Sliding into the driver’s seat, my counterpart gives me a chance to collect myself. “I hate to tell you, but it doesn’t really go with the decor; no fireplace to throw a rug in front of. Might I suggest a nice throw pillow or a Ferrari instead?”
Behind me, Reid wraps a hand around the edge of the door, forcing it open enough that he can stand in the doorway with me. “For someone that’s trying to get in her good graces so she’ll make all of your demonic little dreams come true, throwing a back-handed gift in her face is a bold choice.”
“It was a lot easier to protect the idiot when he had his face glued to his laptop,”my demon grumbles before plastering a smile on our face.
“Our first new friend in this place?” Shaking my head with a sigh, I add, “You really should learn to play nicely with others if you’re going to expect them to enlist in your army.”
“Everything okay?” Sabrina’s sleep-laden voice has my entire body tensing, wanting to slam the door and super glue it shut, but I know it’d be futile. The only way we’re going to be able to kill Acheron Wilder is if he gives us an opening. And the only way we’re going togetan opening is if we play along so we can slip past his defenses.
“Yep, just telling your buddy Ash here that Marco makes a better guard dog than a throw rug, but looks like we were both wrong.”
It’s the only way we can warn her before she sees the macabre gift to give her a chance to brace herself. You can only be so prepared in this situation, though, but that’s the beauty of it all. We already anticipate the worst. The bad shit is going to happen either way, so our energy is better spent finding the humor where we can and going with the flow.
After a brief hesitation she asks, “Who’s Marco?”
Reid snorts a silent laugh. “Test subject one.”
“Gotcha, sorry.” Rubbing her eyes, she appears behind us. “Too many people and connections to keep track of these days, thank god for Slade’s notebook.” The cool, calculated voice of Aurelia takes over as they catch sight of the wolf on our doorstep. “So, it’s true.” At Ash’s raised eyebrow, she smirks. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Tongue in cheek, Ash takes a second to compose himself before he grins. “What can I say? It felt too poetic of an opportunity to pass up.”
She looks down and sighs in resignation. “Yes, we get it, you’re always watching. Noted. Was there something else you wanted to prattle on about, or can I go back to sleep?”
Kicking off of the railing, he rises to his full height. “I’d wondered if your icy demeanor might thaw a bit after all of this time, but you’re just as welcoming as ever, aren’t you my little demon?”
A low growl proceeds Hunter joining us at the door, and he doesn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into his bare chest. Shooting a glare at Acheron over her shoulder, he declares, “She isn’t your littleanything. Whatever you want to say, spit it out so she can get some rest. Youdowant her at full strength as soon as possible, right?”
Now that I know to look for it, I catch the brief flash of excitement that lights up his umber eyes at the challenge Hunter laid out. “Kaige brought up a valid point about me needing to put in more effort to show Sabrina that I was serious in my claims. Therefore, I’d like the eight of you to join me for dinner tonight. There are several things we need to discuss, and it would serve to ease a bit of the tension, I’d imagine.”
“Things such as...?”
He flicks his gaze over me quickly, and whatever he finds in his assessment he files away before I can get a read on his reaction. To Sabrina, he keeps the smile in place, and I internally scowl. While Sabrina’s demon low-key intimidates me and I’ve had some reservations where her motives are concerned, I’m firmly on Team Aurelia now. Acheron Wilder is just the sort of person you really want to blow up, consequences be damned.
“I presume Sabrina desires the finer details on how to actually free the demons without harming their human counterparts, as well as what to expect once those trapped beneath the mountain emerge.” He smirks. “After all, we don’t want a repeat of Aurelia’s performance and wind up with another mess to clean up.”
Grinding my teeth to combat the impulse to wipe the smug look off of his face, I lean against the doorframe. Tucking my gun away, I occupy my hands by stealing one of Sabrina’s, tracing patterns across her skin with the tip of my finger.
This time when she speaks, it’s all Sabrina. “This is one of those fun situations where we don’t really have a choice, isn’t it?”
Biting back his amusement, he counters, “I wouldn’t say that. The discussion needs to take place regardless, it’s simply a matter of under what circumstances. Consider it more... an olive branch.”
Twisting in Hunter’s arms so she can face me, she studies the invisible pictures I’m creating on her skin instead of the man holding a proverbial axe to all of our necks. I have to press my lips into a flat line to stave off a grin as in my peripherals, I catch the corner of Ash’s eye twitch once at her sleight.
“Fine; dinner. It’s a win-win, really. If it’s poisoned, we get to bypass this whole ordeal, and if it’s not, we get a cheat sheet and free food,” she quips. “When and where?”
“Seven at Cipriano’s?” he suggests, and she loses the game of playing disinterested.
Searching his face, she finds nothing but satisfaction at finally gaining her full attention. “You’re letting us leave the mountain?”
Clucking his tongue in faux indignation, he tucks his hands casually in his pockets. “You may be a prisoner, Aurelia, but it’s of your own making, not mine. Though I’ve kept an eye on you, I left you well enough alone unless the need arose for me to intervene, but even then, I was subtle about it so you could have as much freedom as possible. Now that the block is gone, though, it changes things. You attract danger, so you require several escorts, that’s all. Obviously I’d like you to stay close until after this situation is dealt with, but I never expected you to stay here forever.”
He reaches a hand like he means to caress her face, and at the last second, I use my grip on her hand to tug her out of Hunter’s grip and stumbling into Reid’s side, subtly flipping Ash off. By the time she’s straightening up, sending me a warning look for playing with fire, Ash has flawlessly concealed his slip of shooting me an annoyed glare.
“Then it sounds like you’re right,” she concedes. “We have plenty to discuss. How far of a drive is it so that we leave on time?”
For a minute, I expect him to insist on her riding with him and then conveniently forgetting he drives a two-seater and the rest of us will need to be left behind. Apparently, though, he’s willing to pick his battles, because he announces, “About an hour.”
Reid looks like he’s two seconds away from shifting, and if it weren’t for the fact that I don’t want him to get hurt like Bo did, I’d love nothing more than to see him snap and tear this bastard limb from limb. As much as I hate the fact that my twin has reached the point we may as well be strangers, I’m sort of happy about it, as insane as that sounds.
