“So Nergal will soon have it.”
“My bet is Vladimir plans to keep it until Nergal rips some stone out of some hot young necromancer’s chest. Oh wait, isn’t that sexy little humanyourValentine?”
The demon turned to smoke before Khent could grab him and reappeared some distance away. But Khent had no problem hearing when Pazuzu added, “If I were a betting man, I’d say you’re losing the moonlight. Better hurry before she’s dead, you’re ash, and that stupid necromancer outplays my mentor. Ciao!”
He vanished.
Khent didn’t bother to say goodbye. He turned into an eagle-owl and flew as fast as he could to the bazaar.
Rolf sawKhent talking to a supposedly dead sorcerer and frowned. One of the dead upir tried to bite him, so he backhanded him and moved closer to listen to what Paz had to say. Besides, the fight was boring. MEC kept complaining about being overrun, but Rolf didn’t find many powerful adversaries. At least, none that kept him entertained.
Learning about exciting shenanigans at the bazaar, and that Khent’s date had a proper date with death, he left the drooling dead to MEC, Duncan, and Macy and hurried to Sebastian Castle.
Who suddenly turned into an adorable kitten.
Before the tiny cat could slink away, Rolf caught him.
Ignoring the hiss and holding the feline by the scruff of its neck, because those tiny claws and fangshurt,Rolf growled, “I want to know what you know, Pazuzu.” He looked over the gray kitten. “Tell me or I’ll tell Kaia you watch her get naked on the daily. And I’ll let Orion declaw you over and over until those claws never grow back.”
The kitten hissed once more then shifted into the sorcerer’s appealing form.
Rolf still held him by the back of his neck.
“Get off, draugr. You’re my least favorite, you know.”
Despite Pazuzu having a wolfish form when demonic, he seemed feline in his disdain and dainty hiss, showing a forked tongue.
Rolf grinned. “Thanks, buddy.”
Pazuzu rolled his eyes but explained the situation. Quickly and efficiently, Rolf noted.
“Rolf, swear not to narc me out to Hecate or her asshole assistant. I’m trying to live under the radar in this world.” He smiled at a nearby decapitation. “It’s fun here.”
“True. Wait. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of Mormo?”
Paz sniffed. “Not afraid. But he tells Hecate everything.”
“True. He is a dick. Fine. Get lost.” Rolf tossed him, and Pazuzu turned to smoke once more and vanished.
Rolf considered what he’d heard. Before he could shift into his wolf form for speed and run to the bazaar, powerful magic sucked him through a portal and spat him out on the floor of the gym in their Mercer Islandlair. Because Mercer Islandhomedidn’t have the same ring to it.
He sprawled on his ass, so undignified, in front of Hecate, Mormo—the dick—Morpheus, and a handsome-as-sin, shifty-looking bastard with eyes that shone like silver ingots.
“What’shedoing here?” he asked at the same time Loki did.
Loki’s smile widened. “Well, now. What a kick. How are you doing…son?”
CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE
Hecate glaredat the idiots taking up space in her convoluted life.
They kept multiplying.
Morpheus wasn’t as great a double agent as he thought he was.
Mormo didn’t help, so argumentative about everyone’s interference he made her head hurt.
