I PUSHED A HAM, bacon, and cheese omelet around on my plate, wishing Rex had made it.  It wasn’t terrible.  The giant ferrum had simply spoiled me.  I should have gone to his suite this morning and asked for breakfast. 

Maybe I would have if Portia hadn’t been patrolling our hall and insisted on walking me to the cafeteria. 

A chair next to me was unexpectedly pulled out, and a tall guy folded into the seat.  His thick arms and chest bulged beneath the long sleeved shirt.  The swirling council design was etched on the black material over his heart. 

“Hello, darling.”  A light Irish accent laced his words.

My eyes narrowed.  “Call me darling again, and I’ll punch that cocky smirk right off your face.”  He was pretty damn hot.  Tousled inky black hair surrounded a sharp face, falling into a pair of emerald eyes. 

A crooked smile curled his lips, and his hands lifted in defense.  “Sorry.  It’s just how I greet beautiful women such as yourself.”

I motioned my fork around the cafeteria, several pairs of eyes on us.  “You may have all these other high school girls eating out of your hand, but I’d sooner chop that said hand off.”

He scratched at the dark, sexy stubble coating his chin while grinning.  “I’d heard you were tough as nails, but someone should have told me to cover my balls around you.”

I shook my head and returned to my food.  “Aren’t you a little old to be flirting with high school girls?”

He scoffed.  “I’m only nineteen.  The name’s Bennie.”

I guess he was a little young for me then.

I tried to cover my smile.  “Kory, but you already know that.”

He opened his bottle of water and took a swig.  “There isn’t a soul here who doesn’t know who you are.”

I had a reputation everywhere I went.

“Do you really have three dozen broken infinity tattoos already?” he asked, digging into his pancakes.

I rolled my eyes.  People sure did exaggerate.  “Not quite.”

“How long have you been working for The Council?” I hadn’t done much talking to anyone except that tense meeting with Johnston and Wallace. 

“Since last year right after graduation.”  Bennie dragged a piece of pancake through a puddle of syrup.  “I trained there all through high school.”

According to Wallace, only the top hunter trainees were allowed that privilege.  “You must be good.”  Those emerald eyes lacked the glittering gold flecks.  “I haven’t seen a lot of pureblooded ferrums belonging to The Council.”

He shrugged.  “The Council doesn’t discriminate.  They solely judge us on our abilities.  Not our blood.”

I picked at my food.  “That’s good.”

“The Council has no tolerance for prejudice.”  His voice dipped.

I followed his line of vision to the headmaster who was walking through the cafeteria.  “You don’t like Ash?”

Bennie’s lip curled.  “I don’t like purists.”

My head snapped back.  “Purists?”  Ash mentioned the term the other day. 

“They think pureblooded ferrums are better than everyone else.”

“I know what it is,” I snapped.  “Ash isn’t one.  Do you even know him?”

He shrugged.  “I’ve had a few conversations with him, and I get the snobby, purest vibe.”

That was how Roe felt about me, and I hated it. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.  Ash is cool.” Did I really just refer to a principal as cool?  Was I in an afterschool special?

“Let me ask you something.”  Bennie shifted in his chair so he was facing me.  “Any other students call him Ash to his face?”

“I don’t know.”

He shot me a wry smile.  “I doubt it.”  He motioned his fork toward my eyes.  “You get special treatment from him because of those pretty gold flecks in your eyes.”

My brows dipped, and I resisted the urge to smack him.  “Screw you.  You don’t know a damn thing about me.  I don’t get treated any differently.”

That was bull.  I did get special treatment but only because of the shitstorm that was my life. 

Bennie lifted his hands again.  “Sorry.  I didn’t mean to piss you off.  I was just making an observation.”

“Go observe someone else for kicks.” 

His laughter caught me off guard.  “You are freaking amazing.”  He motioned between us.  “I’d love to spar with you.”

My lip curled.  “What makes you think I’d want to work out with you?”

