CHAPTER NINE
There was nothing to be mad about, and Robin had to remind herself of that as she told Jin how she was so tired today and needed an early night in before slipping into her room as quickly as she could.
Naturally, Simon was already there, pacing the room and pausing to look at her when she came in. She locked the door and gave him a steady look back, images of his body half-naked as he writhed with that—with that—
Okay, it was time to stop thinking about it. Robin shut her mind and opened it to another topic altogether as she brushed past him, careful not to let their skins touch. The magic she pulled out while fighting that succubus was still vibrating on her skin, and she did her best to hide it from Jin. Now, it flowed out of her in waves, and she had to perform another spell to cloak the room from magic detection. The use of magic against an equally powerful creature was taxing, and it gave Robin the kind of high that made her emotions irrational and slightly difficult to handle.
Like right now.
Trying to organize her thoughts, she sat down on the bed and frowned. Simon was leaning against a desk, his arms folded and his expression brooding. It was the first time she’d seen him brood like that, and it didn’t sit well with her.
There were a lot of things about Simon that didn’t sit well with her since she’d met him in that bar, but she knew she was just going to have to get used to it. The Simon she worked with in the past was chatty, softer and the kindest friend she’d ever had. Now he was edgier, more difficult to read…and definitely more dangerous.
He was also in her mind more than she cared to admit.
There were matters, however, that needed prioritizing. Robin got to the point.
“I won’t know we’re completely demon-less here because succubus are good at hiding their energy until they seduce someone. So I need help.”
Simon nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just stand by and kill if necessary,” Robin clipped out. A puzzled look entered his face, but she didn’t dwell on it as she took a step back and kept a space in the bedroom vacant. She took out her bag that contained a secret compartment for magic necessities, took out the necessary materials, then closed her eyes. While she did so, she bent down on the floor and began drawing with chalk, then arranged a couple of gems in a circular manner. She then stepped back, careful not to bump into anything, as she chanted in her mind and gathered her energy. Red had taught this to her several times but had made it a point to always remind her that this kind of summoning was only supposed to be the last option in every situation.
What Red didn’t know was that someone owed Robin a lot, and she was coming to collect.
The chanting in her mind went on, going faster and faster until it and the magic consumed her. The room was deadly silent save for Simon’s steady breathing. After a few minutes, her magic sensed him tense.
Then, take a step forward.
“Don’t move,” she snapped out. Finishing her mind chant, she then quickly opened her eyes and strode forward herself, speaking to the crumpled figure on the ground.
“Hiza, get up. I’m calling a favor in.”
The demon didn’t move for the first few seconds, lying face down as if dead. Then it moved all of a sudden, standing up straight and lunging for her. It stopped an inch away from the gem barrier she put it in, facing her with beady red eyes and a feral expression.
Robin didn’t flinch, watching as the demon stood back when he realized he was trapped. The feral expression turned to a smile that was supposed to be friendly, except it came off vicious and slightly horrible.
“Robin…” Hiza hissed. “After four years?”
Robin shrugged. “A favor is an eternal thing, Hiza. Unless you want to go back to that place I freed you from.”
Hiza visibly flinched this time, then really took a step back and changed his demeanor from aggressive to controlled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Simon still tense, but she paid him no mind as she concentrated her efforts on the powerful being before her.
“What do you need, then?” he asked.
“I need you to sense if there’s another demon presence in this place,” she said.
He shot her a look. Greater demons didn’t like getting in the way of other demons’ doings unless they were their minions, but they liked owing favors even less. Without question, the demon closed his eyes and didn’t move, staying in place as he sniffed the air. It took a while. When he opened them, there was a knowing gleam in his red eyes that told her she wasn’t going to like his answer.
“I sense one nearby, and many more at invisible spaces. Greaters and lessers in the same space, along with…oh. You killed a succubus. Good job. I’ve always thought them annoying.”
“Where exactly?” Robin asked.
Hiza shook her head. “You know I can only tell the kind and not the exact location. But it’s somewhere in this vicinity.” His gaze suddenly moved, settled on Simon. He smirked. “And it looks like someone wasn’t able to resist a certain demon’s…charms.”
A growl came from Simon, and Robin knew it was time to wrap things up. She thanked the demon for his help, and he smiled at her. It was a chilling smile, and had she not been used to his game, she’d have trembled.
Instead, she met it with a cool smile of her own.
“I still owe you two favors,” Hiza bit off. “Collect when you can.”
Robin nodded, then closed her eyes again and re-chanted. When she was done, she opened her eyes to find the demon gone. She turned to Simon, who was looking at her quietly. Waiting. “I need to spend time with Jin tomorrow and find out what I can. Jake’s life may be on the line…and Lucy’s.”
He was still looking at her quietly, and the way those gray eyes pinned her in place left her unsettled. She took a deep breath, trying to find the words to get him to understand before they would end up fighting again. She could feel it boiling in the air, a certain tension that wanted to blow up, and she just didn’t have time for it.
“I need to do this. You know I need to. It’s—”
Her words ended in a silent gasp when she felt arms come around her and pull her closer. Robin’s eyes widened, and she resisted at first—but without her magic, Simon was too strong for her, and he easily eased her in his arms for a hard hug that staggered her.
“I know,” he muttered. “Do it. But I’m watching out for you in case something goes wrong.”
“I don’t need protection.”
“I know you don’t need it. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it.”
Something inside her fluttered at his words, and she reined it in. Instead, Robin reluctantly accepted his hug, feeling the warmth of his body seep into hers. She didn’t realize how cold the demon’s presence had been until now.
Finally, Simon stepped back, sliding his hands down her palm and rubbing them before letting go. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was moving in the other direction as fast as she could.
“You’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Simon said. He smiled, and her stomach fluttered again until he turned serious. “I’m sorry for the succubus thing. I was trying to get information.”
“From her mouth?” Robin blurted out before she could stop herself.
Simon threw back his head and laughed. “Maybe.”
“You should tell me next time.”
“I will,” he promised. He held out his hand. “And tell me whatever you have planned for Jin. We need to work together. I don’t trust him one bit.”
She didn’t either because there was something under the man’s charm that just wasn’t quite right. As for Simon?
Well, yes. She trusted him with everything, even after five years. Imagine that.
Robin raised her hand. They shook on it.
“I will, Simon.”