Ryan cleared his throat and shifted his weight on his feet. “That day Adair called and said you needed help, and we almost didn’t make it in time, I, uh, well… I can reach you now.”
Bennett’s chest plummeted under the weight as he grasped the meaning. Ryan could find Quinn anywhere in the world and pull himself straight to her through the veil that separated the human and demon realms, but it took a hell of a strong motivator to blindly travel like that. And a big fat L-word he would not embarrass himself by saying out loud. The bromance they’d been flirting at since deciding they didn’t hate each other was obvious enough.
Feet shifting equally awkwardly, Bennett said, “I’m really sorry for the stuff I said before, and, you know, biting you.”
“I know. It should have been you. You got the short end of that prophecy stick.”
“But it worked out the way it was supposed to. I’m good with it. Really.”
“Please tell me this prophecy is going better for you.”
“Not so far.” Bennett scanned the room for an exit. “Anyone else here yet?”
“Lana and Vann are on board. Fiona pulled a few strings to get the boat for us, quietly. Vann’s taking us far enough out that we won’t be seen by curious eyes.” Ryan headed for a closed door next to the galley. As he reached for the knob, the bubbly bounciness that was Lana busted in.
Speak of the devil. “You found him.” She beamed at Ryan. She crossed the room and laced her arms around Bennett and leaned on his shoulder, rocking as she hugged him like she knew how shitty he was feeling. “Are you doing okay?”
“Fine. Is there someplace I can crash? I haven’t slept in days.” Dead on his feet, he was ready to take a nap right on that couch.
“This place is awesome. Come on, I picked out everyone’s rooms.” Lana led the way down the hallway, pointing to stairs down the hall to some of the rooms and led him down a ladder to the lower rooms. “I just got off the phone with your dad. He analyzed the maps, and he is emailing a few possibilities for us.”
She flicked on the light to a suite with an over-fluffed bed in the center and two club chairs around a side table. High on the far wall, there was a wall of windows covered by thick curtains.
“Perfect. I’ll look it over in the morning.”
He dumped his bags on the floor and started peeling off his clothes as Lana left him to it. Sleep didn’t come easy, his dreams mocking him for the naïve romanticism he’d indulged in for far too long.
Chapter16
“At this point in your life, I would expect you to have learned that honesty works a hell of a lot better than obstinacy.”
Adair fired a glower at Blayk. “So says the guy that just told Calloway a pretty string of lies. Really? It made sense to tell him the hostages were secure, but to request that he save at least one of those troublesome demon hunters for you to snack on?” For all his pestering, the relief at being able to joke with her friend again made everything feel almost normal. Almost.
Sporting a snarky grin, Blayk relaxed into his seat in the charter plane and closed his eyes. “I have a ruse to keep up. Besides, I didn’t specify my intentions. I wouldn’t mind a taste of the short curvy one.” He bit his cheek as he considered. “I’ve always been curious about demon hunter endurance.”
Curling into her seat, Adair took a sip of her heated cow blood. “Lana wouldn’t touch a bloodsucker.”
Sniffing the air, Blayk scowled and opened his eyes. He reached across and took her mug. Nose scrunched, he took a testing sip. “That’s nasty. How do you live on that?”
“Try it for a few weeks, and you won’t even miss human.”
Raising an eyebrow, he laughed under his breath and took another sip.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, you’ll miss human, but it’s worth it.”
With a shrug, he handed her back her emptied mug and uttered, “Maybe.” After a solid three minutes of silence, he brought it right back to the elephant on the plane. “What are you going to do about Bennett?”
“Nothing. You and I will stay in a hotel and find Calloway and take him out while Bennett goes after Tromos.”
“Ha. You have a remarkable lack of self-awareness for an old-as-dirt woman.”
“And you’re an expert? Tell me, when’s the last time you were in a serious relationship?”
“Last year.”
“Really?”
“No, but I had you going there.”
