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Well now that was an excellent question.
Maddox pursed his lips. “Perhaps it’s not an ability he truly possesses. He could have purchased it.”
Levi felt his brows lift. “That would make sense.” Some demons stole abilities from others and sold them on the black market. The problem was that stolen gifts didn’t integrate themselves into a demon’s psyche unless the aforementioned psyche was built to wield and control the abilities. As such, a gift could only be transferred temporarily. Some demons only got a single use out of it, if they even got any at all.
“It would explain why he didn’t deal her a lethal blow that would kill her immediately,” said Knox. “He would have no idea how to properly use an ability when he hasn’t spent years of his life learning to master and use it to its full potential.”
“I think maybe he might also have purchased the ability to move fast or teleport from spot to spot,” said Larkin. “Because he did too good a job of dodging our hits and coming at us from various angles.”
Knox dipped his chin. “My thoughts exactly.”
“He was ballsy to go after Piper in public like that,” said Harper.
Levi glanced down at Piper. “In protecting her so well, we gave him no other choice but to launch a surprise attack and strike at her from afar.” He paused. “I want to know if Sefton and Jasper have alibis.”
“Tanner and I will question them,” said Knox. “Have you notified Piper’s parents yet?”
“No, but I will,” replied Levi.
Knox raked his gaze over him. “Go do that and then take a shower and change into fresh clothes. We’ll watch over Piper for you.”
Levi hesitated, clenching his fists.
“You’ll have no chance of playing down how bad your injuries were if she sees you in that tee and notices all the smears of blood,” Maddox pointed out.
Harper frowned at the descendant. “He shouldn’t play it down.”
“But he will,” Knox cut in, “because he knows she’s going to pointlessly feel guilty.”
Larkin nodded. “She’s going to claim she shouldn’t go back to work for a while. She’ll probably also claim she shouldn’t stay here with you, Levi. She’ll want to isolate herself somewhere so that no one else can again get caught in any crossfire.”
Yeah, he’d already considered that. “We don’t always get what we want, do we?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A low-grade headache woke her, throbbing in her temples. Groggy, Piper forced her eyes open. Her demon blinked in surprise at the sight of Levi sat on the coffee table in front of her, his forearms rested on his thighs, his eyes locked on his clasped hands.
Piper licked her lips. “Hey,” she croaked.
His head snapped up, and relief flared in his eyes. “How’re you feeling?”
“I’ve got a little mind fog going on and …” Trailing off, she grimaced. “Why can I taste blood in my mouth?” The coppery scent of it filled her nostrils. “We were in the park. Why are we not in the park anymore?”
He took her hand in his. “Stay calm for me.”
That didn’t sound good. That didn’t sound good at all. She sat upright, her demon going stiff as a board. “What happened?”
His thumb circled her palm. “We were attacked at the park.”
She froze. “What?”
“Whoever wants you dead struck again.”
Feeling the blood drain from her face, she asked, “Is everyone okay? Why the hell don’t I remember?”
“Everyone is fine,” he assured her, cool and steady. “You weren’t, though. Someone psychically struck your brain. You were unconscious, not to mention hemorrhaging. That’s why you don’t remember. But you’re all right now. Maddox healed you.”
Piper frowned as she tried sifting through her memories of the park. The last thing she could recall was talking with Levi near the see-saw ride. “Did you see who attacked us?”
His mouth tightened. “No. He concealed himself somehow.”
She dragged in a breath and wiped a hand over her mouth, pulling a face when little brown flakes came away. Dried blood. Fabulous. “What exactly happened? I need to know how it all went down.”
Standing, he tugged on the hand he still held. “Come. I’ll tell you everything while you wash your face and brush your teeth, because I can see you want to. Fair?”
Piper stood. “That’ll work.”
She probably shouldn’t have let him keep possession of her hand, but she was tired and freaked out—he was solid and steady and everything she needed right then.
In her private bathroom, she crossed to the vanity and said, “Start talking.”
Propping his hip against the wall, he folded his arms and gave her a rundown of what happened while she cleaned herself up.
Her stomach rolled when he very vaguely mentioned he’d been injured. “I need to thank Maddox for healing us both. Just how badly were you hurt?”
He shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
She dumped the blood-stained face cloth in the hamper. “You’ve also showered and changed—you weren’t wearing those clothes earlier.” She narrowed her eyes. “I know you. So I know you wouldn’t have easily left my side while I was sleeping. Not even to wash up. That tells me you don’t want me to know exactly how many wounds you had or how bad they were.”
