“Sorry, my lord,” I managed to say, my throat going dry.
“If she did accidentally kill him, she wouldn’t leave his body on a sidewalk,” Gleason interjected, using my argument from moments before. “She knows better than that.”
Lord Zebulon blinked, glancing at him and then at me. “True. And there’s no reason she would hide it when she’s been forthcoming with the other bodies.”
I really didn’t appreciate being spoken about like I wasn’t standing between them in a robe, but I intelligently kept my mouth shut. After all, my track record with humans wasn’t great.
“Well, regardless, we have a mortal corpse bearing supernatural markers of death, and that’s not good for any of us,” Lord Zebulon said. “What is the Dark Provenance doing about it?”
“They want to talk to Gwen,” Gleason said.
I inhaled sharply. “Me?”
Gleason lifted a shoulder. “The security cameras at the club last week showed the two of you together.”
“So you only asked about my last visit as a test to see if I would tell you the truth?” I phrased it as a question, but we both knew it wasn’t. Because he’d done exactly that. “Glad to see a decade of living together has provided a foundation of trust between us, G.”
He just shrugged again, entirely unapologetic. All beautiful men required a flaw. This was Gleason’s—he would always care more about his job than anyone else in his life, including loyal friends. He valued practicality above emotions as well. Something he proved now by disregarding me in favor of the Demonic Lord.
“There was another body found last week in a similar position,” he said. “The pattern of death is what created a flag in our database. Patch is on his way to the morgue to see if there’s a link.”
“There’s a link,” Lord Zebulon replied. “Tonight’s death marks the second one bearing Gwen’s mark.”
My lips parted. “What?”
Lord Zebulon finally looked at me again, his gaze assessing. “The laws are clear on demonic influence in human affairs. Two very public deaths being tied to your essence is damning, Guinevere. Especially when they’re this close together.”
“But… but I didn’t… I don’t… I…” I cleared my throat, my voice growing weaker by the second. “I’ve gotten better.” Those last three words came out small.
Was I responsible for killing several humans throughout my time on Earth? Yes. But it wasn’t on purpose. And I would never leave them somewhere to be found so easily. Eve had taught me how to clean up after myself. Why would I make it public now?
“I haven’t hurt anyone in five weeks.” I blurted out. “And before that, it was nine. Roughly two months. A new record. They were fine, my lord. I swear it.”
Lord Zebulon cupped my cheek, his caress soothing and welcome. Because his touch didn’t radiate anger or frustration so much as it exuded comfort.
He believes me,I realized.He already knows I’m innocent.
It was an immediate understanding, one I saw reflected in his brown irises.
“You know better than to leave bodies to be found,” he said softly.
I wasn’t sure if he wanted a reply or not, but I felt the need to say, “Yes, my lord.”
He nodded, his thumb drawing along my lower lip in a familiar stroke. I leaned into his touch, my instincts seeking more.Cravingmore. “I’ve only just ascended back to the plane mere hours ago after spending the last seven Earth days in Hell,” he murmured. “I read Ragus’s report and came straight here.”
I swallowed, his comment regarding seven Earth days in Hell making me uneasy. He’d been there to see his daughter.Kalida.
Every year, he returned to the underworld for seven whole Earth days—which equated to roughly seven years in Hell—to watch Archdemon Ashmedai punish Kalida for her immortal crimes in the human realm. She’d created a trafficking ring of demons, illegally bringing them into the mortal world all with the intention of overthrowing her father, Lord Zebulon.
He’d killed her succubus mother for reasons I didn’t know. And Kalida had desired revenge for that transgression.
My best friend, Eve, had been the one to stop her.
And Ashmedai had sentenced Kalida to an eternity of hellish torment. Then he’d demanded that her father return annually to observe her punishment. It served as a form of discipline, or perhaps a reminder, of what would happen to Lord Zebulon should he ever allow a demon within his jurisdiction to misbehave so poorly again.
Which meant he took any and all disorderly conduct seriously.
Such as creating a public display of death on a sidewalk.