Bennie’s head tilted.  “Come on.  Don’t you want the chance to take me down for saying you get special treatment.”

“I don’t need to go to the gym to do that.  I can just do it right here.”

“Hi, Bennie!”  Braelyn appeared, dropping down in the chair next to him.  “I see you finally met the infamous Kory Colt.”

“I’m surprised he’s still sitting upright.”  Kelsey sat on Braelyn’s other side.

I shot her a half-hearted glare.  “We were working on that part.  I was about to wipe the floor with his pretty face while I finished my breakfast.”

Bennie grinned.  “You think I’m handsome, huh?”  He nudged me.  “I knew it.  It’s my accent, isn’t it?  Girls go crazy for it.”

“Bennie.”  Rex’s voice drifted from behind me, deep and rumbling.

I glanced over my shoulder to see him standing rigidly with his arms crossed against his wide chest and a dark expression over his face.  He was intimidating as hell—if you weren’t me of course.

“Stop bothering my student,” he said.  “She’s underage.”

I tried to hide my eye roll, but Kelsey caught it. 

“He’s only nineteen, Rex.”  Braelyn was bouncing in her seat.

“He’s also here to do a job, not pick up girls.”

Bennie gave a quick nod in my direction.  “Right.  Sorry.”  He cleared his throat and stood, a bit of fear playing through those emerald eyes.  “No time to flirt with the hot senior who will be eighteen very soon.”

Rex’s jaw ticked.  He was not amused by Bennie’s words.

I spun around before he could smack the Irishman.  “He was just telling me about The Council.  I was curious.”

Rex made a harrumphing sound.

“I’ll see you later, Rex.”  Bennie shot a knowing smirk over his shoulder as he sauntered away. 

If he wasn’t careful, Rex was going to pummel his ass.

He looked down at me, the hardness in his features melting away.  “I’ll see you later, Koralein.”  His voice had gone all smooth and buttery.

Geez.  If he didn’t stop looking at me like that, he was going to have people talking.

I swallowed hard trying to ignore the sudden blush in my cheeks.  “See you later.”  My gaze followed his sexy ass all the way out the door.

“OMG,” Braelyn squealed.  “Rex was totally jealous.”

I turned back around.  “No, he wasn’t.”  Oh crap.  “He was just being protective.”

She wiggled her eyebrows.  “Yeah, protective like a guy trying to beat the wolves off his girl.” 

Kelsey bit her bottom lip.  “She’s not wrong.”  She motioned with her piece of bacon.  “Some serious hot vibes were coming from you guys.”

“Shut up.”  My voice was higher than normal.  “He’s my teacher.  End of story.”

Kelsey’s brown eyes remained on me, probably seeing the beads of sweat forming on my hairline. 

 

Instructor Roe stood at the front of the class in the gym, his green eyes narrowing infinitesimally on me.  I already had to endure his staredowns in Demonology and now here?  Instructor Tommy, who usually taught this class, was away on some mission.  Unfortunately for me, Roe volunteered to fill in.

“With the sparring partner I assign you, I want you to work on the Chovsky takedown method,” Roe said.

My hand shot up.

Roe sighed.  “Yes, Ms. Colt.”

I dropped my hand.  “That’s not going to work for me.”

Some of the students snickered, earning them a scowl from Roe. 

He crossed his arms against his chest.  “If you don’t agree with my lesson—again—then you can sit out and take an F for the day.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.  “I’m not saying that.  The technique doesn’t work for me because of my size.”  Rex had taught it to me, but it wasn’t very effective.  It was for someone with more height who could get better leverage.  “Can I work on something else?”

A saccharine smile split his lips.  “I’m sure Rex taught you ways to adjust the move to compensate for your lacking.”

Bastard.  He knew damn well this move was a stupid choice for me.  It could even get me killed.  What did this guy have against me? 

I clenched my jaw tight to keep my smartass remarks from slipping free.  Roe started assigning sparring partners. 

