The Long Way Down (Daniel Faust #1)(76)

“And if you could prove any of that,” Nicky said, “we wouldn’t be having a nice chat like this.”

“You’re right,” Caitlin said. Nicky stared at her. It wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. “I can’t prove a single thing. Can’t do anything to you or about you.”

I nodded. “Only problem with the whole scheme, really, is that Lauren’s about to blow up the planet. See, that’s the part you aren’t in on. The thing in the Box? It’s an angel. And it’s really old and really pissed off.”

“You’re bluffing,” Nicky said.

“Are we?” Caitlin shrugged. “We’re keeping things under wraps to avoid a panic, but a full report’s been delivered to the prince and his inner council. A council which, last time I checked, includes your father. Why don’t you get in touch with him? Ask him who Belephaia is.”

He looked from her to me and back again, resting his hand on his desk phone. His brow furrowed as he worked out the implications. “Why don’t you two go out to the bar for a few minutes? I gotta make a couple of calls. Tell the bartender I said anything you want; it’s on the house.”

I stayed close to Caitlin as we stepped back into the club, taking seats at the end of the bar. She ordered a Manhattan, and I asked for a martini with top-shelf vodka. It was on Nicky’s dime, and seeing as he had tried to feed me to a pack of feral cambion I figured he owed me a little something. A Rolling Stones song played over the house speakers as a new dancer took the stage.

“He can’t actually call his dad, can he?” I asked. “Like, on the phone?”

Caitlin smiled. “No, but he can call my office and they’ll arrange a conduit. That’s how I spoke with my prince last night.”

“Conduit?”

“You take a human and—” She paused. Maybe she saw something in my eyes, or maybe she just remembered my history when it came to demonic possession. She waved it off. “There are ways.”

Her hand rested lightly on the bar. I placed mine over it. She turned her hand, our fingers twining.

“We will stop them,” I said. “I promise. I’m not letting anything or anyone take you away from me now. Not a chance.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “I forgot what it felt like to care about anything but my duty. To have something worth fighting to hold on to. I like this feeling.” She traced a fingernail over the back of my hand. “I like this feeling too.”

I started to say something, cut short by a voice at our backs.

“Oh. My. Light,” Juliette said. We turned to look at her. She pointed at our hands. “Are you two rutting?”

“That is so gross.” Justine stood next to her with her mouth agape. “You are so gross.”

“No,” Caitlin said, grinning. “We’re holding hands. What I did with your father, that was rutting.”

Justine made a strangled squeaking noise, like a cat had lodged in her throat and was trying to kick its way out. Juliette stammered incoherently as she dragged her sister away by the arm. I let go of Caitlin’s hand just long enough to hold up my open palm.

“High-five me.”

She slapped her palm against mine. We settled into a comfortable silence.

“You didn’t actually—” I eventually asked, and Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“They’ll always wonder,” she said. “I do hope you’re not the jealous type, Daniel. I am a succubus. If you want me to list my lovers, we’re going to be here a while.”

I shook my head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Good. But for the record? Never. You don’t rut with a pride demon; you hold up a mirror for him to stare into while he pleasures himself. I’m only slightly exaggerating.”

Nicky appeared in the hallway, pale as a sheet. Beads of sweat pooled at his hairline. He looked like a middle manager who’d just gotten called on the carpet by his CEO.

“C’mon back,” he said. “Let’s talk.”





Thirty-Eight



“The first thing I want,” Nicky said, pouring himself a splash of whiskey from a bottle in his desk drawer, “is immunity for my dad, too. He didn’t know anything about this, and that’s the honest truth.”

“You set up a coup attempt without telling him?” I asked, sitting on the other side of the desk and cradling my martini.

“You gotta understand, Danny, how it is for people like me. My old man’s a big shot back home. Me, I’m nothing but his big mistake. I thought I could prove to him, y’know, that I can roll like he does, like a fullblood. Maybe if I did, I thought…maybe he’d like me.”

“You conspired against your lawful prince,” Caitlin said, “and that’s not even considering what you did to me. If I had my way, I’d teach you exactly how we fullbloods respond to insolence. Your usefulness is the only thing sparing you, for the moment, from an eternity of pain.”

“Of course,” I said, playing the good cop, “anybody who helps take Carmichael and her buddies down, well, I gotta think Sitri’s gonna remember that in a favorable light.”

“You think so?” he asked, and I looked to Caitlin.

“Your name will be mentioned in my final report. Favorably,” she said.