* * *
Samael
I stared out the window, enjoying the silence. These parties were necessary for my long-term plans, but after so many years, I was beginning to run out of patience.
Durham was sprawled far below me, the warm glow of lights disguising its seedy underbelly. The population had tripled since the portals opened, and the paranormals lived side by side in a way they never had before. Some days, the city felt like a powder keg, one lit match away from exploding.
“Samael?”
I glanced over my shoulder as Sitri approached and he bowed his head.
“I informed Ag of the bounty hunter’s new allegiance. He will take her to the most recent scene after he returns tomorrow.”
I nodded. My second was currently investigating where, exactly, the mages were getting their power. As he had been for centuries. Mage power shone a dark, dirty brown, and I was certain it didn’t belong to them.
My thoughts returned to the bounty hunter. I was almost certain I’d met her before, but the past few years had been a blur of planning and then adjusting those plans when Lucifer retaliated.
“I want her followed.”
Sitri’s brow creased but he nodded. “I will have her every move reported back to you.”
“Good.” My deepest instincts were telling me that the witch would be important to my plans somehow. If there was one thing my father had taught me, it was to listen to those instincts.
“I want my orders broadcast across my territory,” I said, turning back to the window.
“Your orders?” Sitri asked, and I shook myself out of my mood.
“No demons travel alone until the threat is contained.”
I could practically feel Sitri raise one eyebrow. “They won’t like that.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’ll see it done.”
I nodded absently as he left, my thoughts returning to the little witch. No one had dared defy me in my territory before, and I wasn’t sure if I was impressed by her courage or disgusted by her stupidity. Likely, a little of both.
There was no question that she was beautiful, with her smooth skin, dark hair, and flashing green eyes. But it was the sharp, stubborn jut of her chin that interested me. The way her hands fisted as if she imagined wringing my neck made me want to circle her throat with my own. The way she curled her lips in disdain that made me want to slam my mouth down on hers.
I’ve killed others for even planning to do what she did tonight. I’ve brutally punished those who attempted to bargain with me, and none who have broken the rules of my tower have lived to speak of it afterward.
And yet, I found myself strangely intrigued for the first time in decades. My demons were struggling to gain traction in the search for the killer, with most paranormals refusing to cooperate with them, and humans too terrified to answer their questions. The bounty hunter had a reputation for getting answers, but more importantly, she was a neutral party, with the backing of the Mage Council. Putting her on this investigation was a smart use of my resources.
I turned away from the window. The little witch would fall in line with the rest of the creatures in my territory. Or she would learn why I was the most feared demon in this world.
4
Danica
Iwas in a dark mood the next day as I drove to the Mage Council facility. I was armed with a takeout coffee in my cup holder and the arrow that had killed the lesser demon in my backpack.
I needed to make this a quick visit before Albert got wind that I was here. Albert was the most powerful mage in the state, and he’d never liked me. Ultimately, he only tolerated bounty hunters because he needed contractors to help his mages hunt the paranormals who treated humans as prey. With the number of paranormals in the Triangle growing every day, he’d been forced to hire bounty hunters like me. It offended him that I had no interest in one day testing to become a mage.
To say that he wouldn’t be pleased to learn of my bond with Samael was an understatement.
I parked and slid out of my car, forcing myself to push my shoulders back when they wanted to hunch self-consciously. Thanks to the gold mark on my arm, I’d been forced to wear a long-sleeved shirt in the heat. Unfortunately, I didn’t think I’d be fooling anyone for long, since the tail-end of Samael’s mark covered my upper hand, peeking out from beneath my shirt.
The mark shimmered in the sun, and if it had been anything else, I would’ve admitted it was gorgeous. Since it meant I was bonded to a demon, my stomach churned every time I glanced at it.
