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“What if you don’t find her?” I called.

Zee opened the door to let Ramone through, and shrugged. “I will. Until I do, you have Reynard.”

“What?” I didn’t have Reynard. And even if I did, he couldn’t ever replace Zee. I had to tell him. He had to know this was all wrong. He was doing exactly what Sebastien wanted.

He stepped outside, onto the porch, and the door swung shut.

“Zee, wait.” I hurried after them, but by the time I reached the deck they’d vanished, probably taking to the air.

I slumped against the porch pillar and huffed. This was . . . bad. He’d gone back to look for his friend. But Zee wouldn’t ever find Cherise.

Because, while I’d never technically met her, I suspected I knew exactly where she was.

I looked down at the freshly dug-over flowerbeds, and the bright flowers, happy in their new homes.

Cherise wasn’t going to be found.

Because she was flower food.

CHAPTER 2

I returned to the bar to find Reynard crouched by the flat-pack furniture, all organized into little piles on the floor. Everything had its neat and tidy place. He’d begun assembly in a much more orderly fashion than Zee’s and my raccoons-in-a-trashcan approach.

A tight band gathered his long black hair at the nape of his neck, and with his sleeves rolled up, he was clearly serious about fixing the cabinet. I could have asked for his help with the missing demon, but this seemed like a Zee problem—it was probably best to leave Reynard out of it.

“I uh . . . I have to go do a thing in Demontown.” I gestured absently at the door, not sure why I was telling him. He was technically just a guest, but too much had happened in the past few weeks for me to treat him like one.

So what were we, if anything? Friends with benefits? Whatever we were, my gut said I should tell him I was heading out, and my gut was usually right about most things.

Crouched, and with pieces of cabinet in his hands, he looked over his shoulder. Something must have shown in my face for him to ask, “Would you like me to accompany you?” He rose to his full height, carrying a bag of screws in one hand, and a screwdriver in the other.

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” I laughed him off. Vampires were banned from Razorsedge anyway. I planned to visit quietly, without making any waves. Taking Reynard with me would be the opposite of subtle. “Thank you, though, for offering.”

“Anytime, Adam.”

Ever since his wife—and whole family—had tried to kidnap and hand me over as a gift to their queen a week ago, he’d been on his best behavior, volunteering to help out around the hotel while avoiding Zee. He’d even helped fix the pipes, since our handyman gargoyle, Claymore, was still AWOL.

We probably needed to discuss everything that had happened, but to do that, I’d have to explain how I managed to disappear an ancient vampire duke when I was supposed to be just a harmless human. Then there was the kiss we’d shared during our not-date—which had been all kinds of wonderful—but as he hadn’t shown any interest in me since then, it had probably been a spur of the moment thing that he had no intention of repeating. However, add to that how he’d agreed to help deal with my evil-sorcerer problem, and we really did need to talk. But not yet.

Zee’s wellbeing was more important than everything else.

“If you need me, you merely have to ask,” Reynard said, after several minutes had passed with me staring at him like an idiot.

“I will.” I smiled, appreciating the offer. It felt pretty good knowing I wasn’t alone. Reynard had a knack for making me feel safe. Zee did too, but Zee’s company was more chaotic and fiery. Reynard’s presence was altogether smoother, calmer, more measured. Reassuring. But I was getting ahead of myself. He’d asked to stay, and agreed to help with my sorcerer problem, to avoid his family’s wrath, but he could just as easily up and leave tomorrow.

Relying on others was a mistake I’d never make again.

With my hood up and hands tucked into my pants pockets, I walked from the hotel, hopped on a bus into downtown San Francisco, and from there, had an Uber drop me inside Demontown’s limits. It was still early, so the boisterous parts of town hadn’t gotten lively yet. With any luck, I’d slip in mostly unnoticed, and nobody would have to know. Not even Zee. He wouldn’t want me here alone—probably wouldn’t want me here at all, since he preferred to keep this part of his life far from the hotel. But there were things about me he didn’t know. Things, such as being able to handle myself should Demontown bare its teeth.

I climbed Razorsedge’s painted neon steps, and waved at the female demon wearing a transparent plastic coat over glossy lingerie.

She purred as she eyed my approach, then recognition must have kicked in. “Oh shit, it’s you babycakes.”

“Hey, Velvet.”

A broad grin broke out across her face. We’d met briefly, the last time Zee had brought me to the club. “You here with Zee?”

“Uh, not really. I need to speak with Sebastien. How do I do that?”