Hot Demon in the City (Latter Day Demons Book 1) (17 page)

"Not with yours, I hope," I said.

"I wish it was mine," he muttered.

"Hey, I thought you and Anita," I began.

"I like her, man, but she's not a werewolf."

"Ah. I see where this is going. You weren't high enough on the totem pole to be a candidate for your female."

"Yeah." Watson slumped in his seat.

"You know, I probably understand that better than you think," I said, checking traffic before pulling away from the curb.

"What do you know about that?" Watson demanded. He didn't believe me—that was evident.

"I know about being left at the altar, because my woman didn't want anything to do with me," I said.

Watson turned his head in my direction and lifted an eyebrow in sudden interest. "It was an arranged marriage," I went on. "She hadn't even met me and decided to leave me standing there."

"Dude, that sucks," Watson said.

"Yeah."

"Well, at least you have Lexsi, now. I see how you look at her."

"Dude, my intended
was
Lexsi. She just doesn't know it. She thinks I'm human. You breathe a word of this and I'll burn every bit of fur off your balls, man."

"You mean you're courting her
now
?"

"Yeah. Look, this is how it's done with my kind. Someone's chosen for you and you show up at a wedding. She decided to run away instead. I have to convince her to love me back before I tell her anything."

"Well, all I gotta say is you hit the jackpot, man. That woman is smokin' hot."

"I know that already, so keep those wandering eyeballs to yourself."

"Dude, I'm not encroaching on your territory. If I need somebody, I'll hook up with Anita."

"Hey, Anita deserves better than somebody looking for the casual hookup, all right?"

"You don't get to tell me what to do," Watson went into morose status in a blink. "I like Anita. It's her choice, too, you know."

"Fine. Just—don't mistreat her or lead her on. Anita almost died the other night, so she's vulnerable."

"I'll be honest with her." He hunched into his jacket and turned away from me. Because he was turned away from me, I allowed a curl of smoke to escape my nostrils. Every man ought to realize that every woman was equal and precious. Watson didn't appreciate someone playing with his emotions by giving the woman he loved to another. Anita, by extension, didn't deserve to have her emotions toyed with, either.

Perhaps if he'd lived more than a thousand years, as I had, he'd see that for himself. On Kifirin, High Demon females were extremely rare. To be promised one in marriage soon after her birth was nothing short of a miracle.

I was nobody important; I still found it extraordinary that I'd been selected as Lexsi's mate.

Until she ran away from me, that is. At times, I figured this was punishment for a misdeed somewhere in my past. I suppose the extraordinary thing in this chain of events was that Lexsi and I ended up on the same planet, and in the same city.

Destined to meet
, an inner voice informed me. "We're having pork loin for dinner," I told Watson. "I hope you're hungry."

* * *

Lexsi

I threw a cake together while helping Farin and Anita do vegetables and a salad. Tiburon was scheduled to arrive any moment when Kory and Watson came through the door. Both needed to change before sitting down to eat; Kory grinned when I asked if he intended to wear what he had on.

"Not for dinner with you, onion," he said and took off toward his bedroom. Watson took the hint and did likewise. If he hadn't, Anita might have hauled him toward his closet herself.

Tiburon arrived on time; Farin got a kiss and the bottle of wine he'd brought with him. The smile on his face told me he was in love with News Seventy-Four's daytime meteorologist.

"This is a really good red," I acknowledged when Farin handed the bottle to me.

"I'll open it," Kory offered. I handed it to him and went looking for wineglasses. Rick arrived while Kory was pouring wine. He'd brought flowers.

Farin said he liked me. If I could have turned a brighter shade of red, I surely would have. Kory frowned when Rick leaned in to peck me on the cheek. "Uh, I'll find water," I burbled. "For, uh, the flowers. Yeah."

I turned away as quickly as I could without appearing rude. I thought I'd explained things well enough to Farin. Whatever she'd told Rick, it hadn't been the right thing, or enough of it. I'd have to tell him myself, as uncomfortable as that felt.

I wanted to splash cold water on my face instead of filling a crystal vase with it. The flowers, the vast majority of them roses, didn't smell as sweet as those outside my window on Avendor. For a moment, a wave of homesickness hit me.