“Maybe he’ll put us together,” Braylen said from beside me.

Braylen’s legs were up to her neck, but at least she wasn’t as heavy as the guys in class.  I’d have less trouble with her.

When Roe got to me, I could tell by the twinkle in his eyes this wouldn’t be that easy.  “Colt and Van Warren.”

My nostrils flared.  The jerk put me with the biggest student in class.

Braylen shot me an apologetic look.  “Sorry.”

I waved a dismissive hand at her.  “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Looks like it’s you and me again.”  Alec gave a feral grin.  “Don’t worry, Colt.  I’ll go easy on you.”

The last time we’d sparred, the darkness had bubbled up, and I freaked out.  “Will you still be smiling when I’m rubbing your face into the mat?”  I shook out my hands and took a fighting stance. 

“Seriously though.  Roe shouldn’t have put us together.  He's a dick.”  He shrugged.  “This isn’t the technique for you.”

A snarl curled my lips.  “I never said I couldn’t do it.”

He held his hands up.  “Show me what you got then.”

Alec had me on my back within ten minutes.  I was surprised he managed not to smirk.  He reached a hand out to me.  “I’m impressed.”

I rolled onto my feet.  “Just shut up,” I grumbled.

Alec laughed.  “I’m serious.  I should have been able to do that within the first minute.  Your defensive skills are on point.”

The strongest offense was a good defense. 

I shrugged and wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.  “Whatever.  Don’t get cocky.  You’ll be on that mat next.”

Alec didn’t waste a second and rushed for me.  I side-stepped him and kicked his shin, grabbing his shoulder.  My fist slammed into his chest, knocking him back. 

He let out a grunt as he stumbled.

But he didn’t go down.

I blocked his kick and grabbed his arm again.  I twisted him around and tried forcing him to the ground.  It was near impossible.  He outweighed me by over a hundred pounds. 

Alec kicked his leg out, attempting to sweep me to the ground.  I lost my balance, but I didn’t let go, and we both tumbled to the mat.

His elbow caught my rib, sharp pain radiating through my torso.  He didn’t give me a moment before he was pinning me.

That was when it happened.  The lingering darkness in me shot up, flooding my mind like a geyser.  Before I realized what I’d done, Alec was on his back, and my hand was on his chest.  My other was reaching for his neck.

I wanted to choke him.

“Kory, don’t.”  He grabbed my hand, squeezing until my fingers went numb.   

I blinked, quickly coming back to myself.  I yanked out of his grasp and crawled away.  “Shit,” I muttered as the cold darkness sank back to the depths. 

Alec sat up and faced me.  “What was that?”

My eyes lifted to his, expecting to see terror or even disgust.  His expression was surprisingly calm.  And open.  “Darkness,” I whispered.  When his brow furrowed, I continued.  “I felt it when I was becoming a demon.”

“You black out and have flashbacks of that time?” he asked.

I nodded.  “Or I’ll just feel this cold, dark anger and have the urge to hurt someone.”

Alec chewed on his bottom lip.  “It sounds like PTSD.”

I scoffed.  “Demonic PTSD?  I don’t think that’s a real thing.”

He shrugged.  “It could be.  Not a lot of people make it as far as you on the dark side and come back.”

I rubbed my torso where his elbow had jabbed me.  “What do you know about PTSD?” 

“My uncle has it,” he said, staring off into the distance.  “Dan and his twin Jason were out hunting.  A demon caught them and put a crux sigil on Jason.  Dan watched him die in a nightmare before he was able to escape.”  His green eyes turned to mine.  “Sometimes he has flashbacks of when he was there.  He’s gotten into plenty of fights with others thinking they were the demon.”

“I don’t know.” I twisted the end of my ponytail.  “Maybe it’s similar.  It doesn’t explain the darkness still lingering.”

“What does it feel like?” he asked.

“Like something cold and foreign hiding inside me.”  I swallowed hard.  I couldn’t believe I was telling Alec this crap.  “I feel like I could still snap any moment.”

