Dangerous Games

down to my borrowed car.

I got there only a few minutes over my half-hour deadline. But by the time I parked, went through all the scans and security checks and then headed down to sub-level three and the old conference room that had become the daytime division's temporary headquarters, another ten minutes had slipped by. Jack swung around as I entered, green eyes as stormy as I'd ever seen them. Yep, the shit had hit the fan somewhere along the line last night. Hell, being late was pretty much a common occurrence where I was concerned. It had never bothered him before and I doubt it was the cause of his anger now.

Even so, I opened my mouth to apologize, but didn't even get a chance to say the words before he was in my face and roaring.

'What the hell were you doing last night?'

'Having some of the best sex of my life.' I paused a beat, then added dryly, 'You obviously weren't.'

I here was a muffled snort from behind us. Rhoan. I didn't react, just met Jack's bloodshot, green-eyed stare with a calm I certainly wasn't feeling. I hadn't seen him in full rant mode often, but I had seen him. And if there was one thing I'd learned after nearly eight years of being a liaison and his personal assistant, it was that it was better to use humor to diffuse the situation than to fire back. Which is what my instincts were clamoring to do.

'No, I wasn't,' he said. 'I was being harassed by my PA because someone was using Directorate resources without permission.'

Ah, so I'd been right. The caramel cow had been in his ear. 'Boss, if you'd just fuck the woman and get it over with, I'm sure all our lives would be a whole lot easier.'

He blinked, and as quickly as that, the anger rolled away. He laughed, a short, sharp sound that only hinted at the tension I could still feel in him. 'You might be right there.'

'When it comes to sex advice, always listen to a werewolf. We don't have many hang-ups to cloud our judgment.'

'Maybe.'

He studied me a moment longer, then stepped away. I beat a hasty retreat across the almost empty room. Rhoan and I were still the only official members of the daytime guardian squad. Kade was supposed to have been transferred from the military by now, but the endless rounds of paperwork were currently holding things up. Iktar, the featureless spirit lizard who'd played a part in bringing down Davern's cloning and crossbreeding empire, was currently undergoing training and wouldn't officially become a guardian for another ten months. Berna had refused Jack's 'offer' and gone home. And then there was Dia and Liander, who were on the books as 'consultants' rather than guardians.

I perched on the edge of my brother's desk and asked, 'How's the little girl?'

'Died last night in intensive. They haven't found her parents, yet, either.'

Anger swirled through me, along with a sense of guilt. We'd tried our hardest to save her, but it had all been for naught. And Gautier was still out there, ready and willing to take more innocent lives. I rubbed a hand across gritty-feeling eyes, and asked, 'Has the missing person's register been consulted?'

'Yep,' Rhoan said. 'No dice there.'

'The cops are well able to handle that situation,' Jack interrupted, voice holding an impatient edge. 'What about we concentrate on our own work for a change?'

I looked at him. 'So, what were you saying about resources being used without permission?'

Play innocent until all facts were on the table was my motto. Hell, I had no idea what he'd been told. Knowing Sal, it wouldn't have been just the truth, but rather an embellishment that would make her look good and me bad. Why she felt this necessary I have no idea—it wasn't like I was a threat to her ambitions of bedding Jack. I liked him as a person and a boss, but as a sexual partner? Never.

He poured himself a coffee from the dispensing machine and downed it in one gulp. If he'd been doing that for the last few hours, it could go a long way to explain It is wired state.

'Why were you using Directorate sources to trace a car?' he asked.

'Because the car was tailing Quinn and myself. It's downstairs, in the parking lot, by the way. And I did leave a message about it on your phone.'

'Ah,' Rhoan said, 'so that explains the satisfied smile on your face as you waltzed in a minute ago.'

I glanced at him. 'No, it doesn't.'

'Why not, when you were with him?'

'Because I wasn't with him for very long.'

'Then who were you with?'

'I told you this morning—Kellen. He decided a good body worshipping was in order last night, and I ended up staying at his place—a fact you would have known if you'd actually been home yourself.'

'Bitch.'

I wasn't entirely sure whether that comment was aimed at my the worshipping comment or the barb, but I decided to go with the former. 'Hey, you've got a man more than willing to worship your bod. You're just too chicken to go see him.'

'Children, please try and concentrate on the matter at hand rather than your conquests of the night before.'

I tried to restrain my grin and look dutifully interested in the topic at hand. Judging by the look Jack threw my way, I wasn't very successful.

'Quinn has more than enough resources of his own to trace cars,' Jack continued. 'Hell, he could probably get the information quicker than we could. You can't just use the Directorate as your own personal information center.'

'Why not? I've been doing it for seven years as your PA.' I paused, then added, probably unwisely, 'Did Sal do the background check on the owner?'

'Yeah, but there's nothing out of the ordinary.'

'Has the owner been contacted about the car? Reported it stolen?'

'No. And she's not answering the phone. We'll follow it up this morning.' He ran a hand across his bald head. 'So tell me, what the hell were you up to last night?'

'We were being followed, as I said. We arranged a little trap in a side street to smoke them out, but when we got to the car, there was no one inside it.'

'So they escaped before you got there?'

'No one escaped from the car. No door was opened. They just vanished.'

He frowned. 'That's not possible.'

'Well, maybe it is for a human or nonhuman, but these things were apparently low-rank demons.'

'Demons?' Jack raised his eyebrows. 'And just what led you to this conclusion?'

'Quinn told me.'

'Quinn told you they were demons?' Rhoan's voice was edged with disbelief. 'Why on earth would he do that?'

'Because he believed it to be true.' I looked back to Jack. 'What do you know of a mob called the Aedh?'

He frowned. 'The name rings a bell, but that's about it. Why?'

'Because Quinn met with someone who claimed to be a high priest of Aedh. He sent Quinn off to uncover who was raising the demons.'

Jack's frown deepened. 'Quinn's not the type to be ordered around.'

'Tell me about it.' Hell, I'd tried ordering him about numerous times, and the damned man just wouldn't do as asked. Mind you, not doing what I asked had often led to great amounts of pleasure, so I was hardly in a position to bitch. 'So, I guess my next question is, are demons really real?'

'And if they are, why are they loose in Melbourne and following Quinn?' Rhoan added.

Jack blew out a breath and began to pace the length of the room. Which wasn't a whole lot of steps, as the room was one of the Directorate's smaller conference rooms and had been designed to hold a maximum of twelve