Brian closed the door behind us, then took a seat in one of my chairs. He looked out of place, his black clothing clashing with the yellow. He looked around and shifted uncomfortably. When Taco landed on his knee and stared at him, Brian flinched.
Eyes wide, he glanced at me. “Is... Is he okay?”
“He’s creepy. Just try to ignore him,” I said, taking a bite of a cracker.
Nodding, Brain tore his gaze away from Taco and looked at me, all business once again. “Demons have reached the city. Our patrols have come across several situations where people have been attacked. Some of them have been left alive in order to explain their encounter to the human police. Things are getting bad out there, High Mistress.”
“How do you know they’re demons?” I asked, dropping my half-eaten cracker back onto my plate. I suddenly wasn’t very hungry anymore. I wished I could have wine, but since Ethan was around me twenty-four/seven, I couldn’t even sneak so much as a sip.
Brian brushed Taco off his leg and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Maggie suggested a certain necklace that would detect demons. It glows red when there is a demon nearby, then forces the demon’s eyes to glow red in response. Only the wearers of the necklace can see it. Some of my men have made their own, so they definitely know they’re demons. I had hoped you could make sure everyone has one.”
I smiled. “That is a great idea! I want one.” I motioned Ethan to open the door. “Maggie!”
The men flinched at my raised voice, Taco huffing out smoke, but I didn’t care. She had come up with an awesome idea and should be recognized for it. When the younger woman appeared in the doorway, she seemed nervous, wringing her hands. Maybe she thought she was in trouble.
She sat down next to Brian and looked around anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“No! You did something great. Your idea about the demon-sensing necklace is fantastic. I want you to get a bunch of the Council members together to start spelling these necklaces. Try to get as many done as possible. We want the Nightshades and Magicteers to be prepared when they go out to hunt.” I shoved some cheese into my mouth, mumbling as I chewed. “Fantastic idea. Smart woman.”
Ethan started chuckling. I knew it was a disgusting habit, but I was excited about the necklace idea. We now had a way to detect them. It would make our lives so much easier. Now to have Carlos train them in the proper way to handle a demon.
“We need Carlos,” I told Ethan. He nodded once, then sent off a text.
It wasn’t too long before Carlos walked in. Apparently, he was already in the building because he had heard about the treaty being signed. He looked around, his eyes narrowing on Taco, who sat on the desk, staring at him.
Seemingly not impressed with the demon hunter, Taco flew over to me and snagged a piece of cheese. He sat on the edge of the desk again, chewing, staring at Brian. What the heck was his problem? Maybe he was trying to piss one of them off.
Shaking my head, I looked at Maggie. “Tell the Council we need volunteers to do those necklaces. We need as many people as we can working on them.”
Nodding, she smiled and walked out. I turned to Ethan and gestured with my head at Carlos, letting him know he needed to discuss training. The demon hunter may not even like the idea. He was only supposed to get the demon, not train people to get a demon.
Ethan cleared his throat. “Carlos, we were wondering if you could train the Nightshades and Magicteers on how to eliminate a demon. I would do it, but I don’t have as much knowledge as you.”
Carlos sighed. “I knew this conversation was coming. I was hoping to leave before it happened.”
I frowned. “No pressure. I mean, we could figure it out. We just value your input. We’ll take any help you can give us, but we aren’t demanding you do it.”
He waved me off, then ran a hand through his dark hair. “No, I’ll do it. I heard the demons are coming here, so your people will need all the training they can get. If something happens to me, you’ll have no other source of information. Well, none who would be willing to help Ethan anyway, since he’s pissed off so many of them.” He smirked at his friend.
Ethan scowled. “I only said their egos needed to be knocked down a notch. Just because your kind are so few doesn’t mean we should be kissing your asses! Admit it, Carlos. Every single one of them is an asshole.”
Carlos chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. As my closest friend, I will do this for you. But the more help I can get to handle these demons, the better. I will try to get the other hunters to come. The more we have on our side, the faster we can handle this situation.”
Relieved, I gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks, man.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Yes. Thanks, man.”
Brian stood, nodding. He held out a hand to Carlos. “We appreciate your assistance on this. The fewer men we lose because of this training, the better off we are.” He motioned for the demon hunter to follow. “I’ll take you to them now. We’re going out again tonight.”
The two men walked out of the office, leaving Ethan and me alone. I shoved my plate away with a sigh, placing a hand on my stomach. It was hard to believe two babies were growing inside. In fact, it scared the shit out of me. How was I going to raise two kids? I had no
