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“Oh good, you’re in town. I’ve been tuning into the security scanner you lent me, and last night they found something suspicious in an empty house in Aurora, specifically in the Mission Trujillo neighborhood. A pile of dead bodies; but get this, there’s no smell. They haven’t been decomposing, and they appear to be missing organs, too. I tried to call you yesterday, but you didn’t answer.” Annamie’s whispered words were easy enough for Azimuth to overhear across the table. His frown and the shadows filling his eyes matched her mood.
“I wasn’t in town. You could have rung me if you wanted.”
“You know I don’t enjoy using that warded rock. It’s covered with daemonic shields!”
“Those are my shields.”
“I still don’t have to like it.”
Sigh. “I understand. What’s the address?”
She rattled off the street address, and Nadir committed it to memory. “As always, thank you, Annamie.”
“Just take out the trash, Meri. I have friends who live in that neighborhood.”
“That’s our deal, gal. You call it in, I clean ‘em up. Consider it handled.” Nadir slid out of her seat and put the phone away in one smooth motion. She left a hefty tip, along with her tab on the table. Azimuth stood by her side, his protective aura cooling her heated response to Annamie’s call.
As they walked away from the café, Nadir glanced at Azimuth. “We should try to keep up appearances, you know. Meri is supposed to be single, after all.”
Azimuth smirked. “Ah, right? Can’t have the locals gossiping about our scandalous love affair?”
“My car is right around the back. Let’s walk.”
“Do you need to move it?” He asked his query in the same way he had so many others over the months of their shared experimentation. The tone of his voice was curious and composed, seeming to probe what the next step in this strange interaction would be.
“Not for a few hours. By then, we’ll be back with reinforcements.” He gave a curt nod and followed her into and through the café, then out into the damp, musty-smelling alleyway out back. The rough texture of the brick walls on either side seemed to close in on them, but Nadir’s keen senses told her they were alone.
A covert glance around and a whiff of the air assured Nadir no one watched them, despite the sun blazing high above them. Her nose never lied. “We’re clear.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than Azimuth was kissing her, his entire body pressing her against the wall of the alley. Nadir was lost in his embrace, and the scent of him filled the air. When he teleported them to their bedroom at the cabal, she knew immediately by smell; plus, the cool brick behind her was replaced by a much cooler temperature.
Her heat swept around them in an isolated whirlwind, his hands sliding up underneath her shirt with practiced ease. Nadir hitched a leg up around his waist, drawing Az’s lean form even closer to her own. She dug fingers through his hair, groaning in pleasure.
When he chuckled and picked her up, one hand cradling her backside, and headed for the silken sheets of his bed, Nadir pushed against his chest with her hands. He paused, the playful question plain in his sapphire eyes.
“Wait, no. Not this time. We need to get the boys and head back to Denver. We have daemons to kill.”
“Then why are you still wrapped around me like bindweed? I’m not sure it would be safe to unwind you now, even if I tried.”
He slid his hand lower, gliding tantalizingly along the connection between her jeans and his leather pants. She groaned in frustration.
“You’re a terrible influence,” Nadir accused, nipping his lower lip.
“I try my best, darling,” Azimuth replied with a wicked grin, taking a harsh intake of breath. Yet she lowered her leg as the kiss lingered, and then raised up onto her toes and buried her nose in his neck, luxuriating in his unique scent of vanilla and sandalwood.
“If you’re determined,” he said, running light fingertips down her neck and across her back, “we can deal with business first.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“It’s best. The last time we made them wait, Orias became a tad impatient. You never know when he’ll notice we’ve returned.”
He pulled away, lacing his fingertips with hers. “You’re far too rational for your youth.”
“Compared to what? The young Azimuth? Do tell.” Nadir’s curiosity over his early years, alone and with Belial, had been an ongoing interest to her, but not something Azimuth spoke of often.
“Not now. We have business, remember?” He led her toward the door. She pouted, offering a duly exaggerated stuck-out lip and puppy-dog eyes. “Fine.” He pulled her to him, kissed the pout off her face, and whispered, “Perhaps a bedtime story?” The hungry look in his eyes promised much more than a simple story.
“Deal.”
CHAPTER7
