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“You can speak to me directly, Ian. And don’t pretend we haven’t met. ” Laurie smiled tightly. “And more. ” She shrugged when my eyes widened. “Blade knows about my history with MacDonald. It was a selling feature in my resume. Let’s just say if Ian becomes a target? I won’t hesitate. ”
“Fierce. Tiger, you have finally said something I can admire. ” Alesa looked like she’d enjoy watching a showdown.
Ian slapped on a smile again. “Lauren and I had a bad breakup. I got over it. ”
“Obviously. ” I looked from Laurie to Ian. The air practically shimmered between them. Heat? Anger? Unresolved issues. Alesa laughed.
“Who cares? Tonight is all about me. Where’s Rafael now?” She glanced around the large room that reminded me of Ian’s Malibu digs. He favored contemporary furnishings, heavy on the white leather, modern art and lots of glass with a water view. I had to say I liked his style.
“He’s out on the terrace, getting some air. As soon as he got a whiff of demon, his temper got the best of him. ” Ian smiled at me. “Says you’ve got him in a twelve-step program for anger management, Gloriana. He’s working right now to calm down before he comes inside to join us. ”
“Yes, this is hard for him. And I’m glad he’s gaining some self-control. ” Now that I knew where to look, I could see his dark shape outside where he leaned against the stone wall surrounding the large terrace.
“This is hard for him?” Alesa started across the large room. “Give me a break. He’s not carrying around the Karate Kid kickboxing his kidneys. I’ll make it hard for him. ”
Laurie blocked her path. “Let’s go take this test. Where’s the ultrasound?”
“Yes. Why don’t you show Alesa the dressing room, Penny?” Ian gestured for my fledgling to escort Alesa down a hall. “I know you don’t want to be examined, Alesa, but I’m going to have to do it anyway. Penny will assist me. Undress completely and put on a smock. ” Ian was suddenly the doctor at work. “Lauren, are you sticking with the demon or staying with Gloriana?”
“Please, Laurie, just stay with Alesa. ” I could see my bodyguard was clearly torn. “You know she’s the threat here. And Blade wants you to watch Ian too. So go with them, I’ll be there in a minute. I want to talk to Rafe. ” I stopped next to the French doors. “You know I’ll be okay with him. ”
“If you say so. Demon watch. Fine. But be careful. ” She followed Ian down the hall, stopping once to glance over her shoulder. “I’ll wait outside while you examine the demon, Ian. No way do I want to see her naked. ”
“She doesn’t want me to examine her. I may call for help. I’m sure you can handle her. ” Ian winked at Laurie and she actually flushed. Hmm. Interesting.
I headed outside. “Rafe, got a handle on your anger yet?”
“What do you think?” He turned and leaned back against the wall. “I can’t have the woman I want, my worst nightmare has come back to haunt me, and I’m supposed to act civilized about it?”
“Gee, when you put it like that…” I stood beside him, careful not to touch him. I wasn’t about to encourage him to get closer now. “Anything I can do?”
“Get Alesa to admit this is a hoax?” Rafe laughed. “Right. Like that’s going to happen. Damn, I’m sorry you’re having to put up with her. I don’t know why she’s fixated on you. How’s Laurie working out?”
“Great. She’s actually got Alesa on the defensive. ” I gave in and touched his shoulder. “Relax, Rafe. You know this has got to be a big lie. Time will tell us the truth. ”
“Well, that’s the problem. The longer I’m around her, the more insane this makes me. How can you stand having her in your apartment? I would have killed her by now. If I could figure out how. ”
“Yes, that’s a problem. How do you kill a demon?”
“Good question. And about time you thought to ask it. ” The voice came out of the darkness. Rafe and I both turned. He suddenly had a knife in his hand and I clutched my car keys like a weapon.
“Who’s there?” Rafe jumped up on the low stone wall, ready to rumble.
“Oh, get over yourself, shifter. I’m much tougher to kill than a mere demon. Lucky for you I’m not the one with the beef here. ” Aggie strolled up a side path that had been carved into the cliff from the lake below. She was wrapped toga-style in a big white towel. Clearly she’d been skinny-dipping in the cold water, her wet hair slicked back behind her ears.
“Then why sneak up on us? You could have identified yourself sooner. ” I reached up for Rafe’s hand as he jumped back to the terrace. “And what’s with the eavesdropping?”
“It’s how I learn the most interesting stuff. ” Aggie grinned. “Though you two weren’t exactly spilling your guts. And talk about clueless!” She strolled over to a wrought iron chair and plopped down, crossing one bare leg over the other.
