Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(82)

“Cool,” she said, her brow arched. “I always wanted to join an organization with a special handshake.”

Dominic chuckled. “In time, Lucy. The Fore-Demons may have good use of you.”

Eyes flickering, Rafe drew his lips into a straight line. His nostrils flared. “Unfortunately, it’ll be Lilu’s decision on what his daughter does.”

Her father’s decision? Not this again. “Actually, it’ll be my choice, thank you very much.” And knowing her father, he always ended up seeing the light.

Arching a brow, Dominic let out a mirthful chuckle. “A familiar situation, is it not?”

“Too much,” Rafe muttered. Scraping a hand through his hair, he blew out a frustrated breath and sidled a glance her way. “But I’ll deal with it.”

With a quick roll of her eyes, she shrugged.

Dominic glanced at Rafe and her, and then back to Rafe. “I’m sure you will.” With that, he bent down and grabbed his weapons, attaching them to his person. Adjusting the lapels of his trench coat, he smirked. “I have a council to attend. I’ll let you know if there are any new developments.” He turned to her and bowed. “Lucy, it’s been my pleasure.”

Nodding, she offered him her hand in a not-so-secret handshake. She’d learn the secret one later. “Same here.”

He took her hand in a firm shake. “Certainly. Well, I’ve tarried too long.” Offering Rafe a quick nod, he pulled his jacket closer and tied the trench coat. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished, fog and ice shards swirling in his place.

“Great! More ice piles to clean up,” she said with a low chuckle.

“One of the hazards of poofing.”

“What’s it really called?”

Rafe scratched his chin. “It’s called Peragrans… Traveling.”

“I should’ve known it’d be Latin.”

“It’s a very old language, spoken for hundreds of centuries.”

“Still a well of information, aren’t you.” She reached down and grabbed the katana, pulling the sword from its sheath. Silver sparks flashed with each swipe of the blade. “So let’s get back to this training.”

“This is insane, but I did promise.” Rafe flung open the closet. Procuring yet another magnificent sword, he turned to her. She could only gape in astonishment at the beautiful weapon he gripped. Was that a dragon carved down the blade? Emeralds, rubies, and sapphires flickered and flashed, sending a rainbow of light dancing on the wall.

Did all demons’ weapons glow so bright?

“That you did. En garde!” Lunging forward, she thrust her blade and pointed it at Rafe, beckoning him in challenge.

Brow jutting upward, Rafe twisted his wrist, his blade circling in the air. “Nice stance.”

“Why, thank you.” With that she swung her sword, careful to not to aim too high to mar his face and, of course, not too low, to avoid his other parts.

Lifting his lips in a teasing grin, he brandished his sword and blocked her move, the zing of silver against silver renting the air. She spun around and swept the katana up, slicing a thin strip of his T-shirt.

Rafe’s eyes widened and his grin returned. “I let you have that move. Let’s try again.” He raised his sword, the silver glistening in challenge.

“If you can handle it,” she teased. She resumed her stance, the katana ready to strike.

The jingle of Rafe’s BlackBerry reverberated from across the room. Eyes alert, he lowered his sword and re-sheathed it. “That may be Kalli with news.” Sensing her disappointment, he added, “Don’t worry. You did well. Very impressive for a beginner.”

“That’s my daddy’s fault.”

“It probably is.” With that, he swiped the phone from the coffee table and clicked the send button. “Kalli, what is it?”

Rafe paced back and forth in front of the table, scraping a hand through his hair. “The chest has been activated.” With a low groan, he shook his head. “We didn’t have time to tell you.” Covering the mouthpiece of the phone, he pulled it away from his ear. “Damn Nic,” he muttered under his breath.

“What is it?” she asked, her nerves prickling.

With a long drawn-out breath, he shook his head. “In a minute.” He returned the phone to his ear. “I’ve got her house warded and she can now protect herself.”

Rafe nodded. Fingers gripped tightly around his BlackBerry, he paced back and forth.

She wrung her hands. What was going on? Was it the shop? Were her friends okay? She hated being kept in the dark. She opened her mouth to speak.

“Where is Dominic?” He growled. “Bloody hell!”

And she promptly shut it. The call was about his sister. From the sound of it, it wasn’t good. She simply plopped onto the futon and sat back, letting Rafe to his call.

“I can be there in five minutes, but I don’t want to leave Lucy unattended for too long.” Rafe drew out another long breath of air. “Thanks, Kalli.” With that, he ended the call.

“What was that about?”

Rafe’s gaze turned to stone. “Dominic tried breaching Belial’s castle. He’s MIA.” Jaw clenched, he sucked in a ragged breath. “The Fore-Demons request my presence.”