Blythe’s ears itched somewhere between hellfire and a double dose of beta-alanine. There were fire ants inside the cuff, spiders biting her ear lobes. She half-wanted to let Kolratheth turn her hands into claws so she could scrape them off, but his attention was so wholly focused on the fur-the-wrong-way clamor that he didn’t even notice her mental yell.

She ground her teeth and forced herself to focus on the sound that had so enraptured her demon. Gradually, it became clear. Teajay was speaking to a disembodied voice—something ancient, sexless, and powerful. Something inimical to Kolratheth. 

There was no soul attached to the corpse they’d found.

[i]“I want her.”[/i] Kolratheth hissed. [i]“They waste her potential, keeping her in the dark. Can you imagine? Oh, the things she could do if she stopped following their rules.”[/i]

Blythe resisted the urge to put her hands over her ears and straightened her blouse instead. [i]“The Sunday Group is off limits.”[/i]

[i]“You’re going to have to feed me soon,”[/i] he purred, [i]“and between your rules, the soul-saving angel, and a case that leaves the bodies dry… You’re either going to have to bend or get creative.”[/i]

[i]“You’ll eat. The Sunday Group is still off limits.”[/i]

She ignored his grumble and turned back to the group, nodding absently at Adri as she walked up. Teajay was a little difficult to look at after her otherworldly chat, so Blythe only glanced at her briefly and turned back to the crime scene before her eyes began to itch. “I heard it. The body’s soul is missing, and it isn’t the only one.” She smiled grimly. “There are plenty of things that eat souls, though. Demons, for one.”

[i]“They aren’t necessarily my favorite meal…”

“Are all demons so discerning?”

“The more things you can eat, the easier it is to thrive. Just look at humanity. It’s a veritable garbage disposal.”

“I don’t know many humans that could live off a lecher’s eyeball or a night of chaos.”[/i]

The rumble that served for Kolratheth’s laugh felt like a belly ache. [i]“That just goes to show demons are the higher form of existence.”

“Or better at eating trash.”

“Have you seen the kitchen of a McDonald’s? Or—Satan forbid—a KFC?”[/i]

Blythe had spent too long speaking to the demon. She straightened her clothes again, a little awkwardly. “We know we’re dealing with a soul-stealing killer that uses some sort of flammable black goop that could have come from a mythical creature. This is not the only victim, and there could even be more nearby. For whatever reason, the killer didn’t light their goop on fire and destroy the evidence. Do any of you know a spell for stealing surveillance footage? There are a few cameras around here. Along with the garbage cans to check.”