Free Fang Me by Parker Blue Page A

still daylight when I left."
    "Andrew arrived at the mansion right before the sun went down," I added."So he could have had plenty of time to hide them anywhere inside or outside the city."
    "I was afraid of that," Trevor muttered. He sighed."I didn't get very far trying to find them yesterday. I guess we'll just have to start at the center and spiral out from there."
    That sounded really tedious."I know San Antonio looks like it's circular on the map, but that's gonna be more difficult than it sounds."
    "It's worth a shot," Shade said.
    Yeah, fine for him. He was having a fun time with his buddy in the back while I had to drive. But I wasn't planning on going anywhere until I got some answers. I twisted around in my seat to look at Trevor. Pain stabbed through me. Damn, I'd forgotten about my wound. This being more human stuff wasn't such a good idea."Maybe if you told us more about the books, it would help us figure out where to look."
    He grimaced."I doubt it."
    "Makes sense to me," Shade said.
    Now that Shade had suggested it, Trevor was all over it. He shrugged and said,"The encyclopedia was cre
    ated a long time ago—I don't know when—by a group of demons who wanted their part-human descendants to understand their heritage. Unfortunately, it's patchy in spots. Partially because they assumed people would know more than they do, and partially because some demons were more reluctant to put their strengths and vulnerabilities down in writing than others."
    SO THAT'S WHY THE SUCCUBUS AND INCUBUS ENTRIES WERE SO INCOMPLETE, Fang said.
    Yeah, I'd wondered about that."That explains the first volume," I said,"but what about the rest? The two with the dark magicks?"
    I sensed Trevor really didn't want to answer me but he finally said,"They were both created by one particular kind of demon who wanted to pass his magickal knowledge on to his descendants."
    "What kind of demon?" I persisted.
    Trevor paused, and Shade snapped his fingers."The two books are about magickal spells, right? Was it a mage demon?"
    Trevor looked annoyed, so I guess Shade hit it on the head."What's a mage demon?" I asked.
    "One of the most dangerous demons to enter our world," Shade explained."They can tap into emotions and use them to power magickal spells . . . and most of them are pretty evil. Those are the dark magicks people sensed." He turned to Trevor."Right?"
    "For the most part," Trevor conceded."But the demon's descendants can't create new spells—only fullblooded mage demons are able to do that. Their descendants are only able to use the ones set down in the books."
    "Whoa," I said."That's a dangerous thing to leave lying around."
    Trevor nodded."Exactly. When the Demon Underground was formed and they tried to keep demonkind on the down low, some of the demons became keepers—the ones who could sense the dark magick and keep it contained."
    "Why didn't they just destroy the books?" I asked.
    "Let's just say that destroying them would release dark magicks in an explosion far more catastrophic than any nuclear warhead. At worst, it would destroy this world. At best, it could severely warp our reality."
    Fang laid his head down with a sigh. LET'S NOT DO THAT, THEN.
    Andrew looked horrified at the thought that he'd had these things in his possession.
    "So why not just let them stay hidden?" I suggested.
    "Because keepers aren't the only ones who can sense the magicks in the books," Trevor said.
    Shade petted Fang absently. "I imagine the mage demons can, too." At Trevor's nod, Shade asked, "Are there any in San Antonio?"
    Trevor shrugged."It's the same as with the books. I can sense one if I come within five hundred feet, but otherwise, I have no idea unless they use some of the dark magicks. But they probably sensed the books waking at the same time I did. There may be some of them searching here as well."
    Oh, crap. Better find them fast, then. Driving in spirals it was. I started the car and headed toward the center of the city, while Trevor