Three Wishes (6 page)

The angel scowled. “I don’t want a crepe; I want to catch this demon so I can go listen to blues music.”

Score! Well, almost score. At least she was considering the blues music, even if she’d resisted the crepe. “Wanna hear my theory?”

“I know I’m going to regret this, but yes, I’d like to hear your theory, genius.”

Dar sipped his drink. “Wait until we have more information, and then I’ll tell you. In the meantime, at least try a lamb meatball and drink your champagne. It’s free. Never let free food and booze go to waste. Then we can go to the blues club. How does that sound?”

Longing flickered across the angel’s face then she shook her head. “Sounds like you don’t know squat. Sounds like you’re stalling for time. Sounds like you don’t know your posterior from a hole in the ground.”

Dar couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll admit I sometimes mistake my ass for a hole in the ground. Still, I do know something about demons. You’ve had what, a hundred years here? I’ve been surrounded by demons for a thousand years. You might want to consider me your best available reference instead of questioning my ability to find my asshole.”

When had this become his business? Like he gave two shits about some demon having a jaunt from Hel and prowling around at a tech conference. All he knew was that messing with this angel was the most fun he’d had in centuries, and if tagging along with her on a demon hunt was a way to prolog the fun, then he was onboard. “Come on, beautiful. Take the night off, and I’ll help you chase this asshole tomorrow. You won’t regret it.”

“I’m working. I’m not going to give in to the sin of sloth and run off with you to party it up.”

The angel huffed and walked off, taking a surreptitious sip from her drink. Dar choked back a laugh and followed at a respectful distance, scanning for the demon energy. A swell hit the room like a wave, peaking then receding, and the angel took off, knocking humans aside as she raced toward the raised stage at the back of the room.

***

He was here. She’d caught the jarring notes of his song and tracked him with confidence for a few feet before the signature ebbed, falling to absolutely nothing. No! How could this be? Was it magic, as the tempting rat-demon had said, a faulty summoning, or something she’d not even thought of? There were a dozen humans in the vicinity the demon-song had come from. Concentrating, she scanned each of them, looking for a demon mark that would indicate ownership. If one of these humans had summoned a demon, they should still bear his energy signature.

Nowhere. Wherever the demon had been, he’d vanished without a trace. Her gaze came to rest on a man speaking to two women, waving his hands for emphasis. Suddenly he turned, and his eyes met hers. None of these humans bore a demon mark, not even this one who was now smiling at her and coming her way.

He stopped when he reached her. “Are you enjoying yourself? Can I get you another champagne?” He had dark blue eyes that met hers from under thick, nearly white brows in appreciation. His head dropped to take her in from the feet up, and she saw the short, golden-blond hair that covered his scalp in thick fuzz.

“Welcome to the Genus Micro party. I’m Carter Phelps. You are...?” He glanced at her chest, and she began to take offence before she realized he was looking for her nametag.

“Iowa, and I’m Dar.”

By all that was holy, it was that blasted demon again. She’d never encountered anyone quite so annoying. Or attractive. But mostly annoying. Another glass of something carbonated was thrust into her hand as the demon took the half-empty glass and drank the contents in one gulp.

“My name’s not Iowa, it’s Asta.”

The human male ignored Dar and raised his glass to her. “Asta. What a lovely, unusual name. Is your company considering Genus Micro for their security needs?”

“No.” This was ridiculous, conversing with these humans when she had a demon to catch.
And a blues club to visit.
If only she could catch this guy, then she could have the fun she’d been craving without all the guilt.

The human laughed. “I love your honesty! I know we’re beyond many small businesses’ budgets, but you should consider the costs if you fall prey to a cyber-attack. It’s not just the big dogs that are getting hit lately. Let me show you what we can do for your company.”

What in the world was he talking about?

“You’re not going to show her anything, buddy.” That demon—Dar—took a step forward, angling his body to squeeze between them. “Take a hike; this one’s mine.”

His? Where in all of creation did he get that idea?

