Page 41 of Speak No Evil

I clap my hands over my mouth.

Vrahs even backs up a few paces.

I can’t help but admit seeing that feels real good. Plus, it’s nice meeting him eye to eye.

Fuck, how tall did that make me?

I cast a quick glance to the mirror, trying to compare our heights and notice that while I’m a fantastic specimen of a demoness, I don’t seem to have any wings.

Huh. Horns but no wings?

Stay on track, Jade.

“A tone like that implies ownership. Or that you feel you had something to do with”—I gesture at my new fuchsia body—“this.”

Vrahs takes a careful step toward me. “Oh, you read me wrong, mate. It’s not ownership or egoistic pride. It’s true and genuine awe, my love.”

I ignore that, and the newly stoked embers of feelings I don’t need right now, and focus on what’s important.

“How the fuck did this happen?”

Vrahs smiles at me, and I’d like to rip the serene look off his beautiful face. “Magic, Jade. If you require another answer, I’m afraid I don’t have one to give.”

“I have another answer,” a voice that’s familiar-yet-not answers from the doorway.

I look but see nothing there.

“But it’ll have to wait. The demon you put on the mayor’s tail has informed me of a murder in progress. It’s waiting for your instructions, Jade.”

It’s so much all at once. The voice hiding in the doorway, the demon I summoned contacting said voice but not me. The mayor possibly being the murderer...

But my new brain has space for all of it and then some. Room to think about all those things separately and at once.

That voice is familiar because it’s Chonk’s voice from in my head.

And we’ll deal with that later.

“Tell the wraith to intercept but cause no harm, and get me the address.”

Chonk recites the address, and I turn to the demon lords behind me.

“Saddle up, boys. We’re going to catch a murderer.”

Thorne and Ryker finally look at me, apparently finished staring at their new forms. “We can’t go anywhere like this,” Ryker says.

“Why not? I did.”

I nod at Vrahs. “He did. And he brought my body back from Laurel Cove, so put your pride on hold and let’s get moving.”

For about a half a second, I think about portaling there myself. Demon form means demon powers, right? I decide not to play with any new powers I might have and let the experts handle portal-making.

Vrahs opens a portal, and the four of us step through.

Instantly, a thick metallic tang assaults my nose. It thickens the air.

Spilled blood.

I scan the room for threats, but it’s empty. The apartment is decidedly masculine, in a building I’ve never been to in the residential district.