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The thought made her mouth go as dry as the inside of her tote bag. She adjusted it in her lap, taking comfort in the weight of the weapon inside it. Everyone else here could handle a stang better than she could, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—use it if needed.
She glanced at her colleagues, glad to see they’d all shifted their hands nearer to their stangs, and that she wasn’t the only one who had grown uneasy at the newcomer’s presence. There was nothing overtly demonic about him…it wasn’t as if he had horns on his head or hooves for feet. In fact, if she’d seen him in a crowd, she’d have been drawn to his drop-dead good looks. But here, in a place that proudly employed werewolves, witches, and even demons, her instincts were in overdrive.
“Shanea’s right behind me,” he said to Logan. “I just wanted to ask these guys a question.”
Logan gestured at them. “Go for it.”
Draven swung around, his demeanor affable, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. But those eyes…she shivered. “Is it true that The Aegis doesn’t have a single Guardian who isn’t human?”
Everyone turned to Eva. It was for precisely this reason that she’d been sent on this mission. Placing her tote on the floor, she stood and addressed Draven’s question. “The Aegis embraced a human-only policy after the Richmond massacre twenty-five years ago.”
He hooked his thumbs in his pockets and appeared to consider that. “So,onewerewolf employee committed workplace violence—while in human form, mind you—and you assume no super can be trusted?”
“There were other incidents,” she said, using her steady, calm tone as a check against his antagonism. “That was the final straw. We’ve found that our members are far more productive and less distracted when they don’t have to wonder if there’s a demon in their midst.” She smiled, doing her best to appear friendly and non-confrontational. This was her wheelhouse, her comfort zone, and she loved controlling the direction and tenor of the conversation. “No offense, of course.”
The black in Draven’s eyes expanded into inky pools of warning, the whites receding as if in fear. Shit. She’d stepped into a confrontation, the exact thing she’d been sent to avoid.
“Why would I be offended?”
She continued to smile politely, but the suspicion that this guy was a demon made her lips quiver.
“DART is known for employing demons.” She spoke in a low, soothing tone, attempting to steer herself back into her zone of confidence. “You might be a demon. If so, I meant no offense.”
“Really.”
“Be nice,” Logan murmured, but Draven stepped closer.
“So, you won’t take offense if I say that I think The Aegis would be more productive and less distracted if they didn’t have any females in their midst?”
She blinked.Had…had he really just said that?Keeley’s soft gasp pretty much answered the question.
“It’s hardly the same thing—”
Logan leaped to his feet in a graceful surge. “Hey, let’s keep the interagency peace and avoid debating shit our governments can’t even figure out.”
Pretty much every country in the world was having trouble deciding how to handle the underworlders in their midst. Just last month, Bulgaria passed a law allowing supernatural beings to live there as residents, but only if they made themselves obvious, which meant a reverse pentagram tattooed on the backs of their hands. Any resident underworlder found without a mark was subject to severe penalties ranging from a crippling fine and jail time to execution. Other countries had made it a crime for demons to not only live there but to even visit. Most made slightly more allowances for were-creatures and vampires, and some—veryfew—tolerated everyone as long as they behaved.
It was a volatile topic everywhere.
“Draven was just trying—and failing—to make a point,” Logan continued, shooting his buddy a scorching look.
“By being a misogynistic ass?” Keeley snapped.
“See?” Draven gestured at Keeley. “I didn’t fail to make my point.”
“Okay.” Eva cleared her throat, allowing everyone a moment to take a calming breath. “We all knew coming into this that our agencies have their differences. Let’s follow Logan’s advice and not debate subjects best left to global leaders.”
Logan shot her a grateful nod and steered Draven toward the door. “Glad you stopped by. Let’s not do this again.”
Draven laughed, and Eva got the feeling the two were good friends. “It’s a mystery why Kynan never asks me to do social stuff.”
“Yeah,” Logan muttered, “total mystery.”
Just as Draven reached the door, it swung open. A curvy, attractive woman stepped inside, her yellow-and-turquoise sleeveless dress draped over ample curves and glowing dark skin. The brief sultry look she gave Draven was tellingly intimate.
“Am I interrupting?”
“Shanea.” Logan didn’t hide his relief at seeing her. “You’re definitely not interrupting, and your timing is perfect.” He gestured to the group. “They’re all yours.”
