himself for the impact, I would’ve doubled us both over. He wrapped his arms around me. “What happened?” I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat. “Some…something was in the woods, Quill. It was after me.” He focused on the woods. “Let’s get you inside. I’ll tell Trey to make you some coffee.” Coffee?! “Did you hear what I said?” “Yeah, come on, Dulce.”
He opened the back door, and I wasted no time in taking shelter in my house. I collapsed against the table, watching Quillan shut and lock the door behind him. As if a lock would keep whatever was out there…out. “What the hell, you don’t believe me?” I insisted. “I believe you,” he said. “I just didn’t want to make a scene out there. No reason for the neighbors to get concerned.” Was he freaking serious? “Yeah, no reason for them to get concerned when whatever is out there could eat them!”
Quillan shook his head and took a seat next to me. “We’ve discovered the creature was called from the Netherworld. Whoever called it has complete control over it. It will only go after whoever they tell it to.”
“So, someone told it to go after me?”
“Probably so. Well, if that was the creature who killed Fabian.”
So, now he even doubted it was the creature? WTF? “What else could it have been?” I scoffed. “And great job your little gremlins did protecting me, by the way.”
Quillan dropped his eyes. “We found them dead right outside your back door.”
I nearly choked. “They weren’t dead five minutes ago. I went out to feed them and thought they were screwing around in the woods. That thing killed them?” I dropped my forehead into the palm of my hand.
“Trey is taking care of them now.”
The sound of the door opening grabbed my attention, and Trey walked in, wiping Hades-only-knew-what on his thighs. And he was sleeping on my couch? “Hi Dulce, you okay?” he asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Yeah, I’m fine.” But, I wasn’t fine. Far from it. “Trey, will you put on some coffee?” Quillan asked. “I don’t want any coffee,” I snapped. “Okay, nix the coffee,” Quillan said. Trey took a seat next to both of us. “So, what was out there?” I shook my head. “Quillan doesn’t seem to think it was much of anything even though it killed the gremlins.” “That’s not true. We haven’t figured out exactly what it is yet, and I don’t want to make any decisions until we do.”
I held my tongue-I really wanted to tell him I knew what it was-that it was a Kragengen shapeshifter, and I knew what it looked like in human form but Knight had sworn me to secrecy and did I really want to go against a big wig from the Netherworld? In short: no.
“Well, maybe I should stay with you both tonight?” Quillan said.
Talk about screwing up my Dagan and Bram plans. “No,” I said too quickly, then smiled as if to make up for it. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Dulce, something killed both gremlins and tried to kill you,” Quillan said like I was a slow kid.
“We don’t know that,” I started, thinking it ridiculous that Quillan and I had basically changed places-me feigning nonchalance and him making a big deal out of it. Irony anyone?
He frowned. “It wasn’t stopping by for a social call.”
I swallowed. There wasn’t any other way. “I have a…” What the hell had Knight said he was? I remember him using the name Todd but that was about it. “I have a…friend coming over to stay with me.”
Quillan’s expression was entirely too curious. “A friend?”
Yeah, Knight had said he was my friend, right? “Um, a friend from before I moved here…named Todd.”
It was Trey’s turn to frown, and his bottom lip puffed out as if to emphasize his confusion. I tried to give him the look of death, but he was too concerned with whether or not Knight was really my friend to notice. Have I mentioned hobgoblins aren’t particularly smart? “Wasn’t he your cousin?” Einstein asked. Big goddammit. “No, he’s an old friend.” Trey shook his head, the pain in the ass. “I thought he said he was your cousin…yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s your cousin.”
“I think I’d know my own cousin,” I snapped. “Anyway, you were completely out of it, Trey, maybe that’s what you thought you heard.” The doorbell chimed, and I bolted from the chair, relieved to break free from the both of them. “That’s probably him now.” I pulled open the door, and Knight gave me a slow smile. “Dulce.” “Hi, Todd,” I said, hoping he’d get the clue that I had company. He straightened and nodded. Thank Hades, someone had some sense. “You remember Trey?” I said as Knight walked into the house. He smiled at Trey.
