Well, that pretty much confirmed it for Darrak, didn’t it?
Cue laugh track.
Darrak was paraphrasing, of course, but that was the message received, loud and clear.
Couldn’t exactly blame her.
The funny thing, really — in an entirely unfunny way — was the fact that only a few moments earlier he could have sworn he saw something in her eyes as she looked at him. Something like. . desire.
But, hell. Lust wasn’t love. He knew that better than most. He’d just never put it to the test before.
Darrak was very comfortable with lust. It made things simple.
Lesson of the century.
The phone rang and Leena grabbed it immediately.
“Yeah?” she said before her eyes flicked to him. “Maybe.”
Darrak held out his hand. “Give it to me.” When she didn’t budge, his eyes narrowed, and he tried not to let his exasperation with the shifter turn into outright anger.
That cocky look of hers vanished for a moment, replaced with what looked a whole lot like fear. Had she caught a glimpse of hellfire in his eyes?
Served her right. The shifter really didn’t know who she was messing with.
Or maybe the bitchy, argumentative act was just that. An act.
It would be much smarter for her to fear him.
“Fine.” She placed the receiver on the counter. Then she shifted to her small cat form—
The shifter was an annoying intrusion. But, he supposed, that was the point of having her there in the first place. He’d realized last night, when Eden nearly succeeded in seducing him, how very seducible he was.
The voice was tempting. Almost as tempting as Eden’s warm and very willing body had been last night.
Lust only.
“It’s me,” Theo responded.
Darrak couldn’t help but be slightly amused. “Why are you using the telephone? Seems a bit too human for you, or have things changed that much over the years?”
“The telephone wasn’t even invented the last time I saw you. No e-mail either.”
“Why didn’t you just phase here?” Darrak asked, referring to the ability demons had to teleport from place to place at will. He couldn’t do it anymore. His hundred foot tether to Eden stopped him.
“I figured if I just popped by in a flash of fire and showmanship, your girlfriend would freak out and decimate me.”
“You might be right. But she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Saddest excuse for a black witch I’ve ever seen, really. Does she sell cookies?”
Darrak frowned. “What?”
“I figured she might have some available, since she’s such a Girl Scout. They’re so delicious, aren’t they? And the cookies aren’t bad, either.”
“Never tried them. The scouts or the cookies. Although, I am recently very fond of chocolate donuts.”
Darrak felt the curious gaze of the shapeshifter. He walked to the balcony door and stepped outside so he could have some privacy from the spy in residence. He sensed the cold, but it didn’t bother him. No phasing abilities, or unlimited destructive power, but he could stand outside in the chilly air for as long as he wanted.
Yippy.
Eden had recently bought him a black leather trench coat that hung to his knees. It would be November soon, and she thought short sleeves marked him as something different when they went out. Seemed a bit bulky and unnecessary, but he wore it to please her.
He rubbed his forehead at the thought.
What the hell had happened to him?
“What do you want, Theo?” he asked as he watched the sun getting low on the horizon. They weren’t in the heart of the downtown core of the city here. More like the outskirts. There wasn’t much to see other than trees and roads and sky. Below him, in the parking lot, the streetlights flickered on.
Already, he felt a small twinge of pain in his very core that worked as a warning signal that his time to lose form was not that far off.
“I know you’re pissed I didn’t tell you about the angel before it happened,” Theo said.
“I’m not pissed. It had to happen, of course, to acquire the weapon. But I would have liked a head’s-up about it, yeah.”
“I have something for you that might make up for it. A gift.”
Darrak watched two people get into a car below and drive out of the parking lot. To the far left he could see Eden’s little Toyota.
“A gift? But it’s not even my birthday. Which, since I was never birthed, is understandable.”
“This is more of a gift of friendship.”
Darrak snorted. What was up with Theo tonight? Maybe he wasn’t the only demon who felt guilt lately. If it brought him gifts, then Darrak was okay with that. “Oh, yeah? Do you even know my favorite color?”
“I think so.” There was a smile in Theo’s words. It was oddly intriguing.
“What is it?”
“Can’t spoil the surprise.”
“Is it the means to end my curse?” he asked hopefully.
“Nope. Still working on that.”
Well, that was disappointing. “If it’s another gift like our visit with that angel today, I’m going to have to take a pass.”
“Why do you sound so morose about that?” Theo asked. “The plan is going perfectly.”
Darrak kept his gaze fixed on the setting sun. Now that Theo mentioned it, he really didn’t know why he was so morose about it. He never would have had a problem with taking the necessary steps to achieve something big before.
“Darrak,” Theo said after a moment. “You’re still into this, right?”
“Of course.”
“Sorry, but I’m not hearing the enthusiasm I’d like to from you. It’s her, isn’t it?”
“Her who?”
“You know who. Your hostess with the mostest. She has you wrapped around her little finger.”
His jaw tensed. “No she doesn’t.”
“Dude, I understand. Really. It’s like. . like what happened with Kristina and me. I can see it.”
“It’s nothing like that.”
“It’s all a test, Darrak. A big one. I was tested with Kristina and I passed. Now it’s your turn. If you don’t pass this test, then you’re going to be eternally screwed.”
“A test, huh? I think I’m failing at the moment. Badly.” Darrak didn’t want to have this conversation. He gripped the railing of the balcony so tightly it made a metallic groaning sound.
“You’re stronger than this,” Theo assured him. “You might think you have some sort of strange attachment to
