As I fixed my coffee, Silas said, “I saw you with the hellhound.”
I looked up at him. “Yousawme?”
“I can be anywhere at any time, Indigo.”
Well, that wasn't at all terrifying.
“How did you know to be there?” I countered.
He glanced away.
“Did you have me followed?” I demanded.
“I followed you,” Jake said. “I wanted you to be safe.”
“So, I only have the illusion of freedom.”
“No, of course not!” Jake put his cup down and took my hand. “You can leave if you want to, Indigo.”
I slipped my hand out of his. “I just can't go shopping alone.”
“Enough,” Silas said wearily. “Indigo, I hoped that now that you've met one of them, you would understand what we're up against. They are why we can't let you wander around Helena unguarded. If you leave the state, you'll be fine. And you are always free to go. But here, you're a target. Especially now that they know who you are.”
“Who I am? You mean—Michael's girlfriend?” I grimaced.
“Michael'shost'sgirlfriend,” Silas corrected. “But yes. That makes you important to us. Now the demons know they can use you as a hostage.”
“So, you sent Jake in? He didn't come barging in like that on his own?” I looked at Jake.
Jake looked away.
So, that whole white knight routine hadn't been him at all. If Silas had ordered him to stay put, Jake would have let me finish my meal with a demon. Damn, that was disappointing.
“Yes. I was nearby, watching,” Silas said. “So I felt you were safe enough for me to observe the interaction. But then I sensed the demon was convincing you, and I was worried that you would voluntarily leave with him. So, I sent Jake in. You had already told him who you were, so there was no reason to hide your status any longer. I had to get you away from the demon.”
The demon. I kept seeing Garret's beautiful face. Wasn't there something in the Bible about the Devil being beautiful? That's just not fair. But it wasn't just Garret's handsome face that ensnared me. There had been something about him that made me trust him. An investigator—ha! I'll bet he investigated. He researched victims, so he knew best how to turn them evil.
That felt wrong. Not turning people evil—that's obviously wrong. I mean the idea that Garret did that. When I thought about him hurting people, twisting them into doing bad things, it rang the wrong bell in me. I just couldn't believe it. I saw the people he had interacted with and how they responded to him. None of them seemed evil. Wouldn't he have influenced them by now? I mean, if that's what his actual job was.
Then I mentally shook my head. Funny how I still wanted to trust Garret, even after he admitted who he was. And yet, it had been over a week, and I still didn't trust Silas. Was that part of a demon's power? To draw me in? But wouldn't God have an equal power? Silas certainly seemed to influence people easily. Just not me. Or did he influence them? It was Michael who brought Silas soldiers. And then Silas killed them so he could bring them back as slaves. He didn't influence anyone but Michael.
I continued to consider Silas as he droned on about how precious I was and how he wanted to keep me safe. What was it about him that rang my wrong bell? He rang it just like Garret had, but oppositely. I had always considered myself an excellent judge of people. It was part of the reason I went to law school. I thought I'd be good at weeding out the truth. So should I trust my instincts about Silas and Garret? Or should I trust the facts? Shit. What were the facts again?
“After Jake got you to safety, I noticed something else,” Silas said. “That hellhound wants to you.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I think we may have an opportunity here,” Silas said. “He desires you, Indigo. Covets you.”
“Hold on,” Jake said. “Where are you going with this?”
Silas held up a hand. “Let me finish, Jacob.”
Jake's eyes twitched, but he nodded.
“The Devil has many teams of hounds all over the world,” Silas said. “They work tirelessly for him. As motivation and to keep them loyal, he cast a spell to bring each team a woman.”
“A woman?” I asked. “You mean a lover?”
