I escorted a whining Edzard and bouncing Jezebeth to the front door of the bar. Last call had come and gone and I just kicked the last dem to the curb. The place was a little worse for wear, and I hoped the brownies showed up overnight. I’d called again, putting the fear of On High and Hell into my message to Dead Nettle. I’d show up early tomorrow just in case the brownies remained on strike. If I knew what they wanted I’d give it to them and be done with the mess. But did the short beasts call me back? No.

Jezze was pumped, vibrating with energy and I envied the little witch. I was beyond exhausted and all I wanted was a comfy bed and twenty-four hours of uninterrupted, green-eye free sleep.

Sleep.

Ugh. If the brownies hadn’t taken care of the bar, they sure as hell hadn’t cleaned up my home. Which meant, with or without protective spells, I had no place to lay my head.

On High hated me. Period. Full stop.

I flicked the lock on the door and then leaned my head against the worn wood with a groan.

“Caith?” Jezebeth sounded way too cheery. “What’s going on, chickie?”

“I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight.”

“Come home with me. You know Mom—”

I pushed away from the panel and shook my head. “No. I’m not about to bring this bullshit to your house.”

Jezze propped her hands on her hips and glared at me. “It’s not like Mom can’t take on whatever those things were.”

I shook my head again. “Nope. Not doing it. I love you guys and—”

“We love you, too. That’s why I’m telling you—”

“—I refuse to put you in harm’s way. I’ve handled worse, Jezze. You know I have. This morning aside, I don’t bring other people into my bullshit.”

Jezebeth narrowed her eyes further. “You can’t do everything yourself.”

I shrugged. “Maybe not, but if I go down, I go down alone. Besides, Papa Al is looking into things and I’m sure the other dads are, as well. It’s good. I’m good.” I forced a smile to my lips. “I promise.”

I swore that whatever happened, it wouldn’t involve my only friend and surrogate mom.

“Fine,” Jezze snapped. “If you’re not staying at home and you’re not bunking with us, where are you going?”

That… was an excellent question.

“With me.” The deep baritone seemed to shake the sidewalk and I realized I’d forgotten about Puppy.

I whirled to face the large thelac warrior and raised my eyebrows. “With you?” I snorted. “Hardly.”

Edzard shrugged. “You want somewhere safe where you can sleep. We have the Necan.”

The Necan, the one and only bed and breakfast for visiting thelacs. The males didn’t do well without a strict hierarchy which meant the warriors all stayed in one place. Otherwise, there was no telling what could happen. One thing could lead to another, and then thelacs were battling azaars and fifty shades of hell would break loose on the streets of Orlando.

“And you think I’ll be welcome?”

Puppy grinned. “A chance to fight whatever may come after you? Of course. Drek would beat me if I didn’t take you with me.”

I jerked my head in a quick nod. “Okay, but call ahead. The first male who thinks I’m easy prey will be missing his balls before morning.”

Puppy winced and his hands jerked toward his junk, as if covering himself with his hands would save him. Ha! “I’ll tell them.”

“Good.” I spun and reached for Jezze, giving my friend a tight hug. “I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jezebeth was worried and if I were telling the truth, I was a tiny bit as well.

“Sure-ish.” I released my best friend. “I’ll call if I need the cavalry.”

The witch sighed and nodded. “I know. I just worry about you.”

Yeah, well, I worried about myself, too. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back by ten tomorrow.”

At Jezebeth’s nod, I turned back to Edzard and strode past him. “C’mon, Puppy. Let’s get a move on. Momma needs a shower.”

A deep rumble came from Edzard. I slowly turned, realizing exactly where the puppy was looking as I’d strode before him. Yes, I had a bangin’ ass, no I didn’t want him staring. There were only a few reasons a thelac made that noise. Exhaustion, anger, and desire. And with his staring…

“That sound had better have been because you’re tired.”

Despite his size and the air of menace that surrounded all thelac warriors, he managed to look innocent and sweet. “Of course.”

