“She brought her four demon friends, and they traveled through a hellgate.”
Dan stopped breathing.
His heart stopped beating.
Actually, he was pretty sure the Earth stopped turning and everything froze in stasis for a moment, allowing him a second to come to terms with what he’d just heard.
It didn’t help.
“Shewhat?”
“Yes, so whatever you’re doing, come home now and meet Eva’s friends. I think you’ll love them. Belial is a darling. He helped me make lunch, and he’s an amazing chef! And Meph has incredible body art from head to toe. I’ve never seen anything like it. Raum is a tougher nut to crack. I’ve been trying to get him to open up, but no luck so far. And of course there’s Eva’s new boyfriend. He’s not at all what I expected. I’ve been keeping my eye on him, and let me tell you, I’m not sure he’s all that bad—”
“Jacqui, I’m coming home right now. Take Eva and lock yourselves in my office in the studio. There are wards above the door to keep out intruders, but you need to activate them. You will need to prick the tip of your finger and press a droplet of blood into the center of the—”
“Iknewit! I knew you knew about all this! What were you doing with that big spell book in your office?”
Dan fought down a surge of panic. He’d been in such a rush to make sure Eva was safe last night that he’d accidentally left the grimoire in his office.
He’d wanted more time to figure out how he was going to explain everything to Jacqui, but it looked like that was no longer an option.
He’d never wished more than he did right then that he was more of a skilled teleporter because he’d have already shown up back home. As it was, he needed time and silence to concentrate.
“Listen to me,” he said, trying to keep his tone even when he really felt like screaming. “I will explain everything. I promise. But right now, I need you to get away from the demons. Take Eva and get into my office. Activate the ward.”
“There’s no cause for concern, Dan. Eva told me why they escaped Hell, and I think I understand. They’re definitely a little roguish, but I don’t see evil in them. I think they’re just looking for a second chance.”
“Jacqui, they’redemons. They trick people. That’s what they do. You’re not safe.”
“How do you know about all this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There isn’t time to explain. Just take Eva and—”
“You know what? I’m going to need more than that. Eva has been honest with me, and so have her demons, and it seems you have not. I’m finding myself less inclined to listen to someone who has obviously been lying about something important for... how long, Dan? How long have you known about this and not told me?”
Dan winced. If he told her the answer to that, she would flip out. No, that was going to be one of the last things he explained. “Jacqui, honey, I need you to trust me.”
“Sorry, but I have to go.” Her voice was flat. She never shouted, but she didn’t have to. He could tell by that tone alone she was pissed. “Belial is washing the dishes by himself, and I’d like to help. I’ll see you when you get home. Love you.”
She hung up on him.
He called her back. She ignored it.
“Damn it!”
A sense of being watched had his gaze returning to the demon trapped on the floor. Mishetsumephtai was regaining consciousness, blinking groggily. “You’ve broken a lot of rules yourself, haven’t you, Watcher?”
Dan stared at him. There was no surprise in those yellow eyes. How much did he know? Did he suspect what Dan’s relationship to Eva was?
If so, then, against the rules or not, Hell’s Hunter had to die.
He scowled at the bloody, trapped demon. “I’ll deal with you later.” Once he made sure Eva was safe, he would find out what Mishetsumephtai knew and deal with him accordingly.
He needed a plan, and he needed to be smart about it. One Dan against four greater demons was not great odds. His best bet, he decided, was to lay traps like he’d done for the Hunter. They would have to be extremely powerful to hold Belial, and they would have to be well hidden to avoid detection by demons that had thousands of years of practice avoiding them.
He struck Mishetsumephtai with the blunt side of his sword again because he needed the quiet to concentrate. When the demon crumpled, Dan closed his eyes and focused, gathering his power.
A moment later, he vanished into thin air amidst swirling winds.
