The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison Read Free Book Online Page A

babysitting job and are now trying to gain control of a demon who has limited power and resources. And you can’t do it?”
    â€œIt’s not a matter of gaining control over him,” Minias protested indignantly. “We can catch him. We simply can’t contain him after sunset. As I told you, someone is summoning him out of confinement.”
    â€œAnd you can’t stop them?” I questioned, thinking of the charmed zip-strips that the I.S. used to keep ley line practitioners from jumping out of custody via a ley line.
    Minias shook his head and his glasses caught the light. “No. We catch him, confine him, and when the sun goes down, he pops out, rested and fed. He’s laughing at us. Me.”
    I disguised my shiver by taking a sip of my coffee. “Any idea who’s doing it?” My thoughts went to Nick, and the coffee turned to acid in my stomach.
    â€œNot anymore.” His boots scraped against the gritty floor. “Soon as I find out, they die.”
    Nice. Fumbling for my mom’s hand under the table, I gave it a squeeze.
    â€œDo you have any idea as to who might be helping him?” Minias asked next, and I forced myself to keep breathing.
    Nick, I thought, but I wouldn’t say it aloud. Not even if he was sending Al to hurt me—because if it was Nick, I’d take care of him myself. I could feel Jenks’s eyes on me, wanting me to say it, but I wouldn’t. “Why don’t you just get rid of his summoning name?” I said, looking for other options. “You do that, and he can’t be summoned out.”
    The skin visible past Minias’s sunglasses tightened. He knew I wasn’t saying something. “You can’t throw away a password. Once you have one, it’s yours.” He hesitated, and I felt the gathering of trouble. “You can exchange it with someone else’s, though.”
    The ribbon of tension around my chest squeezed, and all my warning flags went up.
    â€œIf someone exchanged names with him,” Minias drawled into the conversation-rich air, “we could contain him. Unfortunately, because of his job, he’s been very lax with his summoning name. There are an astounding number of people on this side of the lines who know it, and no demon will willingly take it.” Minias stared at me. “They have no reason to.”
    My fingers tightened on my waxed paper cup, sure now I knew why Minias was sitting at a table sipping coffee with me. I had a password. I had a reason to trade. I had a major problem.
    â€œSo what does that have to do with my daughter?” my mother said, her voice thick with warning. Fear caused her to drop the scattered-thoughts image she used as a buffer to hide the damage my dad’s death had wrought.
    Minias adjusted his glasses to give himself time to weigh the emotions at our table. “I want your daughter to exchange passwords with Al.”
    â€œNo fairy-crap way.” The dust slipping from Jenks was a red so deep that it seemed black.
    â€œAbsolutely not,” I echoed. I scowled and slid my chair back.
    Unperturbed, Minias shook more cinnamon into his coffee. “Then he’ll kill you. I don’t care.”
    â€œObviously you do or you wouldn’t be here,” I said sharply. “You can’t hold him without my name. You don’t care if I live or die. It’s you you’re worried about.”
    My mom sat stiff and miserable. “Will you remove her demon marks if she does this? All of them?”
    â€œMom!” I exclaimed, not aware that she even knew about my demon marks.
    Green eyes full of pain, she took my cold fingers in hers. “Your aura is filthy, honey. And I do watch the news. If this demon can remove your marks and purge your aura, then you should at least find out what the consequences or possible side effects are.”
    â€œMom, it’s not just a password, it’s a summoning name!”
    Minias gazed