“Egypt.”
“Is that what you see?” said a gravelly voice.
Brynn glanced behind her. It was Keegan’s father. Again. He stood beside the door to her room, an intrigued expression on his deceptively benign face.
“Get out of my dream.” She turned back to the desert scene, making sure her dismissal of him was clear. Instead of obeying, he stood next to her and surveyed the view, the fabric of his slacks sliding against her nightgown. She stifled a shudder of disgust, reminding herself that it was only a dream. She could make her herself wake up whenever she wanted. At least this time, they were both fully clothed.
“What part of Egypt is this?” he asked in a casual tone.
Good question. “I’ve never been to Egypt before, so I can only guess it’s Memphis.”
Keegan’s father stilled. “Memphis?”
Brynn shrugged. “I imagine. Since I heard the name, it’s been rooting around in my subconscious.”
“Indeed.”
Brynn surveyed him closely, studying the similarities and the differences he had with Keegan. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing, I imagine.” He gave her an oily smirk. “Rooting around in your subconscious.”
That made sense. She still hadn’t processed the whole deal in her mind. How had such a heinous demon created four decent sons? Mind-boggling.
He surveyed her room. “No Keegan here tonight, I see.”
She’d noticed that, too. “No. Not tonight.”
“Hmm... I would have thought you’d be dreaming of where you are right now.”
“The hotel?” she scoffed. “No, no unresolved feelings about that.”
“But it’s such a nice location.”
“Yes,” Brynn agreed. “I always did like this city.”
He didn’t speak for a long moment. “I would so love to see your view from your hotel.”
She stared at him. This was easily one of the weirdest dreams she’d ever had. “You have seen my view. You’re my subconscious, remember?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “Still... paint a picture for me, will you?”
“Whatever.” With a careless wave, Brynn pictured the hotel suite. In a flash, her apartment disappeared and they stood outside on the hotel balcony, staring down at a small crowd of people littering the streets.
“Ah, Royal Street,” he breathed. “I always did like New Orleans.”
“I already said that,” Brynn noted, and shook her head. Now she was starting to repeat herself. Weird-ass dream.
He turned back to her. “Thank you, dear.”
“For what?”
Keegan’s father grabbed her hand and bent down as if to kiss it, but she snatched it back before he could.
“I don’t care if you’re just my dream. Don’t touch me, asshole.”
“I do so like a fighter.” Laughing softly, he straightened and peered over the railing. “One more thing, Brynn.”
“What?” she snapped.
His lips curved upward. “Good-bye. For now.”
Before she could respond, he reached out and gave her a hard shove that sent her flying over the balcony railing. She somersaulted in the air, then hung there for a moment, unable to do anything more than stare at him in shock. Gravity kicked in, and she zoomed toward the ground.
Could you die in a dream? Was that even possible?
She let out a sharp scream as the ground grew closer... shit!
She jolted awake. Gasping, she sat up in her bed and tried to calm the galloping of her heart. If the stress of everything that had happened over the past few days didn’t kill her, then these crazy dreams might.
§
Early morning light trickled into the room, casting shadows along the wall. The streets were probably at their emptiest. If he was going to leave, now was the perfect time.
Keegan heard sheets rustling behind him as Ronin shifted in his bed, but he didn’t bother to look. His brother wouldn’t be waking anytime soon, not unless he woke him. He’d just gone to bed a few hours ago.
At least one of them had managed to get a few hours’ sleep. As for him, well, he’d lain awake in his bed all night, going over all the ways in which he was a total and complete shit.
The chains of responsibility weighed down heavily on him. His obligation was to the Council. To his brothers. How many times had he impressed upon them the need to do what was right, to do the opposite of what their father would have done? And now here he was, putting everything in jeopardy. All because of his dick.
No. That wasn’t true. It wasn’t his dick that was a danger to him.
Brynn had gotten under his skin. Somehow he’d let her worm her way under there, with her green eyes and laughing face, and her undying optimism and belief that others were inherently good.
Ronin had that particular trait once, before his father had beaten it out of him.
He harbored no doubt that Ronin hadn’t believed a word of what he’d said yesterday. The silent censure in his eyes was proof enough. But he hadn’t challenged him, like Taeg or even Dagan would have. No, he’d kept quiet, to mull things over in typical Ronin style.
Shit. What was he going to do?
He wasn’t good enough for Brynn. That was obvious. Here she was, trusting him implicitly, and all he could do was feed her half-truths, at best.
She wasn’t meant for him. But, by the devil, she had fit him perfectly yesterday, tasted divine. Keegan closed his eyes, savoring the memory of how right for him she’d felt.
One thing was certain: he couldn’t just sit here, awaiting an order that might mean the difference between Brynn’s life or death. He had to do something.
Keegan moved to Ronin’s bed and bent to shake his shoulder. He awoke with a start, sitting up with a questioning look in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You keep an eye on Brynn. I’ll be back by tonight.”
Ronin rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Where are you going?”
“To meet with the Council in person.”
Alarm crossed his brother’s face. “Keeg, no.”
