Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(55)

Dashing through the breezeway, she stepped up the ledge and headed into her mom’s kitchen. She’d gone all out this year. The scent of cinnamon and spice wafted through the air, tickling her nose. Piles of red and green sprinkled sugar cookies sat on the counter, beckoning her to steal one. If there was one thing her mom was good at, it was baking cookies. Santa and snowmen magnets plastered her refrigerator, while boughs of holly hung and mistletoe dangled from the doorways. Darn, where was Rafe when you really needed him?

As if answering her thoughts, in a misting swirl of ice and snow, Rafe materialized in front of her—right on top of her mom’s snowman-bedecked table. Luckily for his head, he’d missed her crystal chandelier by a mere centimeter.

“Now isn’t the time for a table dance.”

Mumbling an apology, he climbed down from the table, leaving a pair of giant boot prints right on Frosty’s face. Despite mom’s wrath, she managed a chuckle. If he thought battling Belial would be bad, wait until he met her mom.

“Have you seen your mother yet?”

“No,” she replied, loping into the living room. “Maybe she’s in the basement doing laundry or—”

Her eyes bugged out of her head. Had her mom surrendered to Christmas fads? Apparently so. Even Lucy, a person who didn’t spread the holiday spirit, couldn’t believe it.

When she’d mentioned she was getting an upside-down Christmas tree, Lucy thought she was BS-ing. Seeing the bizarre thing there, hanging from her ceiling, Lucy let her mouth gape open. Tip pointing down, it twinkled and flashed, oblivious to the fact it was upside down.

“Something about that just isn’t right,” she mumbled to Rafe as he came to stand next to her. “Who in their right mind hangs a Christmas tree upside down?”

Mom, obviously! Then again, maybe she wasn’t in her right mind.

“The Germans did in the Middle Ages,” Rafe whispered, turning her toward the stairway. “We still need to search the upstairs and the basement.”

“I’ll take the upstairs, and you take the basement if you want,” she said as she took the first step.

Eyes stony serious, Rafe grabbed her arm, sending bolts of sizzling energy through her. “No, we go together.”

“Fine, follow me,” she said, pushing up the steps. Turning the corner to take the last set of steps—

The muffled groan from upstairs rang in her ears, striking her speechless. Her heart plummeted into her stomach. “Oh God,” she managed, her voice cracking. “We’re too late.”

Rafe grabbed her arm. Rough calloused pads brushed against her soft skin. Heated friction sparked. Not now, her mind screamed.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he whispered in her ear, the silky strands of his hair brushing against her cheek. With his thumb and index finger, he raised her chin so she could meet his gaze. His silver eyes swirled with unfathomable intensity. “Better late than never, Lucy.”

Rafe’s words of inspiration kicked her ass in gear. She straightened her back and raised her chin. With smooth steps, she swiveled around and took the remaining stairs two at a time. There were only four of them, after all.

Wrapping his fingers around her upper arm, Rafe turned her to face him. “Get behind me,” he ground out, his gaze burning. “You’re a woman. I’m supposed to protect you.”

Oh hell no! He didn’t just go there. But the stern glare said everything. Hadn’t he heard of women’s lib? “Look here buddy, it’s the twenty-first century. You need to get with the times.”

Another loud grunt and strangled groan drifted from the far room—her mom’s bedroom. Off-limits since she was a kid. She’d make an exception this time.

Hello! This was her mother! She wanted to do the protecting. It was her fault her mother was in danger. She had to do something.

“Sorry, Rafe. I need to do this.”

“What? You can’t,” he hissed, breaths of air teasing along her ear. “You have no training. You could die.”

Shrugging, she ripped her arm from his grasp. “I survived Belial once. I can do it again.”

“Lilith was there to protect you.”

“Yeah, and you’re here now.” Throwing her hands on her waist, she threw him a defiant glare. “Consider yourself my backup.”

The knowledge that this man wanted to put himself out there to defend her flattered her, but his gruffness infuriated her just as much, if not more. Her fists in tight balls, her nails dug into her palm. Didn’t he realize she had an obligation to protect her mother? She’d never felt so driven in her life.

“I’ve failed too many people I…”

“You what?”

“I’ve been assigned to.”

That’s right. She was only an assignment. An inconvenience. If she had heard Lilith correctly, Belial’s guards had kidnapped Rafe’s sister. And here he is, with little ol’ me.

Then to find out a woman he thought had died in his arms over two hundred years ago had joined forces with the big bad Infernati didn’t help matters much either. She saw where he was coming from, though. He must’ve cared for Larissa—or whatever she called herself back then—a lot. Knowing she was now working for the bad demons must’ve been a total kick to the balls.

She chose her words carefully. “I know you’ve got a duty, Rafe. But I have a duty too. My mother needs me.” She flashed him a pleading gaze. “Besides, you don’t know what room is hers.”