A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(39)
He came at us slowly, but steadily, walking down the middle of the aisle. Behind him, a car pulled up and when the demon didn’t move, honked its horn. He turned to face the driver. With a snap of his fingers, the car sparked and fizzed, and a moment later, burst into flames.
“We have unfinished business,” the demon said, facing us again.
Despite my best efforts to tamp down the sheer terror clawing its way up my spine, my hands shook as Lukas helped me to my feet. “Well, that’s a new form of abstinence enforcement,” I said, hoping the joke would cover it up.
Lukas stepped in front of me, herding us toward the shadows. There weren’t many. Two years ago, after a mugging in the mall parking garage, the mayor ordered brighter lighting in all underground parking garages. Our only chance was to try to slip between the cars before Gressil got to us.
“Klaire Darker still lives.” The demon laughed as we backed away. He was still coming down the middle, fifteen feet or so away. “It seems the Darker family has even more secrets than I thought.”
“Ya caught me,” I said, voice wavering just a bit. I wasn’t stupid. If this demon could floor Mom with her exceptional skill, what the heck would it do to me? I wasn’t rocking any paste-Jessie-to-the-wall fantasy scenarios, and even though I was tougher than the average human, I was likely to go splat. Instinct told me to grab Lukas and make a mad dash for the shadows, but I’d seen the demon in action in the park. We’d never make it. I needed time to come up with a plan. I needed to stall. “I was making out with my boyfriend. If that’s what passes for newsworthy in the Shadow Realm, you guys need to get a life.”
Gressil growled, losing his grin. Six feet now. Ten, tops. “Give me the prison, servant of Pride.”
“We don’t have it,” Lukas said, still trying to block me from the demon’s wrath.
This time I let him, inching back a bit until I felt the cooling presence of shadow wash over me. A small spot in between two cars. Bingo. This was all I needed. With a deep breath, I snatched Lukas’s wrist and yanked hard, pulling him close and blending into the darkness.
I closed my eyes, preparing to shadow us out of there, but Gressil laughed. Opening my eyes, I cringed against the creepy sound I’d probably never forget.
“Foolish little ants.” He threw up his hands, and the entire garage lit up like Town Square at Christmastime. Every inch of darkness disappeared.
With the small patch of shadow chased away by the new light, we were suddenly visible again, our only escape gone.
“Crap!” I ducked another blast by knocking Lukas to the ground and bending across the hood of the car.
“I will not ask you again. Where is the prison?” Gressil yelled.
“Gressil,” a voice boomed behind us. I twisted, shocked to see Valefar standing in the middle of the aisle, wearing a glare that could level the city. For the first time ever, I was happy to see him. He took exactly two steps forward and stopped. “Leave her.”
The brutality of the demand took my breath away. For an instant—granted, an insane and unrealistic instant—Valefar’s reaction seemed almost protective in a way that might indicate I was more than his property. That he was genuinely concerned about my well-being.
Gressil laughed. Not something I would have done with Val glaring daggers of death, but then again, I didn’t have Gressil’s power or clout. “I may be banned from my home, but I still hear the whispers. You are not permitted to interfere with the task your Regent has been given.” He laughed again. “Capture me? Truly?”
Valefar tossed an offhanded wave in our direction. “I’m not here to interfere. Squash her like a bug if you wish—but make it quick. You and I have unfinished business to deal with.”
And there went my stupid theory that I was something more to him than a possession.
The other demon’s expression darkened. “What Lucifer did to his brothers was against the rules.”
Valefar clucked his tongue. “He wouldn’t have been able to do it if it contradicted the rules.”
“The House of Pride twists things to suit them. Your days are numbered.”
“All our days are numbered if you let Asmodeus out,” Valefar returned sharply. “Your Master and his brothers have no regard for the rules.”
“The rules”—Gressil growled as his body was engulfed in purple smoke. The light above our heads dissipated, and as the smoke drifted away, an echoey voice finished with—“are about to change.”
Chapter Sixteen
At the other end of the garage, a car alarm went off. I ignored it and focused on Val. “What are you doing here?”
He turned to me and scrunched up his nose, clutching his chest in an attempt to convey insult. To me, it looked like he was trying out for Hamlet. “I came to check on Klaire Darker, of course. It seems the Darker matriarch is going to be fine. I’m sure this finds you in an improved mood?”
I wasn’t interested in Val’s chatter at the moment, but since he was here, I had a few questions. “Why was my dad so pissed I was at that freaky meeting? Oh, and by the way, why was I at that freaky meeting?”
Valefar grinned at Lukas, who’d been silent until now, and with a wink, said, “Would you care to take a swing at this?” When Lukas did nothing but glare, the demon sighed. “Very well. But I suggest moving the conversation someplace a little less conspicuous.”