Black City

“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps saying. But he’s scared of Puck,” I said thoughtfully.

“The faerie who assisted you in Titania and Oberon’s court? The one who came into the house through the jewel?” Nathaniel asked, surprise evident in his voice.

“He’s no faerie. I don’t know what he is, but he definitely isn’t a faerie.”

“Whatever he is, I don’t think you should embroil yourself any further into matters of the faerie court.”

“I haven’t ‘embroiled’ myself in anything,” I said. “The faeries are the ones who came looking for me.”

Nathaniel acknowledged this with a nod. “Still, curiosity about Puck’s origins is probably not wise.”

“I know what happened to the cat,” I said.

“What cat?” Nathaniel asked.

“You know, curiosity killed the…Never mind. Anyway, I’ve got a feeling Puck’s not going to leave me alone.”

Nathaniel shook his head. “What is it about you, Madeline? I have never met another creature with such a knack for attracting trouble.”

“When I figure it out, I’ll let you know,” I said. “I’m really starting to see the attraction of a quiet life.”

“You will never have a quiet life,” Nathaniel said. “Even if all your other troubles magically disappeared, you would still be Lucifer’s granddaughter. You are the last direct descendant of Evangeline. He will never let you go.”

Especially now, I thought. Especially now that I was going to have Gabriel’s child. Lucifer would never let such a prize slip through his fingers. Gabriel had been half-angel and half-nephilim, Lucifer’s immediate grandson. I was also related to Lucifer, although more distantly. The Morningstar was not able to resist the call of his own bloodlines, particularly when combined in such an interesting way.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital was a giant network of buildings just east of Michigan Avenue and south of the Water Tower. We’d decided the easiest way to find Chloe would be to check the computer in any one of the many reception areas throughout the complex. I’d devised a semi-sneaky plan for distracting anyone at the desk.

We hadn’t anticipated that the hospital would be completely locked down. Security guards were posted at every entrance. All doors and windows were closed tight.

The four of us stood on the sidewalk, staring through the glass doors. A few hospital personnel rushed back and forth. The guards at the doors appeared ready to snap.

“Perhaps we can get in from an upper floor?” Nathaniel said.

I shaded my eyes in the bright sunlight and peered up the face of the building. Movement caught my eye—something blue and gelatinous-looking darting between the windows, attached to the building like Spider-Man.

“What is that?” I asked, pointing.

“Gods above and below,” Nathaniel swore. “That is a pix demon. They are scavengers. They feed off the sick, the dying. And where there is one, there are always more. Like rats. They do not usually come out during the day, however.”

“Must be trying to take advantage of the chaos,” I said.

“They will not be the only ones,” Nathaniel said.

I shuddered. Wasn’t it bad enough that vampires were running loose during the day? Did I also have to worry about other, unseen menaces crouching on the outskirts, waiting for things to really fall apart before they pounced? How was I supposed to keep my baby safe when all these thrice-bedamned things were invading my city?

The pix demon slipped inside a window that looked like it might be cracked open half a centimeter.

“We can’t let that demon run rampant inside the hospital,” I said.

Nathaniel scooped me up and we flew to the pix’s point of entry, Samiel and Jude following. Urgency now trumped subtlety, so I blasted the window apart with nightfire and hoped that the falling shards of glass wouldn’t hit anyone below. Cold winter wind blasted into the room.

The creature crouched over a young woman lying prone in bed. Her eyes were wide and staring. The IV hooked up to her arm dripped fluid into a body that didn’t need it anymore. The heart rate monitor flatlined, sounding an urgent alarm that no one answered.

The demon looked up as we entered, its face covered in the flesh and blood of the dead girl. It hissed, displaying sharp predator teeth. I blasted it with nightfire before Nathaniel had finished setting me on my feet, but the monster had bounded from the room already.

“Damn it all,” I swore, and chased it into the hall, the other three following close behind.

The hallway was empty.

“Those things are fast,” I said.

“Yes, and it is doubtless feeding on another victim,” Nathaniel said. “The fact that its own life is in peril will not override its instinct to eat.”

“Split up and check the rooms,” I said, already moving down the hall.

Jude barked behind me, and I didn’t need to speak wolf to know what he said.

“I know; we shouldn’t separate. Nobody leaves this floor, all right? Check the rooms and then meet up by the stairwell.”

We searched the floor, which seemed to be empty of nurses and doctors as well as pix demons. All the patients on the floor were soundly asleep. Everyone gathered near the stairwell and looked expectantly at me.

“Is it more likely to go up or down?” I asked Nathaniel.

“Down, I would think,” he said. “They usually prefer dark places.”