Page 3 of The Devil You Know
“You could hand the whole thing off, you know,” Toby said. “Let someone else take it from here. Plenty of other hunters out there who wouldn’t be tempting fate by being a descendant.”
Seth knew his mentors worried about him and Evan. He’d thought about passing the baton to someone with stronger magic than the minor ability he and Evan possessed, someone who could fight the witch disciples head on and overpower them.
“None of those folks noticed a century of murders or stepped in to make it stop,” Seth said after a pause. “And besides—do you really think the other disciples wouldn’t come after us, even if we did quit? We’d be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives.”
He took a deep breath, trying not to snap at the older men, reminding himself that they were seasoned hunters themselves. “I get it—there’s a lot of evil out there. But the disciples made this my fight when they killed my brother and tried to kill Evan. It’sourfamilies they’ve preyed on for one hundred years. It’s personal.”
“Which can be a good reason to give it to someone else,” Milo replied. “It’s possible to be too close to something. Clouds your judgment.”
Seth tried not to let his temper flare, knowing that the two men were worried about his safety. “Now that we’ve got allies, I promise to ask for help when we need it.”
“Travis and Brent aren’t too far away in Pittsburgh,” Toby reminded him. “And Mark Wojcik says he’s got someone he trusts in Cleveland who might be helpful. I’ll get the information and pass it on. Don’t be too proud to make use of them.”
“I promise I’ll call if we need backup. And I don’t think wanting to see this through is pride—more like responsibility. My ancestor helped start this when they hanged Gremory. I intend to end it.”
One hundred years ago, a sheriff’s posse hanged a dark witch named Rhyfel Gremory near Seth’s hometown of Brazil, Indiana. Gremory had cursed the lawman and his deputies and called down the vengeance of his witch disciples to hunt and destroy his killers.
Gremory’s death magic conveyed near-immortality on his twelve apprentices, who each chose one of the deputies’ families to be unwitting participants in blood magic and betrayal. Instead of trying to save Gremory from the noose, the disciples turned on their dying master and worked a spell to bind his spirit. Every twelve years one of the witch disciples would kill the eldest of his chosen family. During the ritual murder, the disciple used the victim’s life energy in a protection spell to keep Gremory’s spirit contained while they further drained his magic to give themselves a power boost.
Seth and Evan were both descendants of those doomed deputies, the eldest of their generation in the direct descendants.
But the witch disciple made a serious mistake in Seth’s case. He’d grabbed Jesse instead of Seth. And by doing so, he’d created an enemy who swore to wipe out all of the coven’s warlocks.
Seth hadn’t waited to go after the disciples one year at a time. He and Evan had destroyed four in the past twelve months, forcing the witches on the defensive and weakening their hold over Gremory’s trapped spirit. The disciples sped up their sacrifices even though they gave up some of the power gained by doing so, afraid they might lose their intended victims or that Gremory’s spirit might break their spell.
Along the way, Seth and Evan had learned more minor magics, spells, and curses, gotten better at tracking witches, and surviving arcane battles. They’d also made friends with people who used their own supernatural abilities to stop dangerous creatures. That had kept them alive this far, and Seth hoped with all his heart it would be enough to get them both safely across the finish line.
“We’re here whenever you need us,” Toby affirmed. “How’s Evan?”
Seth sighed. “Rattled. Can’t blame him. I’m a bit of a mess too. Planning to order a Kevlar jacket for Evan.”
“Not a bad idea,” Milo said.
“I wasn’t worried about bullets,” Seth replied, shaking his head at his blind spot. “I figured any attacks would be magical.”
“There might be a bright side to all this,” Toby said. “If Osborn sent the shooter, he sees you as a threat or an annoyance—but not enough of one to send witches or handle you himself. Probably figures that the other disciples you killed were sloppy and made mistakes. He’s cocky. You can still surprise him.”
“I don’t mind being underestimated,” Seth replied, with a smile that showed his teeth. “I can work with that.”
He ended the call and promised his mentors that he and Evan would be as careful as possible and stay in touch.
Seth stared into the darkened campground. The windows in some of the other campers glowed, not a surprise considering it was relatively early in the evening. He wondered if their temporary neighbors were retired, vacationing, or running from something of their own.
When did it get this complicated?he wondered.I didn’t know anything about witches, and I didn’t believe in magic or monsters. No one else picked up on the pattern of deaths in all those years. But I can’t un-know something after I’ve learned it. And if I don’t stop the murders, who will?
Seth heard a sound inside and got up immediately, worried about Evan. He went in and locked the door behind him and set the alarm, activating the wards. For a second, he debated whether to leave his gun in the kitchen but decided he felt safer with it close at hand.
He hung up his jacket, toed out of his boots, and turned off the lights as he made his way to the bedroom, putting the gun in the nightstand drawer. “Evan?” he called quietly, unwilling to wake his partner but wanting to provide comfort.
Evan didn’t respond. Seth closed the distance, watching for the rise and fall of his lover’s chest by the dim glow of the bathroom light. Evan twitched and flinched, deep in sleep but restless.Nightmare, Seth guessed.
He stripped out of his clothing and cleaned up quickly for bed. Then he pulled on a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt and slid beneath the covers next to Evan.
Evan turned toward him, half-awake, and nestled close. Seth held his breath, not wanting to keep Evan from the rest he needed to heal.
“I can’t sleep,” Evan murmured. “Every time I drift off, the nightmares start.”
Seth pulled him close and carded his fingers through Evan’s soft hair.
