I was getting to my feet when a scrawny white cat entered the living room and headed straight for Kelvan. It was easy to tell from the cat’s matted fur and staggering walk that it was unwell, and I automatically bent to pick it up. The poor creature weighed next to nothing, and it could barely manage a weak hiss in my direction.

Kelvan immediately reached for the cat. “Please, don’t hurt her.”

I was so shocked anyone would think I could harm an animal that I answered more sharply than I meant to. “Don’t be ridiculous.” I cradled the cat in my arms, my power already searching for the source of her illness. It didn’t take long to discover the tumors riddling her frail body. The poor creature would be lucky if she lived another two weeks. “She’s full of cancer. Didn’t you take her to a vet?”

His eyes widened until they looked like large black buttons. “How do you...? I took her to one of our doctors, and he said there was nothing he could do for her.” He held out his hands and I saw they were trembling. “Please, Lulu is all I have.”

I gave him a reassuring smile and sat on the couch between Roland and Peter with the cat on my lap. I had healed very sick animals before, but never one so full of cancer. I didn’t want to make any promises to Kelvan until I knew I could help Lulu. I laid both hands on her stomach and cringed as my power explored the extent of her tumors. They were so big that some of them had fused together. She should have been put to sleep weeks ago. The agony on Kelvan’s face told me he knew that, but couldn’t bring himself to part with her.

Kelvan came to stand before me, clenching his hands together. “What are you going to do to her?”

Roland stood beside him to watch me. “Dude, I think this is Lulu’s lucky day.”

“What do you mean?”

“Watch.”

Hoping Roland was right, I stroked Lulu’s head, letting my power soothe her. Soon her head drooped limply against my thigh, and my power went to work. I went after the smallest tumors first, gently consuming them with healing fire that repaired the organs they had damaged. The largest growth was attached to her lungs, and it took me a good five minutes to destroy that one. Then I had to fix her weakened heart and remove the remaining impurities from her blood. I smiled in satisfaction as the glow faded from my hands. That should do it.

“You killed her!”

I looked up at Kelvan’s grief-stricken face and shook my head. “No, she’s just sleeping. See? She’ll be perfectly fine when she wakes up. The really sick ones always do this after they’re healed.”

“Healed?” His eyes darted from me to his cat. “How... how is that possible?”

“It’s something I do, and I’d really appreciate it if you’d keep it to yourself.” It had been careless of me to show my power to a stranger, especially a demon, but all logic had gone out the window when I’d picked up the sick cat. Standing, I placed the sleeping cat in his outstretched hands. One of my fingers grazed his hand, and he jumped as if he’d received a shock. “Sorry.” My power was a bit amped because of the healing and the presence of a demon. I forced it back down. The lessons with Nikolas and Chris had really paid off.

Kelvan’s next action shocked us. He sat on the coffee table, cradling Lulu to his chest while fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely when he could talk again. “Lulu was my brother’s cat, and she’s all I have left of him.”

“Your brother?” I prodded gently.

“Mallar, my older brother. He brought Lulu home five years ago when she was just a kitten.”

Jordan came to stand beside me. “Where is he?”

Kelvan sniffled and wiped his face with his hand. “He was killed two years ago. He and his friend, Jaesop, went out one night and ran into some vampires.”

“Vampires?” Peter asked. “Why would they kill another demon?”

Kelvan shrugged sadly. “Why do humans kill other humans? They are evil. Vampires think themselves superior to all other races, and they kill anyone who crosses them. There are few demons who would not rejoice if every vampire was wiped from the face of the earth.”

“Is that why you’re helping us?” I asked him. “Because of your brother?”

“David and I have been friends for years, so I would have helped him anyway. When he told me Madeline could lead the Mohiri to the Master, I made tracking her my first priority.” He stroked his sleeping cat’s head. “Hunters don’t help my kind, and we don’t help them. But if you need anything, you let David know and he’ll contact me. I can never repay you for helping Lulu.”

“You don’t owe me for that. I would have done it anyway.”

He gave me a watery smile. “You are not like other hunters, are you?”

Jordan snorted. “You have no idea.”

“How did you know what we are anyway?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “Most demons can sense another demon when we get close enough. My people have a very good sense of smell, which is why I knew those two were werewolves.”

Jordan covered a yawn with her hand and looked at me. “As fun as all of this is, I’m ready to crash for a few hours.”

“Me too.” I gathered up the laptop, cell phones, and cash and looked around for my backpack before I remembered I still had to buy one. I spotted a paper bag on the kitchen counter and stuffed everything into it. If we ran into anyone on the way to the car, I doubted they’d take much notice of a Chinese takeout bag.