Michele Bardsley - Diary of a Demon Hunter 3 Death Unsung

From the Diary of Maggie Mortis..Its beentwo weeks since I foiled Magnuss latest attempt to kill me.Draymore still hasnt forgiven me, but Ive pointed out -- several times, I might add -- that I wasn't the one who possessed his vampire ass. Hes stopped answering my phone calls. I wouldnt be surprised ifDraymore stays inEurope for the next century or two.

Gah! I hate thatshithead Magnus. As soon as I learn the secret to killing demons, instead of just entrapping their sorry asses, hes the first one to go.

Then I'll destroyAbatu .Ooooh , I cant wait to kill that motherfucker. Now that I have Auren , aka Hellion the mouthy kitten, Abatu should be redoubling his efforts to kill us. But he hasn't. Its been too quiet on the demon-fighting front. Ive hardly beat any scaly assholes to a pulp, which leaves me plenty of time to bond with my weirdo kin.

Auren is sorta my sister... though I havent found anything in Daddys journals or our family records to indicate the Mortis family is descended from Abatu .

The other two people in our strange little family are Sarah, my former assistant, and her half-demon bambino, Margie. They live in the compound full-time. I'm getting good at holding the little wrinkly, pink thing, but you reallygotta watch out when you burp her. Flames shoot out of her mouth. Thank the Goddess I have short hair or shed have burned it all off by now.

We're missing one precious component to our household.

My lover... friend... Guardian... Raphael hasnt returned. If the Otherworld High Council has its way, hell never come back to me. Six long weeks have passed. All attempts to getMeelena to reveal his whereabouts have failed. She wont even tell me if hes alive or dead. For the longest time, I thought I was fighting on the side of the good guys. But I'm not all that sure the Other world High Council sees good the same way I do. Maybe they're not heartless, power-hungry, ugly jerks likeAbatu and his crew, but they're still shit heads . They bind half demons into their service -- slaves to do their dirty work in Hell.

You know what? I dont really care about the High Councils goals or their preparation for war. All I want... all I need... (other than Abatus head on a pike) is Raphael.

Oh,Rafe . Where are you, baby?

Sugar cookie,dearie ?

Maggie looked up, her eyes bleary from reading another of her Dads journals, and found Mrs. Pottersworth offering a plate of frosted sugar cookies. Plucking one from the stack, she stared at the big yellow happy face drawn on it.

You dont have to cook, said Maggie. She bit into the warm, moist,carb -rich treat, making sure she ate the obnoxious smile first. Hellion purred raggedly in her lap. The demon popped open one yellow eye, then, finding nothing of interest, closed it and returned to her nap.

Oh, I enjoy it.Dont have no one to cook for since my Maurice passed on, she said, lyricalElvish tinting her words. The plump old ladys blue eyes sparkled merrily. Filings done, correspondence is mailed, and I even had time to run the vacuum in the office. Do you need anything else?

Mrs. Pottersworth glanced around the library, which held floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with books, as if she might offer to do some dusting. The room was Maggies favorite. Persian rugs covered the concrete floor, a fire crackled merrily in the marble fire place, and the plush chairs and love seat offered comfy seating for long hours of research.

We dont deserve you,said Maggie.Mrs.Pottersworth had shown up the day after Sarah had birthed Margie. She had impeccable references -- shed been the gatekeeper for theElven Order of Magic and Science for more than 300 years, and knew how to do darn near everything. Plus, she could brew nasty magical spells, throw daggers, and bake the best sugar cookie sever.

With a baby, a spoiled kitten, a new mother, a missing boyfriend, a battle in Hell, and fights with boss to deal with -- Maggie had hired the grandmotherly woman on the spot. So what if Mrs. Pottersworth seemed too good to be true? The Head Master at EOMS had practically given the woman theElven equivalent of sainthood.

If shes so great, why isnt she still your gatekeeper? Maggie had asked.Because she wants to live in the human world, said the Head Master.I think shes

lookingfor another husband. She likes marrying humans.

Apparently so.Because Maurice had been hubby number seventeen. I'm going to go out for dinner,dearie , said Mrs.Pottersworth . I might be back

late. Need anything while I'm out?

Maggie took the plate from Mrs.Pottersworth and grinned.Nope. I'm good.

No.

Sarah, cmon.The guys been moping around outside since the day you brought Margie home.

They sat at a long metal table in the laboratory. Everything was silver and shiny and brand-new. It smelled like fresh paint and sulfur. While Maggie put the finishing touches on the very special pain prison shed made for Magnus, Sarah bottled holy water in glass bubbles. The orbs shattered on impact. Demons hated any blessed object, but they hated holy water the most.

Margie was wrapped against her mother in a pink sling. She slept peacefully. The infant was so beautiful -- even with the two pink nubs poking out from her blonde hair. Other than the horns and her ability to breathe fire, she looked like a typical human baby.

He doesn't seem that bad, said Maggie. She couldnt believe she was advocating for a freaking demon. Life was easier when she just kicked their asses and bound them into prisms. Butnooooo ... now, she was living with em.Cuddling em, for Goddess sake.Is it because I'm losing my edge, or my mind? Or is it because I'm a demon, too, and comfortable around my brethren?

I dont want to see Eltar , said Sarah. He has plenty of other women and children to visit. He probably has a hundred wives and concubines. He doesnt need me or Margie.

Maggie knew the sounds of longing and crushed hopes. They clung to Sarahs words. Sarah wanted Eltar . Eltar wanted Sarah. Whatwas the problem? Two weeks is a long time to loiter outside our gate and make moon-eyes at you every time you get the mail. Maggie wrapped the clear prism with a silver cloth and tucked it into a pouch on her weapons belt.

I'll open the gate and listen to his lies on the day Hell freezes over, said Sarah. She finished filling the last glass bubble. She handed the filled tray to Maggie, who stored it on the shelf behind her. Did you see the newspaper this morning?

Nope.

They found another pair of male legs on a downtown sidewalk. Maggie stopped rearranging the contents of theshelf and turned around.

What?

Last week, this Starbucks barista finds a pair of male legs about five feet from the entrance to the store.Just the part below the knees.Still had on a pair of flip-flops. Sarah shook head, grimly amused. Last night, this lady gets off the downtown bus and she notices a pair of shoes. When she gets closer, she sees two half legs, still wearing Dockers and dress shoes.

Thats really weird.

Oh, no.It gets better. The medical examiner claims both sets have huge bite marks. He says it was like the guys ran into a carnivorous dinosaur.Something big enough and mean enough to lean down and chomp.

Bizarre, muttered Maggie. Id say it was a demon, but I dont know of any that kill that way. They like to torment humans. They usually nosh on emwhile they're still alive. All the screaming -- its like dinner music for those guys.Hmmm. Youwanna do some research on this for me?

Sure, said Sarah. She got up from her stool, cradling the underside of the sling. Hey, did Mrs. Pottersworth make any more cookies?

How did you find me? Maggie asked as Raphael approached her. I will always find you. He gathered her into his arms. I will always love you. They were in the choir loft of the old church again -- the one shed attended with her