The human ignored Dar, turning his back to him and placing himself between Asta and the demon—which put him uncomfortably close. “We can talk about your needs, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Asta got the feeling he was discussing more than his software. Dar evidently got the same vibe because he bristled, elbowing the man in the ribs. “You lay one hand on her ‘needs’, asshole, and I’ll shove an ice sculpture where the sun don’t shine.”

That seemed pretty extreme, especially given her ability to easily defend herself against a human. Still, the sight of Dar in a beautifully tailored olive suit, his eyes glinting red with jealousy stirred something deep inside—something a little bit wicked.

“Yes, that sounds nice. I’d love that.”

“No, it doesn’t sound nice,” Dar snapped, clinking his empty glass against hers. “Drink up, babe. We’ve got a blues club to go to, and I’m sure this dickhead has customers to schmooze.”

Asta took a quick gulp of the champagne to hide a smile. Dar and this human were on the verge of coming to blows—over
her
. What a bizarre situation for an angel to be in. “I’m working, Dar. Rain check on the blues club.”

“Fuck that.” Dar glared at her, a bit of an elbow war going on between him and the human. “Drink, and then we’re leaving.”

“I’ve got a splendid idea,” the human snapped, somewhat out of breath from his mild tussle with Dar. “Why don’t you go to the blues club by yourself, or with some other woman, while Asta and I work?”

That wasn’t a splendid idea at all. The thought of Dar going to the club without her, or with some human female, made her want to reverse her decision and take the night off as he’d suggested. Asta stared down at the champagne glass, realizing she’d drunk almost half the contents. She couldn’t—work was the reason she was here. Work came first.

But work didn’t include standing around while this human tried to sell her software and get her up to his hotel room, either. Game over. Time to focus and see if she could pick up the trail of this elusive demon—the one that
wasn’t
following her all around the city.

“I don’t want this.” She thrust the glass back toward Dar. Might as well get out of this building and see if she could pick up the demon’s song outside. If he hadn’t been summoned and wasn’t using a magical device, he had to have left somehow. There were only so many exits. If she circled around through the alleys, there was a chance she might catch his trail.

“I’m sorry,” she gave the human a kind smile. “I really need to get going. I’ve got some... research I need to finish tonight.”

“See you tomorrow at the conference?” There was something in his blue eyes that spurred her protective instincts—something shy and scared. He might be attracted to her, but in spite of that, he seemed vulnerable.

“Yes. I’ll be there.” It wasn’t quite a lie. If there was something demons were planning in conjunction with this conference, she’d need to be there. She turned away from the human and nearly ran into Dar, who was standing practically on top of her. He’d still not taken the drink she was pressing into his chest.

“Not a champagne drinker? Let’s go over to the bar and see what else they have. Then we’ll get out of here and have some fun.”

“I don’t drink.” Asta pushed him away, extending the beverage toward him. It slipped slightly in her hand, liquid sloshing over the edge. The demon grabbed for it, enclosing her hand in his. The room seemed to slow to a halt, and Asta felt a shock of contact. It was like electricity shooting through her skin. She’d touched him last night in the alley, wrapped her hands around his neck in the elevator, had her other hand flat against his chest—why did her fingers entwined in his make her feel like she’d been hit by lightning?

“But you do drink. I’ve seen you do it twice. Is lying another one of your sins? I had no idea angels were so fallible. How do you feel about the sin of lust? It’s a favorite of mine, although I’ll admit I could use some practice. Lots and lots of practice. Maybe you can help me with that one?”

Demons.

A slow grin curled up one side of his mouth, and silver gray eyes danced with a flash of red. He’d stalked her all day, watching her, teasing her with his presence, had practically came to blows with a human over her, and now he had the gall to proposition her—an
angel
.

“I’m not sleeping with you, never, ever going to have sexual intercourse with you, so get that out of your little pea brain right now. Got it?”

“Does that include blow jobs? Is mutual masturbation off the table, too? I’ve got some really kinky shit I can do with vegetables and electrical cord—does that count as intercourse?”

What in the world would he possibly be doing with vegetables and electrical cord?

“No, I mean yes. Would you just get the fu— the heck out of my way? I’m serious. I need to work.” Asta’s frustration peaked until all the emotions she’d bottled up boiled over. It might be unfair, but she wanted to punch Dar right in his beautiful face.

