Isaac nodded. “Exactly. It wasn’t easy, but he’s dead.”
“She’ll want proof,” Magda warned.
“What am I supposed to do about proof? He turned to ash not long after I stabbed him.”
“That’ll be up to her.”
“How do I talk to her, then?”
“You don’t,” she said curtly. “I’ll let you know what she says. Just hang out here, drink and relax.”
“Relax,” Isaac repeated, internally grating at the prospect of staying here any longer than absolutely necessary, “in a bar full of demons?”
Magda smirked. “Don’t worry your pretty little face, holy man. Nobody here will hurt you, especially not if you can really handle a leviathan.”
With a sigh, he lifted his drink to his lips and sipped it this time to cover his churning thoughts.
For the most part, everyone left him alone. Magda kept his glass from running dry, and soon the alcohol had his head swirling pleasantly. He lost track of how long he sat there watching the undulating crowd. In one corner of the room, two women were kissing fervently, licking into each other’s mouths. A few booths away from them, a man’s head bobbed in another man’s lap. It reminded Isaac of Shadrach, the sensation of his sucking mouth around his cock. Dangerous heat pooled in his gut at the thought, and he pointedly turned away from the scene. The last thing he needed was a hard-on in a room full of demons.
“All right, listen up,” Magda said after some time, and Isaac turned on his stool to face her, hoping he looked more attentive than he felt. All he wanted was to return to Shadrach, to leave his control behind and let Shadrach take over.
“There’s one way and one way only that Lilith will be willing to pay you, and that’s if you bring Talon’s human to her. She wants to hear it from him that he’s really dead.”
Isaac didn’t have to fake his put-upon sigh. “Seriously? It’s not like he’s going to just hop in the car and go for a ride with me. I killed his…” He waved a dismissive hand. “Fuck buddy. Pet demon. Whatever.”
Magda shrugged, dragged a napkin over, and pulled a pen from the apron around her waist. “If you want the money, you’ll find a way. Kidnap him if you have to, I guess. Take him to this address at this time. Don’t be late.” She slid it toward him, and he reluctantly picked it up, noting the address and time. It was forty-eight hours from now.
“Fine.” He drained his cup and brandished it. “This was good, by the way.” He dropped a handful of bills on the bar. It was all he had in his wallet, so he hoped it was enough. “Thanks for the info. Guess I’ve got a kidnapping to plan.”
She snorted out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head. “Come back if you get your mil. You’re all right—for a holy man.”
Isaac smirked and turned away. As he passed through the crowd, he wondered how many of the demons he could kill on his way to the door, if he had a blade. Quick jabs to the chest would take many of them down before they even saw him coming. The crowd was congested enough to hide covert attacks, at least for a little while.
The fantasy carried him up the stairs and out into the cool night air. The bouncer watched him idly, and Isaac gave him a salute as he turned away and walked down the sidewalk, passing under the jaundiced glow of a street light, eager to find the alley where he’d left Shadrach.
Chapter 22
Shadrach
Shadrach heardIsaac before he saw him, the steady, quiet gait he recognized already as his human. He’d been gone for hours, and only the knowledge that their whole plan would go up in smoke kept him from storming inside In Extremis and finding out what was taking so long. If anyone had so much as touched him, he’d go inside and tear them limb from limb. He hadn’t been making idle threats when he said as much to Isaac earlier.
He was delighted when Isaac walked right up to him, flinging his arms around his neck and sighing as if in relief. Shadrach felt the same, squeezing his arms around his human and pinning their bodies together. He smelled like other people, like sweet liquor and traces of body odor and other people’s blood. A low growl tripped out of him, and he buried his nose in the curve of Isaac’s neck, seeking his real scent, the pomegranate and sea salt he’d come to adore.
“You stink,” he complained.
“Rude.” Isaac’s voice was muffled by Shadrach’s shoulder.
“Yousmell like other people. Otherdemons.” His fingers pressed hard into Isaac’s back.
“Take me home and I’ll shower.”
Home.He’d called ithome.
He curled a possessive hand around Isaac’s head. “Actually, I have a better idea.”
He tugged him through the shadows, and Isaac groaned, hiding his face in the curve of Shadrach’s neck until they landed.
The bedroom was pitch black, and Isaac made a small noise when he raised his head and realized he couldn’t see anything. Shadrach took his hand and guided him over to the light switch and flipped it on, bathing the room in soft, golden light. Isaac blinked in surprise, relaxing as he took in their surroundings.
