Page 9 of Grimoire Omens

“Well yeah, because then it becomes self-defense.”

“Which is totally acceptable,” Flo quickly added. “And before you ask, it’s a type of girl math.”

“Girl what?” Cedric shook his head. “On second thought, I doubt I want to know.

“How does one kill demons anyhow, other than with a frying pan? Is there like an easy way?” I asked. “A wand that zaps them with lightning bolts? A spell that sends them back to hell?”

“They’re from the Infernal Dimension.”

“The difference being?”

“Hell doesn’t actually exist, although some claim its description in religious texts is based on parts of the Infernal plane.”

“Potato, paw-ta-toe. Same thing, they’re both places of fire and brimstone and?—”

“Actually, the Infernal Dimension has many very lush and lovely sections.”

I blinked. “Then why the heck would demons want to come here?”

“Because here they can kill those with magic without repercussion. In the Infernal Dimension, they are bound by the laws set and enforced by the kings and their princes.”

“What no princesses or queens?”

“Not any with power, as they are a patriarchal society. And as I was saying, the imps and demons that live there know better than to go after the citizens protected by a king.”

“AKA the peasant demons can’t eat the higher-caste demons,” I surmised.

“The citizens in the Infernal Dimension are not demons They are called the umbradriad, or translated in English, shadow elves.”

“How are short and happy elves keeping demons in line?” Flo asked, brow creased with confusion.

“What are you talking about?” Cedric exclaimed. “Who says they’re short or happy?”

“Um, hello, every single movie about Santa’s village, duh.” Flo rolled her eyes.

Cedric rolled his, too, but also sighed. “Not even close to the same. The shadow elves I speak of are tall, athletic, ruthless, and the highly ranked wield magic the likes of which would devastate this world if they chose to enter it.”

“But none of them got in last night, right?” I quickly asked. “I mean you said the doorway wasn’t open for long.”

“How would I know? I wasn’t standing by the portal watching to see who crossed over.” A testy reply.

“I’m still confused why me asking the universe for a boyfriend would open a door to a demon world? How come the magic couldn’t find me a guy on Earth?”

“Because that summoning spell was specifically targeting a being from the Infernal Dimension. What you should have cast was an actual Love Spell, but your Grams ripped that page out and set it on fire during one of her foul moods. That said, spellbooks are not meant for drunken entertainment. Magic is for those capable of understanding and handling the consequences.”

I hung my head with each rebuke until it occurred to me the chastisement came from a fucking cat. A cat who’d, until now, chosen to be an ass.

“Why should I believe anything you say? You’ve being a hissing jerk since I moved in. Like why wait until now to speak? You could have warned me ages ago about not playing with magic.” I went on the attack.

“For one, I didn’t realize you’d have the ability, and secondly, I didn’t expect you to be dumb enough to actually try casting anything.”

“Well, someone obvviously didn’t bother getting to know me because that was totally something Flo would make me do!”

“Hey!” Flo exclaimed before adding, “But fair. I am a bad influence.”

I jabbed my finger at Cedric. “You still haven’t explained why you stuck around. It’s obvious you didn’t like my Grams.”

“I detested her with every ounce of my being. She truly was a wretched woman. However, I am bound to serve whoever owns the damnable Grimoire.”