"Do you want to wait, or should we get started now?"
"Let's get started," Spade replied. "Emma, please draw all the curtains. Alten, bring Mr. Higgins's case, and then turn on every telly and radio in the house. Loud."
The housekeeper didn't go to the windows, but instead took a remote control and began pressing buttons. The drapes began to close. Mechanically controlled, Denise thought, shaking her head. Her mother would love that, let alone all the other expensive upgrades Spade's house contained.
Alten carried a suitcase into the room and left it at Chad's feet. Spade nodded at Emma and Alten, who took that as their cue to leave.
While the TV and other devices began to blare from every room, Chad opened the hard-sided suitcase and started pulling items out of it. Denise couldn't help but peer curiously over his shoulder. The interior of the case was custom, because the larger pieces came out of their own padded, contoured cradles. Chad began to lay objects on a shiny steel tray. One looked like an oddly shaped power drill, then a package containing several long metal sticks, mini dark bottles, a cord, some sort of pedal, a razor, a squirt bottle, surgical gloves, something that resembled a square surge protector, and was that a watercolor set?
"I think it's time to be very specific about your plan," Denise said.
Spade sat on the couch, indicating the place next to him. She sat as well, but stiffly, putting her wrapped hands in her lap.
"Chad and Francine are demonologists," Spade said, keeping his voice low. Denise didn't think it was possible Raum could overhear anything with all the other noise, even if he was still nearby. "They're also vampires, so they've been studying demons and people affected by them for quite a while. Such a long while, in fact, that they're the ones who once helped a bloke with demon marks on his forearms..."
Denise sucked in her breath. Nathanial.
"...which is why I had to leave you here. If the demon could track you through those brands, then someone, somewhere, had to know how to negate them. So I needed time to track down the best experts on demonology, and I needed to do that without your demon being able to follow me," Spade continued, his gaze steady.
She'd been right. Nathanial did manage to have the marks negated - at least enough that they weren't used to track him anymore, and possibly enough that the marks didn't continue to turn Nathanial into a monster. It made sense. If Nathanial had transformed wholly into some sort of beast, that would've made him a lot easier to find. People tended to notice a monster among them, even jaded people like vampires and ghouls.
Denise was so excited that she threw her arms around Spade, freaky towel-covered hands and all. She thought he'd left her for no reason, but he'd been out finding the people who'd helped Nathanial give Raum the boot. Maybe there was hope for her family and her after all.
"Spade," she choked, unable to find the words to tell him how grateful she was.
His hands slid across her back, and then slowly, he pushed her away.
"You don't owe me anything," he said, as something flashed across his face. "I don't need reimbursement or gratitude to see this through to the end. I made a promise. There's nothing more required from you for me to keep it."
Denise sat back, stung. Was this Spade's way of reminding her that things were strictly business between them, so she should lay off the looks and the hot flashes?
"Right," she said, scooting back farther away from him on the couch. Then the numb composure that had seen her through Randy's funeral and the months of dealing with PTSD came to the rescue, blanketing her hurt. Spade was doing her and her family an incredible favor. She wouldn't spend however much longer it took sulking over being rejected. He might not want her gratitude, but he was going to get it, and her cooperation.
"What do I need to do?" she asked, proud her voice was even and calm.
Spade gave her a look she couldn't read. "Chad's going to tattoo you."
Of all his possible replies, that one she didn't expect. "Come again?"
"To simplify the explanation, brands are essentially permanent symbols representing a demon's power," Francine said, coming over to sit by Denise. "What we're going to do is cover them with our own permanent symbols of power. These symbols will deflect the demon's tie with you, or at least mute it to levels that the demon shouldn't be able to strengthen - unless you come into contact with him again and he rebrands you. So don't do that."
Denise couldn't stop her bark of laughter. "I don't plan to."
Chad was still arranging things, but he still spoke even though he didn't glance up. "You can get preventive symbols, too. The ones on my arms are protection spells. Did them when I was human. They kept stray, noncorporeal demons from being able to possess me. You want any of those?"
This was so much to take in. "Do I need them?"
"I doubt it," Francine replied. "Demon possession is rare, and it's done by lesser demons trying to cross over. Most people never come into contact with demons, but when we were human, we needed them. When you fight demons, they fight back."
Denise gulped. Considering how enraged Raum had been earlier, that wasn't a comforting thought.
"Just another few minutes," Chad said. "Then we'll get you marked up."
Chad began mixing various packets of powders with the content of a few of the small bottles, frowning at the wet, black mass in the dish.
"We'll have to test you before we begin the tattoos," he said. "Take off those towels and give me your arm."
"No."
Spade said it before Denise could begin to sputter out a refusal. His dark gaze was unreadable.
"The towels stay on. You'll need to work around them," he continued.
Chad looked like he wanted to argue, but Francine shrugged. "As long as the brands don't reach into her hands, that should be fine," she said.
"It's not proper procedure," Chad muttered.
Francine smiled at Denise. "Artists are always a bit temperamental, and Chad was an artist before he became a demonologist or a vampire."
Denise smiled back at the woman, a little tentatively. Francine had such a warm, welcoming vibe about her. It made her occupation - and her being a vampire - seem so at odds with her personality.
Or was it? Francine was the first demonologist Denise met, and in truth, she hadn't known that many vampires. There was the one who tried to eat her when she met Cat, of course, and Cat herself was half vampire. Then Bones, Spade, Ian, Ian's sire Mencheres, Tate, a bunch of guards she never exchanged a real hello with...and now Emma, Alten, Francine, and Chad.