“Well, sorry, Ellen.” I look up and see the doll in Mabel’s hands. She’s creepy as fuck and is probably close to a century old herself. “But Devon turned into an asshole. With really good hearing, so he knows that.”
“I’m not defending him,” Mabel starts. “But Ellen did remind me how hard the transition was for me. I woke up with my head just swimming in emotion. All the things I wanted to say when I was human just came rushing out. I wasn’t worried about hurting nobody’s feelings anymore.”
“So you’re saying Devon’s always thought I was less than the rest of the family because I’m human?”
“He felt less than because he was a human.”
I blink, hating that it kinda makes sense. “And he’s had a massive crush on you since the moment he saw you. You were supposed to be his and then Xavier took you.” She gives Ellen a shake. “You know what I mean. Ellen said I sounded antiquated there.”
“I get what you mean. Devon picked me. I was supposed to be his human plaything—” I cut off. Yeah, I was supposed to reproduce with Devon, but it was more than that to him. He’sbeen living here, feeling like an outsider and struggling with his own worth. Finally, he was going to have a human companion and, hopefully, someone to actually bond with.
Then I got picked instead of Larissa.
I couldn’t be held spellbound, forced to comply, and the rules changed. Even the marriage of convenience developed into something deeper that neither Xavier nor I expected.
“It’s still no excuse. I’ve had talks with Gia about the difference between being honest and being mean. She’s a kid and she gets it.”
“She is a kid.” Mabel whispers something to her doll. “Do you think she’d like Ellen?”
Now it’s my turn to practice honesty without being mean. “She’s not really the kind of girl who plays with dolls. Vivian traded her Barbies for a set of throwing knives two years ago.”
“Kids shouldn’t grow up in the Order.”
“No, they shouldn’t.” I shake my head and let out a breath. Mabel is really good at going off on tangents, and she can bring me along with her. “I see your point though. This isn’t easy for Devon. He’s a vampire but he’s still…”
“Not one of us,” Mabel finishes.
“Yeah. He fits in even less,” I say quietly. Shit, now I feel bad for him. “Fine. He can help. If he remembers anything from before, heshouldhelp. I don’t have all my regular resources and I’m starting from zero on what demon could be responsible for all this.”
“Could your brothers get you access to the Order archives?” she asks.
“I don’t know. They could get access.” I lean back, stretching my legs out in front of me. “It shouldn’t be this complicated, but it is. They can’t go to Order with a concern if the Order is involved. It’s probably best if they pretend they have no idea.”
Putting my hands to my face, I rub my eyes. “Okay,” I say, thinking out loud. “Antonio overheard Vivian and Marcus talking about the drug problem. He heard them repeat the rumor that vampires were behind it.” I open my notebook and scribble down my thoughts. How long ago was that? It doesn’t matter. “And then a vampire supposedly was dealing to teens in the area, and some of the wolves from Larkin’s pack bought from him.”
I tap my pen on the notebook. “There’s something here and I’m missing it. I can feel it.”
“The whole thing does feel really set up.”
“It does. Getting the werewolves to fight us would distract from anything and everything else going on at the moment.”
“Where do you even get drugs?” Mabel asks, which gives me an idea.
“Every rinky-dink dealer has someone above them. If you follow that chain?—”
“Eventually you’ll find the supplier.”
“Yep.” I smile. “Thank you, Mabel.”
“What did I do?” She fixes Ellen’s curls and puts her in a highchair next to her.
“Just sparked the idea. The only problem is, people know who I am and what I look like. You’re a vampire, so you wouldn’t buy drugs. I need someone undercover but also who knows about demons and wouldn’t be freaked out by a vampire drug dealer.”
“I don’t know anybody. Sorry. I do have great-granddaughters. I’ve never met them so they would definitely think it was weird I asked them to buy drugs.”
“Yeah, probably best you don’t ask. Do they live around here?’
“No. They’re all out west. Well, the ones I know about.”
