I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. There was no point in assigning meaning to the demon’s words, to Ronan’s reactions, to the butterfly swirls in my stomach. We had bigger things to worry about now.
Still a little unsteady, I looped back around the outer edge of the park and re-entered the sculpture garden from the other side, coming at them head-on.
When they finally spotted me, Ronan got to his feet, but Hot Demon stayed put. Even from a distance I could see him glowering at me, making no attempt to hide his disdain as he scanned my body head to toe.
When I reached the statue, and he finally met my gaze, my breath caught.
Holy. Hell.
He wasn’t just Hot Demon. He was Gorgeous, Mesmerizing, Sex-on-a-Platter Demon. Penetrating dark blue eyes pinned me in place, as fathomless and hypnotic as the deepest parts of the ocean. His cupid’s bow lips were full and perfect, cocked to the side in what looked to be a permanent bad-boy smirk. My fingers itched to slide into his messy, chestnut-colored hair, pull him close, and beg for a taste of that kiss. I could already feel the soft scratch of his stubble on my chin as his hot, wet mouth claimed mine, my core pulsing with need…
“Are you fuckingseriousright now, Ash?” Ronan punched the guy in the arm, his sharp reprimand snapping me out of the momentary fantasy.
It felt like I’d just been cut free from a giant rubber band, and I gasped for air, trying to get my heart rate under control.
Demons don’t have influence like vamps do…. So what the hell just happened?
The demon laughed, but just as quickly as that rakish smile had appeared, it vanished, and he narrowed his eyes on me once again. “Soyou’rethe girl Ronan’s losing so much sleep over? Gotta admit—not what I was expecting.”
“Happy to disappoint,” I said, glowering right back at him. I didn’t know why he was affecting me so strongly, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing it. Or admitting that I already missed his smile and wished I’d worn something other than a sweatshirt the color of Pepto-Bismol. “Who the fuck are you again?”
“He’s nobody,” Ronan said, at the same time the demon said, “The guy who’s gonna make sure you don’t put a wrecking ball through my boy’s life.”
Ronan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Gray Desario, meet Asher O’Keefe. Asher O’Keefe, fucking behave yourself.”
Asher…Why did I know that name?
“Wait,” I said. “Asher—with the safe house?”
Asher grinned. “Whatever horrible things you’ve heard about me, they’re all true.”
I had no doubt about that, but unfortunately I hadn’t heardanythingabout him—not really. That was the problem.
Well, that… and the fact that evidence of my stupid fantasy still lingered between my thighs.
With a mouth like that, I bet he kisses like a god…
Crossing my arms over my chest to hide my suddenly erect nipples, I turned to Ronan. “This isn’t really the best time for bringing new friends into the mix.”
“Oh, I’m not your friend, sweetheart,” Asher said.
“Ignore him. They don’t let him out of his cage often.” Ronan shot Asher a warning glare, then wrapped a hand around my forearm, his touch comforting and familiar, grounding me as always. “Any progress with the witches?”
“Sure. I progressed clear through to the part where they banned me for life.”
“What happened?”
I glanced back at Asher, not sure how much I should reveal.
“He’s with us, Gray,” Ronan said softly.
“Can I talk to you for a sec?” I jerked my head toward a whale sculpture about ten yards away. “In private?”
“You’d better go, Ronan,” Asher jeered. “Wouldn’t want the witch getting her pointy little hat in a twist.”
Ignoring him, I grabbed Ronan’s hand and headed for the whale. We were safely out of earshot when I turned to him with a harsh glare. “Explain.”
“Gray…” Ronan dragged a hand through his damp hair, lowering his eyes. In a voice thick with emotion, he said, “Sophie was murdered in your house last night. Alvarez doesn’t have any leads. We obviously can’t count on Norah.”
