“What are you?” he repeated.
“Why, I’m Nicola Lane’s coworker. What else?”
“You know what I mean.”
She bopped the tip of his nose with a fingernail. “Do I?”
He’d always resented the fact that he couldn’t taste another’s lies. “You do.”
“Maybe I do.” A pause as she returned the lid to the polish. “You’re Koldo, aren’t you? The Sent One with a will of steel and a fist as hard as iron. I’ve been hoping to meet you for a very long time.”
She was here for him, then, not Nicola. Sent by his father? he wondered again. To...what? “I’m a Sent One, yes, but I’m also Nicola’s protector, and I’ll destroy anyone who thinks to hurt her to get to me.”
“Well, you’re not doing a very good job with your protecting duties,” she announced, and tsked. “I could have killed her at any time. And I wanted to, I admit it. Resisting has proven difficult.”
A flicker of rage practically burned a hole in his chest. He could feel his teeth and nails elongating. Control. “You’ve done something to strike at her, haven’t you?”
She flicked her tongue over one overlong canine. “I have, but before I start bragging, you should know I’m the one who raised the false alarm about the demons. I knew you’d return again and again to investigate. And guess what? You have.”
“And you wanted to see me...because?”
“Because we’re destined to be together.” She leaned back and traced a finger between her br**sts. “As for what I did to Nicola... I stole her petty cash and doctored a few of her accounts. And she would have been arrested if your precious Jamila hadn’t found out and fixed everything. But don’t worry. I’ll get her next time.”
Destined to be together? He reached out and grabbed the girl by the neck, jerking her into the air. As she yelped, he flashed her to the cavern where he’d kept his mother. Cornelia was now in the other cage he’d built for her, though he hadn’t yet explained things to Nicola.
He’d tried, but had stopped himself. What if she was unable to understand?
He dropped Sirena in the center of the cage and flashed out, behind the bars. She whirled around to face him, her eyes narrowing. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Think? No. Know? Yes. You’ll stay here for a few days. On your own, with nothing to do but ponder how best to appease me. I’ll return and you’ll tell me everything I want to know and probably a thousand things I don’t.”
She raced toward him, trying to reach through the bars and grab him.
Grinning coldly, he flashed back to the office.
But he wasn’t given a chance to speak with Nicola. Axel was there with Jamila, and the two were arguing.
“Whatever you’re planning to do needs to wait,” the warrior said when he spotted Koldo. “I’ve found Nefas tracks just outside this building.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE LIGHTS IN NICOLA’S OFFICE flicked off—yet no one stood at the switch.
Laila stopped dancing. “Power go out?” she asked, her voice louder than it should have been as she listened to her iPod.
“No. My computer’s running.”
The lights flipped back on.
“A momentary short in the wires, maybe?”
“You’re probably right.” Laila started dancing again.
Nicola returned to the work piled up in front of her. Jamila and Sirena had only done half of what they’d promised, and nothing that had come in since. So utterly useless, she thought.
An instant message popped up on her screen.
Dex Turner:
What happened Sat? Who was that guy?
Her palms grew damp as she typed:
I’m sorry! Koldo is a guy I met a few weeks ago. We had never dated, but we had—never mind. It’s complicated, and I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true nonetheless. I’m sorry, though. I really am. But now I’m together with him. For sure.
Even though he’d acted like a jerk today, snipping and snapping at her before marching off without any explanation.
The lights flicked back off. On. Off.
Sighing, she propped her elbows on her desk and rested her head in her upraised hands.
On. Off. On. Off.
“Seriously, this is annoying,” Laila said with a tremble to her voice. “And okay, fine, a little scary.”
Nicola never moved, but her phone was suddenly thrown across the room. The device slammed into the wall and shattered, little pieces raining to the floor. Laila yelped and darted in her direction.
Demons, Nicola realized. Dread slithered through her.
“Get underneath the desk,” she commanded. “And stay calm.”
Her sister obeyed, gasping out, “What about you?”
The sound of hissing and giggling filled her ears. Dark shadows crept along the walls. Definitely demons. Her heart skipped a beat, the first sign of oncoming fear, but she resisted.
I’m not helpless. I’m protected.
That’s right. She was. She leaped up. In the corner, a shadow thickened, solidified into a hazy blob and scurried across the desk, reaching out to brush her hair. A light breeze dusted her skin, the scent of rotten eggs clinging to her nose.
On went the lights.
Off.
On—and as brightness flooded the room once again, five demons came into view, and they resembled the snakes from the park. Their scales were the same shade as blood, and their temples were flared. They had glowing green eyes, and jaws open wide, revealing fangs sharper than any knife, with a yellowed substance drip, drip, dripping onto the floor and burning, causing the carpet to sizzle and steam to rise.
Forked tongues slithered out, waving in her direction.
I’m not helpless. I’m really not. I’m protected. I really am.
“I’ll enjoy having you for breakfassst,” one taunted.
“Your sssister will be desssert,” another added.
More giggles.
She opened her mouth to shout for the Most High, but the door burst open, silencing her. Sirena raced inside, pale hair flying behind her. She brandished a long, thin sword, and the snakes jolted backward, cursing at her.
“Get out of here, fiends! Now,” she shouted. Metal whistled through air, and the creatures darted left and right, desperate to get out of her way.
One of the creatures disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Another soon followed.
There was a wild light in Sirena’s blue eyes, one that said she was just crazy enough to fight the demons with her bare hands if necessary. Those remaining must have sensed her determination, because they tossed one last hiss in Nicola’s direction and vanished.