The Demon's Song - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,24
before we can take them out?”
Gadreel’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. “That’s the bad news. Sofia’s would-be assassin seems to be a low-level operative who’s been deliberately kept in the dark about anything important. Could be just a few. Could be quite a few. This time, my money’s on the latter. Especially because the one who got at her friend,” he said with a nod in Sofia’s direction, “was no young thing. A strong, thousand-year-old vampire doesn’t hook up with a bunch of inept fledglings. Whoever is behind this is coming from a position of strength. And I’ll be honest, Justin is coming up short on names of possibilities.”
“Hellfire,” Phenex muttered. “I know where this is going.”
“You and me both.” Gadreel popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and dropped a wink at Sofia. “No rest for the wicked.”
She didn’t know what they meant, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. What she did know was bad enough. Sofia hadn’t missed Gadreel’s small mention of Sara, though, and she latched onto it with fervor.
“You said it was an old vampire who attacked Sara, but that she wasn’t a fatality. Have you seen her, then? Is she going to be all right?” she asked Gadreel.
“Mmm,” he agreed, his tone disinterested. “For a vampire.”
Sofia nearly choked on the bite of bacon she’d just taken. “What?”
Gadreel gave her a long-suffering look as he watched her try not to aspirate tiny pieces of fried pork.
“Please, it’s hardly shocking. Your friend was bitten and nearly drained. It’s not like there are a lot of options at that point. She’s fine. A little pissed off over the whole thing, but fine. I expect she’ll be able to come back above once the current mess is taken care of, and then you can shout at her or beg her to bite you or whatever it is you had in mind.” His eyes brightened with sudden interest. “In fact, if you do decide to let her bite you, please let me know so I can watch.”
Sofia glared at him as she got the coughing under control, though at this point his lack of empathy didn’t surprise her. On some level, she’d known this was the most likely outcome for Sara. She’d watched the looks between Justin and the one who’d taken Sara away—Amir, she thought his name was. Still, knowing that one of her best friends was now a blood-drinking immortal was a lot to take in on top of everything else. She’s not dead, Sofia told herself. She’s alive—I think vampirism qualifies—and she’s safe. That’s all that matters right this second.
Phenex was watching her closely, and when he spoke, the melody of his voice was soothing.
“You’ll see her. Maybe not a lot, but you’ll see her. At least she’s walking and talking. There was only one other option, and it wasn’t a good one.”
She looked at him and nodded. He was right, even if she didn’t like it. The best idea for the time being, she decided, was to take things one step at a time.
“It could be worse,” Gadreel interjected. “There are so many other things that could have gotten her. A vampire is cake. We get chased by things you won’t even see in horror movies. They’re that disgusting.” He seemed obscenely proud of the fact, Sofia thought. And then his look turned sly and speculative, making her dread whatever was coming next. He seemed to like being the center of attention. Whatever it took.
“Phenex told you about all that, right? What we do? Why we’re slumming it up here instead of ruling the fiery expanses of the underworld? That’s what the lords of Hell are, you know. Fallen angels, every one. We were the highest of demons. We exiles are still Fallen, of course, but the lords of Hell part, not so much.” One eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly. “He really didn’t tell you how we came to be the only Fallen ever to be sentenced to death by the Infernal Council and escape?”
The look Phenex gave Gadreel at that moment would have sent most people screaming. Instead, Gadreel simply grinned, showing gleaming white teeth that looked ready to bite. And the hell of it was, Sofia wanted to know what he would say next. This information interested her, and he knew it.
So, from the looks of things, did Phenex.
“No,” Sofia said, feeling a little guilty as Phenex turned that fulminating glare on her. “He hadn’t gotten to that part yet.” If