Secondhand Garagyre

Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

PAISLEY

Unfolding the fluffy green comforter I brought with us, I get Merry and Pippin settled after their brief walk and then climb up on the tailgate, settling in before the festivities start. Looking around the square, I don’t see my parents’ vehicle, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It’s filling up fast and they may not of even left the house yet.

Laithog is still standing in front of the tailgate, looking at it with trepidation. “ You are sure this will hold our combined weight? The thinness of the strands holding this tailgate does not look very sturdy. I would not want to sit and then cause it to break. You could be hurt.”

Always so conscientious of me, is my Laithog .

My Laithog ?

Mmm , yes. I do like the sound of that.

“ The things holding the tailgate up are made of metal and are called ‘cables.’ They’re much stronger than they appear and won’t have any trouble holding us both up. I promise,” I assure him with a warm smile. Patting the identical butt cushion next to mine, I motion for him to sit next to me.

Hesitantly , he lowers his bulk onto the tailgate, and I cringe inwardly when the truck sinks a bit with the addition of his weight. Once he’s settled, I beam a sunny smile over at him. “ See , that wasn’t so bad, was it?” I ask tauntingly, only to be met with a censuring look.

“ Do not patronize me, little one. I felt that brief moment of uncertainty when I sat down.”

Sniffing , I roll my eyes. “ I’ve no clue what you’re talking about,” I say with a suppressed snicker, flicking the fluffy blanket out over our laps while I try to hide my smirk.

The low rumble in his chest tells me I failed.

Paisley is happily chattering to me and her dogs beside me, waiting for the event to begin. Completely oblivious to the danger we have arrived to.

We are being watched. I can feel it. I knew that coming to town was foolhardy, but Paisley was so excited about her tree lighting that I could not tell her no.

This was a mistake. Potentially a deadly one.

The demons in our midst are doing nothing to hide their energy signatures from me. They want me to know I am outnumbered. I can sense at least four lesser demons. Since they cannot cloak themselves from me, they have to be younger and less powerful. The problem is that I cannot see or sense Rulzik .

That coward won’t face me alone. Last time I almost killed him and he knows it. This means he will have found another upper-level demon to assist him. His vanity won’t allow him to have anyone more powerful than him within his little fiefdom, so at least there will not be an archdemon present. The lords of hell are the only ones more powerful than Rulzik , and I would have no hope of defeating one alone.

As long as Paisley does not leave this vehicle, she’s safe. The wards on it will protect her and the two irksome beasts she loves. The drawback is…she must get off the tailgate to walk around the side of the conveyance to get back inside it. That is a moment of vulnerability as she is not touching the vehicle. If I tell her of what is watching us now, it will ruin her evening.

I know the demons won’t bring attention to themselves with so many humans. This thing Paisley calls technology is dangerous. Every human seems to have one of the things my mate calls a phone with them at all times. She’s shown me that these things can record images and then be distributed to the entire planet in seconds.

I have no doubt that there are still warriors of light either on this plane or that monitor this plane. To bring attention to themselves means that they would have to deal with more than just me.

That would ruin the good thing they have going here in this small corner of this plane. Unfortunately , I do not possess the ability to summon any help without revealing myself as well. The amount of magick it would take to send a message across the planes of existence is substantial and it would take several feedings for me to recuperate. I do not have that luxury at this time.

Gazing at the giant tree before me, an idea begins to form.

When I notice a short, round human man with a rather large amount of hair above his upper lip. Paisley quietens as soon as she notices him.

Ah . It is about to start.

I do not have much time, so with that in mind, I gradually let my magick unfurl, taking care to ensure none of the demons are aware of what I’m doing. Wielding my magick, I slide it into the magnificent tree before us. Linking a sunlight spell within the countless glittering bulbs that are to be lit at any moment.

If I can imbue an abundant amount of the bulbs all around the tree with enough power, it will temporarily blind the demons and buy me some time to get my mate back to the protection of our home. Curiosity along with mild apprehension filters to me through our bond.

Blast .

I was not warding my feelings as studiously as I ought. My focus on the sunlight spell and monitoring the surrounding demons caused my hold on them to slip. Forcing more magick into the lights as rapidly as I can makes me a bit lightheaded. Which does not bode well. Creating sunlight is draining, but generating this much this fast is depleting my magick more than I need it to. I cannot afford to be at any sort of disadvantage, considering I am outnumbered.

Even a lesser demon is hard to kill.

My mate is not slow. She’s figured out something is going on and isn’t paying any attention to the hairy man before us at all.

She waits until I look over at her, my focus no longer on bespelling the tree. “ What the hell is going on, Laithog ?”