Page 60 of A City of Smoke and Demons
‘Enjoy your eggs,’ Ezra said.
‘You’re not going to eat with me?’ she asked with false innocence.
He shook his head. ‘I’m not going to sit there and watch you put things in your mouth, unless it’s part of me.’ He collected his plate and his cutlery, gave her a wink, and was gone.
‘Bastard,’ Analise muttered.
‘I look ridiculous,’ Ezra declared.
Lira chuckled. She was sprawled in a chair in Maddog’s office, Analise perched next to her. The lights were low, but not low enough that Ezra didn’t notice Analise’s gaze sweep over him slowly, like she was committing the shape of him to memory. She bit her lip and tore her eyes away as Jem handed Ezra a bandolier decorated with several small knives and two glass vials filled with a shimmering red liquid.
He strapped himself in, fingers running over the vials. Alchemy? He looked at Analise again, but she was studying her hands in her lap.
‘Break those, and you’ll know it,’ Lira said. ‘It’s liquid fire. A bit of magic and science. It will burn a demon to nothing.’
Analise looked up. ‘How does it work?’
‘It’s a mix of chemical compounds, I’m not sure which ones, but basically, when it comes into contact with oxygen, it ignites,’ Lira explained.
‘Does it burn the bones?’ She glanced around, realising they were all looking at her. ‘Inorganic materials don’t burn, so bones are left behind. I imagine the incinerators are full of bones.’
‘It burns bones,’ Jem told her. ‘The liquid fire changes the chemical composition of the bones, so they burn to ash like the rest of the body.’ He handed Ezra a holster and a pistol. ‘Ready?’
‘To hunt a supernatural creature? Sure, why not,’ Ezra said, allowing himself to be led from the room as Lira called out for them to have fun. He could feel Analise’s eyes on his back. ‘Is your sister naturally bloodthirsty, or has she had to learn that?’
Conversation dropped away as they left the Canem Club through the back door; Maddog and Tobias were waiting for them, and Ezra bit his lip at the sight of the gangster dressed like a … whatever the fuck they were supposed to be. A cigar dangled from the corner of Maddog’s mouth. He took a final drag, then stubbed it out on the brick wall.
London was cloaked in darkness, the rank smell of water rolling in from the river. Ezra didn’t ask where they were going, sticking close to Jem and Tobias, who threw him the occasional dirty look. Maddog walked ahead of them.
A sudden thought struck Ezra. ‘I thought the Devil was hunting me?’
‘He is,’ Jem answered. ‘Well, his demons are, anyway. Any sign of your Familiar yet?’
Ezra stopped walking. ‘I’m fucking bait, aren’t I?’
Tobias chuckled. ‘That you are.’
‘I hate you,’ Ezra hissed.
‘Would you rather I dangled Analise out here?’ Jem punched Ezra lightly in the shoulder. ‘We won’t let you get eaten, Ez. Promise.’
‘I promise nothing,’ Tobias said. ‘By the way, now is probably the time to tell you—you’re a traitorous little shit, and I took absolute delight in the few weeks I spent trying to find you.’
‘But you didn’t find me, did you?’ Ezra shot back. ‘You obviously aren’t as good as you think you are, Toby.’
Tobias’ eyes hardened. He opened his mouth to respond, but Jem shook his head, giving Ezra an exasperated look. They continued on in silence, weaving through side streets and back alleys. Maddog withdrew a device from his pocket. It looked like an ordinary pocket watch, but when Ezra asked, Jem told him it was like a compass. Instead of giving them a bearing, it told them where the nearest demon was lurking. Maddog stopped suddenly, holding up his hand.
He pointed to a brick wall at the end of the alley they had entered.
‘Other side,’ he whispered.
‘How do we get over?’ Ezra asked, but Tobias was already moving. He scaled the wall as quick and nimble as a cat, pausing at the top as Maddog joined him.
Jem put his hand on Ezra’s arm. ‘Two things—don’t pass out, and get your mind off a certain redhead and focus, or you might end up dead. Then any chance you had of winning her over will be lost.’
Without waiting for a response, Jem shimmied up the wall.
Ezra took a deep breath, cleared his head, and followed the others. He grinned as he dropped to the ground, dusting his hands on his pants. There was something thrilling about sneaking around in the dark like a pack of thieves.