Keegan didn’t bother to listen. What was the point? He’d already made up his mind.
He turned and left the room, fighting the urge to unlock Brynn’s door and look in on her before he left.
Chapter Fifteen
Taeg flashed over to Cresso’s tiny studio apartment in the middle of Cairo, where he had taken up residence ever since arriving in Egypt just a short while ago. Since Cresso expected him, and he didn’t want to risk blowing his cover by being seen with him, he didn’t bother knocking. Instead, he landed on the other side of the front door. “Anybody home?”
“In the kitchen,” Cresso called.
Taeg walked the three steps from the front door to the kitchen. Cresso was seated at a tiny round table.
“There’s my favorite faerie,” he quipped, throwing Taeg a mischievous grin.
“Fuck you,” Taeg said without heat. Cresso knew how much he hated that.
With a chuckle, Cresso motioned toward the only other chair. “Got us some Chinese takeout.”
“This place is a shithole, man.” Taeg took a seat and picked up one of the white cartons, taking a peek inside. “Ooh, lo mein.”
“Gotta play the part,” Cresso said with a shrug. “Can’t be staying in a four-star hotel if I’m supposed to be a down-on-his-luck demon looking for some quality work.”
“Suit yourself, man. I’ve got 800-thread-count sheets on my four-star hotel bed, thank you very much. So, have you found anything out yet?”
“Spoke to one guy so far. He said they’ve still got demons working night and day to comb through the Valley.”
“Yeah, I figured. There was no activity going on in Memphis when I went there yesterday.” Taeg practically inhaled a huge bite of lo mein, then pointed his fork at the carton. “This is some good stuff.”
“Leave it to you to still have an appetite.” Cresso let out a dry chuckle. “So what do we do n
ext?”
Great question. And he knew just the answer. “Got any beer?”
“Help yourself.” Cresso gestured toward the tiny refrigerator.
Taeg grabbed two beers before responding. “We need to get ourselves a team to start digging up Memphis, I guess. We’ll have to do it on the down-low so Mammon doesn’t catch wind. Ronin’s been working on narrowing down the location for us.”
“What about the Council? Will they help with some men?”
“The Council?” Taeg snorted. “They’ve been supremely unhelpful to this point. It’s almost like they’re trying to disclaim any responsibility for what happens.”
“Well, that’s fucked.” Cresso shook his head. “Sounds like them, though—a bunch of bureaucratic assholes.”
“You would know, since you work for them.”
“Adviser—not employee,” Cresso pointed out. “Besides, you work for them, too.”
“Oh, yeah,” Taeg said, his voice deadpan.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Cresso asked, “What’s Dagan up to?”
“I told him to go out and relax, take a load off. This whole deal has got him moody as a chick.”
Cresso sneered, shaking his head. “You and your brothers baby him way too much. Just because he’s the youngest doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have any responsibility. He’s a grown-ass man.”
Taeg shrugged. “So?”
“So, he could really be useful if you let him. Instead you let him screw around like he doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“Whatever, man. Let him have some fun. At least one of us gets to.”
Cresso snatched one of the beers. “Suit yourself.”
§
“What do you expect us to do about it?” the monotone voice of the Council member asked.
Keegan stared at the Councilman’s eyes, trying hard not to let his fury show. The Council used some sort of cloaking spell when it met with petitioners and the eyes were all he could see. Even though he knew there were quite a number of them seated around the large, semi-circular table located on a raised platform, the entire area appeared pitch black, save the one Councilman’s large, almond-shaped eyes. His voice was the only one Keegan could make out, too. The rest, when they spoke, sounded like incomprehensible whispers. He had never quite figured out what species that one Councilman was, but he certainly wasn’t demon or human.
“What do I expect you to do?” Keegan finally responded. “Enough people to make a quick dig for the Book would be a good start.”
There was a chorus of whispers all around him. The Councilman’s gaze shifted from here to there before finally returning to him. “We cannot spare large numbers. The fewer that know about this, the better.”
Keegan shook his head in disbelief. “With all due respect to the Council, I don’t understand you. You give us no help, knowing Mammon has recruited an army of hundreds here on Earth, yet somehow you expect us to stop him.”
The Councilman’s voice was cold as ice when he responded. “Need I remind you that you asked for this opportunity to stop Mammon? In fact, as I recall, you insisted.”
“You know why,” Keegan said, no longer caring that he showed the full extent of his fury. “And when me and my brothers agreed, we certainly didn’t realize that it would be just the four of us.”
More whispers echoed, and the Councilman whispered back, until finally he turned to Keegan. “We will do our best to accommodate your request. We will be in contact within the next few days.”
Great. Fucking great. They were brushing him off.
Keegan gritted his teeth. “What about the heir?”
The Councilman’s eyes blinked at him. “What of her?”
Keegan breathed in and out several times. Losing his cool would accomplish nothing. “As I’ve already told you, she is an innocent.”
“Many are.”
“Allow her passage into another dimension,” he urged, restraining the angry growl that threatened to spill forth. “She will be safe there, since Mammon can no longer use the portal without facing immediate imprisonment.”