“Uh-huh. Call the Necan.” I didn’t believe him for a second, but right now, I didn’t have enough energy to argue. “My car’s around the corner.”

The slow thump of boot striking concrete told me Edzard followed, and his low voice let me know he’d done as I asked and called the Necan.

Good. I didn’t think they’d deny my request. Orlando was my town, after all, but I wasn’t a thelac and those dems were notorious for their secrecy and desire for privacy.

I rounded the building and froze in place. On High hated me. Fuck it, Uncle Luc had to hate me, too. All kinds of deities hated me with a passion unrivaled.

Because, yeah, my car was there. In a million pieces. And not torn and crushed pieces. No, that would’ve been too easy.

Nope, each bit and part of the vehicle now lined the parking lot. Screws and nuts and bolts and panels… All lined up in a metal row that spanned the lot. No note, no hint of the perpetrators identity. Just gleaming metal.

Wait, not all of it gleamed. One piece glowed. Glowed bright and glaring and neon green.

“Dammit, they turned my fuzzy dice into an evil nightlight.” The evil bastards were going down for that alone. I’d killed the zombies and vamps and now they taunted me? I couldn’t wait to tear them limb from limb.

Edzard stopped behind me, his voice cutting off as his boots slid over loose stones. “Uh, Drek, I have to call you back.”

That wasn’t the least bit respectful and I knew those words would cost him at least a month of training in Mount St. Helens. Poor little dem.

Poor little dem? What the fuck was I thinking? Poor little Caith’s awesome car. Well, awesome-ish. It had a few dozen dents and double that number of scratches from the valkyrie who got pissed when I cut her off a couple weeks ago. But, it was my car.

“What happened?”

I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. “What does it look like?”

“Like you pissed off that troll yesterday and he decided he wanted to turn your car into a puzzle.”

I glared at him over my shoulder. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Fucking troll with his fucking metal fetish. Was it that pretty boy? “So you think the troll is down with the green-eyed monsters?”

Edzard shrugged. “Looks like it. You know how they are. They itch for any excuse to do something like this.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I can’t deal with this right now. Like, at all. Let’s grab a cab because I’m not hoofing it to downtown mousetown.”

Over the years, as the famous mouse’s domain expanded, so had the dems. Now if there was a smiling crowd walking around, a person could be sure there were snarly dems nearby. It was a nice offset that kept my town from crumbling into Hell. Happy balanced evil and Orlando got to stay in the land of no-fire.

I strode toward the street, arm raised to hail our transportation when a large hand snared my wrist. And it felt… good. I fought the shiver that overtook me. Parts of me recognized a fellow dem. Sure, I had a lot of goodness going on inside me, five dads took care of that, but it couldn’t eradicate my demon half. Couldn’t blunt the desires that had me easing closer to the thelac.

My wolf whined and pawed at the desire burning inside me. Burning. Burning. The beast ached for Sam, desired him above all else, but my dem bits definitely appreciated a fellow demon.

“No cab needed.” He drew me closer until his arms enveloped me and I fought not to rub against him like a cat in heat.

I didn’t want Puppy. At all. My heart still craved a certain asshole gel even if it was a bad idea.

Except… Take him, my demon half whispered. Take. Him.

I swallowed hard, pushing that part of me into the back of my mind. I wasn’t taking anyone anywhere. Ever. Or at least for a very long time.

“Wha—” Darkness stole over my body and smothered every hint of light.

The whoosh of wind filled my ears, the air snatching at my hair, and I remembered thelacs didn’t have to do the whole driving thing. They simply had to visualize a location and they were gone. Demons flew, a thelac’s dark skin blending with the midnight.

Poof.

One second passed, and then two, and then we appeared in an empty bedroom. The walls were deep red, the burgundy hue of dried blood and I wondered if it really was blood. Who knew with thelacs. I continued my perusal, gaze skimming over the massive bed, the masculine furniture and the cuts and gouges that marred many of the surfaces. I didn’t want to think about those. If the walls were blood, were those remnants of the battles the room had seen?

