Nelson left the door open this time, and I hunched my shoulders as several cops walked past, peering in at us, the curiosity evident.
Kyla turned and leaned against the window. We were all silent, lost in our own thoughts until Nelson returned, taking his seat once more.
“What was Nereus’s reaction to the bug-out bag?”
“He said he didn’t know about it. He’s devastated,” I said.
Nelson shrugged at that. “What about the gun-training contact?”
Evie shook her head. “I finally managed to talk to him. He didn’t know who I was talking about. Ilayda either changed her mind or didn’t have a chance to call him.”
Kyla sighed. “Could be she was being watched too closely. Four fae guards? That means no real time for yourself.”
Nelson nodded, although his brows were creased in thought. His phone rang, and he held up one finger to us, lifting it to his ear.
Kyla stretched out her legs as she leaned against the wall, her gaze on Nelson’s face. She could hear every word said on the other end, and her eyes had sharpened in interest.
Nelson’s eyes met hers. He scowled, obviously remembering the werewolf could hear everything. A moment later, he hung up.
“Homicide at the address you gave me.” He got to his feet. “I’m guessing you’d like to be first on scene.”
“You’re guessing right,” Kyla said.
* * *
Vassago
Daimonion was playing with me.
He hadn’t ever been in Austin. No, he’d just ordered some of the local demons to spread the word that he was. He knew I was hunting him, and he wanted to exhaust me. Wanted to piss me off so I’d make some stupid mistake, and he’d kill me when I least expected it.
I stretched out my legs, staring out the window of the plane.
As soon as I was old enough to understand what had happened to my parents, I’d sworn I’d kill Daimonion one day.
Ag had agreed, but he’d always been sure to tell me just how powerful the assassin was. He would go into great detail about how Daimonion’s body count had been in the triple digits before he’d killed my parents.
When we got to the portal, Ag sacrificed a chunk of his power to bring me through. And I’d been removed from the underworld so young, many of the powers I’d been expected to grow into had never manifested.
Until the underworld gave me those powers back. And more. I shouldn’t be able to harness demon fire for centuries. That power might not exactly even the playing field between Daimonion and me, but it certainly gave me more of a chance than I’d ever had before.
He tookeveryonefrom me.
I glanced out the window once more, and the view disappeared.
Instead, I could see a dark street. And Meredith lay sprawled on her back. Her eyes were closed, her face bloody and bruised and so pale she appeared gray. Lifeless. Dead.
I froze. No. No, not Mere.
The vision disappeared, and I was once again staring out at blue sky and clouds.
“Drink?”
I blinked at the flight attendant.
“No.” My voice was hoarse, and my hands shook. She merely nodded and walked away as my heart raced in my chest.
The rest of my powers were unlocking.