“That would require the agreement of Earth’s Grand Council member, and we cannot—”
The Councilman was cut off by angry whispers. His eyes swung wildly from one spot to another.
Keegan’s mouth dropped open as he realized the truth behind the Councilman’s unintentional revelation. They had to be kidding him. “She doesn’t know, does she? Earth is in serious danger of having all of its humans wiped out, and you’re not even going to tell its leader?”
“You risk much, saying this,” the Councilman hissed.
The whispers continued all around him, and Keegan realized the immediate peril behind his situation.
Fuck me.
The Council couldn’t help him. Its members couldn’t even agree among themselves.
He was in serious trouble. Time to do some major backpedaling.
“I’ve reconsidered my position,” he said in a smooth tone that belied the furious pounding of his heart. Thank the devil they couldn’t hear it. He hoped. “I can have my brothers dig while I guard the heir.”
The Councilman conferred with the other members for a moment. “Agreed. And if Mammon should find the Book before you... ”
Keegan stood still, waiting for the rest. Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t like it.
Finally, the Councilman turned back to him. “If he finds the Book first, there will be no need to contact us for further instruction. You are to immediately destroy the heir, then report back to us.”
Keegan breathed in deeply. It wasn’t like he hadn’t expected it. Still, hearing the words hurt. He’d failed Brynn. One more mark on his long list of failures.
“Understood,” he said to the Council, making sure to keep his voice even. Turning, he walked toward the portal waiting to transport him back to New Orleans.
No two ways about it. He was seriously fucked.
Chapter Sixteen
Keegan downed another shot—his fifth one so far—and set the empty glass on the worn and dented wooden countertop. Just his luck. A city of over a million people, and he’d somehow managed to stumble upon a bar that catered mostly to demons. The waves of energy vibrating off the others buffeted his senses, forming a deafening cacophony that almost drowned out the stench of his own failure.
Almost.
How had he managed to become such a total fuckup? He couldn’t do anything right. Not only had he not been able to protect his brothers when they’d needed it most, but now he’d let himself become responsible for yet another person. Just one more on the long list of people he couldn’t help.
Someone rubbed against his shoulder. He looked to his side and watched a pretty demoness take a seat on the barstool next to him. She was all lush curves and sly glances, and there was no mistaking the interest in her eyes.
“You look lonely,” she said in a sultry voice.
“Yeah?” he replied bitterly, motioning to the bartender for another round.
“What’s the matter, baby? Having some problems?”
Keegan chuckled into his empty shot glass. “You could say that.”
“Maybe I can help.” She leaned in closer to him, near enough that he could see down her blouse. “I’ve been told I’m very good at solving problems.”
The invitation in her voice was all too clear. And he couldn’t be less interested. While he might have found her alluring once, right now all he could think about were laughing green eyes and hair the color of honey.
“I have a place down the street from here,” the demoness continued, fluttering her lashes as she ran a teasing finger down his arm. “We could go grab a drink there, and you can tell me all about it.”
Her touch awakened a glimmer of interest in Keegan’s cock. After yesterday’s close call, that wasn’t too hard to do. He ached to get off, to be buried inside warm, willing flesh.
He considered her offer for all of half a second. While going home with her wo
uld certainly solve a lot of his problems, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when he’d be imagining it was someone else the entire time.
Shit. What had he been thinking yesterday? He’d almost made love to Brynn. Worse, he still wanted to, even though he knew it couldn’t happen.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered.
The demoness’ eyes widened and she sat back with a look of affront on her face. “What?”
“Sorry, uh... forgot I have to go somewhere.”
He ignored her angry sputter and threw some cash onto the counter. If his time with Brynn was limited, he wouldn’t waste it here. Who knew what would happen tomorrow? Tonight, he was going to take her out. Let her have some fun. After all, it was the least he could do.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, given he was halfway drunk and didn’t know how he’d keep his hands off her, but right now he didn’t care. He needed to see her.
§
Keegan had been gone since she’d woken this morning. Brynn had tried convincing Ronin to tell her where he’d disappeared to, but he wouldn’t budge. In fact, he hadn’t left her alone all day, other than when she went into the bathroom. He sat next to her the entire time, plugging away on his laptop.
Right now, he was on the phone with Taeg.
“Yeah, he’s still gone.” Ronin aimed a sidelong glance at Brynn before he stood and turned to face away from her. “I’m thinking we should just start in the necropolis. It seems the most likely place... yeah, well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get much help.”
Ronin sighed and began pacing as he listened to whatever Taeg was saying. “Maybe I should fly in to help. What about Dagan? You should make him do something.”
Brynn gave up trying to watch television. She clicked it off and walked to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. Even from inside, she spotted the heavy crowds on the street.
“What? What do you mean, he hasn’t come back yet?” Ronin said. “Damn it, Taeg, we’re on a mission here, and it’s not to see how many chicks we can bang.”
Her cheeks flushed at his crude language, but she didn’t turn around. Maybe he’d think she was occupied by the sights and keep talking. Maybe she’d find out where Keegan was.
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