Kyla narrowed her eyes. “She looks familiar. Does she work at that bar…” she clicked her fingers. “Meredith’s, right?”
“Yeah. I need to have a chat with her at some point.” I pushed my hair off my face. “But first, we head to the coven’s house.”
* * *
Samael
Danica’s smile flashed through my mind as it lingered on the combination of love and shock as I gave her the cat. Her smile did something to me. It made me want to do everything I could to see that smile on her face every single day of her life.
And if I were to tell her such a thing, she would likely ask me if I was insane.
“Samael?”
“Yes.”
Bael slid me an amused look from where he balanced his laptop on his knees in the seat across from mine. He placed the laptop on my desk and all amusement fled from his expression.
“How sure are you of Finvarra’s loyalty?”
I raised one eyebrow. “He has no reason to double cross us.”
“Not even for his revenge?”
I frowned. “Finvarra needs a scroll which Lucifer keeps close. Unless he’s an idiot, he knows very well that if he betrays me, I’ll burn it to ashes, along with Lucifer’s office.” And the unseelie king was many things, but he wasn’t an idiot. “Where is this coming from?”
“Two of his inner circle were spotted speaking with Lucifer’s right-hand next to the portal in Chicago.”
“Contact him,” I ordered. “I will hear his explanation.”
If those members of his inner circle were attempting to betray Finvarra, they would die terribly. And if the unseelie king knew about the meeting, our alliance was over before it truly began.
My teeth clenched but I forced myself to put it away.
“What else?”
Bael scanned his notes. “Our spies have been working on Garadiel. If we can turn him, it will be one of our greatest accomplishments yet. So far, he hasn’t been receptive, however he loathes both Daimonion and Pischiel.”
Daimonion was Lucifer’s favorite assassin, and I had promised his death to Vassago. Pischiel had slowly become more and more powerful over the past century, occasionally going as far as to attend meetings in Lucifer’s place.
Bael cleared his throat. “Some believe Lucifer is grooming Picshiel to be his eventual heir.”
I smiled. “Lucifer can groom whoever he likes. Picshiel will be one more person for us to kill in front of him.”
6
Danica
Igot lucky, and there was an empty spot just a few cars down from the wreckage of the coven’s house.
Kyla and I split up, each taking a side of the street. Most of the witches didn’t want to talk to me, insisting that they’d already talked to the human authorities and would cooperate with the High Coven’s investigators.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Mrs. Baker snapped at me. “Coming around here and asking questions. It was probably your relationship with the demons that got them killed.”
I wouldn’t punch a seventy-year-old woman in the mouth, but I wanted to. Ireallywanted to.
“The demons are helping with this investigation.”
She sneered. “The Mage Council said I don’t have to talk to you.”
