“I am not Mr. Critic.”
“Are too. Did you say hi to Mom yet?”
Dan glanced over her shoulder to where Jacqui stood in conversation with Magalie. He’d known where Jacqui was the second he entered the room, but he hadn’t approached her yet.
“Go talk to her,” Eva said, accurately interpreting his silence. “She doesn’t bite.Yet.”
Dan made a pained expression, and Eva responded with a cackle. “Too soon?”
“Way too soon.”
“It’d be so cool, though. We’d officially be the weirdest family ever. A fallen angel and a vampire, with their Nephilim daughter and her Prince of Hell boyfriend.”
Dan winced. “Don’t even say that out loud. You never know who might be listening.”
Eva just patted his arm. He was glad to see she wasn’t afraid. He’d brought a forbidden child into this world who would be hunted for her very existence, but the last thing he wanted was for her to live her life in fear. She may have been an accident, but his only regret was the danger he brought into her life by being her father.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Go talk to Mom.”
“I will. After I talk to Lily and Mist. I’ve got some news for them.”
Asmodeus appeared at that moment, placing a possessive hand on Eva’s shoulder. His and Dan’s gazes met. There was still a lot of tension between them, but Asmodeus nodded, and Dan nodded back. Eva looked between them and laughed.
Shaking his head, Dan excused himself and found Lily and Mist. The couple was studying another sculpture on the other side of the room.
“It’s impressive,” Lily whispered, “but I don’t think it’s for me. It’s just so... graphic.”
“It is very anatomically accurate,” Mist replied. They were looking at a man whose face had been eaten off. “That is precisely what the inside of a skull looks like.”
Lily covered her eyes. “I did not need to know that.”
“Hi, Lily,” Dan said, stepping up behind them.
She turned around, seeming grateful for the distraction. “Hi! How are you?”
“Great, actually.” Dan cut right to the chase. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I got used to waiting for you to call, and I guess I’ve been distracted.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I meant to call, but I forgot.”
Sheforgot? Lily had been calling him every other day for months, to the point where he’d considered changing his phone number.
“Any news?” she asked.
“I met with Sunshine, and I’m sorry, but we’ve hit the end of the road with her. She couldn’t find any new information, and I can’t ask her to keep looking. It’s forbidden for her to associate with Grigori, and it doesn’t feel right asking her to. I’m sorry.”
To his surprise, Lily smiled. “That’s okay. Thank you for all you’ve done, and if you see your friend again, please pass on my gratitude as well.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t be happening, since Dan hadn’t told Sunshine why he needed the information. There was no way an angel would understand why he would’ve allied himself with a group of rogue demons. Dan couldn’t understand it himself most days.
“What’s your next lead?” he asked because he hadn’t expected Lily to take the news so well. Mist’s reaction—complete neutrality—was expected.
“Oh, I don’t really have one, honestly,” she replied. “I’m mostly out of ideas.”
Dan glanced between her and Mist, frowning.
“It’s okay,” Lily said, reading his confusion. “I guess I’m coming to terms with it. I won’t stop looking, but my sister told me I should trust Mist when he says he’s okay, so for now, I’m learning to just be grateful for our freedom.” She smiled up at the demon in question.
“I’m happy for you,” Dan said, and he was.
