Demon's Vow: Part 2 of the Final Asylum Tales (The Asylum Tales series) by Jocelynn Drake

war, so we couldn’t point fingers in their directions for our killer. Gideon had also been right in that the magic was only good for raising the dead, though most of the time the dead returned zombie-like rather than having any real resemblance to their former selves. I wasn’t sure if Death Magic could be used to free Lilith from the Underworld, but it was the only logical reason I could come up with for someone playing with it.
    All in all, my trip to the Dresden Tower proved to be a waste of time when it came to the investigation. But in Simon’s rooms? Now in the bright light of day, every instinct screamed that I should have locked down the demon and destroyed the symbol etched into the floor. And when I was done, I should have gone straight to Asylum and destroyed the symbol there.
    Did I?
    No.
    I was playing in something just as dangerous as the Death Magic killer.
    But what if I could use it to protect Trixie and the baby? What if I could use it to stop the Towers and protect the world? Wasn’t something like that worth the risk?
    Closing my eyes, I started to drift off again when a persistent ringing forced my eyes open again. It was my cell phone, which explained why I had woken up in the first place. Some asshole was calling at this ungodly hour.
    “What?” I barked after fumbling to answer the call. My fingers weren’t working yet. I needed more sleep.
    “Gee, you’re a cheerful guy in the morning,” Serah said.
    Twisting around and propping myself up on my side, I looked at the alarm clock on my cluttered nightstand and groaned. “It’s eight in the morning. I’ve been asleep only two hours. What the hell do you want?”
    “The cops found another body.”
    “Fuck,” I whispered, flopping onto my back. I was definitely awake now. Rubbing my eyes with my left hand, I tried to order my thoughts, moving them away from demons, Trixie, and even the psychopath with his army of the undead vampires. I needed to catch this bitch before Low Town fell apart. “How long ago?”
    “The victim was found about an hour ago in an alley behind a Dumpster. Her husband reported her missing last night.” Serah paused. I could hear her breathing and she sounded tired. I wasn’t the only one losing sleep. “I talked the cops into letting us see the scene before the coroner takes the body, but we have to get down there now.”
    Which meant that I needed to move my ass now. “Yeah, I’m moving. Where?”
    “Actually, it’s not far from your apartment. I’ll swing by and pick you up. Be there in ten.” Serah ended the call before I could reply, officially starting the clock.
    With a sigh, I swung my feet to the floor and sat up. I was still in clothes I’d worn to work the previous day. The only thing I’d managed to do when I came to bed was kick off my shoes and drop my wand on the nightstand. I felt grimy as hell and would have killed for a shower, but there wasn’t time. Pulling the shirt I was wearing off over my head, I grabbed a semi-clean shirt off the floor and a fresh pair of socks. The jeans would have to do for another day.
    In the bathroom, I inspected the three long cuts on my left cheek while I brushed my teeth. Both Gideon and I had tried a number of healing spells to remove them, but nothing worked. In the end, the warlock gave me a worried look before he walked silently away. He likely suspected what had caused the cuts and that wasn’t a good thing.
    A car horn beeped twice from the parking lot while I shoved my shoes on. On an impulse I grabbed my wand before pulling on my coat and heading out the door. The world was falling apart around me. It was best if I didn’t step out the front door without being armed.
    As I fell into the passenger seat beside the TAPSS investigator, she held up a large cup of coffee from the gas station about a block from my apartment complex. I felt a lump grow in my throat at the sight of that glorious container of hot liquid caffeine.
    “You know, you’re