Demon Moon

killing a companion; protecting partnerships was as intrinsic a value in a community as bloodsharing within a partnership.
    “Agent Milton, my dear, even Savi doesn’t yet know.”
    “No false hope that way?”
    He sobered quickly. “Yes.”
    But for his.

    For once, Savi didn’t feel the need to question the hows and whys of a Guardian’s power; she gratefully accepted the new sari Dru created for Nani, and carried it into the restaurant’s office.
    The police swarmed outside and in the main dining room; the office was a sorely needed retreat, even if it would only be of short duration.
    Nani was readjusting her skirt to hide the ragged bullet hole in the material above her hip; Dru had removed the blood from her skin and clothes, but the hole was clear evidence she’d been hit. To Savi’s surprise, Detective Taylor had been the one to suggest covering it—remarking that the other officers would notice such a detail, even if they couldn’t explain its existence.
    “Dru sent this for you.”
    “This conceals it.” Nani’s bangles jingled as she tucked in the edge at her waist. She glanced up at Savi’s face, clicked her tongue. “I’ve no intention of stripping naked with half of the city in the next room, and Guardians who might teleport in at any moment.”
    All in Hindi, but for “Guardians” and “teleport.” The incongruity of it pulled a smile from her, and Savi dipped her head and nodded. She’d never heard her grandmother directly acknowledge them before, in any language. Caelum had always been “that place”; Guardians, demons, and nosferatu, “such as them.”
    Did she even know vampires existed? Know what manner of being had shot her? And why?
    Sudden guilt rose, and her vision blurred. “Oh, Nani,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” She hardly recognized her own voice, it was so thick with tears. But her grandmother would not want her to give in to them.
    And she’d cried enough in the past twenty-four hours. Surely it was time to stop. Swallowing hard, Savi turned and set the sari on the desk, fought down the shame. The demon had put this in motion, not she.
    But it had been set into motion—with her grandmother placed in the middle. Savi would get her out, one way or another.
    Nani sighed. “ Naatin , you look just as your mother did when she told me she was going to marry an American.”
    “This may be worse.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Savi clasped her upper arms and rubbed slowly. Warming herself, gathering her thoughts. “I met with Manu Suraj.”
    “That is worse?”
    “He rejected me. I told him I believed in the DemonSlayer stuff.”
    Nani pursed her lips and shrugged. “This is what comes of searching for a groom through advertisements. The next one will be more reasonable.”
    Savi’s heartbeat raced beneath her crossed arms. “I don’t think I can keep my promise to you, Nani.”
    Dark eyes met hers, filled with sudden worry; Nani sank into the desk chair. “Savitri, you are not always consistent, but I have never known you not to keep your word. What has happened?”
    What hadn’t happened? But it was best to start when she’d made her promise; everything before then didn’t apply in the same way. “On the plane, when I attacked that nosferatu—you remember how I had blood on me when I came back?” At her grandmother’s nod, she continued. The fever, the changes in her strength. The wyrmwolves. The demon and his plan for revenge. “That’s why the vampires shot at the restaurant tonight. I don’t think it would be fair to marry someone when I bring so many problems into it, endanger them just by living.”
    Nani had listened quietly, her face paling and her mouth slightly parted as if in shock. But now she leaned forward, her gaze fierce as she gripped Savi’s hands in her own.
    “What protection have you?”
    “Hugh is teaching me to protect myself.”
    Nani’s eyes closed, as if in gratitude. “He’s a good boy. A strong one. It is good that you live near him; he can care for you.”
    “Yes,” Savi agreed thickly. “But I’m going to be staying with Mr. Ames-Beaumont for a while.”
    Nani withdrew her hands and sat back, studying her silently.
    A flush heated Savi’s cheeks. “He’s the only one who can sense the wyrmwolves’ approach. He’s almost as strong as a Guardian. He can protect me better than any other.”
    Her eyebrows lifting in disbelief, Nani said, “Savitri. Now you look exactly as your mother did