“Welcome to our armory.” Oscar swung a hand toward the weapons.
My lips curled in disgust. Were they rusted?
A rat scurried across the table, and I stumbled back a step into Caden. His hands wrapped around my shoulders.Is he catching me or keeping me from bolting in the other direction?When he didn’t let go, I decided it was to keep me from bolting. I shuddered and cast my gaze to the floor, making sure there weren’t any other rodents.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Caden whispered.
“That these boots are new, and I don’t want any rats chewing the leather?”
“Okay, so I don’t know what you’re thinking.” He stomped his foot, sending a rat racing into the corner.
I stepped out of his grip and approached the table. Brushing away a cobweb, I picked up one of the blades. The hilt crumbled in my hand.
“I think this one’s broken. I think they’re all broken.” I scanned the room. “You know, in the movies, you press a button and hidden shelves appear with high-tech weapons. Some even come down from the ceiling. Do we have that here? Please tell me there’s a button.”
“No, but we have something even better.” Oscar held up a finger and then walked through the wall.
I tossed up my hands and huffed a breath. “He’s gone off again. Are we supposed to follow?”
“Just wait,” Caden said.
Loki ran around my ankles, barking loud enough to scare off a curious rodent. I smiled down at him and mimicked scratching him behind the ears. He probably couldn’t feel it, but he angled his head toward my fingers.
“Good boy. Protect the leather.”
A moment later, Oscar reappeared holding a long box. It glowed in his hands, not unlike his ghostly form. He nodded at Caden and held the box slightly above the table. “We placed a spell on this for safekeeping,” he said.
Caden’s hands hovered over the box as he spoke an incantation. Energy swirled around him, making the flames flicker in the sconces. The box lost its ethereal glow and became solid, slipping through Oscar’s fingers. It landed with a hardthunkon the table. Caden opened the lid and stepped back so I could see inside.
A silver blade rested against a velvet liner. At the base of the hilt was a glittering purple stone.
“Is that a spellcaster rune?”
“It is. Paired with the blade, the magic inside the stone will kill a demon, and the stone by itself can force a demon soul from its host. It’s a powerful weapon only given to a hunter. This one’s yours.” Oscar scratched under his mustache and gave me a pointed look. “It goes without saying, but don’t lose it.”
I lifted the blade from the box, weighing it in my hand. It wasn’t very long and would conceal nicely in one of my boots. Magic flowed from the stone and up my arm, a pulse of energy shaking me to my core. All my life, I’d had magic coursing through my veins, but for the first time, I felt truly powerful.
This must be how Ivy felt. Like she could conquer the world.
There was a sharp pain in my chest, and the prick of tears returned. This job was dangerous, I knew that, but it always seemed like a game. How could it not when I’d trained with avatars from my bedroom? The books read like fairy tales, and my spells were practically a chemistry set for the magically inclined.
This was real though. Someone had killed Ivy, and I had taken her place. Did they know how unprepared I was? Were they counting on it?
“So, what now?” I asked, placing the blade back in its box.
“Take a day or two,” Oscar said. “This is a change, I’m sure. We have an informant at the police station, and we’re waiting to get our hands on Professor Roberts’ file. They will close the case as an accident and won’t be in our hair. After that, it’s up to you. Find her killer and bring them to justice. It won’t be easy, but you have our help. We’re a team, and we will get through this.”
I glanced at Caden to gauge his reaction. His features were wiped of any expression, and I couldn’t get a read on him. This team had been put together out of necessity. We might be in this together, but we didn’t trust each other yet.
Picking up the box with the demon blade, I tucked it under my arm and turned toward the hole in the wall. I paused when I realized Loki was trotting behind my heels.
That’s right—he’s my familiar now. He’s supposed to come with me.I bit my tongue to keep from asking what you feed a ghost dog.Probably nothing.A pet perk that would be easy on my wallet.
“Call me when you have the file. Let’s go, Loki.”
The dog yelped in excitement and scampered after me through the cabinet door.
Chapter 7
