Oh! Sneaky!
The growl that rumbled out of Graham made my skin prickle. He tried to swallow it down, but the damage was done. His jaw clenched so tight I half-expected to hear his teeth crack.
There was a puff of smoke, and Flame… I think… appeared inside the room, leaning against the wall next to Q-Tip’s cage. “You summoned? It will be my absolutepleasureto give you the grand tour.” His voice was full of mischief.
Yep, that had to be Flame.
Graham’s glare could’ve melted steel. “We’re leaving for Redrock. You are not required, demon.”
Flame’s eyes narrowed, tiny fireballs dancing in their depths. “Ifrits are not demons.” The little embers shot toward Graham, who swatted them away like they were nothing more than pesky flies.
“Hey! Watch it!” Carly cried. “Hay is highly flammable.”
“Don’t worry, this fire only burns grumpy jackasses.”
Desmon looked a little annoyed, like he couldn’t be arsed to deal with the troubles of mortals.
Graham’s hands flexed at his sides, like he was trying not to punch the ifrit. “Come on, Meera. We’ll portal into Redrock through the library.”
Portal?
Carly stretched, her back popping audibly. “Maybe I’ll swing by later,” she said. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen everyone. I heard Tansy is really showing now.” She turned to Flame. “Maybe next time.”
The ifrit bowed exaggeratedly, winked at me, because he had to annoy Graham just once more, and then puffed out of existence. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that.
We made our way back to the library, and Desmon picked up a small, innocuous pull-tab can from his desk. I watched curiously as he popped the top, then pointed the opened can at one of the bookshelves. Smoke swirled out of it, forming a flat, upright circle. I gasped when a large living room decked out in dark woods, metal, granite, and leather with a crazy high ceiling appeared in the middle of the swirling circle.
A gorgeous blonde woman sat on a dark brown leather couch with a bird on her head. She turned and squinted at us, and her mouth moved, but no sound came through. She didn’t look one bit surprised.
“Have fun at the penthouse.” Carly gave me a hug, and I hugged her back.
Penthouse?
Graham stood by the portal, motioning for me to step through first. I frowned at the grumpy look on his face. I wanted to ask why he’d insisted I go with him when he didn’t even want me there, but then I realized it was less grumpiness and more exhaustion. Hedidfly me all the way over here. I decided to give the guy a break.
I thanked Desmon, took a deep breath, and stepped through the portal.
Chapter 12
Meera
Theportalspatmeout onto the penthouse floor with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. All that was missing was a squelching sound and a laugh track.
The first thing I noticed was that this place was huge. It screamed upscale man cave with dark furniture, hardwood floors, granite tiles, and more dark brown leather couches than should be in one living room. There was also a giant screen better suited to a movie theater than to a home. The plush,cream-colored rugs softened everything up, and several throw cushions on the couches added a more feminine touch.
There were two huge Bird of Paradise plants, one on either side of the French doors that led out to the rooftop patio, and plenty of smaller plants scattered around, adding a lush greenness to everything.
The woman I’d seen through the portal earlier was there instantly, offering a hand to help me up. It wasn’t immediately obvious, but since Carly had mentioned it, I noticed the gentle swell of her pregnant belly. Sunlight streaming through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows caught her golden hair. She was stunning. Like, model beautiful, all the way from her flawless skin to her brilliant smile.
“Thank you.” I reached up for something, anything, to steady myself.
“First time traveling by portal?” she asked, guiding me to sit on one of the couches.
I nodded, then immediately regretted it as the world swam around me.
“Eamon, can you grab her some juice and a snack?” She turned back to me. “Sugar helps. Any food, actually.”
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, there was a hand holding a juice box and a granola bar in front of me. And attached to the hand was… a demon.
