“Iespeciallydon’t like him.”
Beside them, Malachi folded his arms. “He reminds me of us.”
“Yes!” Storm snapped his fingers. “That’s what it is. He acts just like one of us.”
Luke shook his head in disagreement, but Nathan tilted his head thoughtfully.
“We should get moving,” Ira said. “We don’t want him to get there too far ahead of us.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Shadrach said.
“Good, go,” Nathan said as they all headed to the assorted cars in the parking lot. “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Shadrach didn’t need to be told twice. He had a human to protect, after all.
Chapter 24
Isaac
Isaac wovecarefully through the evening traffic, keeping a sharp eye on both his speed and his surroundings. It wouldn’t do to be pulled over right now—or worse, get in a car accident. They couldn’t possibly explain what they were doing, and he didn’t fancy a stint in a jail cell while the cops figured it out.
Isaac didn’t recognize much of the music coming out of the radio, but he hummed along tunelessly as he drove. Gospel was most common at HQ, for obvious reasons, and Isaac had never seen the appeal. Most of the time when he was alone in the car, he didn’t bother listening to music, but Alex’s radio automatically came on to the last station he’d been listening to. And this, some woman crooning about her boy being a monster, wasn’t bad. It was quite fitting, actually.
Besides the occasional unhappy grumble from Alex in the backseat, the trip was a quiet one. The sun was bright, not yet fallen beyond the horizon, but it should be hidden by the time they arrived at their destination. His heart waslighter than he could ever remember it being. There was a relaxed contentment in his body. Gone was the restless need for action. For the first time ever, he wasn’t gnawing at the bit for a blade in his hand, even though it had been days since his hunt with Nathan. The promise of violence at the meeting was an exciting one, but he didn’tneedit. It was strange—and exhilarating. Was this what normal people felt like?
He vowed to ask the other humans if they felt this way after meeting their demons. It had to be either Shadrach or being away from the guild that was making him feel this way. Perhaps a combination of both. Freedom and the love of a dangerous man were a heady combination.
Near the meeting point, Isaac found a mostly empty parking lot near the private beach where Lilith should be waiting. There was no sign of Shadrach or Talon, but he supposed they knew better than to show their faces. Lilith would be able to sense them if they got too close, and they wouldn’t want to risk tipping her off too early.
The cove was down a sharp cliff, and a series of wooden steps led down to the sandy beach. They would be sitting ducks down there, visible on all sides. For the first time, wary adrenaline coursed through him. He didn’t like relying on the mercy of others. They usually had none for the likes of him, and he doubted Lilith and her cohorts would be any different. Ultimately, he was their enemy, too. Would they actually pay him, or consider him an inconvenience and try to kill him after Alex confirmed Talon’s death?
“We’ll have to go down there for the meeting,” Isaac said, studying the stairs through the windshield. “I don’t like it, but I guess we have to trust the others will be nearby to intervene if something happens.”
Alex made a low noise in his throat that Isaac took for agreement.
Isaac half-turned to glance back at him. “Ready to pretend you hate me?”
Eagerly, Alex nodded. A littletooeagerly, perhaps, but Isaac did duct-tape him more than strictly necessary.
He got out of the car, glancing around to make sure there were no witnesses to see him haul Alex out of the backseat. Once he was wobbling on his feet, Isaac used a pocket knife to cut the tape around his ankles—and he didn’t expect Alex to attack. Isaac barely managed to block the knee that nearly collided with his face, snarling as he threw his shoulder into Alex’s stomach and shoved him against the truck.
Right. Demons could be watching them right now. They had to make it look real.
He pinned Alex with a hand around his throat. “It didn’t have to be this way, Hawk.”
Alex muttered something behind the tape that sounded very much like, “Fuck you.”
Isaac rolled his eyes. “Please, like anyone would touch you after you were sullied by that monster.”
It took all he had not to grin and ruin the charade. He swore he saw a twinkle of disbelieving mirth in Alex’s eyes, too.
He grabbed a fistful of Alex’s hair and dragged him away from the truck, ignoring Alex’s yowl of pain. “Come on, Hawk. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can disappear.”
He had to adjust his hold going down the stairs, gripping Alex’s arm tightly so he didn’t stumble and fall. Talon would probably retaliate if Alex broke any bones under Isaac’s, admittedly dubious, care.
A woman in black was waiting for them below. She stood barefoot on the sand and held a pair of expensive-looking heels in one hand. Her ruby red lips lifted into a cruel smirk when she saw Isaac manhandling Alex down the stairs. Their feet sank into the soft sand as they marched out to greet her, and when they were a handful of steps from her, Isaac shoved Alex to his knees.
“Alex Hawk, delivered as promised,” Isaac said. He ripped the tape from Alex’s mouthhard, hoping it would hurt bad enough to make his eyes water. Tears would really sell this whole thing.