I shuddered and the arms that still enveloped me tightened ever so slightly. That squeeze reminded me I was still held by Edzard and it felt… nice. I trembled again, pulse increasing and skin heating with the first hints of desire. The dem wanted him, but my heart and mind… still lingered on an asshole gel.

This was… wrong.

I carefully stepped back, trying to extricate myself, but the puppy merely tensed and remained unmovable.

“Edzard?” I brought my hands to his biceps and dug my fingers into his flesh. “Lemme go.”

Puppy rumbled and his cock hardened, his thickness unmistakable against my hip. “Hmm… Smell good.”

Of course I did. Of course. And I decided leaving with a thelac was a good idea. Smooth move, Caith. Real smooth.

“Yeah, I’m sure I do, but…” I squeezed tighter, digging in as deeply as I could without breaking his skin. “But we’re not doing anything about it.”

He hummed and leaned toward me, pressing his face to my neck. “Couldn’t smell you in the bar, but now…”

“But now nothing.” I leaned away. “I would really like to not hurt you. Mainly because it’d be nice to be safe for a little while and my handy dandy personal clothing cleaner isn’t around at the moment.”

Not that I wanted the gel nearby. At all. I figured On High couldn’t hate me for the blatant lie since I was Uncle Luc’s niece, so it wasn’t as if I was missing anything with their disapproval.

“I’ll clean you.” Another rumble and those heated hands grasped the waist of my pants, hold tightening and I knew the leather couldn’t withstand a thelac’s determination.

“Dammit, Puppy. I said—”

It didn’t matter what I said because I stumbled forward, Edzard’s hold suddenly gone. A crunching thump drew my attention to the other side of the room. A dazed puppy leaned against the wall, the white of the broken drywall sprinkling pale powder over him, contrasting against the deep red.

“Thank—” I turned my attention to my savior. “You?”

AKA Samkiel, asshole angel and sexy as hell male in leather.

No, bad brain. He’s not sexy. He’s ugly and delicious and lickable and…

Convincing my brain he was a bad guy wasn’t working well. Then I had to remember he wanted me, but not enough to give up On High for eternity. Which, really, I could see his point, but come on. What was there not to like about me? Other than my demon bits.

Otherwise I was perfect and we’d totally rock some hot sex and adorable babies. Eventually.

But he wouldn’t give up On High for me so no eventual babies.

Gah, I felt like I lived in a pinball machine, my mind constantly repeating the same things just slightly rephrased.

“What,” he paused, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. “What in the seven rings of Hell are you doing here?”

Should I tell him there were nine and they were called circles? When I noticed his face growing redder and redder by the second, I decided against it.

“I’m—”

“A thelac nest? Really, Caith? I knew you were half demon, but I didn’t realize that made you stupid.”

Oh Hell no.

“Excuse me?” The two words were deadly calm, the quiet before the hellstorm, and Sam didn’t seem to realize the danger lumbering forward.

The angel glared at me. “They would love nothing more than to father the next generation of Morningstars with you. What would it be like for them to have a connection to the High Lord? What power would they have?”

I snarled at him and refused to acknowledge he was a little bit right. “I wouldn’t—”

“You wouldn’t have a choice.”

I fought to steady my breathing. Rushing into a confrontation with anger riding my shoulder was a straight trip to failure. “You believe that I can’t protect myself?”

“It didn’t look—”

I held up my hand, using a hint of power from my fathers. My mother’s blood would hurt Sam, I just wanted the asshole to shut up. “You don’t get to speak any longer.”

His pale blue eyes widened in surprise when his lips remained clamped together.

“Just because I don’t destroy everyone I come across doesn’t mean I can’t.”