"You all right?" Anita's voice was soft as she came to stand beside me.

"I told Farin I wasn't interested," I mumbled. "What am I going to do?"

"Tell Kory later," she said. "Rick ought to know better."

"What if he doesn't?" I moaned.

"Then you'll have to tell him how things are yourself."

"I feel sick," I whispered.

"Come on, you have to perk up and eat," she scolded. "People are wondering what's going on with you."

"Great." I wobbled toward the table with a fake smile on my face and a knot of vipers roiling in my stomach. I ended up sitting between Kory and Rick and barely choked down a minimum amount of food.

How could I have known that things would get worse? Rick started talking about Mike and how much he missed him. He choked up when he speculated that Mike could be dead and he might never know it.

That's when Kory's hand gripped mine under the table—a silent warning that we couldn't tell what we knew. We'd been warned by Davis and Thomas that spilling that secret could jeopardize their investigation.

Rick's emotional admission only made it more difficult for me to say what needed to be said.
What am I going to do?
I moaned in mindspeech to Anita.

I didn't think about the direction this could go
, she admitted.
I don't know what to tell you
.

I can't be a substitute for Mike—that would be a lie
, I returned.

I know
.
I don't do obsessions on close friends
, she added.
Unless it's for their safety
.

Understood—that's the right thing to do
.

You look green
, she pointed out.

I feel really sick
, I admitted.
If I throw up on Rick, it will ruin Farin's dinner
.

"Baby, is everything all right?" Kory asked. Rick's head swiveled in our direction faster than I thought possible.

"I don't feel good," I mumbled and scooted my chair back. A part of me felt embarrassed, another part felt relief that it was Kory and not Rick with me in the hall bathroom while I lost everything I'd eaten for dinner.

* * *

"Tell me," Kory said softly.

I lay flat on my back on the edge of my bed while Kory rubbed my belly with a gentle hand. I had an arm across my eyes, shutting out the dim light in my bedroom.

"I thought I told Farin well enough that I wasn't interested in Rick," I whispered. "I guess that was a spectacular failure on my part. I don't want to hurt his feelings, since he's so upset over the Mike situation," I added.

"Onion, I think he understands things now," Kory murmured.

"I'm sorry—I just didn't know what to do and it made me feel so sick," I apologized. His chuckle surprised me.

"Onion, I was worried there for a few," he admitted. "I'm not offended by vomit, I promise. I've seen plenty of worse things in my lifetime."

"That doesn't make me feel much better. What if I'd barfed on you?"

"I'm wash and wear," he replied. "Not a problem."

"I've ruined Farin's first home-cooked meal with Tiburon."

"You haven't ruined anything. They're still eating, drinking and talking. Even Rick."

A light tap sounded on the door. I thought it was Anita. "Come in and join the fun," I called out.

Mason walked through the door. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"I'm better, now that I upchucked," I admitted.

"I sort of got that scent," Mason said.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" I pulled my arm away and struggled to sit up in bed. Kory helped by placing extra pillows behind my back.

"Of course," Mason agreed.

"I think Hannah plans to sleep with the Deputy Coroner, just to get information he's not allowed to share. Is there some way you can tail her after hours?"

Kory's expression was one of surprise, while Mason lifted an eyebrow in response to my question.

"What sort of information?" Mason was suddenly all business.

"Well, she was asking about what, if anything, was found on Gentry Mullins' body—besides Brad Nolen's clothes. The Deputy Director said he couldn't release any information. Hannah started batting her eyes, then. If Chet, Jessie and I hadn't been there, she might have climbed onto an autopsy table with him, to get what she wanted."

"You think she came up with that on her own?" Kory asked.

"No. I don't think that would have occurred to her. I think she's asking for someone else."

"I talked to Klancy shortly after sunset," Mason said. "He doesn't like the way things look, and says he's hearing some rumblings, but there's no proof."

"Was he specific?" Kory asked.

"Not particularly," Mason shrugged. "I was thinking about going hunting with him tonight. I'll see if he's interested in tailing Hannah with me."

