- •Home for the holidays
- •I waved a hand, not wanting to spoil the festive mood. “Nothing. Annette must be running behind.”
- •Ian left, chuckling to himself the whole time.
- •I leaned in to whisper my reply. “Tell me later, when everyone’s gone.”
- •Ian stood in the far corner of the room, his normally mocking countenance drawn into harsh lines of anger.
- •I immediately jumped to my feet, going to our nearest cache of weapons. Ian didn’t seem interested in armoring up first. He started toward the door.
- •In that moment, seeing their faces so close together, the first inkling of realization slammed into me. It seemed impossible, but. . .
- •I linked my arm with his, hoping to help calm his whirling emotions. “You say Annette knew about this?”
- •I slid my thigh between his, brow arching in challenge. “So, you ready for your other present? Or now that you’re almost a quarter-millennium old, maybe you want to take a nap instead?”
- •I waved the ghost over. “Fabian, what do you think?”
- •I stared into Bones’s eyes and made him a silent promise. I’ll fix this and get the real you back. I don’t know how yet, but I will.
- •I sat back and asked the most obvious questions. “Why do you have a tattoo that wards away demonic influence on your groin, Ian? And what does this have to do with Bones and the others?”
- •Ian set Denise in the tub and then looked up at me, smiling wolfishly as he pulled out a silver knife.
- •Ian snickered. “For that much money, you could’ve had a few lap dances.”
- •I reached into my jacket and pulled out a long, thin knife, holding it near the demon’s eye.
- •If these were my last moments on earth, I’d spend them fighting to save him with everything I had. If our roles were reversed, I knew he’d do the same.
- •I didn’t really need proof to know that Bones was possessed, but if making out with Ian gave Bones the chance to stomp on top of the demonic bitch inside him, then I’d do it with gusto.
- •I didn’t point out that he was a demon, so lies went with the territory. He was our best source of information and I didn’t want him leaving in a huff.
- •I grabbed his hair less roughly than I had Ian’s a few minutes before. “But you stopped her when she put that knife in my heart. You stopped her!”
- •Ian gave Bones a languid smile. “No worries, Crispin. Our sulfur-smelling mate has more pedestrian reimbursements in mind for any assistance he gives us.”
- •I didn’t glance behind me to where we’d stacked the guns, but they were within easy reach. “I won’t, but let’s not talk about that now. You should try to get some sleep.”
- •I bolted upright, startling Bones. “What?” he demanded.
- •I said nothing, but my jaw clenched, the only outward sign of the roiling emotions that crested through me.
- •Ian yanked the hood off him and began to undo his chains.
- •Ian descended to where Wraith was with the demon still tucked under his arm like a large football. When Wraith saw them, he tried to slip back into the ocean to get away.
- •I briefly closed my eyes. I’d hoped to have this part done before Bones resurfaced so it would be too late for him to be involved, but I hadn’t had the chance.
- •I nodded at Ian, who pulled Balchezek out of the water. Enough of it soaked his clothes so he wouldn’t be able to dematerialize, but that also meant his skin still looked like it was being cooked.
- •I smiled back with nothing close to humor. “Oh, I can deliver, all right.”
- •I mentally braced myself and then picked up the charred piece of fabric first.
- •I’d heard parents scold their children more harshly, so I didn’t expect the torrent of fear that flooded over Raziel.
I briefly closed my eyes. I’d hoped to have this part done before Bones resurfaced so it would be too late for him to be involved, but I hadn’t had the chance.
And now I had to tell him the truth.
“Wraith can’t be saved.” I wished he could tap into my feelings to know how sorry I was about this, but his emotional connection as the vampire who sired me only went one way. “The demon is in him so deep; she couldn’t pull herself out if she wanted to. The only way to get her out of him is to kill him.”
Pain brushed over my emotions, mixed with a jaded resignation that I hated because I’d felt it too often from Bones. Life had been cruel to him many times in the past, and it seemed Fate wasn’t done with her tricks yet.
“I suspected as much, but . . . I’d hoped.”
Those quiet words broke my heart. I came over, pulling out a silver knife with grim resolve. Better for Bones and the man trapped underneath the demon inhabiting him to make this quick.
I nodded at Ian. “Now.”
Ian abruptly plunged into the ocean, forcing Balchezek down with him. Water covered Balchezek up to his waist, and he screamed like he’d been plunged into acid.
“Get me out of this!”
“Not so fast,” I said coolly. “Why don’t you tell us the real reason you’ve been helping us trap this demon?”
“Because you’re fucking paying me!” Balchezek thundered, the words ending on another anguished yowl.
I watched his skin bubble up without mercy. The salt water wouldn’t kill him, but it might make him wish he were dead. “Liar. You slipped up and called her Hazael, but none of us knew her name, and you didn’t admit to recognizing her even though you obviously did. So let’s try this again. Why did you really help us? ”
Balchezek glared at me as the water looked like it boiled around him. I stared back, unblinking. “Go on, take your time. I love a nice evening swim in the ocean.”
“She’s my ticket to a better job,” he gritted out.
My brows rose. “I thought you wanted Ian’s protection because you were quitting that job.”
“And live the rest of my life among fangers?” The skin on his face began to split, but he smiled even though that made it worse. “I’d rather stay in this ocean. No, I’m earning my way out of the minor leagues, and bringing in Hazael will guarantee my promotion.”
“So you were going to let us do all the legwork whilst you made off with the prize?” Bones let out a derisive snort. “Right piece of work you are. Why is Hazael worth so much to your kind that she’d guarantee you a promotion?”
Another grotesque smile. “You know America’s Most Wanted list? Demons have their own version, and Hazael’s been on it for over two centuries. Probably why she jumped into a human to hide. She must’ve thought she hit the jackpot when that human got turned into a vampire; I told you demons avoid the vampire world as a rule. But just like greed and arrogance led her to kill an influential Fallen, Hazael must’ve gotten fed up living the quiet life inside the vampire she’d possessed. Maybe she thought enough time had passed that she could risk expanding her powers without getting caught. So she went for the simultaneous possessions and grab for Mastership of your lines. Probably had even bigger plans after she got them.”