Read Online In the Demon's Company (Demon's Assistant Book 2) by Tori Centanni - Free Book Online Page A

Gabriel clears his throat. Myron clarifies: “He doesn’t work with you. He uses you.” Gabriel rolls his eyes. I get the impression this is a fight they’ve had before.
    “It’s true. I’ve worked for him all year,” I say. Mostly true. I started at the beginning of March, on my sixteenth birthday. It certainly feels longer than a year. I can’t barely remember a time when the demon wasn’t part of my life.
    “I see,” Myron says. “Well, what do you want from me?”
    I open my mouth but pause. I’m not really sure because I have no idea who Myron is.
    “She wants to know more about demons in general. Azmos is not very forthcoming,” Gabriel supplies. He yawns and scratches the stubble on his chin. “Myron is a demonologist.” He looks at me wryly, like there’s a joke I’m not getting.
    “Are you sleeping at all?” Myron asks him. Gabriel fixes him with a hard what-do-you-think look. Myron sighs and turns to me. “What do you want to know?”
    “Just… general stuff,” I say. “How many demons are there? What kind of powers do they have? Why are they in this realm and not their own?”
    Myron nods, like this is a perfectly understandable request. “Well, here’s the deal. I curate and collect information. In order to get information, you must offer some in trade.”
    “I don’t really have any,” I say, my throat dry. I rub the ring on my pinky, acutely aware of how stupid that sounds. I’ve worked for a demon for nearly a year, long enough that I should know something of value. “My boss is not exactly spilling his life story.”
    Myron’s smile widens. “So? It’s not his story I’m interested in.”
    I exchange confused looks with Cam. “I don’t understand.”
    “You work with a demon, yes? I’m sure you’ve got some stories to tell. I won’t ask it right now—I suspect there’s plenty to come—but sometime in the near future, I want you to sit down with me and tell me your story. Do we have a deal?”
    The word ‘deal’ makes me cringe. In my limited experience, ‘deal’ is a loaded word in the arcane world, as Gabriel calls it. And yet, I’d much rather tell my story than Azmos’ or Xanan’s. It’s the only one I’m qualified to tell or have any right to give away.
    “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I say.
    Gabriel, understanding my hesitation, puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s not that kind of deal.”
    On my other side, Cam stares at me with the force of laser beams, but he doesn’t say anything. I look at Myron.
    “It’s just a promise to let me ask you some questions,” Myron says. “This,” he gestures to the library behind him, “doesn’t compile itself.”
    “ That sounds ok,” I say.
    Myron’s smile is warm and I hope it means I haven’t made a huge mistake. “Good. Now. You have questions.”
    “Well, Az said what he can do—his magic—is uncommon. But he’s not, like, a unicorn, right?”
    “A unicorn?” Cam teases, trying to lighten the tension that’s rolled into the room like fog. I elbow him.
    “In a way, that’s actually a great analogy,” Myron says. “Except that unicorns never existed. Azmos is Vitas. As far as we know, they’re functionally extinct.”
    I frown.
    “He means there aren’t enough of them to breed and carry on the species,” Cam explains. “Like the Yangtze River Dolphin. Before it died out for good there were only two males left.”
    “Exactly,” Myron says, pointing at Cam.
    “Yangtze what?” Gabriel asks.
    “For god’s sake, go make some coffee, will you?” Myron sounds more concerned than irritated. Gabriel rolls his eyes again but he stands and touches a black switch on the wall with his finger. The bookshelf to the right swings open. Through the opening is a typical looking apartment, unremarkable except that it’s underground and connected to this small library. The bookshelf swings shut behind him. “There’s no cure for his condition,” Myron says