Quillan stood at the sight of Knight and lumbered over, extending his hand. “Dulcie tells me you’re old friends. Pleased to meet you, I’m Quillan, her boss.”
Knight didn’t hesitate, but took Quillan’s hand and shook it. Neither one let go. I was just waiting for them to sniff each other’s asses.
“Hiya, Todd,” Trey called from the table. His voice interrupted the handshake, and both men retreated to opposite sides of the kitchen.
“Trey, good to see you feeling better,” Todd, my friendly cousin said.
Quillan faced me, an angry set to his features. “Was Todd here when Trey was…sick?”
I gulped, knowing he’d be pissed that someone he thought wasn’t law enforcement was now privy to information he shouldn’t be. But, no use in lying on this count. The cat was already miles away from the bag.
“Um, yeah, he happened to stop by, and he’s good with magic so he helped Sam out a bit.” I cringed. Ergh, I really wasn’t good at this lying stuff.
Quillan held his tongue but I could tell he was pissed by the tightness of his jaw and the fact that his eyes looked as fierce as Drew Barrymore’s in Firestarter.
“Well, I guess I can get going then,” he said in an icy voice, his face a facade of reserve. “Dulce, want to walk me to the door?”
Great, he wanted to yell at me in pseudo privacy. “Sure,” I said sheepishly.
Trey started a conversation with Knight, who took a seat at the table across from him. When Quillan and I reached the front door, he pushed it open and inclined his head toward the front stoop. Apparently, it wasn’t private enough inside.
“Why the hell is your boyfriend here, Dulcie?” he asked when I’d closed the door behind us.
Hades be damned, how many times was someone going to accuse Knight of being my boyfriend? I gritted my teeth. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Your friend, whatever. What’s he doing here?”
“I thought it’d be good to have extra protection.”
Quillan’s eyes narrowed. “That’s what the gremlins are for. That’s why Trey is staying with you and that’s why I come by every day after work.”
My personal life was none of his business. “The gremlins are dead, I’m more protecting Trey than he is me and you stopping by after work is all fine and good, but it doesn’t amount to much.” “Instead of coming to me, you call Mr. Bodybuilder shit-for-brains?” “Don’t talk about him like that. He’s not dumb.” “He shouldn’t be involved in police business. None of this concerns him.” If only he knew exactly how involved Knight was and that he’d basically called his boss’ boss a shit-for-brains. “He doesn’t know anything about it.”
“Other than the fact that Trey was put under by something and now needs to stay with you. That’s more than enough for him to know, Dulcie.” He paused. “You really botched this one up.”
“Is that it?” I asked impatiently, coming close to botching the frown off his face.
He sighed and leaned against the wrought iron railing. “No, I want you to tell him to go home. I can stay with you and Trey.”
“Not gonna happen. Todd’s not staying with me and neither are you. Trey and I are fine. Now, why don’t you go home, and do whatever it was you were planning on doing this evening.”
He crossed his arms against his chest and stared down the length of his nose like I was all of three feet tall. “Is all of this because I kissed you?”
“What?” I shot out. “What does that have to do…”
“I thought things were fine between us, Dulce.”
“Things are fine. Now, before you make yourself sound any stupider, why don’t you be on your way?” I pushed at his lower back, but he didn’t budge. “Alright but we need to talk, you and I.” “Fine. Good. Wonderful. Now go.” He turned and started for his truck. I walked back inside and slammed the door shut behind me. “Everything okay?” Knight asked. “Yeah, fine. Uh, Todd, can I chat with you for a second, please?” He nodded and Trey stood up.
“I’ll just watch the tube,” Trey said and collapsed into the sofa, grabbing the remote from the valley between
