Free Exiled - 01 by M. R. Merrick

break. We’d managed to source several books with some relevance, but had found nothing particularly helpful.
    “There’s plenty about summoning demons, and even more about rituals that require demon blood, but it’s used in hundreds of rituals, all of which have very undesirable results. We need to find a way to narrow down what we’re looking for,” Marcus said.
    “We could track down Brock,” I said “Since he’s looking for it, who better to ask?”
    “No, that will draw too much attention to us, and we’d have to threaten him somehow. We don’t want the hunters to know we’re interested,” Marcus declared.
    “I can try and speak with some of the contacts I have left in the Circle,” Mom said.
    “That could work, but we don’t know how deep this goes or who all is involved. Until we know for sure, we have to assume no one can be trusted.”
    Marcus paced the library and continued to decline all the solutions we came up with. I was doing my best to be patient, but I wasn’t used to needing the go-ahead from someone else anymore. So far, I didn’t like it.
    “We’ll have to start small.” Marcus looked at his watch. “Rayna, you and Chase go to Revelations. Perhaps you can speak to Vincent and see if he’s heard anything.”
    Rayna laughed. “Because bringing a hunter into an Underworld bar isn’t going to draw attention to us? They’ll smell him as soon as we walk in. I should go alone. Besides, you know how Vincent is.”
    “I do, and I don’t like you being alone with him. Chase goes too,” Marcus said.
    Rayna rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll need to change.”
    Marcus disappeared as well, leaving Mom and me alone in the library. There was some tension between us and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. We had always been really comfortable with each other, but since Marcus and Rayna had come into our lives, something felt different.
    “So, how are you?” Mom asked.
    I shrugged. “I’m fine.”
    She took a seat in the chair opposite me, giving me a concerned, motherly look with her bright hazel eyes. “I meant, how are you dealing with all this?”
    “I’m fine. Really.”
    “I know being here is a big change, but give Marcus and Rayna a chance. They’re good people.”
    “It’s pretty clear I am. I’m here, aren’t I?” It sounded snippier than I intended, but I wasn’t going to apologize, so I tried to change the subject. “You and Marcus seem close...” I was staring at the floor, but I looked up to try to catch her reaction to the comment.
    “We’ve known each other a long time.” It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but I hadn’t exactly been direct.
    “Yeah, you keep saying that.”
    Mom sighed. “What do you want from me, Chase? I’m really trying here.”
    I immediately felt guilty. She didn’t deserve my resentment. “I know,” I said. “It’s just…this is all new to me, and it isn’t easy putting my trust in strangers. You may have known Marcus for years, but I haven’t, and Rayna’s…a demon!” I tried to say the last quietly.
    “You’re right. You don’t know them, and I’m not asking you to trust them right away, but I am asking you to trust me. I don’t ask a lot of you. You do things pretty well on your own. Sometimes, I’m not even sure if you need me around, but…”
    “Don’t say that!” I said sternly. “We’re in this together, remember? You and me, always.”
    Mom’s eyes welled up a bit and she lowered her gaze.
    I got up and wrapped my arms around her. Her small arms hugged me back with greater force than you’d expect, but she wasn’t an ordinary woman; she was a hunter.
    “You’re right, you don’t ask much of me,” I said. “And I do trust you. Everything is just going to take some getting used to.”
    "Thank you." Mom pulled away and smiled. "And go easy on Rayna. She’s a great girl and you don’t know her story. Give it time and you might find you guys are more alike than you think.”
    “Yeah, right.