Mira sat in a kitchen chair, holding what looked like a baby. Jax stood behind her, the sledge in the air and lit up orange. Rome stood in front of her, one hand shoving what looked like a pry bar under the baby and the other holding his short sword. He seemed to be struggling with the pry bar, as if it weighed a million tons.
“Let go, Mira!” Rome bellowed.
“You chose metal weapons, meathead. Duh.” Mira curled her lip, her eyes on fire. “Rome. Stop. I know what I’m doing. Thank you for wanting to protect me, but I don’t need help.”
“It’s a demon, you crazy woman! It isnota baby!”
Rome let go of the pry bar and stepped back. The bar, glowing gray, moved away from her and dropped to the floor, where it dissolved.
“Now this looks like fun.” Gigi closed the door behind us.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Kerry, explain to her I need to kill that thing before it attacks her,” Rome demanded, his eyes riveted on whatever Boots held.
“Chill, Rome,” Jax said. “It’s been completely docile since she wrapped it in the demon blanket.”
“If I hadn’t had such a bad headache, I would have woken up the second you brought it in here!” Rome’s usual even temper seemed to have reached its limit. “How long have you been messing around with it?”
“Maybe thirty minutes,” Jax replied. “Seems harmless enough, although its voice hurts our ears.”
“Docile, Gigi.” I said out of the side of my mouth. “What’s it mean?”
“Huh? Oh. Peaceful.”
Curious, I walked over and looked down.
“Oh. A weeping reaper.”
“Mr. Snyder called it a tenebrous demon,” Rome said.
At first, I thought it was rage rolling off him, but then realized it was concern. He was upset because Mira was in danger.
Yeah. That’s me, too. I’m scared outta mind about what could be happening to my girl. To my angel …
“Slow your roll, dude,” I muttered to him, then louder, “I’ve heard them called that, too. Those tiny horns crack me up. I mean, if you’re gonna have horns, havehorns.”
The reaper chattered at me in a sleepy way. Both Jax and Gigi covered their ears, Mira grimaced, and Rome looked like he might pass out. On top of a migraine, hearing Infernal probably felt like a glass bomb exploding in his skull.
“Argh! What is that?” Gigi growled.
“Infernal. Language of the demons,” I explained.
“It doesn’t hurt your ears?” Jax scowled at me.
“No. The demon used it all the time when I was possessed, so I guess I got used to it.” I half-smiled. “Why? You jealous?”
“Yeah! I’ve been tortured for the past half hour and you come waltzing in and—
“That’s not important right now,” Mira cut in. “Can you understand it, Kerry?”
“Sure. It can understand you, too.”
“I’m still going to kill it,” Rome rumbled, but lowered his sword.
“What did it say?” Gigi tilted her head curiously as she, too, looked down at the demon.
“The more I mock its horns, the more I prove how jealous I am of them,” I translated with a grin.