“That’s why you were holding back a few weeks ago?”

I nodded.  “Then Rex took me out hunting and, well, you saw us later that night.”  We’d been pretty busted up.  “I almost let us both get killed because I was afraid to feel the darkness.”

“Colt, Van Warren!”  Instructor Roe’s voice made us jump.  “This isn’t social hour.  You’re supposed to be sparring.”

I rolled my eyes, a movement he caught.

“You know what?”  He pointed toward the door.  “Go to the headmaster’s office.  Both of you.”

Alec’s jaw dropped.  “What did I do?”

“You’re pissing me off.”  He motioned us on.  “Get out of my sight.”

Alec shot me a droll look.  “This is what I get for being your friend.”

 

“Ash won’t punish us,” I told Alec as we walked to his office.  “I’ll just tell him the truth, that I freaked out for a minute.”

He nodded.  “You’re pretty cool with him?  He knows all this stuff?”

“Most everything.”  I shifted closer.  “He doesn’t know Kye is Cassius or that Lorne A.K.A. Lucius is here too.  He also doesn’t know Rex, and I are caeteras.”

He shot me a smirk.  “Am I your only friend who knows about you and Rex?”

My eyes narrowed.  “Who the hell said we were friends?”

“Please.  By next week we’ll be doing each other’s hair.”

I scoffed.  “Doubtful.”

He rubbed his chin.  “You’re right.  We’ll be sharpening weapons together.”

“Not a chance.”

We turned the corner into the main office, Ash’s secretary Gretchen nowhere in sight.  We approached his closed door.  A loud voice suddenly echoed through the solid wood, and we halted.

“You’re losing focus.” Ash’s sharp voice sliced through the air, an uncharacteristic edge to it.  “This was your idea.  You came to me, remember?”

Alec and I traded glances.  Who was he having such a heated conversation with?

“I worked my ass off to get where I am today, and I’m not going to let some complication get in my way.”

“I think it’s The Council,” I whispered.

His brow arched.  “Why would he be arguing with them?”

“They kind of suggested he wasn’t fit to run Amarose after the demon attack on campus.”  I’d never seen him more pissed than that day.

Until now.

I couldn’t blame him.  I’d be angry if someone were questioning my job.  Maybe I should talk to Wallace.  If Ash was fired, I could only imagine who would take his place.  If it was Portia Lucas, I was screwed.

“My priorities are exactly where they need to be.  Yours, on the other hand, are not,” Ash continued.  “I understand your fascination, but you can’t let it override your decisions.”

My lip curled.  Fascination?  What did that mean?

“You’ve changed these past few weeks.  You’re not the same person I met.  You’ve let the whole thing get to you.”

“Are you sure he’s talking to The Council?” Alec mumbled under his breath.

My brows knit, and I shifted uneasily on my feet.  I had no idea who Ash was talking to.

 

∞∞∞

 

The clues I’d found with Brett were spread out on my bed, forming a semi-circle around me.  My mother’s birth certificate, the DNA test, Maggie’s note, the key to our house in Jasper, and finally the Liber de Sanguine.

I picked up the DNA test, trying to decipher the information.  The only thing I understood was the two DNA’s were similar.  They appeared to be related.  Chances were, one set of DNA belong to my mother and the other belonged to Lorne.

A groan slipped out.  My parents had left me with one hell of a mess.  My life would have been much easier had I grown up in this world and known who my parents were.  They could have at least told me they faked their own deaths and were on the run from the very first demon, the creator of his kind.

Where did Kye fit into all this? Did he ever meet my mother?  Did he try to turn her into a demon before she was murdered?  Did he know who killed my parents? 

My phone vibrated with a text message.  It was probably Braelyn or Kelsey.  They wanted to work on our history homework together.  Too bad I was already steeped in a whole mess of history I couldn’t figure out. 

I sighed as I read the number. 

