Chapter 15
slater
. . .
“I finally found the fucker,” I muttered out loud because if I didn’t, I was pretty sure my brain was going to ooze out of my ears.
The screen in front of me glowed a harsh blue in the dim light of the meeting room in HQ, lines of text and search queries were burned into my retinas from hours of staring.
I’d been here all morning, and finally, I’d found it.
A new report from the Demon Capital’s death registry: a demon family had reported that their son, a drude, had been found dead in his bed.
The official cause of death was death while feeding.
My heart kicked hard against my ribs.
I grabbed my phone and called Bram. He picked up on the second ring.
“Slater, is everything okay?” His voice was alert.
“Yeah,” I said, spinning once in my chair as Snakey slithered about the table. “Did you hear about the drude that died in his sleep last night? While feeding?”
He let out a low breath. “Yeah. I heard. It fucked Reed up a bit. That’s how his dad died, remember? Feeding and never waking up.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Right. Well, if it makes him feel any better, his dad did nothing wrong. But this drude? He had been tormenting my mate for months, and she finally killed him.”
Bram exhaled again, but this time it was relief.
“Well, that will actually make him feel a hell of a lot better,” Bram said.
“Good. Rune didn’t just kill some random demon trying to feed.
She took out someone who deserved it.” I clicked another window up onto my screen and scanned the report again, connecting the details.
“Listen, the death was reported by his brother. They’re estranged, apparently, but the only reason he went to check on him was because their mom is sick.
The brother, the dead one, was taking jobs on the side.
Paid dream-torture. Evidently, humans were involved. ”
“Humans,” Bram repeated, disgust bleeding into the word. “Of course.”
“Yeah.” I snorted. “I traced some payments attached to the demon’s account. He’s been getting big transfers routed in from the Human Territory. I need to know who hired him and why.”
There was a pause.
“I can set up a meeting for you with the brother. I know he and the drude were estranged, but the mom’s apparently bad off. He doesn’t want more trouble in the family.”
“Dude, that would be amazing,” I said, already snatching my bag from beside the desk and shoving tablets and notes inside. “You’re the best brother ever.”
He huffed a laugh. “You’re sentimental. Meet you at the Demon Council’s HQ in an hour, well, the second Supernatural Council HQ now, technically.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there. Not in an hour, though. Make it thirty minutes.”
“Slater, that’s—”
“Love you, bye,” I cut in, hanging up before he could argue. I immediately pulled up another contact on my phone and hit call.
Jesper answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”
“Can you get us a mission stamped by Sabine to talk to the family of the dead drude?” I asked. “I’ve got the report and the contact trail already. I need it official enough that we won’t get in trouble for doing this on our own.”
“How do you already have that?” he asked. “I’ve been waiting for the report all day from Corin.”
I squinted at my screen. “Because I hacked into the Demon Capital death database?”
A long breath hissed through the line. “Of course you did.”
“Look, this is important,” I reminded him.
“This is the drude that was haunting Rune’s dreams. It has to be.
Rune killed him last night. The demon’s death registry just confirmed the death.
The time and place line up, and so does everything else I found out about him.
We might be able to connect him directly to the Human Resistance Network through his brother. ”
On Jesper’s end, paper rustled. “I’ll call Sabine. Rune’s here with me, anyway. Meet us at the wayfaer teleporter in HQ.”
“On it,” I said, already on my feet, leaving the meeting room behind.
HQ’s corridors were quieter in the early morning. There were muted footsteps, low conversation, and the buzz of enchantments in the walls. My head throbbed from the lack of sleep, but adrenaline kept me awake.
I paced the edge of the teleporter until I heard Rune’s laugh echo faintly down the hall. A few seconds later, she and Jesper came into view.
Rune’s green hair was pulled up in a messy knot, with dark circles under her eyes, but her gaze was clear and focused. When she saw me, she smiled.
My heart skipped a beat.
I still couldn’t believe she was mine. Actually, I could. I was just really fucking happy about it.
“I got us permission,” Jesper said, stepping onto the platform. “Not an official squad mission, but Sabine cleared us three to speak to the family on behalf of the Supernatural Council and to collect any intelligence they’re willing to share.”
“Good enough for me,” I said, moving to stand beside Rune. My shoulder brushed hers, and the matebond gave a content little hum in my chest at the contact.
