Page 42 of Higher Demon

I nod. “Understood.”

It seems like he might want to say something else, but he finally just nods in return. “Good. Now, before we get into the gossip, ask your favor.”

Picking up my glass, I take another sip. “It’s actually gossip I’m after. You’re probably aware that the search for someone to replace me on Earth isn’t going well.”

Something flickers in his eyes. “Mm.”

“Given I may need to be there for much longer than anticipated, I’ve decided to begin cultivating better relationships with the humans, so that when they die, the next generations will be less inclined to want me gone.”

“Ah. I’d forgotten they die rather quickly. So inconvenient.”

“It really is,” I agree. “If they lived longer, they might have the opportunity to improve themselves.”

He laughs. “I’d also forgotten how much you dislike humans. This must be torture for you.”

I open my mouth to agree again, but the memory of Ian’s mouth crashing against mine stops me. “Most of the time,” I say instead. “Though there are some who are… tolerable.”

His brow rises. “Tolerable, hm? I sense a story there.”

“No story.” I brush that aside. “Merely that a few have attempted to be helpful. When I mentioned what I needed to do, they helped me form a plan.” Or rather, bulldozed over my objections to form one that horrified me, but their intent was… somewhat pure. “But I foolishly attempted to be helpful in return and pointed out that one of their kind was not, in fact, a hunter.”

Awareness sharpens Titus’s face. “A worm?”

“Yes. A multigenerational one. They’re looking into the family but have asked that I explore things on this side, see if the one responsible is likely to have ill intent.”

He purses his lips. “A worm amongst the hunters. That’s quite interesting. You’d think that anyone who wanted information from hunters would plan to use it against them, but… how many generations?”

I calculate it based on what Norval said last night. “At least ten. Possibly quite a few more. They’re still trying to track down that information—without causing any panic among the humans. It’s a volatile situation.”

“I’m sure. But while ten human generations isn’t a great deal of time, it’s significant enough that I would have expected something by now. There’s a very good chance this is simply curiosity.”

“I agree—and it would be the best outcome. Otherwise I’d need to get involved, or at least bring it to Vestia’s attention. Wecannotafford for this truce to be disrupted. The humans don’t like me or trust me all that much, but they’re trying. They don’t want their people summoning demons any more than we want to be summoned.”

Titus shudders. “I should hope not.”

“If we can continue to prove we’re not all made in Cato’s mold and desperate for human souls, they may even allow some kind of… travel visa.” Just the idea is absurd, so I add, “In the distant future.”

“That’s another interesting thought. It’s been quite some time since I visited Earth. It might be nice to go there without having to wonder if the hunters will attempt to destroy me.”

Sudden hope blossoms. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in the ambassador role?”

His laugh is long and loud, and I slouch back against the sofa. It was worth asking. Titus is someone who could be trusted on Earth, and truthfully, he’d make a far better ambassador than I. He’s more patient.

“Well, at least come to see me on Earth. If you’re there in a somewhat official capacity, we can probably keep the hunters from coming after you.”

He lifts his glass in salute. “I may just take you up on that. In the meantime, I’ll quietly ask around and see who might have a worm amongst the hunters. Give me some cute tidbit about the humans I can use to ferret it out.”

I consider. “They have television shows—you know what television is?” I can’t remember the last time he went to Earth.

“Yes.”

“They have one calledThe Bachelor, where a group of women vie for the affections of a man. Sadly, there is no blood spilled.”

His eyes widen. “How do they compete, then? Poisoning?”

I settle myself more comfortably. After Ian told me about the show, I watched a few episodes—purely to assuage my curiosity. “Well, you see…”

Chapter17

---