I recognized faces in the crowd, but the usual nods and smiles were missing. There was a mass transformation as the shape-shifters reverted to their human forms. Scales smoothed out and body hair shrunk until skins were human-like. Horns, tails, and claws retracted. Cat and dog-like ears shifted. Lizard-like tongues stopped lapping at bug soups. Then there was mass teleporting from the tables near us to the far walls, Hermonites tripping and bumping against each other.
They’d never run from us before. Maybe it was the new faces. I glanced back and was surprised when they all stopped walking and stared at me like I’d sprouted two heads. When Lucien’s eyes went to my hands, I looked down and gulped. My hands were glowing. Why?
The ancient texts were visible on my wrist and the back of my hand, and it hit me. I was a human lethal weapon. The Kris Dagger’s powers had sensed the demons, just like they had with Dante and Kael a week ago. Chances were I was already emitting rays harmful to everyone in the room. No wonder they’d teleported away as soon as we stepped inside the restaurant.
I glanced around and fought panic. Jethro’s customers stood near the walls and watched us warily. The tingle along my spine and arms intensified, and the glow around my hands grew brighter. If I didn’t control my powers, I’d flood the room with the Kris Dagger’s death rays and kill every Neutral in the room.
I focused hard on staying calm. It was one thing to control my powers when I sparred at home and quite another when I faced demons. They’re not my enemies…they’re our allies…they’re not my enemies…they’re our allies…
Flashes of past scenes zipped through my mind—Jethro welcoming us with open arms, giving us information, riding in a motorcade, eating, playing a game of pool in the next room, listening to Karaoke singers. Some of the memories were hazy, possibly because I couldn’t remember when they happened, but being in the bar brought them back.
My hands grew dimmer. The more I focused on the Neutrals’ past goodness, the dimmer the symbols grew. After a few more seconds, the glow disappeared, though the buzz along my spine remained. I glanced at the other Guardians, who were watching me with a mixture of concern and awe. Even Solaris forgot to glare at me with hatred.
Let’s go, I telepathed them.
Eyes followed us as we approached the counter. One of the bartenders teleported, leaving behind the one I recognized from a few months ago. He’d helped us locate a Nosferatu demoness. Because of my messed-up memories, I didn’t know how often our paths had crossed since.
A wave of fear and resentment flowed from him, his gaze shifting from me to the others then back to me again, but he didn’t bolt like his friend.
“We need to talk.” I could see the Neutrals watching us from the corner of my eyes, so I kept my voice low. “Privately.”
He nodded, then appeared on our side of the counter. I must not have been emitting the harmful rays because he didn’t appear to be in pain. We followed him across the restaurant, eyes drilling holes in our backs. I had no idea where the resentment came from. It couldn’t be because I’d become a demon’s worst nightmare. From what I remembered, Jethro’s customers had always liked having us around.
Before we left the restaurant floor and the narrow hallway leading to Jethro’s office and private quarters, I glanced back. The Neutrals watched us like hawks.
“Esras, you come with me. The rest of you keep watch out here. If anyone approaches, stop them and find out what they want. If they want to talk to me, ping me. If they attack, knock them out.”
They nodded, even Solaris. Her attitude had undergone a dramatic change, but I knew it wouldn’t last.
“I’m an empath, so I’ll know if you need our help,” I added, then followed the bartender and Esras down the hallway to Jethro’s office, which was a lot more spacious than I’d first thought.
The once dreary room had undergone some changes—several bunk beds and a dresser now replaced the piles of newspaper that had taken up most of the space. The lumpy sofa Bran had used when he’d lived with Jethro was still there along with the desk.
I faced the bartender, who kept his distance as though he expected me to hurt him. “Where’s Jethro?”
“He is missing because…because…” He swallowed.
I frowned. “Because of what?”
“His association with you guys…the Guardians,” he finished in a rush, his face flushing.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“Two nature-benders came looking for him last night after he left for a meeting with the Cardinals. They knew he was meeting with you. Not you, Cardinal Lil. I mean the older Cardinals, who picked him up. The nature-benders vowed to come back. As soon as the Cardinals brought Jethro back, they reappeared and took him. I didn’t know what to do, so I contacted the Hermonites out there.” He slanted his head to indicate the bar. “They organized a search party. Most of them spent the night searching for Jethro. Some are still out there.”
That might explain the resentment toward us.
“What did the nature-benders look like?” I asked, hoping they were Dante and Kael.
“Tall, big, long, curly brown hair. They looked like twins.”
Definitely not Dante and Kael. “Have you seen Cardinal Llyr?”
“He was here an hour ago. As soon as I told him about Jethro, he left to search for him, too. He thinks whoever took the others has Jethro.”
“The others?”
“Young Hermonites have been disappearing for several weeks now. There are rumors that the Guardians kidnapped them.”
“What would we want with demons?” Esras asked.
“To turn them into Guardians, like you turned Cardinal Llyr,” the bartender said.
I sighed. How many times did we have to go through this? “Bran chose to be with the Guardians. No one turned him. And we have nothing to do with their disappearances,” I added firmly. “I’ll talk to the Hermonites before we leave.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Esras asked.
“They are our allies, Esras. Of course we have to calm their fears or they could turn against us. With Jethro gone, that seems more likely than ever.” I turned my attention to the bartender. “Did Cardinal Bran sleep here?”
“No. He was in and out of here yesterday during the day. He told Jethro he was searching for his brother. He came back an hour ago, changed his clothes and was about to leave again when I told him Jethro was missing.” The bartender pointed at a scrunched-up black T-shirt and pants at the foot of the couch.
I picked them up with the tips of my fingers. They were filthy and smelled. Beside them were a plastic bag and several price tags. I glanced at Esras. “What do you think?”
He lifted the shirt, then the pants. “The dirt covers the front of his shirt and pants, which means he was on his stomach, either lying down or crawling.” He sniffed them. “Smells like sewer.”
If Bran had spent the night in some rat hole, it might explain why I’d tossed and turned all night long. I’d felt his discomfort. I glanced at the bartender. “Did Cardinal Bran say where he was headed?”
“No. Are you going to find them?” the bartender asked hopefully. “Jethro means a lot to us. This bar is a refuge for my kind, and half the people in the bar have called this home, just like Cardinal Bran has.”
“I know. Why don’t you go back to the bar and tell them I want to talk to them? They have to know we would never hurt them or turn our backs on—”
Several pings hit me at once. What is it?
A demon is here, and he insists on talking to you, Solaris telepathed.