Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(58)

“Enough,” Rafe barked. “So what was this incident Matthias told me about earlier?”

“Incident? What incident?” Serah feigned bemusement. From the piercing glares from both Lucy and Rafe, she’d failed miserably. Not surprising at all. “Oh! That incident. It was nothing.”

“You were almost killed,” Matthias gritted out. “How is that nothing?”

“The woman driving the car was not a demon. Her kid, however…”

“You know how I hate it when you avoid answering our questions, Serah.” Lucy leaned in, her greenish-gold eyes flaring.

That look said it all. They were serious. And the only way to get out of this mess was to tell the truth.

“Fine. Somehow an Infernati demon managed to change the timing of the light at the corner of A-Line Road and Lover’s Lane. I ran a red light and was almost sideswiped.”

“Bloody hell,” Rafe growled. “This is worse than we thought.”

“How so?”

Matthias blew out a deep breath. “I didn’t want to alarm you until we had all the facts.”

“What. Is. It?” Serah gritted out.

“Some of the Infernati demons have the ability to manipulate electricity.”

Jeez, was there any part of human life not in danger of demons? This grew deeper by the second. “Seriously? What’s next? Water Demons?”

“Does this really surprise you? The Infernati will use any means to infiltrate human civilization.”

Matthias nodded. “It doesn’t help that they have human minions ready to do their bidding.”

Rafe sucked in a deep breath. “Any person can be a minion, even someone you’ve trusted for years.”

Matthias moved closer to her and took her hand in his. His grip was strong, protective. “Are you absolutely sure you can trust these people?”

She’d known Edie for almost two years. She was a blessing in disguise. When her Nonni died, Serah didn’t know if she could manage the business on her own. She struggled to make ends meet. She was about to sell when Edie literally ended up on her doorstep. With her dazzling red hair and vibrant attire and personality, she was just what Serah needed. How could she not trust her? So her accent was a little off. So what? She was an excellent cook. The fondue was just the icing on the cake where Edie was concerned.

Daniel, on the other hand, was kind and sweet. A perfect gentleman. He seemed honest and sincere. And his aura seemed clean as well. He couldn’t be a minion. The Infernati weren’t that good. Were they? God, she hated all this conflict.

Serah turned to face Matthias. Even though his eyes were dark, they sparked. Despite her inner, practical self telling her to beware, she felt at ease. Emotions conflicted with each other. Wasn’t that what the Infernati were good at? Messing with people’s minds?

From all those fantasies he’d been putting in hers, maybe he wasn’t as good as he claimed. She yanked her hand from his.

“How do I know I can fully trust you?”

Matthias’s face grew stony and his body tensed. His onyx gaze continued to penetrate her mind. Serah shivered. Matthias’s facade softened slightly. “I already told you, Serah. If you can’t trust me, trust that I will do whatever is necessary to fulfill my mission.”

Serah nodded. His response eased her stress—slightly.





Chapter 24


Matthias wished he could just sink into the sofa. He didn’t blame her for her lack of trust. It was quite obvious she had a knack for judging people. It was only a matter of time before she would remember everything. If only he could keep his hands off her. Each touch, each kiss brought her closer to the memories. Then again, maybe it was better if she knew.

It would make this mission a hell of a lot easier.

“I think we should try to get more information on Daniel,” Rafael said, breaking the awkward silence.

Matthias grumbled. “I’ve spent the entire morning researching American Chef and Daniel Blackburn. Nothing. Not even any parking tickets. No credit report either.”

“He is a star, you know,” Lucia said with a grin. “Maybe Daniel Blackburn isn’t his real name.”

“There were no court documents, either, sealed or unsealed.” Matthias rested his elbows on his knees and grabbed his temples. God, he hated complications. And celebrities with stage names.

Serah shrugged. “Still doesn’t mean he’s a demon or working for them. He could just be really private.”

Private, his ass. “If he’s really private, he sure has a weird way of showing it. And I Googled ‘I went to school with Daniel Blackburn’ and nothing came up either.”

“Huh?” How the hell did a several-centuries-old demon know the ins and outs of Internet searches?

“There’s always someone who wants recognition, in any crowd.”

She couldn’t disagree with that. “I was referring to your super-mad computer skills, actually.”

“In my previous line of work, computer skills were a necessary evil.” Sadly, evil wasn’t always a pun either. He’d done some evil things in his life. He didn’t deserve someone as pure as Serah.

Rafael cracked his knuckles. “We need to keep a close watch on Daniel. I can set up surveillance. I have some phantoms that owe me a favor or two.”