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The book hadn’t given a huge amount of information, just a few lines. “Because we think that’s what’s happened to the ones we’re missing,” I said.

“Impossible. There are no Drar here,” Rune said.

“That you know of.”

His silver eyes flashed red. “I would know.”

“Would you?” Jaz said. “There’s no chance one could have slipped through?”

He stood, sliding his hands into his pockets and paced away. If there was a soul eater, also known as a Drar’toth demon, then that wouldn’t be good for Rune. Lucifer was his boss, he was missing souls as well, and it was going on right under Rune’s nose.

He turned back. “I’ll put some feelers out.”

“What can you tell us about the Drar’toth?” Jaz asked. “Are they humanoid in appearance?”

“Yes. They’re also a solitary breed. Live alone. They’re always hungry. Food doesn’t satisfy, but they gorge on it between souls, trying to satiate their hunger. They run hot, something they bask in when they’re in Hell, but not here. Hellfire and the sun or artificial heating are not the same. They have trouble regulating their temperature here.”

“So they’ll be sweaty and drinking and eating a lot?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“And the souls, what happens to them? Is there a way to free them or are they lost forever?”

“You can free them, or what’s left of them, by killing the soul eater, but they’re not easy to catch or kill. They absorb knowledge from the souls they devour. So they know how to blend in among humans, and depending on the souls they ate, they can be deadly and highly intelligent.”

Great.

“You’ll let me know if you find them before us?” Jaz asked.

He studied her for several long seconds. “If there is a Drar in this city, it’s probably best you leave it to me, little witch.”

My fox’s hackles lifted, and his lips peeled back with a snarl. Jaz’s gaze sliced to me when the sound crawled up my throat. We didn’t like the demon implying we couldn’t protect our female.

“I can’t just sit back and do nothing,” she said.

“You won’t have to,” I said. “I’ll be with you.”

“You think you’re capable of taking on a Drar’toth, fox?” Rune said.

I grinned. “I’m capable of a lot of things, demon.” Grabbing Jaz’s hand, I tugged her from her seat and led her from the apartment and toward the elevator.

We got in and her hand slipped from mine. I wanted to snatch it back, so fucking badly.

“So you still want to help me?” she asked, studying me.

“Yes.” No fucking way would I let her do this alone. I couldn’t let her even if I wanted to, which I did not.

“You don’t have to, you know? I can ask Rome or one of the other hounds.” She chewed her lip. “Look, things got complicated between us for a minute there, but you don’t owe me anything, Ren.” She looked up at me, unflinching, nothing but sincerity in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did. I’m sorry for that, really I am. Please, don’t blame yourself.”

Now she was acting like she’d somehow taken advantage of me? “I want to help you. It has nothing to do with what happened between us.” Don’t say it. I couldn’t hold it in, though. “I know I said some things to make you believe otherwise, but I did want to kiss you, Jaz, badly.”

She didn’t believe me. I could tell by the look in her eyes.

The doors slid open. “You’re confused,” she said, striding out and down the corridor. “The intensity of our sessions has been messing with you. Like I told you, you’re not the first person I’ve worked with to feel things that aren’t there. One client begged me to go out with him repeatedly, another followed me for a couple weeks, positive I was the love of his life, then it wore off and they moved on.”

She’d had a fucking stalker? I fought down the urge to find these males and choke them out. Barely containing my rage, I kept pace beside her and pushed the main door open. We walked out into the crisp autumn morning air. I needed to shut the fuck up, but I couldn’t. There’d been this shift inside me. Now that I could see more clearly, I felt…different, more in control. “I’m not confused,” I said. “I knew exactly what I was doing. Yes, your powers broke through to the part of me that’d been holding me back. But those feelings had always been there. Whatever you think happened between us, you need to know I wanted it as well.”

She stopped and turned, blinking up at me. “You said you didn’t want me, and you meant it.”