke from an ancient herb, which I’m assuming you also know…”

He was stalling. If he had any connection in the underworld, he most likely knew Cole and I had battled a group of Halflings in Marla’s shop and could gather why we were there in the first place. Hell, he may have even been the one to send the Halflings. That bone-chilling thought reminded me that I had to tread very carefully with this demon.

“Hell’s fire is obvious.” Monnie clicked his tongue, pausing again for dramatic effect. “So, it’s the Blood of the Damned I must be talking about.”

“I know what that is,” I cut in. “That one’s obvious, too.”

“Is it though?” he said. “Or maybe with this, the less obvious answer is the right one.”

I growled, “Out with it, Monnie.”

“Right.” He chuckled. “I apologize.”

“You’re probably thinking the damned blood is the blood of the one affected, the one you’re trying to save. In your case, the Medium. But actually, the blood must come from the one who inflicted the damnation. Where the curse began. The blood you need to make the curse reverse is—”

I gasped. “From Xaver.”

“Precisely.” Monnie smirked. “The one who impregnated your friend in the first place.”

Oh shit. This mission just got a whole lot harder.

We didn’t have time. How was I going to track down the full-blood Xaver and get a sample of his blood? There was a chance he was still possessing Laurence’s body, but who knew where he was right now. Tracking him down could take weeks. Months.

Maybe Cole knew a way to track other demons. Or maybe Wyatt and Sean had some kind of book on summonings that we could try.

And what did that mean for Cole? Did he have to find the demon responsible for knocking up his mother? His demon father?

Did he even know who that was? That was a better question.

“And as the second part of my end of the bargain, I’m going to tell you how to find my brother,” Monnie said. “It’s easier for us to come topside nowadays, and because of that, he’s going to be looking for and collecting his conquests.”

Conquests with a S. So Xaver had many women out there in the world carrying his children? Gross.

“If he hasn’t already, he’ll come for the Medium,” he continued.

“He can’t get to her. She’s somewhere safe.”

“Are you sure about that?” He smirked. “There aren’t many things that can hold us back.”

Fear laced up my spine. All this time, I assumed Kay was protected at the vampire club. I cursed. Had I made a mistake trusting in Cole’s judgement—a mistake that could cost Kay her life? What if Xaver had already snatched her from Andre and had dragged her into one of those Hell pits?

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