“What does that mean?” I swear she was flashing Rafe and enjoying his reaction. “Don’t you need to go find some clothes? It’s chilly tonight. ”
“Doesn’t bother me. I’m a Siren. Water is my element. After a swim like I just had, I’m stoked. ” She did rearrange her towel so she wasn’t giving Rafe such an excellent view. “Better, Glory?” She winked at me. “Now back to demons. The grapevine tells me you two, along with Blade and my dreamboat Israel Caine, took out Honoria not so long ago. Is that true?”
“The goddess the EVs worshipped. ” Rafe glanced at me, finally able to tear his gaze from Aggie’s peep show. “Yeah, we managed to take her down. What of it?”
“That bitch called herself a goddess, but she was nothing more than a three-headed demon. Lots of power, a great line of bullshit, but so not in the hierarchy according to my boss man. ” Aggie looked skyward. “And he should know. ”
“The Storm God. ” I shuddered. My encounters with him had proved he was way too powerful to be taken out with a sword. “Come to think of it, you’re right, Aggie. ” I clutched Rafe’s arm. “We know how to kill a demon. Whack off her head or heads as the case may be. Alesa has just one, even in demon form. ”
“Finally she gets it. ” Aggie smiled and stood. “A stab through the heart will do it too, but that can be tough. They don’t always have one where you’d expect it. And sometimes they have more than one, to go along with the head thing. Maybe Ian’s machine will help you find this chick’s thumper. ”
“Good idea. I’ll have to mention it to him. ” It was great to have hope, maybe a strategy to get rid of Alesa. But as long as she was pregnant…
Aggie stretched and her towel slipped to reveal one perfect breast. “Oops. I’d better get dressed now. Ian and I are going out after he gets through with your little problem. ” She wiggled her fingers and headed for the door then stopped and turned. “Watch. ” Suddenly her hair was dry, a golden tumble down her back, and she had on a stunning red dress, cut to show her curves. Her elegant designer shoes made my mouth water. As usual everything was expensive and fit her perfectly. “Siren magic. ”
“Nice. So you sat around here naked just to toy with us. ” I glanced at Rafe. It hadn’t been me she’d been playing with.
“Why not? I get my fun where I can. ” She grinned at Rafe, her hand on the doorknob. “By the way, I gave Ian that blood sample yesterday, Glory. And you know how I hate needles. So you owe me. ” She smiled and I shivered. “See ya tomorrow. Shoe shopping. I like to buy as well as make with magic. It’s a girl thing. I’m sure you understand, Glory. ”
Understand? A Siren? Never in a million years. But she was right, I owed her for that blood draw.
“She’s sure a piece of work. ” Rafe slung his arm around my shoulders as soon as she disappeared inside. “What’s this about blood?”
“A little experiment. I can’t imagine I could possibly… Tell you later. ” I eased away from him. “Alesa. She’s the immediate problem. At least now we do know how to kill a demon, but we’re obviously not going to do it.
Not while she’s carrying a baby. ”
“Not everyone would have such qualms. ” Rafe paced the terrace. “Granddad’s affair with a woman from the dark side was frowned on by both shifters and demons, especially when it had consequences. Apparently Lucifer didn’t want the baby since he was only half demon. And when Granddad made the mistake of bringing home my father? Hell, some members of my own family were all for making sure ‘tainted shifters’ never survived to adulthood. I’d have never been born if the purists had had their way. ” Rafe’s voice was soft, but it was laced with a pain I’d never heard from him before.
“But any child, raised in a loving home…” I looked into his eyes.
“That’s what I have to think. I’ve never let my demon side dominate. And if Alesa has my child, I’ll make sure the baby becomes a solid citizen, no matter what I have to do. ” Rafe ran his hand through his hair.
“I know you will, Rafe. ” I hugged him, hoping it didn’t come to that.
“Ian’s ready for the ultrasound. Alesa wants Rafe in there. You can come too, Glory. As a witness, she says. ” Penny stood in the doorway. She had put on scrubs and looked very much like the doctor she hoped to become one day. “The physical exam just confirmed what we already knew—that she’s pregnant and a grade A bitch. ” Penny made a face then turned on her heel. “Follow me. ”
Oh, God, but I wanted to shift out of there and avoid this whole thing. I had no desire to see whatever was growing inside the demon. But I followed Rafe into the house and we both trailed Penny down the hall and into a bedroom that had been outfitted like an examining room.
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