I kept my stare on him as snippets of hellfire eased forward to coat my skin. My fur emerged just as carefully, impervious to the heat that enveloped my body. Behind that were the twining glows of white and green from my pure of heart dad and my father who lived and died by the earth.

The only parent’s genes that didn’t physically alter my appearance were Papa Leth’s. He’d stormed the walls of Jerusalem during the crusades, fueled by belief in On High and strength alone. A passing glance at me didn’t reveal Papa Leth’s influence on my body, but one second in battle against me and my opponents were quick to realize their mistake.

“I can level this city, Sam, but instead, I choose to cling to the parts of me that remain good. The parts that love Jezebeth and my bar and my fathers. Because if the part of me that belongs to my mother and Uncle Luc had control, I would have scorched the hotel to the ground last night, destroying hundreds of people, the vamps, and you. If that bit took control, my home for hundreds of years would have been ashes with a single thought.” I blunted the strength of my fathers and battled my hellfire back into place. I swallowed all that power and placed the cage around it once again until I looked just as human as everyone else. I leveled my brown-eyed gaze on him, showing him my control just as I’d shown him my strength. “But I love my home.”

But I don’t love you.

I’d keep telling myself that lie. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours and already I… Nope, it was lust. It had to be lust. Uncle Luc was working overtime and shoving a deadly sin down my throat. Right.

“Caith…” Stricken eyes met mine.

A commotion in the hallway was followed by the crack of breaking wood and the door slammed against the wall. Drek charged into the room, snarl on his lips as he exposed his deadly fangs. His gaze swept the area, his attention lingering on me, then Edzard and finally settling on Sam.

His focus remained on the gel even as he spoke to me. “Caith?”

“I’m fine. It was a misunderstanding.” I swallowed the next words that rushed to my lips. Misunderstanding because Sam’s an asshole. “It’s okay, Drek. Sam’s just leaving and it’d be great if you could take Edzard.”

“What happened?”

My stare settled on Sam. “Nothing. Sam was just confused, but I’ve explained things.” I looked to Drek. “Now we’re good and I’m still tired. So if you could drag Puppy out of here, I’ll send Sam on his way and I’ll get some sleep.”

I smiled, hoping to reassure Drek, but when he simply narrowed his eyes, I knew I’d failed. Yes, I’d failed, but he did as I asked nonetheless. It took moments for a few of the thelacs to carry Edzard from the room which left me and Sam alone.

“Caith, I…” Sam reached for me and I stepped away. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Why?” I quirked a brow.

He frowned. “What do you mean why?”

“I mean,” I spoke slowly as if he were a child. “Why do you care? Did you suddenly decide I’m worth forsaking your illustrious On High?”

“You can’t expect—”

I held up a hand, cutting him off. “You know what? You’re right. I can’t expect you to feel things that aren’t there.”

Sam snorted. “You mean to tell me they are for you? You’d leave Hell for someone you love?”

“I already have, Sam. My fathers, Jezze, Momma R… My soul calls for the fires of Hell, but I love them all and so I deny my nature and stay. For them.”

He shook his head. “It’s not the same. You can always go—”

“No,” I snapped. “If I leave the tween and go to Hell, that’s it for me. So I have to weigh my love for heat and destruction against the feelings I have.” I spun away, unwilling to look at him any longer. “Just go, Sam. I don’t expect anything from you. There’s no point.”

“It’s not the same,” he tried again.

“You’re right,” I whispered. “But you should ask yourself if you’re trying to convince me or yourself.”

He growled. “Caith.”

I stared at a pale pink spot on the wall and fought the emotion that pummeled me. “Please leave.”

Quiet descended and I wondered how long I’d have to remain immovable and silent before he gave up.

One second turned into two which turned into forty-seven.

He’d stared at my back for forty-seven seconds before he finally vanished in a swirl of sweetness and sulfur. Today the sweet overrode the proof of his half-fallen status.

So, his decision was pushing him toward On High’s welcoming arms. I supposed that was good. For him, at least. For me… not so much.