What did Kye want now?  Nothing good.  I probably should have told The Council I could reach him so easily or at the very least Rex. 

But I hadn’t—for some weird, unknown, and dangerous reason.

Meet me tonight.

I rolled my eyes.  When was he going to get it?  I wasn’t going to let him turn me.  Not in a million years.  And I wasn’t going to run away with him either.

I typed my response.

Not happening.

Only a few seconds passed when my phone buzzed again.  As soon as I opened the text, my heart froze. 

This couldn’t be happening.  It wasn’t real.  Kye was screwing with me.  It was a trick.

The text included a picture of a bound and gagged Brett with two words typed.

Come alone.

 

The club was eerily quiet as I crept in, my heart tapping out an erratic beat.  My long iron knife was clutched tightly in my hand.  Kye had taken Brett.  I shouldn’t be surprised.  He’d turned Stein to get to me.

If he turned Brett into a demon, I’d kill him.  Nothing would stop me from slamming my blade into his dead, black heart. 

Too many people in my life could be hurt because of me now.  I was death to any one of them.  Nate had taken Braelyn hostage to capture me.  Kye was using Brett.  Kelsey could easily be hurt.  And—I couldn’t believe I was admitting this—but I’d even hate to see Alec used against me. 

The lights were dim in the large room, and shadows hung along the edges.  Without the strobing lights, music, and dancing crowd, the place was unnerving.  The mirrors behind the bar reflected shadows, multiplying the darkness. 

The demon sigils in red were still scrawled across the wall.

I shouldn’t be able to see them.  The human bartender hadn’t been able to, meaning the demon who drew them was still alive. 

Just chalk it up to the effects of nearly becoming a demon.

My nose sniffed the air, breathing in sweat, booze, industrial cleaner—and demon.  I skulked along the wall, slipping between metal chairs and tables.  My footsteps were quiet, but if a demon was in the room, it could hear me.

A muffled sound rose from the center.

My pulse spiked as I slinked toward it.  I wasn’t stupid.  This was a trap.  It didn’t mean I could let my friend suffer.

Another sound echoed, and I scurried toward it.  A gagged figure was slumped in a chair.

“Brett,” I hissed, slapping his cheeks to wake him.  A healing demon bite rested on the left side of his neck.

Crap.  He was probably high as a kite. 

He snapped to attention, his blue eyes clearer than I expected.  He mumbled something I couldn’t decipher.  I yanked the tape off his mouth.

Brett cursed.  “Son of a bitch, that hurt.”

A sigh of relief exited my lungs.  He seemed okay.  “Are you hurt anywhere else?”  I motioned toward the bite.

“You shouldn’t have come,” he hissed, his speech barely blurred.  The toxins from the demon were wearing off.  He must have been bitten hours ago.  “It’s a trap.”

I shot him an incredulous expression.  “No shit, Baustic.  What do you take me for, an idiot?”

The edges of his lips twitched.  “I missed you.”

Something was on the move behind me, their presence getting closer. 

Before Brett could utter a word of warning, I whipped around with my iron knife raised.  The blade found its mark, crashing into the demon’s chest and piercing her heart.

Her black eyes were wide with shock as she glanced between me and the hilt of my knife sticking out of her chest.  Thick, burgundy blood oozed out of the wound.  “You bitch.”  It came out as a garbled snarl.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.”  I yanked the blade out as her skin turned gray and dark veins raised toward the surface.  She fell to the ground with a thud.

“I thought you’d be taller.”  The male voice slithered from the shadows as another figure emerged.

I bent and wiped the burgundy demon blood off my knife with her shirt.  Images of other kills flashed through my mind, particularly those when I was turning.  I quickly shook the violent flashes off and stood.  “I don’t need to be any taller to kick your ass into immortal oblivion.”

“I’m so scared.”  Laughter echoed.

Brett’s angel eyes flitted around the club.  “He’s not alone,” he mumbled.

I gave him a quick nod.  “Why don’t you come all the way out and face me instead of hiding like a coward?”

