Chapter 186 Chapter 186
“You make it sound so easy,” Travis retorted. With his rising agitation, the air in the room heated up. A flame danced over his shoulder, vanishing when he got a grip on himself. “I would advise you both to lie low. Don’t draw his attention to you—please.” His voice quaked as a pained look flashed through his eyes.
Valerie frowned. Despite the warmth that had filled her flat since Travis had arrived, she felt cold all of a sudden. Icy fear crept through her body. “It’s too late for that,” she whispered and drew the demons’ gazes to her. The waver in her tone didn’t stay hidden from them. “I’m sure that killing the blood mage who worked for him was more than enough to draw his attention. It would surprise me if Mason didn’t investigate what happened to him.”
Travis clenched his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. “Fuck. That changes things, of course,” he growled. “Taking this into account, it’s highly probable he will look for you. Maybe he is already in New York as of right now.”
“Shit,” Valerie breathed. It slowly dawned on her just how bad this situation was. Her stupid amnesia had delayed everything—had she been able to warn Maxwell, they could have been one step ahead. But no, she and her stupid trauma had to make everything harder than it already was. Angry tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, sank her teeth into it until she tasted iron.
“Calm down, Valerie,” Maxwell uttered as he wrapped his arm around her lower back to pull her into his side. “You don’t have to feel guilty. It’s okay.”
“But Maxwell… it’s my fault we are so slow in finding a solution,” she sighed. She used her sleeve to wipe her glossy eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
“It’s not your fault,” he insisted and caught her gaze, holding it for a moment. There was no blame in his ruby eyes. All she could discern was worry and anger, but the latter wasn’t directed at her. “We will find this person before he finds us. You don’t need to be concerned.”
Travis had fallen silent and watched their interaction in astonishment. He sighed, his shoulders sinking a fraction. “Make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” he said, gazing at Maxwell.
“You don’t need to remind me,” he replied.
“Good,” Travis nodded. “If you need help, you can count on me.”
“Travis, I don’t want to drag you into this,” Valerie said. She looked down at the coffee table. “I have to decline your offer.”
His lips curled, and he clearly didn’t look happy about her decision, but he accepted it. “Fine, but… at least accept this.” He reached into the inside of his leather jacket and revealed a long silver knife. Maxwell tensed and shot him a cautious glower as his magic surged, threateningly swirling around him and Valerie.
“Hey, calm down,” Travis said, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that I would feel better if you had a weapon, Valerie. Something that will work effectively against a demon.”
He held the knife out to her with the handle facing her. She looked at it unsurely, her eyes wandering to Maxwell for a second. Even though he didn’t look happy, he didn’t have any complaints about it, so she took the knife from Travis. It had a sheath made of leather, and when she pulled it out, her gaze fell on beautiful engravings on the silver blade. She had never seen these letters and signs before, deducing that they had been created by a witch.
“Thank you,” she said.
“It may not be the biggest or most impressive-looking weapon, but it’s very effective against supernatural creatures of all kinds. A witch placed a spell on it for me,” Travis explained. “Maybe it will be of help to you… But I would prefer it if you don’t need it at all.”
“I appreciate it,” she answered with a faint smile on her lips.
—
Since Travis’s visit hadn’t provided them with enough answers, Maxwell didn’t hesitate to invite his friends over—all of them at once. Thorne and Vaughn were already present by the time the other demons arrived, sitting on the couches in the living room and conversing with Valerie and Maxwell. They were interrupted when a portal appeared, and the six demons jumped out one after the other.
Liam sported his regular red attire that went perfectly with his hair, while Xander had put on his beloved cropped jacket that showed off his abs. Shawn looked disheveled as if he had just been in a fight with someone. Wade smirked widely, playing with the silver chain that dangled from his lips. Benjamin looked annoyed, and Brian curiously glanced around in Valerie’s home, spotting Mochi shyly peeking into the room. The frost demon smiled, luring the cat in with surprising ease. He picked it up and held it gently, petting it behind its ears. At first, Valerie was a little distracted by the cute sight, but then she tore her gaze away from it.
“Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s rude to open hell gates in my living room?” she said sternly, putting her hands on her hips. Wade cackled at her miffed expression while Shawn and Xander smirked at her. None of them would stop this annoying habit, and no amount of nagging on her part could change that.
“Good evening,” Liam said, giving a sly smirk before he sat down on the couch next to Thorne. Valerie rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath.
“How have you been? Haven’t seen you in ages,” Shawn yelled in his overly friendly manner. He slung his arm around Maxwell’s neck and gave him a weird hug that looked silly, especially since Maxwell was scowling throughout it.
“I was busy,” Maxwell replied.
“With what exactly?” Shawn asked, his eyebrows rising. The sly glimmer in his eyes caught Valerie’s attention, and she suppressed a sigh since she could tell that the demons wouldn’t leave without teasing the couple.
“Don’t ask, it’s obvious,” Xander interrupted them, snickering. “She’s got a hickey on her neck.”
Instantly, all heads turned towards Valerie, who didn’t like the attention at all. She got flustered, squirming around. “Can you please shut up, Xander?” she complained, sulking.
“Nope,” he grinned.