Page 18 of Higher Demon

“Is there a reason for that? You staying, I mean. Not the naming of children I’m never, ever going to have.” He shudders.

“He’s really not,” Matt chimes in, as though his contribution is needed right now. “But I’ll name my kids Matt and Ian. And then never, ever let them near you.”

I pretend he didn’t speak and address my words to Ian. “Our current leadership”—I’m always careful not to use Vestia’s or any demon’s name or part thereof. I won’t give any human anything that might aid them in summoning one of us, not even Ian, who’s the closest thing I have here to an ally—“believes there is nobody else suitable for the role of ambassador at this time. The… unique status quo that has existed between our worlds for so long needs more time to change.”

“Whatever the fuck that means,” Matt mutters, and I wonder if Ian would really care all that much if I turned him into a houseplant. I’d even make it an attractive one. A new species, perhaps. We could call it a Matt, in his memory.

Ian glares at his best friend. “What it means is that demons are so used to being summoned to Earth by humans who want to bargain with them that they can’t stop thinking of us as a damn meal, and it wouldn’t be safe to send anyone else here. Itmeansthat this truce is on even shakier ground than I thought.”

I pat his shoulder. “Well done.”

They both turn to stare at me.

“Dude, he’s not adog,” Matt exclaims. “Oh my god, is that how youstillthink of us? Like we’re pets? Andyou’rethe best option we’ve got?” His voice is rising, and as a few of the other diners glance toward us, Ian leans across the table.

“Shut the fuck up,” he hisses. “You’re making this worse.”

“You are,” I agree mildly, enjoying the little dispute. “And of course I don’t think of you all as dogs. How insulting that would be. Dogs can be quite intelligent.”

The sound that escapes Matt’s throat isdelightful, but Ian’s glare turns on me. “You’re. Not. Helping.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” I point out helpfully, and he growls.

“Connor was right about you.”

I scoff. “I doubt he’s ever been right about anything.”

“Okay, let’s all just calm down,” Matt says, grabbing Ian’s arm across the table. “And by that, I mean you. Do not attack the higher demon and stick me with the check when he turns you into a cabbage.”

I flick lint from my sleeve. “A houseplant,” I correct. I don’t bother to add that it was Matt I was going to change. He seems to be showing some sense for once, and that’s the kind of thing I really ought to encourage in these humans. Few enough of them have it.

“Sure. A houseplant. That’s so much better. Fuck, I can’t believe I’m being the voice of reason,” he mutters. “Ian, for the love of god, please take over being the responsible one. My poor brain can’t handle it.”

The laugh that huffs from Ian is lackluster, but he relaxes back into his half of the booth, and Matt releases his arm. For a moment, we all sit in silence.

Then Ian sighs. “Walk me through this. I thought they were actively looking for someone to replace you. There’s really not one single other demon that can be trusted not to turn humans into lunch?”

I shrug. “Apparently. Although I don’t believe their search is quite as active as I would like it to be.” I consider how much I can tell them. “The issue is first that any ambassador would need to be a higher demon. That narrows the ranks considerably.”

“Why?” Ian asks. “We’re not opposed to working with a lesser demon, as long as they didn’t want to cause harm. Or even a spirit, though it might make communication harder.”

Oh, the dear, naïve little human. Sometimes I forget how young he is—all humans are fetuses, compared to me—and then he says something like that. “No. That would be impossible. The ambassador cannot be any being that could be influenced by a higher demon.”

There’s an awkward little pause. “When you say ‘influenced,’” Matt begins slowly.

“Controlled. Taken over. Forced to comply.”

He nods, looking rather sick. “Uh-huh. I can see how that would be… bad.”

“While nobody is willing to challenge our current leadership, and while I believe most higher demons are, in fact, satisfied with things as they presently are, there’s always the possibility that will change. Or that someone’s merely biding their time. There are many demons who did not play any part in the fight with Cato—we can’t be certain if that was neutrality, apathy, or merely allowing him to do the hard work so they could reap the rewards.”

“So what you’re saying is that there’s a chance a higher demon who’d love to feast on human souls could potentially take control of a lesser demon or spirit and do some pretty awful things by proxy,” Ian sums up.

I shake my head. “Yes, but that’s not what we’re all concerned about.”

“Who’s this ‘we’?” Matt asks. “Because that’s what concerns me.”

Pretending he hasn’t spoken—it’s better that way—I look Ian in the eye. “It’s unlikely any higher demon with the power to so completely control a lesser being would be foolish enough to merely move in and snack on humans. If they were disguised as the ambassador, that would immediately dissolve the truce and return our worlds to their previous footing.”

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