The demon revealed himself, pulling a sharp intake of air from me.  He sported a shaved head and a cocky smirk.  He was the same demon that had tried carving a crux sigil on Rex the night Nate had stormed into Amarose.

My insides boiled, and my fingers tightened around the hilt.  “I’m going to enjoy killing you for what you tried to do to Rex.”  My voice was low, danger riddling every syllable.

A line formed between his brows.  “How did you know I was the one?”

“She’s his caetera.  She must have seen it.”  A female demon appeared, blue braids running down her scalp.

A snarl curled my lips.  “You again.”  I twisted the knife in my hand, itching to drive it through Mariska’s heart. 

“Kory,” Brett hissed.  “I know you’re badass and shit, but that one.”  He jerked his chin toward Smurfette.  “She’s stronger than the others.”

She slowly licked her lips.  “I bet Rex would taste even better than this sweet little human boy.”

She was the one that bit Brett.  Big mistake.

I lunged at her. 

At the last second, I switched directions and sent a flying kick toward the guy.  My foot slammed into his cheek, knocking him over a table.

He cursed as he scrambled up.  “What the hell?”

The female laughed.  “I told you she was strong, Reddick.  Don’t let her size fool you.”

I stalked closer, the urge to kill sliding through my veins.  Part of it was the demon darkness, but, hell, I had to kill him.  “You should listen to your boss, Reddick.”

His eyes filled with oily black and his lips curled back, revealing two rows of shark teeth.  “I’ll be chomping on your pretty neck in a minute, sweetheart.”

“I doubt it.”  Only two demons had managed to sink their teeth into me, and he wasn’t going to be the third.

I feigned to the left and delivered a right hook to his jaw.  Before his head could even whip back around, my right fist slammed into his cheek.

Pain radiated along my knuckles, but I ignored it.  Reddick was coming at me.

He tackled me, and we crashed into a table, rolling over it.  Luckily I landed on top and had the upper hand.  I slammed my elbow into his eye.

Reddick screamed and then hurled me off.  I landed on my back and skidded across the floor.  Adrenaline pumped through my bloodstream, and my muscles shook with anticipation. 

I liked killing demons.  So what?  I was a demon hunter.  I needed to stop punishing myself for enjoying ridding the world of monsters.  They were the evil ones with a one-way ticket to hell.  Not me.

I rolled up and marched toward Reddick.  No more deflecting.  No more defensive tricks.  He was my kill.

A growl slithered from between his jagged teeth.  When I’d first started training, a look like that would have scared the hell out of me even if I wouldn’t admit it.  Now, it was simply part of the job.

I advanced, blocking a hit to my chest.  My foot smashed into his shin, making Reddick fall to one knee.  He was now shorter than me.

My fingers laced through his hair and I yanked his head back.  I towered over him, pinning him with a cold stare.  “Don’t ever think you or any demon can touch my friends or my caetera and get away with it.”  I jammed the knife into his chest, scraping against bones on my way to his heart.

“You’ll die soon,” he mumbled as his skin grayed.  “Nothing will be left of you.”

My brow furrowed.  Had Kye changed his mind?  Did he want to just kill me to keep Lorne from becoming a ferrum again?

“Kory!”

That one little moment of distraction cost me.  Seconds later, a sharp pain tore through my neck.  It felt as if thousands of needles penetrated my skin.  Really, it was a couple dozen demon teeth sinking into my flesh.

That blue-haired skank. 

Every muscle in my body tensed from her assault.  Crimson dripped along the edges of my vision, much like the blood leaking down my shoulder.

Mariska got the drop on me.  She was feasting off my sweet, teenage life force.  I could hear Brett’s deep yells of protest in the background.  He was telling me to fight her off.

Where was Kye?  If he changed his mind and wanted me dead, I at least thought he would have been the one to do it.

Her groan of pleasure penetrated my thoughts. 

Ugh.  Gross.

