Nothing and no one would get to him.
Except time.
And I was running out of it.
8
DANICA
Iwoke up early the next morning and watched Samael. I kept expecting him to open his eyes. To flash me his wicked grin and ask, in his usual imperious tone, why exactly I was lying so far away.
I’d told him all about the contract with the wolves last night, and he’d seemed pleased. But I’d constantly woken, sleeping lighter than I had in years. As a result, I’d barely gotten to spend any time with him.
Better figure this shit out, or you won’t be spending time with him ever again.
Panic clawed into my gut as I carefully kept my gaze away from the empty spaces where his hands should be. Already, his wrists were crumbling the same way his fingers had a couple of days ago.
Lia purred at the end of the bed. I’d had the demons bring her when they brought Samael, just in case the mages got any bright ideas about bringing the tower down again.
Kyla would be here soon. I glanced around the bedroom of the small cabin. Sliding doors occupied one whole side of the room, allowing the demons to simply walk in and place Samael’s mattress on the bed.
A second bedroom housed Ag and Vas, and Bael had slept on the sofa in the living room. I could leave knowing Samael was as safe as could be. All three of them would lay down their lives for him.
A bouncy jingle sounded from the living room. Bael had turned on the TV. I hadn’t packed much when I went back to the tower last night, but I pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Then I reached for my weapons. Lia got to her feet and nuzzled me.
“Hey cat. You hungry? The demons are going to hang out with you today.”
I wandered out into the living room. The cabin was rustic, made of wooden logs, but no expense had been spared with the furnishings. This was one of the houses that the wolves who lived with Nathaniel used when they wanted privacy.
A smoke alarm blared and someone cursed. Bael nodded at me as I sat next to him on the sofa.
“Vas is cooking,” he said mournfully, and I smiled.
“Howwillyou guys survive without Samael’s chefs?”
He grinned, but it dropped from his face as the ad ended and a newscaster appeared, a picture of Samael and Nathaniel behind his right shoulder.
“Breaking news out of Durham this morning,” she announced. “The Triangle Werewolf Pack has signed an alliance with the demons. When asked for a comment, the werewolf Alpha said that the two factions share mutual interests, and he was looking forward to the alliance benefiting both the wolves and the demons.”
“However, according to our sources, Samael himself hasn’t been seen for weeks. The alliance was signed by Danica Amana.” Footage of Samael and me played on the screen, and my heart ached so viciously, I wondered if it was bleeding. On the TV, Samael was kissing my forehead before he turned to smite the McCormick descendants.
“When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the demons said that Samael was out of town, and the alliance was handled by his mate, Ms. Amana.”
I turned the TV off. “I guess the cat is out of the bag.”
Bael smiled. “I leaked it.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Strategy. Now that our alliance with Finvarra is on thin ice, and we’re at war with the mages, we need it to be known that we’re allied with the wolves.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. All of this had happened to the demons since I got involved with them.
Vas stepped into the living room and handed me a cup of coffee.
“You look a little sick,” he remarked.
Bael glanced at my face and shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. It was only a matter of time.”
