I stopped at the bottom of a fire escape. “You were able to enter the Blue Nyx without bothering the demons there. Why is this different?”

“Adele siphons the energy from her clientele, which makes them rather placid. It is how Fae and demons are able to be there at the same time.” He waved at the building. “Much like my house has Fae wards, this place is protected by demon wards, and my presence would set them off.”

“Oh.” I checked my weapons and stared at the bottom rung of the fire escape that was way out of my reach. “Little help here?”

He chuckled and then the ladder lowered so I could grab it. I pulled myself up until my feet were firmly planted on the bottom rung. “Wish me luck.”

“Luck is for the unprepared, and I have trained you too well to rely on anything that fickle.”

I began to climb. “Such words of encouragement. You should work for Hallmark.”

At the top of the fire escape there was a small landing next to a narrow door. I cracked the door and peered inside at a dimly lit hallway with a few doors on either side. So far, so good. Slipping inside, I let the door close quietly behind me. I took two steps and came up against what felt like an invisible wall of jelly that gave when my hands pressed into it. It must have been one of the demon wards Eldeorin had spoken of. The question was, did it feel like this for everyone or was it reacting to my Fae side? And what was it going to do if I tried to go through it? It would really suck if I ended up trapped in this stuff and had to get Eldeorin to come in and free me.

Only one way to find out. I took a deep breath and pushed my way through the wall.

I emerged on the other side with a small pop. Suddenly, the muted demon presence that I’d felt outside was loud and clear. And it was big. There were a lot of demons in this place. I just hoped they weren’t all gulak demons or something equally as awful.

What the heck are Chris and Jordan doing in a place like this? I moved silently to the end of the short hallway that ended in a T-intersection with a catwalk that appeared to circle the entire second floor of the building. A three-foot railing overlooked the lower floor. Checking to make sure there was no one around, I went to the rail to see what lay below.

“Jesus!” I uttered as I got my first look at a demon market.

The first floor was laid out like any public market, with stalls set up around the perimeter and another grouping in the center with a wide track for walking between them. On one side of the floor the stalls were filled with fruits and vegetables I recognized, while others contained things I could only assume were food. There was a baker hawking loaves of green bread that did not make me hungry for a sandwich, and a butcher selling God only knew what kind of meat. My stomach did a little roll and I was glad I hadn’t eaten in the last few hours.

On the opposite wall, the stalls sold everything from human housewares, electronics, and clothing to strange medicines and magical objects. One stall specialized in protective wards and another sold glamours that would make a demon appear human. There was a book vendor, a stall selling soaps and oils, and even a place where you could buy driver’s licenses and other documents.

The mix of modern and supernatural gave the whole place an otherworldly feel that made me think I’d stepped into a weird dream. But as strange as the place was, it was the people that made my eyes bug out. I had never seen so many different demons together in one place, and I almost gave myself whiplash trying to see them all. There were short, dark ranc demons, green apelike sheroc demons, fat pasty white femal demons, gray-skinned mox demons, and so many more that I had never seen before. They all moved through the market, keeping a polite distance from each other as they did their business.

What I didn’t see was Chris or Jordan or any sign of a disturbance. If a Mohiri team was pinned down here and needing backup, you’d think there would be some kind of commotion.

As if on cue, a roar came from beneath my feet, and I made my way around the catwalk until I could see what was making the racket. I groaned when I saw the scene below.

It just had to be gulak demons.

Eight of them. Yep, eight of the scaly brutes were crowded into a loading bay and making growling noises at the three Mohiri warriors they had cornered. The gulaks were not alone either. There were two ranc demons and a drex demon holding some kind of weapons that resembled flame throwers. Every one of them looked like they wanted nothing more than to rip apart the warriors who faced them with swords drawn. One of the gulaks was holding his arm and baring his teeth at Jordan, whose sword dripped black blood onto the concrete floor.

“I warned you what would happen if you took another step,” Jordan yelled at the angry demon. She glared at the others. “Anyone else want to try to touch the helpless female?”

“Jordan...” Chris pinched the bridged of his nose, and I grinned at his pained expression. At least he didn’t look like someone who feared for his life, and the three of them appeared to be okay except for the makeshift bandage tied around the third warrior’s thigh. I couldn’t see the fourth team member so I figured he was outside and the one who had called for backup.

The injured gulak leered at Jordan. “You have fire. You would bring a high price in the slave market, but I think I will keep you for myself.”

“Ew! In your dreams, lizard boy.”

“No one keeps her,” another gulak barked. “You know the deal. We call the vampires and turn the hunters over to them. They will pay us enough for a dozen slaves.”