Lucifer softly planted his palms face down on the table and leaned forward, mimicking Alice’s pose. His nails were painted the same shade of pink as his hair clip. “You’ve all made it very fucking clear I’m not a crappy Guardian. I just stay here for the shits and giggles.” His head swivelled to her, red eyes narrowing. “They think I’m some sort of sexy pet. Now, if I could only get one of them to stroke me…”
Kyra felt her lips tug while someone else groaned.
“Lucy, how could a hellhound track Kyra?” Alice asked.
Lucy clicked his tongue. “I don’t know, did it piss on you or something?” he asked Kyra, reaching forward until his finger brushed against her arm. He leapt back with a snarl, chair toppling over as his red irises glowed. “Fucking ow.” Horns pierced through his hair to curl around his jaw.
Xander had shot to his feet at the same time, but he made no move forward.
Kyra remained exactly where she was, unable to look away from the horns, or the kitten clip that had broken and was about to fall. Daemons were masters of glamour, able to change their appearance with a single thought to make themselves seem more approachable, which made them even more dangerous. Lucy hadn’t lived up on Earth Side beneath the sun for very long, but she noticed each time he seemed to naturally change. His skin was no longer a sickly ashen shade, but a tanned bronze that wasn’t too much lighter from her own.
He was capable of the glamour, but other than to hide his horns and wings he seemed to be adapting naturally. Except his red eyes which he preferred to keep as they were, he could pass as any of the other Guardians.
“You’ve been a naughty girl,” he chuckled. “Naughty indeed.”
Kyra’s stomach recoiled, nausea tickling her throat. “Is there a way to block it?”
“Block what?” Xander asked, his body a thing of granite.
Lucy ignored the question. “Who?”
Kyra swallowed hard. “Dirk.”
The smile slipped off Lucy’s face, only for a split second, just enough to see the panic before his lips tightened into a shadow of his previous smirk.
She wasn’t the only one who noticed the change.
“So she’s being tracked?” Xander asked.
Lucy cocked his head. “Not directly, but there’s definitely something there. Not many of my kind can command hounds to scent down a possession charm, not that there are many of my kind left.” His eyes slitted to Riley before sweeping across the others. “You guys took care of that.”
“Is there a way to block it?” Kyra asked once again, her voice surprisingly strong compared to the storm inside her chest.
“Maybe...” he mumbled. “I would need to read up on it.”
“How can you not know?” Xander rumbled.
Lucy spun, which showed the back of his shirt was just as shredded as the front. “I'm sorry, you try be over a thousand years old and remembering every little thing.”
“You’re over a thousand years old?” Alice asked.
“How am I supposed to know? Why would I count?” Lucy rolled his eyes. “Rest assured, I’ll figure it out. I just need access to the library.”
“You don’t have access to the library,” Riley muttered. “You haven’t even returned the book you stole last time.”
Lucy pursed his lips. “What a shame, and I really liked you too, Kyra. Good luck though, I hope Dirk doesn’t make you…”
“What type of book?” Xander interrupted.
Lucy clicked his tongue. “Grade three black grimoire.”
“Those are kept at the abbey,” Riley said. “I doubt we’ll be able to get Lucy past the sentinels at the door, and that grade grimoire won’t be able to leave.”
“Which means we’ll have to get him inside the chamber without him passing the threshold,” Xander added. “Lucy, you able to pinpoint me on a drift?”
Lucy grinned. “Of course not, but If you were to give me an image of the library I can use that.”
“Hmmm,” Riley grumbled. “Xee you’ll have to go in and turn off the anti-drift security measures, then Lucy should be able to get in. Until then Kyra can stay here.”
