Page 74 of Higher Demon

“Take me!” I shout before he can disappear, and then I’m looking at Skye and Daniel’s living room.

“Ian!” Daniel exclaims as Marc immediately goes to where Skye’s in conversation with… nobody. I can sense the presence of a spirit in the room, but conduits are the only humans who can see and talk to them. “Norval didn’t have to wake you too.”

“Uh,” I stammer. This guy is Con’s friend. I can’t?—

“It wasn’t by choice,” Uncle Norval grumps, appearing beside me.

“Oh,” Daniel says, then stops and takes in what I’mnotwearing. His eyes widen. “Oh.” He glances over at Marc, who thankfully clothed himself sometime in the second it took to get here. “Fuck.”

“Connor doesn’t know,” I hiss. “I want to break it to him gently.”

The shock on Daniel’s face is replaced by a flash of humor. “Kid, you’re going to need horse tranquilizers.” He shakes his head. “Are you safe?”

Somehow I get the feeling he’s not asking about STIs. “I swear I’m not being coerced and he’s never hurt me,” I say. It’s not really his business, but the last thing I need is him running to Con out of concern. Besides, I like Daniel. When we stayed here six years ago, he showed me how to look after a vegetable garden. It’s not a skill I’ve used since, or probably ever will, but it was a moment of peace at a really awful time. “Did, uh”—fuck, what’s the spirit’s name again?—“Wist say what was going on?”

Daniel shakes his head. “Only that he urgently needed to speak to Marc. We knew he was at the compound this week, so we sent Norval to get him.”

I can see Skye avidly listening to what’s being said. “I’m going to ask Skye to translate for me.” But before I can take more than two steps, Marc turns toward me. His face is set.

“Call your brother. Tell him we’ll be there in one minute, and we need to talk to him and Gabe.”

“Bossy bastard,” Uncle Norval mutters.

Fuck. This can’t be good. “I don’t have my ph?—”

“I’ll call him,” Daniel says. “My phone’s in the bedroom. Uh, let me find some clothes for you, too, before Con sees you.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Marc tells him, and then I’m wearing my favorite jeans and my Franklin University Kings hoodie, the one that says FUKings. My Vans are even on my feet. It’s the exact outfit I left on the floor of his room at the compound.

“Show off,” I mutter as Daniel disappears up the hallway and Skye looks from one of us to the other, his eyes wide. His hair is cotton-candy pink at the moment, and he’s wearing only a pair of sweatpants. He looks like a depraved pixie. “What’s happened?”

“Titus is dead.”

Shock reverberates through me, and I curse, immediately closing the distance between us and grabbing his hand. “I’m so sorry. How?” And not to be selfish, but what does this mean for our search?

“Vestia killed him.”

“He waskilled?” What the actual fuck? A decade ago, I would have assumed murder was rampant in Crmærdinesgh, but the way Marc talks about it, most demons are just living their lives. He’s spoken about homes and friends and hobbies, and I’m sure he said Titus is—was—enthusiastic about hisgarden. That doesn’t sound like someone who gets murdered. “Was it an accident?” And who’s Vestia, anyway? He said it like he knows them well.

“What even is going on here?” Skye whispers.

“You don’t want to know. I’m scarred,” Norval tells him just as Daniel reappears, phone to his ear.

“I’ve told you everything we know,” he’s saying impatiently. “Wist showed up, I called Josh and had him send Norval to get Marc and Ian, and now Marc wants to talk to you and Gabe. Be ready in about thirty seconds, because I don’t think he’s going to wait any longer.”

As though to prove him right, I find myself in my brother’s bedroom.

“What the fuck!” Connor yells, dropping his phone. He’s standing beside the bed in sweatpants, while Kieran is pulling on a shirt. Thank god we didn’t get here any sooner.

“I need to speak with you. It’s urgent. Get Gabe here,” Marc says. His voice is icy serious, and it sends chills down my spine.

“You can’t fucking?—”

“Con, please,” I interrupt. I can’t blame him for being all ragey, seeing as he was woken at two in the morning and we just appeared in his bedroom, but I desperately want to know what’s going on, and I don’t think Marc’s going to tell it twice. “Just call Gabe.”

Connor’s gaze darkens, but he makes the call.

“I’ll go put coffee on,” Kieran murmurs.

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