"You'll do it?" I asked.

"Yeah. This whole thing is more than strange. Something's going on; we just have to find out what it is."

"Mason," Kory said, "I want you to listen in if Hannah gets the information she wants."

"Already on it, bro," Mason grinned. "Former police officer, remember? And, when I tell Klancy, he'll be curious, too."

"Can I meet him, sometime? Klancy?" I asked.

"Sure," Mason nodded. "I'll get going—we'll check the likely places for Hannah's tryst with a Deputy Coroner." Mason left my bedroom so swiftly he was almost a blur.

"Mason is reliable," Kory sighed. "If there's a way to get the information, he'll find it."

"Do you trust Watson?" I asked.

"Yeah," Kory said.

"I just worry that Claudia will connect the dots, and it will either not go well for him, or not go well for us."

"I think she has something on him," Kory admitted. "He won't say what it is, but he's trapped in that job. She treats him like shit, too, when he works his tail off for her. He won't willingly tell her anything, onion. Count on it."

"I understand," I said. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"I know. We'll sort it out, okay?"

I closed my eyes when his fingers brushed a stray lock of hair behind an ear. It would be a lie if I said I didn't want more of his hands—on my face, my body—on intimate places none had ever touched before.

Another knock came.

"I hate to interrupt," Anita said when she poked her head inside the door. "But Rick's condo was just destroyed."

Chapter 11

Lexsi

By the time we arrived at Rick's condo building, we couldn't park anywhere near it. It wasn't just Rick's condo—the entire structure was damaged in the blast.

Residents were huddled outside on nearby sidewalks as firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze engulfing the rest of the building. Other news crews were already on-site, with Seventy-Four noticeably absent.

"We can send a live video feed to the station with my cell phone," I said, handing the phone in question to Anita. "Just hold it steady and make sure you get my voice and the building behind us."

That's how News Seventy-Four ended up with the story—with a makeshift newsfeed from a cell phone. We even interviewed Tiburon, whose condo was also destroyed in the building. He informed us that this wasn't his only home, but still, things precious to him had been lost.

Rick, his arms around Farin, looked completely lost while Tibby spoke with me and Anita recorded the interview. I had an idea why Rick's apartment was targeted; the enemy thought he knew where Mike was.

A thread of worry for Farin ghosted through my mind, too, while Kory fielded calls from the night producer at the station and relayed directions to me during brief interruptions.

After all, if the enemy hit Rick's place, they could get Farin's, too, so they could solidify their presence and level further threats. By the time a crew arrived from the station, I was happy to hand it over to them.

Kory, Rick and Tiburon approached a police officer who stood guard at the perimeter. He said the building would likely be a total loss, and as yet, not everyone was accounted for.

We'd already relayed that information to the station, so there was nothing new. Why did they want Mike so badly? What about the young woman who was taken—did they want her, too?

"Kory, do you think we should check on Farin's apartment?" I asked as we made our way back to his Jeep and Tibby's Cadillac. It had taken both vehicles to transport all of us.

"Not without a police escort," he growled softly. "You know what happened to Anita's place. They may be waiting for someone to show up there, now."

"But," I sputtered.

"Let me call some friends, okay?"

I knew exactly who he wanted to call—werewolf agents Stone and Williams. If anybody could check Farin's place for explosives, they surely could.

"Make the call," I said, allowing my shoulders to slump. When I'd run away from an undesired wedding, I never thought I'd end up neck deep in something like this.

"We'll be there in a few," Kory waved the others on. Tiburon nodded and led Rick, Farin and Anita toward his car while Kory and I stopped outside a closed sandwich shop to make the call.

"Davis Stone, here," he answered on the first ring.

"This is Kory Wilson," Kory identified himself. "I need a favor."

"Does it have anything to do with the condo bombings down by the wharf?"

"In a way. We figure Rick Armstrong's condo was the main target, so we're worried that Farin, his sister, may be targeted too. Is there some way we can get one of your agents to check out her place before she goes home?"

