Demon's Mark
- Nick, who's hungry for dinner despite the drama, is tasked with disposing of the human body (the one from the raven that turned back into its human form when it was killed), while Alan entertains their guests.
- He hefts it into the trunk of the car and drives to a spot where he can throw the body off a bridge into the river. Before he does so, he contemplates checking the body for a mark to see what clan of magicians this guy belonged to. He knows the guy is a magician because, well, he managed to shapeshift into raven form for the attack and command a demon to control the other ravens.
- Deciding it doesn't matter what group the magician belongs to, Nick dumps his body in the water, which will keep him from being possessed by a demon. Apparently demons, like cats, aren't particularly fond of water.
- He heads home, hoping Mae and Jamie will be long gone, but (surprise, surprise) they're not. What's more, Alan has been making small talk with them. He hasn't even given them the usual spiel to explain that yes, there are demons living in a parallel world and that they desperately want to get into this one, but that Mae and Jamie can stay safe by staying away from magicians. When Nick walks in, Mae finally tells the Ryves brothers why she and Jamie have come: Jamie has a mark on his skin and after doing some research and talking to a few people about it, Mae was led to believe that (a) it's a serious problem, and (b) the Ryveses could help them.
- Nick is irritated that they're bothering him and his brother, and he becomes furious when they discover that Jamie has been marked not once, but three times.
- Jamie has what is referred to as a third-tier mark, which means that now someone (most likely Jamie) needs to die.
- Needless to say, Mae and Jamie are rather disturbed by this news.
- Alan is sympathetic but doesn't think there's any help for Jamie at this point. He tries to be gentle, but Nick jumps in with, "First he'll be a demon. Then he'll die. Shouldn't take more than a month" (2.147).
- At this point, Nick notices mist inside the house and tells everyone to get their feet off the floor. Nick stalks around the room, sword in hand (Alan doesn't because he's got a major limp and isn't so great at being stealthy); when a serpent appears from out of the mist, he's quick to strike it down but not before it bites Alan.
- Nick isn't concerned at first, because both he and Alan normally wear talismans around their neck that protect them from magic. But unfortunately, in an act of chivalry, Alan gave his talisman to Mae while Nick was disposing of the dead magician. Oops. Now Alan has a demon's mark, too. First tier, but still.
- Nick is miffed that Alan gave his talisman away. Again.