Er’on took my hand and led me back a few feet. “You’ll hate yourself if you act on your instincts.”
I knew exactly what they meant. Keir’s blood called to me, but I remembered Dr. Carl’s warning.“You be very careful, Dash. Temptation is radiating around you. Be sure you weigh all your options when the time comes.”
I glanced at Er’on and winked. “Thank you. I’m fine now.”
Hurrying over to Keir, I fell on my knees. “Baby, what happened?”
The bloody cloth kept me from seeing the damage, so I gently moved Brok’s hand and the fabric. A gash in Keir’s head was bleeding a hell of a lot.
“I’ve got it, Brok. Go find Trent, please.” He scurried off, and I turned my man to face me. “I’m going to fix it. You okay?”
My beautiful husband nodded, so I leaned forward and licked the wound, allowing myself to savor his taste as the wound sealed. I closed my eyes for a moment before I swallowed. Every part of my husband fed my soul.
I slid back after I’d cleaned his wound. I held his hand to be sure it sealed completely before I released it so he could touch the wound.
“Thank you for fixing me. This batshit crazy spirit came in. She had powers like I’ve never seen. Her name is Lorraine, and she’s looking for a long-lost lover named Claude. She believedTrent was an incarnation of Claude—that was, until she saw me. Apparently, now she believes I’m Claude.”
I couldn’t help the laugh. “See, everyone wants a piece of you, but they can all get in line behind me.”
Keir rolled his eyes. “Thank you for coming to find me, love. I’m fine now, but this spirit… I don’t see her going away soon. I couldn’t ask her why she thought I was Claude because she was in a frenzy. I need to figure out how to calm her down enough to talk without anyone else getting hurt. You said we need to move Lake and Jamie. We need to do that as soon as possible.”
“I’ll handle it. Any suggestions regarding where to hide them?”
Keir was the smartest man I knew, and I could anticipate his response, but I was asking to be sure. Clearly, the Celestials had fucked up. It was time for us to take control.
“Jo said Lake and Jamie believed they were with your mother in Monterey. I don’t want Lucy and Lenny to be in danger if someone were to go looking for them there. I suggest we bring this in-house. Brok and Er’on are apparently at our disposal, so let’s use them. Brok can multiply into as many guards as we need. I think that’s the best idea.”
I took Keir’s hand and helped him from his spot on the floor, pulling him into my arms. “I love you, but you scared the fuck out of me. Let’s not make that a habit, please.”
Dearly grinned and kissed my lips. “You’re really one of a kind. I agree. The best thing is to bring her to our place. We can put a queen bed in the spare room since we haven’t bought furniture for the baby yet. That way, one of us can be with her and Jamie all the time.”
“I’ll make it happen.”
We helped Trent clean up the mess, righting the shelf and restacking the books. Once everything was in order, I checked the back door of the store. It was still locked.
I went into the office and found the windows were secured, so Lorraine had been a spirit, though a strong one. Why? Why was she so damn insistent? There had to be something behind the energy. We just had to figure out what it was.
“I don’t appreciate being summoned.” Jophiel appeared in our dining room looking none too happy in their angelic glory. Oh, I was ready for them.
“Yeah? Well, we’re not thrilled to learn Jamie and Lake’s whereabouts are common knowledge. Someone came to Asmodeus’s condo where you have them stashed in some fantasyland where they believe they’re in Monterey, California, at the beach.
“One of the hellhounds contacted us to say Lake and Jamie are in danger. If Nyx finds out where they are, she could harm them and our baby. What happened to you saying you put them somewhere safe?” I was boiling with anger and didn’t give a damn that I wasn’t being respectful to Jophiel’s station in the Celestial Realm.
“You’re questioning my ability to keep Lake and Jamie safe?” Their voice echoed throughout the apartment, making it clear they weren’t happy.
Keir stepped around me, his demeanor like nothing I’d ever witnessed. “No. You don’t get to come at us with an attitude. We have been forced into a role we never had a say in, and now, our child is in danger. We didn’t ask for any of this, Jo.”
I stared at them, daring them to deny any of the things Keir had said. It wasn’t a lie. The hell we’d been through was no joke, and what we were about to experience could be the end of us.
Jo morphed into the lovely little woman I’d met on my flight from Italy so long ago. “Fine. You’re right about not asking for any of this but let me offer a reminder. You wouldn’t have met each other had it not been for the course of events.
“Keir, you were on the path to be the Gatekeeper, but there was no Key. When you met Dashiell after his brother was murdered, it became apparent the two of you had incredible chemistry, and look at you now.”
I was ready to roar, but Keir stepped in front of me. He was the more level-headed between us. “Yes, Jo, look at us. We’re about to have a baby to start our family, and we don’t know who to trust. Do you not understand? We will do anything we can to protect our family, and the fact you can’t offer protection to the surrogate carrying our child makes it necessary that we step in. How do we get Lake and Jamie home?”
“I will bring Lake and Jamie home when I know it’s safe. I’m as disturbed by this breach as you, but my foremost mission is the safety of your child. I will stake my existence on it, I swear.”
I turned to Dearly and shrugged. “Well?”
