Welcome to my four-part “micro series.” This is set in the Blood Rights town of Adelheid, roughly after book three–but there shouldn’t be any major spoilers that aren’t already in book descriptions!
Watch for part two!
Sadie
There was a strong summer storm sweeping over southern Connecticut, and every weatherman in our area was freaking out with happiness that it was coming directly for Adelheid. Not because they had something against the town, but just because they like when strong weather comes their way. It kind of validates their jobs, you know?
Adelheid was, generally speaking, business as usual despite the inclement weather, because we were made of heartier stuff than some thunderstorm. Most of us were preternatural, true, but also a lot of us were born and raised from good old New England stock.
Said business as usual included mine. The Stanton Agency was open and meeting its appointments, even if Madison and I were staring out the window at the storm clouds we could make out against the night sky. After all, what with the sun allergy and liquid diet, I can’t ever see a storm in daylight again. I didn’t just see the storm but felt it too. And it wasn’t a vamp thing. I’d always felt storms in a physical way. Ever since I was a little (human) girl.
“Think it’s gonna be as bad as they say, Sadie?” Madison asked. Although holding the simple title of ‘receptionist,’ my business would shrivel and die without her. As roommate and best friend, I wouldn’t survive too well without her either.
“It’s never like they say,” I pointed out. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead, like it was talking to me. “It’s always far better, or far worse.” I saw flashes of lightning in the distance, but not really all that distant. Just not right on top of us either.
Yet, at least.
From an office down the hall, I heard the telltale pop and hiss of our resident demon summoner hard at work.
Just another day at the office.
The lights flickered.
Madison and I both paused, pursing our lips and looking at the light fixtures set into the ceiling. We waited.
Flicker.
Flicker.
Then nothing more for a few minutes, the lights stayed on and Madison let out a breath she’d been holding. I wasn’t holding mine ’cause I didn’t need to breathe if I wasn’t talking.
The power went out.
“Shit.”
The front office was drenched in sudden and total darkness. Even the moon outside was hazy from the cloud cover and didn’t give much light. As a vampire, I could see pretty well once I adjusted to the change, but I knew that no one else in the office would be doing as good.
Unfortunately, there was one aspect of that issue that I didn’t expect.
A stream of incoherent curses came from the office that Donovan (our summoner) and Bill (the associated lawyer) were in, along with a crash, a shriek, a roar, cursing in a language I didn’t know, doors opening, doors slamming shut, and a gust of wind with something (or someone) in it that even my preternatural sight couldn’t make out.
“Oh, that’s not good,” I murmured, and this was confirmed when I saw Donovan come stumbling, groping, through his office door.
“Where did it go?” he gasped. Blood trickled down his face from a cut over his eyebrow and I inconveniently remembered that I hadn’t eaten yet today.
“Where did what go?” Madison asked. Fear was clear in her voice.
Donovan frowned. “The demon.”
I felt a chill run through my blood. Which, considering my blood hadn’t run in decades, was kind of impressive. “Say what?” I asked, brilliant in the face of crisis as always. His eyes found my general direction and his expression was grim, and embarrassed. “A demon got loose.”