“Can I kiss you?” His voice was warm and seductive, a boyish smile giving his words a hopeful touch. “One kiss. No tongue. Well, maybe some tongue, but not a lot. One little kiss and I’ll leave you alone for the evening.”

“You... .” Her voice choked, unable to find the words to even complete a sentence.

The demon didn’t seem to have the same problem. His grip on her hand tightened, his thumb lightly caressing her knuckles. “Yep, me. I’m a demon, after all. I’m guessing you’re
not
going to come see that blues band with me tonight, so I might as well have a little kiss to think of while I’m whacking off all alone in my hotel room.”

Argh! He’s such a pain in the posterior. Dar leaned close to her, and she shoved. It was like trying to push a brick wall. He might be younger and a few inches shorter than her, but he was solid. “I’m done playing. Leave me alone, right now.”

“Or what?”

She felt his breath against her face, saw the silver in his gray eyes. Again she pushed to no avail.

“Is this guy bothering you?”

The bouncer’s concern faded into a buzz of sound, and everything became tinged with red as the glass shattered in Asta’s hand. Giving up on shoving, she reached for Dar, but he jumped backward, away from her.

This was it. She was done with this pesky, annoying demon. He might look good enough to ruin her vibration level in that suit, but she was going to smash his face in. No matter how he tempted her with his food and music suggestions, she wasn’t about to ruin a perfect service record by ditching her job in the last week.

He’s tempting you with more than food and music
, a little voice admonished. It was true, but her curiosity over what it would be like to kiss him didn’t negate her strong desire to beat him to a bloody pulp. She could hardly do that in the middle of a swank reception—or in front of the bouncer. No, better to be subtle and take the demon to where no one could observe, and then punch him senseless. Irritating, annoying demon.

Liar
, that voice deep inside chastised. Dar’s teasing had been more flattering than irritating, as had his persistent nearness since sunrise. He was clever, funny, and she was pretty sure his outrageous flirting held more than just a demon’s drive to drag others into the pit of debauchery. She saw it in his eyes, the attraction combined with respect. Yes, she liked his attentions, but he was still pissing her off, and physical confrontation held an edge of sexual excitement that she didn’t fully want to admit to at the moment.

They continued the dance, him backward with each step she advanced, always evading her grasp. Reaching the hallway, he darted into the elevator, inexplicably holding it open for her to join him.

It was full of humans. They were fairly intoxicated. Asta considered enthralling them then bashing the brains out of the smug demon next to her, but her skill in that area was tenuous at best. In her state of anger, it was unlikely she could entrance an insect.

Once outside, Asta followed Dar around a corner and grabbed him, flinging him against the wall with all her might. The demon’s back crashed against the stucco. He left an imprint of his shape as he peeled himself from the building. Before he could move more than a foot, she was on him again, flinging him to the other side of the alley. This time, he managed to hold onto her, and she stumbled forward, tumbling over him with the force of her momentum. They rolled, coming to an abrupt halt against the curb, the demon on top.

“Forget the blues band, how about we head to Millennium Park for an outdoor concert? Or we throw coins in Buckingham Fountain? Or ride the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier?”

The Ferris wheel. Her anger evaporated, and she felt a sting of tears. It had been constructed soon after she’d arrived from Aaru, and she’d always wanted to take a ride. Stupid job. Stupid demons. Why couldn’t she take one damned evening off and have a little fun before she went home?

“Hey. It’s okay.” Dar’s voice was soft and gentle. She closed her eyes, unable to look at him until she got a grip on her emotions. “Really. We can do it some other time. It’s not like you’re leaving tomorrow or anything.”

That made her want to cry even more. She only had a few more days, and this demon was only reminding her how much she’d missed out on in her hundred years.

Her eyes flew open as she felt him shift off her. Extending a hand, he pulled her to her feet, sliding his hands around her waist. “I don’t understand. Is it the Ferris wheel? You don’t like them? Is this like the thing with the rats? We don’t have to do that. Tell you what, we’ll combine work and pleasure. I’ll tell you all about the demon plot while we sip martinis at a bar.”