Amelie smiled. “In the office. Tell him to get out here and help me log this stuff into inventory and stock it. I swear…”
I walked through the store, stopping at the office door. There behind the desk was Trent, staring into space. He wasn’t moving, and I wasn’t even sure he was breathing. “Dude, did she wear you out?”
His head turned toward me and his eyes were rolled back in his head, only showing the whites. Suddenly, he went face first onto the desk. “Son of a—”
I hurried around the desk and pulled him up to see he wasn’t breathing. “Amelie!”
I dragged him out of the chair, settled him flat on the floor, and opened his jaw to see if he was choking. I swept my finger into his mouth and tried to find anything that might have caused his current predicament. Nothing.
“What’s going… Trent?Fuck!” Amelie grabbed her phone and handed it to me as she dropped to the floor and sealed her mouthover her new husband’s to force air into his lungs to the point that I could see his chest rise and fall.
I dialed the nine and the one before I felt a breeze. I glanced into the store to see Trent’s spirit standing in front of me before he screamed,“Get home now!”
“Get back in your body now!”We were both yelling, and I was sure Amelie thought I was crazy.
Trent quickly did as I said and began coughing. Amelie stopped her lifesaving attempts and sat back, trying to get her breath as Trent rolled to his side.
He stared up at me. “Get home.Fire!”
I had no idea what the hell had just happened, but I hauled ass out of there and hopped in my SUV. I wished to fuck I could fly like Jonas, Scotty, and Jay, but that hadn’t been one of the gifts I’d been given.
“Where’s the blood?” The voice was otherworldly.
“What the fuck—” I turned at the sound of the hoarse, growly voice to see a small black creature with wings in my shotgun seat scaring the fuck out of me.
I was so startled that I swerved the vehicle into an oncoming car, though somehow, the other car was able to miss the head-on collision. I quickly skidded into the parking lot of a gas station and slammed on the brakes.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Concentrate!Theblood, Key. Where’sthe bloodMistress gave you?”
I quickly swiveled my head to the rear floorboard after I remembered I’d brought it with me. I jerked the cooler over the seat and dropped it onto the lap of the little demon before I opened it and grabbed a bag of blood.
My fangs distended without my conscious thought, and I sunk them into the disgusting plastic bag. The whole time I gulped the deliciously thick liquid, I remembered when my love hadgiven me the privilege of drinking from him and how sublime it tasted. His whimpers and moans were music to my ears. I’d been mindful of taking too much from Keir, but each drop had been a precious elixir to me.
Once I’d drained the bag, I tossed the empty plastic over the seat and hopped out of the car, running faster than I could have driven to get to Reardon. When I arrived at Dearly & Son, police cars and an ambulance were just pulling out of the driveway.
The smell of burning wood filled my nose, as did the scent of Keir. Jamie was standing nearby, speaking with a police officer, but I was too afraid to get close to her. I had no idea if it was apparent that I’d drank a liter of blood or if being too close to her would trigger my desire for more, so I stayed hidden in the tree line as I made my way around the house.
I jumped onto a window ledge on the second story and busted the glass in our bathroom, glad there were no flames in front of me. I sniffed the air, smelling natural gas. Was the pilot light out on the furnace or the hot water heater, or had there been an explosion somewhere? I rushed to check the rooms, not seeing anyone in the apartment, so I jumped out of the window and went back through the woods behind the memorial garden.
“Dash!” It was Lilith.
“Where are you?”
Suddenly, I was grabbed around the neck and flung into a large oak tree, though I was able to latch onto a low branch to keep from smashing my face. Lilith jumped up to join me as I perched on the branch.
“Lake was taken to the hospital. As far as I can figure out, she was trying to make Jamie lunch and her water broke. She slipped in the fluid and hit her head as she went down. Jamie alerted Keir and called 9-1-1, and then, the portal in the mortuary walk-in exploded.”
I stared at her, my sight keener than it had ever been. “Is Lake okay? Where’s Keir?”
“They just left in that ambulance. Jonas showed up and is taking Jamie with him to the hospital as soon as the police finish talking to her about what happened in the apartment, where it seems the stove blazed and caught the kitchen on fire. Keir received some burns as he was bringing Lake out. I’d have gone in to get her, but he ignored any danger he was in to save her and the baby. That man of yours is a keeper. How much of my blood did you drink?”
“One bag. A demon showed up to remind me I had it.” I was trying like fuck to process what she’d just told me about Keir and Lake. I needed to get them.
“Good. I asked my friend Arad to look out for you. I’m glad he interceded on my behalf. I know you want to get to your mate, but we need to go inside the house and see if the portal to Hell is closed. If it is, I need to notify Lucifer.”
I stared at her. “Why? I thought he was staying out of this fight.”
