THANE
Thane watched as Dahlia's body slammed into the ground. This time, it didn't bounce. For a moment, blood began to ooze from beneath her, and then it all began to dissolve, changing to dust. She was gone? Of course she was.
"Fuck!" he snarled, turning back to find a priest right behind him.
"Language," the man snapped.
"She's dead!" Thane yelled in his face. "None of us put a stake in her, but her body just turned to dust, so what does that mean?"
From the back of the room, a man said, "We're sending someone down to check on her."
"And to deal with anyone who happened to be looking out their windows when it happened?" Thane asked. "But let's talk about the real problem here. She's gone, we don't have her, and she wasn't sent to Hell. So where the fuck is she?"
The priest before him grabbed his shirt and shoved Thane against the wall. "Watch your tone, hunter."
Thane just shoved the man off. "Really? I'm the one she's almost killed twice. You? I'm willing to bet this is the first time they've pulled you out of your prayers to deal with the Devil's toys. Tell yourself I'm just a stupid hunter. I don't even care, but if you're not taking this seriously, then why should I?"
"Enough!" someone barked, making the room fall quiet.
Thane turned in time to see the Cardinal walk into the room. "Where's the man?"
"Bathroom," one of the priests replied. "He's under a sleep compulsion, and we'll wipe his memories before turning him loose."
"Good." Then the Cardinal made his way toward Thane. "How did she get away?"
"I was trying to corner her," Thane explained, lifting his hand to show the clavum he held. "She took out those guys with a lamp, so I wanted her away from them. I thought these windows were supposed to be reinforced so they wouldn't just break. I never considered she'd..." He just thrust an arm toward the broken glass. "She's always one step ahead of me."
"And you have gotten closer than anyone else," the Cardinal assured him. "Walk with me, Thane."
The priest before him stepped aside, so Thane pushed around him. Then he made his way over the bodies of the men on the floor. The blood splattered across the room was going to be a problem, but someone else would have to deal with it. Eventually, he reached the door, and the Cardinal pressed a hand between Thane's shoulders and turned him up the hall.
They walked to the far end in silence. There, the man pressed a button for the elevator, but it was heading up, not down. When the car arrived, they both got in, riding it all the way to the top - still in silence. The Cardinal then led him out, through a set of doors, and to a rooftop pool area.
"The priests have been doing their part," the Cardinal finally said. "It's not the same part we ask of you, but it's still important."
"Yeah, not risking their lives," Thane pointed out. "Not losing their entire team, or nearly so. I get it. I'm useless for anything but throwing at demons, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"We have her name."
It felt like ice ran through Thane's veins at those words. "What?"
"The Asian girl called her Valka. Numerous times, that demon has used the same surname. I've just been informed that Valka is a Nordic name, and that surname fits the Nordic naming traditions. It's not definite until it works, but we think we have her name."
"Her real name?" Thane asked.
The Cardinal nodded. "We can use it to call her back. It will take us a day to get a room ready to hold her and to set up the illusions to make her think she's somewhere else. That should allow you to summon her. Then you'll need to convince her that you want to help. She will have to feed from you in some manner - blood, flesh, or intimacy - so she can reform her body, and then we will make sure she cannot get out."
"You want me to let that thing eat me the way she tried to snack on my brother?" Thane asked.
"I was hoping that your status as a hunter would make it apparent that I meant sex, Thane. She's a beautiful woman. Convince yourself that's all she is. I don't honestly care. Summon her, fuel her, and then we will give you a simple Word to remove the illusions so you can lock the gate to her cell."
Thane shoved a hand across his face to stop himself from saying what he really thought about that. "And then what?"
"Then we will have one of the strongest demons I've ever seen at our mercy for studies."
All he could do was nod. "And I'm guessing I don't get a choice in this, right?"
"Not unless you'd like your brother to be charged for using a Word above his rank." The look the Cardinal gave him made it clear that was not an empty threat.