I push my shoulder hard against the door and the wood splinters as the top hinge falls off and the door bursts open wide. The room is empty, a mattress on the floor with a patterned quilt on top and two pillows, and a fuck ton of blood staining the sheets. It’s ominous how quiet it is here, but someone has very clearly been here recently. There’s a wooden rocking chair next to the bed and a suitcase of mismatched clothes. It looks like there’s a trail of blood on the floor, starting from the bed and heading over to the dresser..

My phone dings, and I hope it’s Blair or Kas with an update.

Ryan: Do you want to get dinner tomorrow?

Fuck, now is when he decides to reach out? If I don’t get some of these issues resolved, there’s no way I can make this happen, but refusing his invitation makes me look like I don’t care.

Me: I’m busy with work, but I’m sure I can make it work.

Ryan: Great, same place as last time.

Me: Sure. See you tomorrow.

What’s one more obligation on my plate? Beelzebub is dead, Asmo is still missing. No one knows who Mara is possessing right now, and my girl is under duress. How did I go from the best night of my life to the worst?

I’m about to say fuck it and go home to make sure Blair is okay, when I notice the blood droplets flow to a bigger pool splattering on the ground. That’s when a card on the floor catches my eye.

Adelaide Forten, Augur to the inhuman. The card is black with gold foil and a single bloody fingerprint lays on the corner. I dig around the room and find nothing else seems amiss. I portal to the address on the card, a small dainty cabin in North Point. My fist doesn’t even hit the door before the door swings open.

“Was wondering when I would be seeing you, demon,” she says. If I’m being honest, I’ve never seen a more laid back looking fortune teller in my life.

“Do you know why I’m here?”

“You picked up my card, and I know where you found it.”

“Mara,” I reply.

“Yes, just one of the many powerful demons I’ve had the displeasure of meeting lately.”

“Was one of them a blonde man who looks to be in his early twenties?”

She arches an eyebrow and nods her head for me to follow her. We enter the front of the house where she clearly meets clients. She pushes the black curtain, and I walk through where there’s a living room and kitchen. Her decor is simple, but it’s not till I see the bloody mess that is Asmo lying on her couch do I get suspicious.