Chapter 10
Marcus felt lighter as he stepped out of the upscale department store, the brisk spring air greeting him like an old friend.
The faint scent of new grass and distant rain hung in the atmosphere, the gray clouds from earlier had dissipated into bright sunshine, matching his mood.
The crystal’s antics had given him hope, a flicker of possibility he hadn’t expected.
Maybe—just maybe—if he was smart and patient enough, he could convince Sorcia to give them another chance.
This demon, this prick of a demon—yes, Marcus suspected it was male—had unwittingly provided the perfect opportunity. And Marcus wasn’t about to waste it.
“There,” he said, pointing to a small pub-style restaurant across the street, it’s warm, inviting glow visible through the large windows. “Let’s grab lunch there. You can have a drink, and, hopefully, they’ll have fish and chips done the way you prefer.”
His hand brushed against the small of Sorcia’s back, a light touch that didn’t go unnoticed.
He felt a spark of satisfaction when she didn’t pull away this time.
Her usual sharpness seemed dulled, her mood subdued by the day’s events, though her steps were still deliberate as they approached the edge of the busy street.
Marcus glanced at the traffic and, with a small wave of his hand, gestured at the lights. Instantly, they turned yellow, then red, bringing the chaos of cars and buses to a halt.
Sorcia shook her head, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips as they crossed. The cool breeze played with her hair, brushing a stray strand across her cheek, which she tucked back absently. “You’re going to cause accidents doing that,” she whispered, her voice laced with soft exasperation.
“Nah,” he countered, his tone light but teasing. “It just makes life a bit easier.”
The faintest chuckle escaped her, though she quickly masked it. For Marcus, it was enough—a small crack in her armor, a sign that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t as impervious as she wanted him to believe.
They stepped inside the dimly lit pub, the faint scent of delicious food and laughter wafting toward them.
The interior was warm and cozy, with dark wood paneling covering the walls and exposed beams running along the ceiling.
Strings of fairy lights were woven around the beams, their soft glow adding a touch of whimsy to the otherwise rustic atmosphere.
Framed photographs of local landmarks and old-timey sports teams lined the walls, while a chalkboard menu hung near the bar, boasting daily specials written in colorful, looping handwriting.
The tables were a mix of small, intimate setups and larger communal ones, most occupied by patrons laughing over hearty meals and clinking glasses. A crackling fireplace in the far corner cast flickering shadows across the room, completing the inviting scene.
Both Sorcia and Marcus froze for a long moment as they stepped further in, their senses instinctively tuning to the sphaera. Feeling. That was the only way to detect a demon. The intense fury demons wrapped themselves in constantly was usually the first clue.
But inside the pub, all they could feel was the buoyant energy of happy people indulging in calorie-rich foods and sipping beers with higher-than-average alcohol content.
“No demon here,” Sorcia murmured, her shoulders relaxing slightly. She smiled as the hostess—a teenager who looked about seventeen—stepped up to a podium and began pulling out plastic-covered menus.
“Two for lunch?” the teen asked, her eyes darting behind Sorcia and Marcus, as if expecting a larger group to follow them.
“Just two,” Marcus confirmed with an easy smile.
They followed the hostess through the maze of tables, weaving past groups of patrons laughing and toasting over towering plates of nachos and hearty sandwiches. The clink of glasses and low hum of cheerful conversations filled the air.
When they reached a small table by the window overlooking the bustling street outside, Sorcia smiled with gratitude. “This is perfect,” she told the hostess.
Ten minutes later, Marcus had ordered a burger —though the menu had dressed it up with a fancier name—and Sorcia had selected the fried fish, although the menu called them something fancier.
“You’ll give me a bite of your burger, right?” she asked, her tone casual, but she paused as memories flickered through her mind—flashes of other times when Marcus had ordered beef, and she had inevitably leaned over to ask for “just a bite.”
“I didn’t think you liked red meat,” Marcus remarked, taking a long sip of the draft beer the waitress had just set down in front of him.
“I usually don’t, but I think I need the extra iron for our hunt,” she replied, her tone light but purposeful.
“Good idea,” he agreed, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the table. The soft light from the window cast warm highlights on his features as he fixed her with a steady gaze. “So, where do you think this demon is lurking? And why do you think he targeted you?”
“I don’t know,” Sorcia admitted, reaching over and lifting his beer without asking. She took a long sip and sighed contentedly. “Oh, that’s good.”
He chuckled, agreeing with her as he took the glass back, deliberately drinking from the same spot where her lips had been. It was a subtle move, but the taste of her lingered on the rim. Delicious.
“I don’t know either,” he finally replied. “We should’ve sectioned off the city and—”
“Already done,” Sorcia interrupted, setting her empty water glass down with a soft clink.
Marcus’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You already divided the city into grids?”
“During the last two crises with Jace and Viktor, my witches developed a grid system for my entire territory,” she explained, a hint of pride in her voice.
“By now, Bethany, Zelda, and Jane will have called their deputies, who’ll call their team leaders.
Within the hour, every witch in my coven will be searching their assigned grids.
They’ve already canceled their meetings.
They know the importance of finding a demon hiding in our territory as quickly as possible. ”
Marcus leaned back slightly, his blue eyes appraising her. “That’s very efficient of you,” he said, genuinely impressed.
Sorcia gave him a small smile, but there was an edge of determination in her expression. “It has to be,” she said softly. “We don’t have the luxury of wasting time when it comes to demons.”
As the waitress returned with their meals, Marcus glanced out the window, his mind racing with possibilities. Whatever this demon was after, it had chosen the wrong territory to mess with.
Marcus couldn’t take his eyes off Sorcia.
She was beautiful in a way that never failed to captivate him, no matter how many times he’d seen her.
Her dark, glossy hair framed her face perfectly, the strands catching the light in a way that made them shimmer.
But it was her green eyes that always held him.
They weren’t just striking—they were expressive, revealing the fire of her temper, the depth of her intellect, and the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.
Her lips, though, were his greatest weakness.
Full and soft, they always seemed to invite his attention.
Whether she was speaking with her sharp wit or biting her bottom lip when lost in thought, he couldn’t stop himself from watching her mouth.
He liked the way she pursed them slightly when she was thinking something over—like now, as she considered their next steps.
But the memory of the woman Sorcia thought he’d betrayed her with burned in the back of his mind, stirring a simmering resentment.
That woman had meant nothing, a mere pawn in someone else’s scheme.
The fact that Sorcia believed otherwise—believed he could even think of someone else when she was everything—still tore at him. He’d prove her wrong. Eventually.