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Ignoring for now any questions Eddie might have, Alexei glanced at Joelle. The only person to whom he might explain his choice of destination seemed to pay the decision no mind. She fidgeted with the power locks, popping them in and out with aclick-clickthat was slightly off beat before powering the screens in the back of the seats on and off, then on and off again. Either she hadn’t heard him or she hadn’t read too much into him taking her to his house.
When she mashed the window switches, he gently squeezed her fingers and said, “If you’ll wait until we’re at a safer distance, you can open those as much as you like.”
Her nails against the glass made ating, tingsound. “You know, a sniper’s bullets would still be fatal,” she said, as though talking weapons and execution strategies made for casual conversation. “Wouldn’t matter if the window’s up or down.”
“Not with this glass.”
“Ballistic? Multi-layered or protective coating?”
What kind of mercenary education had she received in addition to the torture the Order had doled out? Sure, he’d learned security measures as part of his duty to his people. But she would’ve had to learn from the receiving end of terrorists who hated her for being magic-born. He couldn’t discuss that with her tonight, not after she’d been so close to bombs and burning. The thought of how much danger she’d been in squeezed his heart like a witch’s hex. No, for now, he would stick to answering her questions without asking his own. “Both. The vehicle was designed to withstand human attacks. Some non-human ones as well.”
“Smart.” She stared out the window as if she wanted to memorize the city sights they streaked by at speeds that might’ve gotten them stopped if not for some superior cloaking spells. “What kind of magic are you packing?”
He almost choked at the unexpected question. “Personally or are we still talking about the vehicle?”
“Well, I’ve seen the wings although I’d appreciate a closer examination.” She glanced his way, mischief in her gaze.
She’d seen his wings and hadn’t been afraid. True, he hadn’t known another way to avoid the conflict with Yulia, but he also hadn’t guessed he would see his angel again. Let alone that she’dlikehis wings. Hell, the desire in her voice when she mentioned them undid him.
People wanted his political clout, his money, his fearsome reputation, but no other woman had held his hand and made such a simple and yet complex request to explore something uniquely his. He’d done his best to dominate every situation he’d been in until now. Yet she’d turned the power dynamic upside down. Here he’d gone from worrying he might make her uncomfortable to wondering how quickly he could get out of this conversation.
“Wings can wait unless you know a way I can score my own,” she said, her tone easygoing. Had she sensed that she’d unnerved him? If so, how did she read him so well when his business rivals and enemies didn’t suspect his emotions until he cut them down? “Tell me about your favorite magic for the car.”
“The cloaking spell.”
“Where’d you get it?”
“For the right price, witches will sell charms that any supernatural can invoke. Their hatred of demon hybrids and the shifters doesn’t keep them from taking our cash.” Gods only knew what horrifying tales the witches she’d been staying with had said about him. Most of it true.
“Not lumping me in with them even though I crashed the party, took over your evening, and used you for a ride?”
Had she done that? Funny how two people could experience the exact same thing and yet see it so differently. She’d come to tempt him, to drive him out of his mind when he thought she might be in danger, but she had none of the conniving characteristics she seemed to think she possessed. “You’re not a witch; you’re an angel.”
“I don’t think angels actually exist. Have you met one?”
“Yeah, you.”
She gave him a look that would compete with one of his sister’s glares that didn’t require an eye roll to express epic levels of exasperation. “Nope. Not buying it.” The air conditioning blew wisps of her hair around her face, and he longed to touch it, to feel if it could be as soft as it looked. “Can we ride by the ocean sometime? I’ve never seen it up close.”
“I have a waterfront warehouse.” Where armed guards kept watch 24/7 and he had protective wards on every floor. “We could stop there first.”
“Sounds fun.”
Not the word he would use to describe it, but it’d be safe, and right now, that’s what they needed. He told the driver the change in plans.
“Boss?” The impatient male voice over the speaker came from the other SUV, the one full of guards following them.
“Yes?” Alexei stretched out and spoke toward the built-in mic, although he met his driver’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He wished he could remember the guy’s name. Right now, he had to focus on the problem coming from the other vehicle. “What’s the matter?” he asked over the communication system.
“We’ve got a potential problem,” the voice from the speaker clipped. “Your SUV should be good, but a car’s been tailing ours from the party. Could be coincidence, but not a chance we should take. Want us to stay on you or try to ditch them?”
He hesitated. Normally, he would stand and fight to teach anyone foolish enough to take on a demon prince the price of messing with the Maronovs. Plus, the confrontation let him know his enemies, memorize their faces, strategize how to hurt them most. But with Joelle here? Had someone tracked her instead of him? He couldn’t be sure. “Lose them. Catch up with us at the warehouse.”
“Done. Will report back ASAP.” The connection cut out.
Joelle blinked those big blue eyes at him, the ones that seemed to see through him. “You have a stalker?”
“Doyou?” The thought of what she’d gone through, of anyone hurting her, made his blood run lava hot. One possible threat against her, and his magic wanted out to seek and destroy.
