Page 16 of Grimoire Omens

“Among other things.”

“Cool.” I mean, what else could I say? You think you know the city you grew up in, only to discover witches, talking cats, and a secret tunnel for illicit shopping existed.

“What makes you think this location will be secure?” A question posed by Ulseere, who remained at the rear of our single file.

“If the prince and his demons are tracking Charlotte’s magic, then the concentration of it in the market might muddle her trail.”

“Indicating other spell-casters and arcane-fueled objects,” Ulseere clarified.

“Among other things,” Cedric repeated, and it tickled my annoyance.

“That’s the second time you’ve said that. What exactly does that mean?”

“Let’s just say, a talking cat and demons won’t be the weirdest things you’ll encounter tonight.”

And that’s all Cedric would say on the matter.

We walked forever—according to my feet, which clomped along in my heavy combat boots. Fatigue tugged at me. Between the late hour, my lingering hangover, and now a rumbly belly, I wanted nothing more than to curl up in my bed and sleep twelve hours. Somehow, I didn’t see myself getting any kind of slumber soon. I could also say with certainty that if someone didn’t feed me soon, demons were going to be the least of our problems.

We stopped when a brick wall blocked the tunnel we’d spent ages travelling. “Guess the city put an end to your underground magic market.” I couldn’t help but be disgruntled we’d walked all this way for nothing.

“Did you really think the market would be so easily accessible?” Cedric scoffed.

“I didn’t expect it to need a sledgehammer, smartyfurpants?” I snapped.

“No need to break anything. You must simply utter the correct phrase for entry.”

“Let me guess. Open Sesame.” My turn for sarcasm—which backfired. A grinding noise preceded the brick wall shifting aside. I blinked and guffawed. “Fuck off, that’s your secret password?”

Cedric managed to arch a furry brow, despite not actually having one. “You know a lot of people that would think to say it in front of a brick wall?”

Good point and… “Guess the demons won’t know how to get in then.”

“Demons will simply smash their way through.” Ulseere didn’t believe in being reassuring.

“Meaning this place isn’t any safer,” Flo countered, finally jumping in.

“It will be safer in the sense there are beings here that will not be afraid to fight monsters from the Infernal Dimension,” Cedric corrected.

“Maybe they’ll have something better for me to whack them with than a frying pan,” Flo muttered.

Which reminded me, I’d forgotten to grab the dagger from the kitchen, not that it did me much good.

“How’s holy water work against them?” I murmured.

“Nothing,” Cedric muttered with disgust. “Religion is a human belief and has no effect on beings from the Infernal, or this dimension either.”

“Except for vampires,” Flo countered.

“Vampires can only be killed by decapitation, fire, or sunlight.”

My mouth rounded. “Holy shit, you mean they’re real?”

Flo looked equally excited. “Oh, now we’re talking. Maybe I should be looking for an Edward to sweep me off my feet.”

“I assure you, if you ever meet a vampire, you’d do best to stab it and run before it heals because they are nothing like Hollywood’s romanticized version. They are killers,” Cedric noted.

“Until they meet the right woman,” Flo countered. “Like Edward turning into a softie when he fell for Bella.”