When the fires eventually died, he’d dug through the rubble and found too many bones to count.
If Nox had survived, why was he making himself known now? How had he tracked Koldo to Nicola’s home?
“So, what do you plan to do with the redhead?” Axel asked.
“Why do you live in a place like this?” Koldo retorted. “You clearly thrive on what you probably consider adoration from your peers, and yet you seclude yourself.”
A pause.
“So we agree not to question each other,” the warrior finally replied.
“We do.” They both had their secrets. Koldo finished off the fruit. “And now I must go.”
“Okay, but uh, hey,” Axel said, standing. “You might want to hunt down your girl and give her a stern talking-to. Normally I wouldn’t tattle, even on a human, but if I keep quiet this could really come back to haunt me. Meaning, you’ll want to punch my pretty face.”
Rambling? Now? “Just tell me!”
“She’s planning to go on a date with another guy.”
* * *
FUMING, KOLDO FLASHED to Nicola’s home. He wasn’t sure what he’d do when the two of them were face-to-face. He only knew he had to see her. But she wasn’t there, and another flash proved she wasn’t in her office. Jamila and another girl, the blonde with the mysterious origins, were in her office, and the two were hurtling curses at each other—while the girl had a male pinned to Nicola’s desk, her fingers curled around his neck, his pants and underwear pooled at his ankles.
“Sleeping with every guy here?” Jamila spat. “Really? That’s your master plan?”
“Part of it,” the blonde smirked. At least her clothing was in place. “So why don’t you do me a solid and get lost? And next time knock before you enter an office.”
“Sure, I’ll go. By the way, your plan is stupid.”
“Yeah, well, your hair is stupid.”
Females.
Jamila bared her teeth in a scowl. “What does this accomplish?” she asked, waving a hand in the male’s direction. “I mean, really.”
“When the girlfriend finds out what he’s done, she’ll be hurt, want to cry.”
“He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Fine. He has a love interest.”
“And you want to hurt her, why?”
The blonde grinned evilly.
The male’s cheeks were bright red as he struggled to sit up, but the girl was obviously stronger and managed to hold him down without any effort.
Koldo stepped into the natural world. “Where’s Nicola?” he demanded.
All three gazes swung to him.
The blonde paused for a moment, momentarily rendered speechless. Then she shook her head, blinked and smiled slowly, wickedly, an invitation and a declaration. “Well, hello, handsome. What can I do to help you?”
The male increased the fervency of his struggles. He would have spoken, but his tie was stuffed into his mouth.
Jamila scowled at Koldo, as if her predicament was his fault. “You! Even though Little Miss Human is your responsibly, Zacharel told me to stay here.”
A detail he didn’t care about. “I’ll ask again. Where is she?”
“Her sister showed up and they went to lunch. They mentioned a park.”
“Forget about her,” the blonde said. “You’ll be better off with me. I’ll take care of you in a way she never will. Just give me a chance.”
A park. Very well, he would search every one nearby.
Without a word, he stomped from the office. The human had been too distracted during his arrival to notice his sudden appearance, but he certainly wouldn’t miss Koldo’s departure.
The blonde called out a protest, and she actually sounded angry. Not that he cared about that, either.
Once he cleared the reception area, and knew no prying eyes were locked on him, he flashed to the park closest to the office. Searched. Found no sign of her. Next, he tried the one closest to her house. Searched. And—
Spotted her.
Laila was beside her, the two walking along a cobbled path, talking and laughing and eating chocolates. The pair of demons perched on Laila’s shoulders spotted him, hopped to the ground and darted away.
Some of the tension faded from Koldo’s shoulders. This kind of interaction was good for both of the females. They were relaxing, enjoying themselves, purging the poison. He would leave them to it, he decided. Without yelling at Nicola for making a date with another man.
He flashed to her house and began to box up her things. He wanted her installed in one of his homes by the end of the day. There would be no discussion, no debate. And this had nothing to do with her decision to turn to another man for her joy.
Nothing at all.
Nicola would probably cry because of Koldo’s actions. He would have to calm her down, do something to make her happy—but he would also have to harden his heart. The move was for the best. He would be able to protect her better.
But he would have to bring her back for the date, wouldn’t he? Because...what if the male did indeed bring her joy? What then? She would need him. He would help her purge even more of the demon toxin.
Flickers of rage danced through Koldo, and he found himself breathing far more heavily, battling the urge to punch the walls.
If he gave in to his temper, Nicola’s home would topple.
He was a little rough with the boxes in the back of her closet, the things inside clinking together. He checked to make sure he hadn’t broken anything and found a box of photos. The more he flipped through the prints, the more his actions gentled. There were shots of Nicola and her sister, and the two of them with their parents, as well as a redheaded little boy. He looked just like them, had to be a relative, but...who was he? A brother? Nicola had never mentioned him, and he had never come around. In all the information Koldo had uncovered, nothing had been mentioned.
Intrigued, Koldo dug deeper into the box. He found articles about her parents’ death and learned a drunk driver had slammed into their car, killing the couple as well as their young son, Robby, and that the driver had been released from prison last year.
Nicola had lost more than Koldo had ever realized. She had lost a healthy six-year-old brother with a bright future, a boy who had most likely owned prime real estate in her heart.
She must despise the man who had ruined her life. She had to dream of his painful demise. She had to crave revenge. She just hadn’t been well enough and hadn’t had the time or resources to do anything about it.