"Yes, and it may be a good idea if she stays elsewhere while we watch her place for a while," he answered immediately. "If there's a remote chance she could be on their hit list, then we'll explore all our options. I'm guessing they think Rick knows where Mike is, and he'll be getting a call or a letter, if he hasn't already."

"That's what I think, too," Kory admitted.

"Where is he going to stay, tonight?" Davis asked.

"Probably with us," Kory admitted.

"Give me the address and we'll come talk to him."

"That sounds great." Kory rattled off my address. I hoped they'd be discreet when they showed up—I didn't want the enemy to find us because they were watching Davis and Thomas, too.

"It may be late before we get there," Davis admitted. "We'll check Ms. Armstrong's house, first, and let you know what we find."

"Thank you," Kory breathed a sigh.

"I appreciate the call," Davis said. "This may provide good leads in the case."

"I hope so. I'm a little tired of it, to be honest," Kory admitted.

* * *

"Kory?" I said after he'd driven us halfway home.

"What, baby?" he said, without taking his eyes off the road. A heavy fog had settled in and it was difficult to see the road ahead.

"Why did they take that woman when they got Mike away from the hospital?" I asked. "They never said Mia Cummings saw anything; only that Brad Nolen did."

"Yeah. About that," Kory's voice was flat. I knew immediately that he'd withheld information. "Look, this is the reason they have a price on my head," he said. "One night, I was in Clawdia's, having a drink at the bar and talking to Watson when several vamps came in. They had Mia and Mason with them. Mason looked half-dead and for a vamp, that's pretty bad. They intended to have a public execution for both; Watson had other ideas. He pulled a rifle from beneath the bar and the fight started. All I could do was get him and Mason to my place after the fight; Klancy took Mia to the hospital for treatment."

"So Klancy weighed in on this?" I asked.

"Yes." That was a partial truth. I let it slide. He still hadn't told me the whole story, but someday, maybe he would. For now, I was content with what he'd said, that he'd gotten Watson and Mason away from the vamps, so of course they wanted him dead. Mason, too.

Watson—I had no idea why he wasn't dead already. He still worked for Claudia, and if he and Kory were ever linked—I squashed that thought.

"Do you suppose those vamps worked for Granger?" I asked instead.

"There's no doubt of that," he replied.

"Perfect."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"Yeah."

"My dad always said sarcasm was a good way to express anger," Kory said. "It's preferable to destroying people or property."

"He sounds like a smart man."

"He is."

* * *

Kordevik

When Lexsi asked if she could meet my father sometime, I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying that it had been a given, if she'd only shown up at our wedding.

"Maybe sometime," I answered her question. "He doesn't live in California."

"Oh."

She didn't pursue the subject and I was glad; I worried that I'd have to lie and make up a place for my father to live on Earth. "I hope Mason has news for us," she changed the subject.

"Yeah."

"Kory?"

"What, baby?"

"Please be careful. Those people—vampires or whatever they are who want you dead? Well, I don't want you dead."

"I don't want me dead either, but it's nice to hear you say that," I told her. "Look, don't worry, they haven't caught up with me yet."

"But they bombed Rick's place tonight, and a lot of other people are homeless because of that. What if that's what they're planning for—all of us, too?" Her voice shook when she said the words, and that troubled me. Yes, she'd already been placed in danger when Anita's place was destroyed.

"They haven't got us yet, and I don't intend to let that happen," I replied. "Don't borrow trouble by letting your worries get the best of you."

"You sound like my grandmother," she whispered.

"Then your grandmother is really smart," I said. After all, her grandmother was Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. You didn't hold that throne by not being smarter than just about everybody.

"She is." Lexsi hugged herself. "Sometimes, I wish Gran were here. She'd know what to do."

"I think we can handle this," I said. "We're better than they think," I added. "Granger and his bunch, I mean."

"I sure hope so. I'm not just worried about you and me. I'm worried about Anita, Farin and the others, too."

"I know. I promise to do everything I can to keep all of them safe."

"Yeah. Me, too."

Her words were loaded with meaning, as if there were something she wasn't telling me. Something she was reluctant to tell me. I let it go for now—our relationship was still somewhat fragile, and pushing her to tell me could serve to separate us. I wasn't willing to risk it.

I wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her. I also knew what the first kiss would do. Lexsi wasn't ready for that.

Hell,
I
wasn't ready for that.

Mentally, I cursed the burden set upon High Demons—the one that said a High Demon male's first kiss would render his female High Demon mate unconscious, so he could place his claiming marks.

At least the act of placing claiming marks no longer made the female ill for weeks; Li'Neruh Rath had effected that change. My saliva would heal the bite marks my smaller Thifilathi placed, and that was a welcome change.

If I kissed Lexsi, then sank my long canines into the back of her neck as was warranted, she was bound to notice when she woke.

It would also mean we were mated, in a very real sense.

She'd already run from me once, for the same reason.

"Here we are," I pulled into the driveway after several moments of silence.

"Yeah." Lexsi didn't sound happy.

* * *

Lexsi

Davis and Thomas arrived two hours after Kory and I did, at nearly three in the morning. I'd almost fallen asleep on Kory's shoulder when the doorbell rang.

"Wake up, onion, we have company," Kory breathed against my hair. It was justice, perhaps, that both our werewolf visitors looked as weary as I felt.

"Farin Armstrong's apartment was wired to explode when anyone approached the door, just like her brother's condo," Thomas informed us. "If they're here, we'd like to speak with them. We've deactivated the bomb, but left the wiring in place; we don't want unexpected visitors to get blown to bits. We hope the enemy will still think the bomb's live."

Kory turned to me. "I'll get Rick up, if you'll wake Farin," he said.

I drew in a breath; Farin was in bed with Tiburon, and I really didn't want to disturb them. Squaring my shoulders, I gave Kory a tired nod and headed for the hallway. Tiburon answered the door when I knocked.

"We have two agents from the Joint NSA and Homeland Security Department here," I said. "Farin's apartment was wired, too. The agents want to talk to her and Rick."

"We'll be right out," Tiburon said and closed the door.

"They're on the way," I told Davis when I reached the kitchen. "Want coffee or something stronger?"

"How about both?" Thomas asked. "It's been a long night."

"Yeah. I get that," I agreed and started brewing coffee.

Rick, dressed in a pair of Kory's sweatpants, shuffled into the kitchen first, with Kory right behind him. Davis and Thomas stood, produced badges and introduced themselves.

"We expect you to get some sort of notification from the ones who destroyed your condo building," Davis began. "They'll want to know where Mike Ellis is, because they think you have that information."

"Huh?" Rick's face expressed his confusion.

"They don't have Mike," Thomas explained. "We do."

"What's this?" Tibby walked in, holding Farin's arm.

"Mike, Mia and Brad are all safe; we have them in a safe place," Davis said. "That's why when you start getting messages threatening you or someone you care about unless you tell them where Mike is, call us immediately. Your life may be in grave danger."

"Like it isn't already?" Rick snapped.

"It is, but you're a public figure, as is your sister. It will be more than difficult if you disappear suddenly. People are already beginning to panic over seemingly random bombings. Your apartment, Ms. Armstrong, was wired to explode if you went back there," Thomas turned dark eyes in her direction. "I suggest staying here with Ms. Silver if possible, or, failing that, we can find a place for you. I warn you, however, we'll have to place discreet guards so you and your brother can be kept as safe as possible when you travel to and from work."

"But," Farin's lower lip trembled.

"Chica, don't worry. Granger is nasty business and these here—they can protect you during the daytime. I assume you have something just as good to protect her during the evenings?" Tibby turned a hard stare on both agents.

"We have several agents who can hold their own against Granger."

"She knows they're vampires; we've had that discussion," Tibby pointed out. "Farin, both these men are werewolves." He jerked his head toward Davis and Thomas.

"And you're a shapeshifter," Davis huffed. "Have you told her that, yet?"

"I was getting to that," Tibby announced.

"What the hell?" Rick began.

"Whoa," Kory held up a hand. "Look, let's not out everybody in the room, okay?"

"Who's outing whom?" Mason walked in with someone else.

"Mason?" Thomas blinked at the vampire before extending his hand to shake. "Man, I wondered what happened to you."