We stepped onto the crystal, and teleportation magic flared to life under our feet, blue-white light spiraling upward like rushing water. My stomach dipped as the world blurred into streaks of color, and then we snapped into the Demon Capital.
Heat washed over me in a thick, dry wave. Golden sand stretched past the wayfaer portal, dunes shimmering in the distance under a blazing sun. The city itself was carved from sandstone, towering buildings that buzzed with enchantments.
The teleportation crystal was next to the Demon Capital’s HQ.
Bram waited near the steps, arms crossed over his chest, horns casting sharp shadows across his face.
A demon man stood beside him, hunched slightly, looking as if he hadn’t slept in days.
“Slater,” Bram called, lifting a hand. His gaze flickered to Rune and Jesper. “You all made it fast.”
“Told you thirty minutes,” I said. “I’m a demon of my word.”
He huffed. “Rune, Jesper, this is Cliff. He’s the one who filed the death report. The drude’s brother.”
Cliff looked between us with tired teal eyes, his dark hair tied back at the nape of his neck. His aura felt frayed, grief and anger and something like shame flickering beneath the surface.
“Thank you for reaching out,” he said. “I heard that one of you killed my brother.”
Rune’s lips curled in a humorless smile. “Yeah. That was me. He kept forcing me to relive some of the worst things that have ever happened to me. Over and over. In vivid detail. He watched the nightmares as if he enjoyed them. I killed him to make him stop.”
I watched Cliff carefully, ready to step in if he got pissed off.
He let out a long, bitter breath and dragged a hand down his face. “I don’t blame you. You were protecting yourself. That’s more mercy than he ever showed anyone.”
The tension in my shoulders loosened a notch at his reaction.
Cliff reached into his satchel and pulled out a thin folder and a folded, worn notebook.
“My brother and I weren’t close,” he muttered.
“We used to be, back when we were kids. Then, he started feeding too much and hurting people. He crossed so many lines. We stopped talking, but our mother got sick a few months ago. I needed money. He did, too. And the humans…” His lip curled in disgust. “…offered him a lot.”
“How much is ‘a lot’?” Jesper asked.
Cliff handed over the folder. “These are his bank statements and IP addresses I copied from his terminal before the demon reps took it. Every large transfer for the past year came from accounts tied to the Human Territory.”
Jesper flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning fast. “These are routed through at least three different regions, but the name attached is unmistakable.”
“Whettlocks?” I asked.
Cliff nodded slowly. “I think that’s what he called them once on a call. He never told me their exact names. Just said they paid well and didn’t ask questions. They sent him target profiles and locations. People they wanted him to break. It was his whole thing.”
Rune shifted beside me, anger flooding the bond.
I wrapped my arm around her and tugged her closer.
“I found his journal after they took his body,” Cliff went on, lifting the second item. “He kept notes on his jobs. Names, fragments, and little details. It’s messy, but maybe it’ll help.”
Jesper accepted it. “We’ll go through it with our analysts. We appreciate you talking to us.”
“I’m happy to be of help,” Cliff whispered. “I couldn’t stop my brother from making bad choices, but maybe I can help stop the people who paid him to do horrible things.”
It was more than I’d expected.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Jesper glanced at me. “I’ll file this and start a cross-reference. You two, go relax for a few hours. You’re both running on fumes.”
“I am perfectly functional,” I lied.
Rune snorted softly, bumping my shoulder. “Sure you are, Havoc baby.”
She leaned in and kissed Jesper before turning back to me. “What are we going to do?”
“Do you want to go on a date with me in my home territory, venom baby?” I laced my fingers through her.
“Of course I do,” she giggled.
“Bye little brother!” I waved over my shoulder to Bram and tugged her gently toward the street, letting Jesper handle the specifics.
The Demon Capital’s sweltering heat beat down around us as we walked. Vendors at the marketplace called out from stalls laden with spices, weapons, and enchanted trinkets.
“So, this is where you grew up?” Rune asked, eyes curious as she took everything in. “I’ve never had time to actually explore the Demon Capital before.”
I pointed to an alley toward the outer ring. “Over there is where I let Snakey bite a group of nobles who were bullying a lower-class demon.”
“As you should’ve.” Rune frowned.
“But then Snakey got loose and attacked the marketplace,” I chuckled.
Rune giggled. The sound melted what had been tight in my chest since this morning. “Your last name is Havoc. I feel like everyone should have seen that coming.”
“Havoc baby,” I corrected, leaning over to nudge her. “Get it right.”