I yanked out of her grasp.  With a swiftness most weren’t capable of after a demon bite, I spun around and punched her blood-stained mouth.  Crimson mixed with thick burgundy. 

We stared at each other, both shocked by my rapid movements while demon toxins were flowing through my bloodstream.  In fact, I hardly felt the groggy effects at all.

“What—”

I didn’t give her a chance to finish.  My knife arced through the air.  The hit was so hard, the blade didn’t just scrape ribs on the way in, it cracked them.

We both stumbled at the jarring impact and slammed into the railing by the stairs.  Her expression held no shock or pain like the other two demons had.  Instead, a slow smile curled her lips, burgundy blood leaking between rows of shark teeth.

“I can see why it’s you,” she coughed.  “I’m over a thousand years old, and you took me out like I was nothing.”

“You are nothing,” I hissed.

“You’ll be joining me soon.”  She laughed and kicked me off. 

I stumbled and watched as she yanked my knife out, dropping it.  As her body began to die, she leaned back and tumbled over the railing.  A loud crash resonated through the club as she hit the stairs below.

The silence was deafening.

It didn’t last long.

My head whipped in Brett’s direction.  He was still tied up to the chair, struggling against the duct tape wrapped tightly around him.

I grabbed my knife and marched toward him.  “Are you okay?”

He blinked those ridiculously pretty angel eyes.  “Am I okay?  She just snacked on your neck.  Shouldn’t you be walking around like a drunk sorority girl?”

I shot him an incredulous look.  “I’d never act like a sorority girl, demon bite or not.”

“You know what I mean.”  He gestured to his neck.  “When she bit me, I was drunk as a skunk.  I’m still a little buzzed.”

My knife easily cut through the tape, freeing his arms.  “I don’t know why I’m not flying high right now.  I feel a little light-headed, but that’s it.”  The only logical explanation was my near fall into demon darkness. 

I finished freeing Brett and ran a hand over his neck wound.  “You should have this checked out.”  My eyes met his, and I swallowed hard.  “Who did this?  Was it just those two demons?”  I hadn’t seen any sign of Kye.  Why would he set this up and not be here to take me?  Or if he was done with me, why wouldn’t he kill me himself?

This didn’t seem like him at all.

Brett shook his head.  “He was there, the blonde hair, blue-eyed demon.”

My chest constricted.  For some odd, illogical reason, I’d hoped it was a mistake.  “Are you sure?  Did you see his face?”

He chewed on his bottom lip.  “I can really only remember his eyes.  But they were calling him Kye.”

That bastard was going to pay for this.

My nostrils flared, and I yanked another knife out of my boot.  I stood and slapped it in Brett’s hand.  “I’ll be right back.  If you see or hear anyone besides me, yell.” 

Where was that SOB hiding?

I sprinted down the stairs, hopping over Mariska’s corpse.  I half expected her to grab me horror movie style.  The door at the bottom was locked.  My foot lifted, and I gave one good, hard kick to the knob.  It flew open.

I stormed into a large office.  No sign of my blue-eyed stalker.  A door was on the left.  The rest of his place was behind it. 

The knob easily turned, allowing me in.

“Kye!  Where the hell are you?”  I marched through a living room and a kitchen.  The rooms were dimly lit, but it didn’t look like anyone was home.  “Kye!”

No answer.

I continued until I found the room with the bed I’d woken up in.  He wasn’t there either. 

I slapped my hand against the wall, pain ricocheting across my palm.  What kind of game was Kye playing?  My mind whirled a hundred miles a minute.  The deeper I got in this Lorne, Kye, my parents mess, the more confused I was. 

As my boot hit the first step back up to the club, movement above caught my attention.  I halted as it took a few moments for his appearance to sink in. 

Nate glanced between me and the powerful demon at the bottom of the stairs.  For the first time since he’d become a demon, true fear of me reflected in his eyes.  He bolted.

He went back to the club—where Brett was.  Alone.