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He could hurt someone easily enough without your venom, Jolene pointed out, so I’m not sure he intends to use it that way. He might just like to collect such things—he wouldn’t be the first demon to do so.
True. And she didn’t really have much choice if she was going to get that damn name, did she? Grinding her teeth, Devon held out her hand for the vial.
Maddox gave it to her. “Right decision.”
It was easy enough to secrete the venom—she could do it at will. She placed the open vial beneath one of her fangs and filled it with a few ounces of venom, as requested. She capped it and then held it out to Maddox, but she didn’t let go until …
“Hugo Sheridan,” said Maddox. “He’s not very powerful, so he shouldn’t give you any trouble when you question him. He’s from Michigan, but I don’t know his address. I’d imagine you can find it out for yourself.” Maddox pocketed the vial. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Clarke.” His gaze darted to Raini. “You still haven’t told me your name.”
“Haven’t I?” the succubus asked airily.
Taking Devon’s hand, Tanner pushed to his feet and edged around the table. “We appreciate your cooperation,” he said, though his words were somewhat stiff.
Maddox inclined his head. “There’s no rush for you to leave.” But he wasn’t talking to Tanner, he was talking to Raini.
The blonde stood and moved away from the table, but she looked at him steadily. “We have somewhere to be.”
Maddox pursed his lips and rose to his feet. “Pity.”
Raini turned to leave, but then her knees buckled, and she stumbled backwards. Her hand flew to her head as she let out a loud gasp—there was no pain in it, only shock.
Devon whirled on Maddox, about to demand to know what the hell he’d done, but he was staring at Raini, appearing utterly stunned.
Drawing in a long breath, the succubus lowered her arm and looked at him, her eyes flickering nervously. Devon glanced from one to the other. What the fuck?
“Well, well, well,” said Maddox, looking nowhere near as cool as he sounded. “Now that was a surprise.” But the shock seeped away from his gaze and was quickly replaced by what could only be described as a dark sense of ownership. And then Devon understood. Ah, hell.
Raini made a beeline for the exit. She wasn’t fleeing, no, she was marching out of there like she had beef with the world at large. Devon followed her closely, sensing that Khloë, Tanner, and Jolene were close behind.
In the parking lot, Devon touched the blonde’s arm. “You okay?”
Raini shoved a hand into her hair. “I just needed to get out of there.”
“He’s your anchor, isn’t he?”
Raini swallowed. “Yeah, he’s my anchor. And he’s a guy who does cruel shit like broker the kinds of deals that get hellcats kidnapped. And he might well have brokered the deal that was made for you. He said he didn’t, I know, but he’s not a person whose word I’d ever trust.” She gave a bitter laugh. “And, as my anchor, he’s supposed to be someone I can trust above all others. What a fucking joke.”
Devon exchanged a worried look with Khloë. Maddox Quentin … hell, Devon wouldn’t want someone like him for an anchor. Then again, she wouldn’t want Knox for an anchor, but he’d been supportive and loyal to Harper even before they began their little fling that turned into a mating.
Jolene put a hand on Raini’s shoulder. “Take a breath, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine. I can’t say for sure whether Maddox will want the anchor bond or whether he’ll pointedly avoid you like the plague—some controlling males like him go one way, some go the other. Just know that we’re here for you and …” She trailed off with a sigh as something in the distance caught her attention. “That boy is a pain in my ass.”
Devon tracked her gaze and saw Richie heading their way.
“Hey, Pops,” said Khloë.
“Hey, trouble.” Richie curled his arm around his daughter’s shoulders and lifted a brow at Jolene. “Well, what happened?”
Jolene quickly brought her son up to speed.
Eyes hard with anger, Richie hummed. “Who do you plan to speak with first? Roth Lockwood, or Hugo Sheridan?”
“We should talk with Sheridan first, since he seems a very likely suspect,” said Devon.
Jolene gave a curt nod. “I agree. But that will sadly have to wait until tomorrow, since he doesn’t live locally. I’ve never heard of him before.”
“Nor have I, which is why I contacted Larkin.” Tanner tapped his temple, indicating that he meant telepathically. “She’ll do some digging and get the information we need on both Sheridan and Lockwood. With any luck, she’ll have it by the time I’ve dropped you off at your place.”
