Scanning the list, I realized that I couldn’t just consider my immediate extended Family. My Great-great-grandfather Oliver Findlay had four brothers and sisters, all of whom had procreated. There might be a hundred or more people who I shared Findlay DNA with, some of whom I had never met. And I had no idea if any of them had ever married a Benoit, which was at least as large a Family.
I thanked the tech and left the lab. Who to share this information with? Whittaker would probably get a copy of the tech’s report, but I decided to put off a conversation with him. The only person I could really trust at Findlay was my grandmother. If one of Granduncle George’s kids or grandkids was the guilty party, I shouldn’t expect Osiris to be forthcoming about it.
Kirsten and I had just finished dinner and were relaxing with an after-dinner cordial on the back deck when someone knocked on the front door. One of our many bodyguards answered.
“Danica! There’s a demon out here wants to talk to you,” Arnie yelled.
I found a standard demon on the front porch that I’d never seen before, practically surrounded by Findlay guardians.
“Danica James?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s me.”
Without another word, he handed me a sealed envelope with my name written on it in a very florid script. He didn’t wait for me to open it, just turned and walked away.
“We should scan that,” Arnie said.
I rolled my eyes. “Please. Who do you think designed your scanners?”
Going back inside, I grabbed a magitek scanner off the table by the door and passed it over the envelope. No poisons, explosives, or biologicals. I tore it open and found a folded formal invitation card inside.
I have information about Sarah Benning. Ashvial.
A human would have called or sent an email. A demon, of course, sent a courier with a handwritten letter. I took it back to where Kirsten waited and handed it to her.
“Are you going over there tonight?” she asked. “Might be better to do it in the morning when his energies are at a lower ebb.”
“I don’t think it matters. I doubt if meeting a demon lord on his worst day would give me any advantage.”
Kirsten nodded. “Probably right. Well, want me to come with you?”
I thought about it. “Yeah, I think so. Have that crotch-fire spell of yours handy.”
She chuckled. “I have that one loaded at all times.”
I made sure I was adequately armed, including a couple of special magitek devices and Kirsten’s charm. I vacillated as to whether I should take the potion spritzer with me, but ended up tucking it into my jacket pocket.
I told our Findlay guardians where we were going. A light drizzle had started, so rather than take our bikes, we decided to let one of the guardians drive us. She parked in a garage about a block from Lucifer’s Lair. From there, we took umbrellas and walked over to the club.
Unlike Novak, Kirsten had no trouble cutting to the front of the line and getting in without paying a cover charge.
We climbed the stairs to Ashvial’s office, and the demons standing guard let us through without a word. I hesitated in the hall, still debating whether to use the potions. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to be turned on, but the influence-nullifier was something I did want. Finally, I pulled the spritzer out of my pocked and gave myself a couple of shots.
Kirsten reached out and took the spritzer. She pointed it toward herself and gave the little bulb two squeezes.
“If I have to pull you out of there, I want to be protected from his influence,” she said.
I knocked on the door, and when he called, opened the door and entered, leaving Kirsten in the hall. I didn’t pull the door completely closed behind me.
“Ah, Miss James. What a pleasure to see you.” Ashvial was sitting behind his desk, just as he had on my previous visit. The dragon-headed woman statuette stood behind him, her red eyes watching me.
“You sent word that you had information about Sarah Benning.”
“Yes. Yes, I did. But first, please have a seat. Would you care for something to drink?”
The chairs in front of his desk were missing. A new addition to the office was a chaise lounge against the wall, facing his chair to the side of the desk. I walked over to it and sat on the edge. He swiveled his throne to face me. The carvings on the chair of women being ravished seemed to move, to writhe. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
We sat in silence as the emotions he emitted bathed me. Lust, of course, but also feelings of safety and well-being. I realized that those weren’t being cast using demon influence. But in addition to the psychic lust he had used before, he was releasing some kind of pheromones that were playing havoc with my own hormones.
Ashvial’s pupils and nostrils dilated as he leaned forward and inhaled. His breath quickened.
“Miss James, Danica, you are exquisite. Are you comfortable? Don’t you want to take off your jacket?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine. Sarah Benning?” I managed to hold my voice steady as I tried to ignore the heat he was igniting in my crotch. The insides of my thighs burned, and I clenched, trying to contain the contractions he was causing.
“An incredibly beautiful child,” Ashvial said. “Martin was obsessed with her. My understanding, though, is that she refused to have anything to do with him. At least, anything in an intimate way. But he did find a way to lure her. Are you comfortable, my dear? Are you sure I can’t get you something?”
Heat crept up my body, and I had the sensation of someone breathing on my nipples, my throat.
