Something must have happenedwithher sister.But what?Was she in trouble?Had she told someone about the gems?
Was she dead?
An ache of despair centered in her gut at the thought, butno, she’d have felt her sister die, just as she’d felt it when Manda took herlast breath.But still, something might be terribly wrong.
Razr watched her, histhickly-muscledbody still bare, his skin coated in a fine sheen of sweat, his impressivelength glistening with her arousal.Even though she’d just had the most amazingorgasm ever, she still felt a swell of desire expand between her legs,diminished only by the sobering subject at hand.
Two fallen angels wanted the one thing she couldn’t give up.
Razr scrubbed a hand over his face as if trying to scouraway the disappointment in his expression.
“We’ll figure something out.Shrike is an overconfidentdouchebag, and I have faith that you can produce at least one of the gems.”Hegestured to the bathroom.“Mind if I use your shower?”
Relieved to put this off, even for just half an hour, shenodded.“Towels are in the cupboard by the sink, and there are sometravel-sized toiletries like toothbrushes and soaps in the drawer beneath thetowels.There’s a steam feature in the shower too—might help if your back stillhurts.Take your time.”Hopefully he’d take a lot of time, because she neededto figure a way out of this mess.“I’ll make some lunch if you’re hungry.”
His naughty smile nearly made her already shaky kneesthreaten to collapse.“I’m starving,” he said in a low, husky voice.“Thatlittle taste of you wasn’t nearly enough.”
When he turned to walk away from her, the flex of themuscles in his ass and legs pushed her over the edge, and she sank into thebedside chair to collect herself for a moment.How could she be so attracted tosomeone she barely knew, at a time when her life was in danger?
Groaning, she buried her face in her hands.What the hellhad she done?How much trouble was she in?One fallen angel seemed bent ontorturing her until she gave him what he wanted, and the other seemeddetermined to seduce her into giving him what he wanted.
Not that she could.But what a way to go.
She wallowed in self-pity until she heard the water turn on,and then she went to the guest bathroom to clean up and dress in an azuresweatshirt and jeans before checking to see if Shrike’s minion was stilloutside.He was, but he was smart enough to be hanging out on the other side ofthe street.People walked past him as if he wasn’t there, and she figured hewas using whatever trick it was some demons used to make themselves invisibleor unnoticeable to humans.
Shit, she was screwed.
Muttering obscenities in both English and Elvish, she threwtogether a quick version of her favorite shepherd’s pie recipe and Yorkshirepuddings.Although Jedda had grown up in France, her mother had been a fan ofBritish food, and Jedda liked to recreate her mother’s dishes now and then,even if she had to eat them all by herself.
Sometimes she invited her employees to dinner, sixhumanswhom she consideredfriendsbut who didn’t know the truth about her.But for the most part, when shecookedshe did so for herself.
While she prepared the meal, she considered her options.Shehad to look for the crystal horn Shrike wanted, for sure.But clearly, shecouldn’t give up the gem that had become part of her body and soul.Shewouldn’t give up her sister or her stone, either.
She did, however, need to find Reina.
As the food cooked, filling her flat with the savory, warmscent of beef, she peeked out the window again.Ooh, new goon.Shift change,she supposed.
“Something interesting out there?”Razr’s deep voice, comingfrom down the hall, made her shiver.
“Not interesting,” she said as he stepped up next to her,dressed in his clothes from last night.The male coulddefinitelyfillout a suit.“Annoying.Shrike sent some creep to keep an eye onme.”
Razr yanked the curtain aside with a growl.Menace billowedoff him, and for a moment she thought he’d go right throughthe window.“Stay here.”
“What?”She tried to stop him as he threw open the frontdoor.“No, wait!”
He didn’t stop until he wasnosetonose with the demon across the street.She couldn’t hear the conversation, butshe could see it getting heated, with Razr backing the guy up against a lightpost.A few seconds later, the demon scurried away in the direction of thenearest Harrowgate.
“What did you say to him?”she asked when Razr came backinside.
“I introduced him to a few of my friends.”
She frowned.“What friends?I didn’t see anyone.”
It was his turn to frown at her.“You didn’t see thegriminions?”
The oven timer went off, and she started toward the kitchen.“What aregriminions?”
“Seriously?”His heavy footsteps followed behind her.“Imean, I know not every demon knows what agriminionis, but you didn’t evenseethem?Creepylittleshortdudes in robes?Glowing eyes, claws for hands...”—he held his handat just below groin level—“...about yea high?”
