Dex whipped around, and Luc followed suit.
Across the street stood Dante and his mate.
Luc’s heart stopped at the murderous look on Dante’s fine-featured face. This was Ollie and Harper’s neighborhood, but Luc had never run into any of them by accident before.
“Dex!” Ollie screamed as he frantically checked for cars, his face splotchy red and eyes wild. When the traffic was clear, he launched across the street, Dante at his side.
The scent of salt air and blood filled Luc’s nose, washing away Dex’s earthy musk. Luc froze, ice in his veins.
No. Wait. How did Ollie know Dex?
“Hey, Ollie…” Dex pulled ever so slightly away from Luc. “What’s wrong?”
Ollie and Dante reached them in a rush, and Luc’s chilled blood pounded in his ears.
Ollie glared at Luc, naked fear lining his face. “Get away from him!” He grabbed Dex and yanked him from Luc’s embrace.
Dex stumbled into Ollie’s arms. “What?” His gaze volleyed from Ollie to Luc and back.
Luc hadn’t looked into Ollie’s face that day on the beach, not until he’d been bleeding out in Dante’s arms.
Coward.Couldn’t even face the man before trying to kill him.
Now, Luc saw red blood splatters where there were none. For a flash, Ollie was cold and broken, and Luc hated himself.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Dante growled, his eyes flaming. He got in Luc’s face, chest to chest, fisting Luc’s shirt. “I told you to stay out of our lives.”
“What’s going on?” Dex sounded frantic now. He hadn’t disentangled from Ollie, and Luc missed his touch like he’d lost a piece of himself.
Luc couldn’t move. His insides quivered, brittle and breaking like a paper-thin ice sculpture.
They all knew each other? How?
Dante shoved Luc in the chest, and he stumbled against the river wall. “I’ll ask you one more time, what the fuck are you playing at?”
Luc had eyes for no one but Dex. Their stares locked, Dex’s piercing gray gaze confused and edged with panic.
“We’re on a date.” Dex pulled away from Ollie, but Ollie wouldn’t let go. “What’s happening? Ollie, how do you know Luc?”
“Luc?” Ollie heaved a ragged breath, voice breaking. “He’s notLuc, he’s the Devil. He tried to kill me.”
“What?” Horror broke over Dex’s face, cracking Luc’s heart. “Kill you?”
Ollie grabbed Dex with both hands. “At the beach. When I said I was attacked, I couldn’t tell you everything. He—he—I would have died if Dante hadn’t saved me with magic.”
“Died?” Dex rounded on Luc, not letting go of Ollie. The two friends clutched each other fiercely, as though the thought of letting go was impossible. “You hurt Ollie?”
Dex didn’t react to the mention of magic. Ollie must have told him. If Luc had known, he could have…fuck. He needed to say something, but his thoughts were sluggish, like the ice in his veins really had frozen him.
“What are you doing with Dex?” Dante was in his face again, smoke tinging the air. “Hurting Ollie and Harper wasn’t enough? You had to go after their friend, too?”
“N-no.” Luc choked on the word.
“You hurt Harper?” Dex’s features twisted into hard lines. “Is that why you followed me into Dorthy’s?” He shook Ollie, panic bleeding into his tone. “What do you mean, the Devil? You said angels weren’t real.”
“They’re not. But he is. Luc is a nickname.”
“Wait.” Glass seemed to tear Luc’s throat apart as he spoke, the word no better than poison.
