much less humanlike. She didn’t want to see…didn’t want to know what he would do…
There was a thunderous shout as her door slammed open and Phenex came through, moving so quickly he was little more than a blur. His sword flashed over his head. Sofia summoned up strength she didn’t even know she had and hurled herself to the side, landing hard on the floor and hitting her head. For a brief instant, she saw stars. There was a rush of air, an unearthly shriek, and then she was free again. What had felt like invisible ropes dissipated into nothing, and her limbs could move, if weakly.
Sofia didn’t even try to get up, instead curling herself into the smallest ball possible. Her head ached miserably from the fall, throbbing in time to the rapid beating of her heart. She couldn’t get that thing’s voice out of her head.
I want to see the songbird’s face when I break something of his.
But she wasn’t his. Was she?
Then Phenex’s hands were on her, surprisingly gentle as he gathered her to him and lifted her into his arms.
“Damn it, Sofia, are you all right? What did he do to you? Say something. Please, baby.”
The endearment was enough to shock her into speech.
“I’m okay. I couldn’t move or talk, but I can now.”
Her voice was too soft, and her limbs didn’t have much strength in them, but at least she was in control of herself again. Phenex’s voice was as gruff as she’d ever heard it, but she couldn’t even muster the wherewithal to look up at his expression.
“Just hang on to me. I’ve got to get rid of the dead vamps in your apartment, and then we’re getting out of here. It isn’t safe for you.”
She didn’t have it in her to argue, though she couldn’t imagine where they’d go. A hotel? Maybe that was best. She couldn’t imagine being comfortable here. Not knowing how easy it had been for them to get to her this time.
“Who was that?” Sofia asked as Phenex stepped back into her apartment, carrying her as though she weighed nothing. He was warm, and she huddled as close to him as she could. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering. She’d seen plenty of death, terrible things. But she’d never come so close to touching it herself, never had it whisper in her ear. It shook her, more than she’d ever thought it would.
“Belial,” Phenex growled. He shifted, pulled something out of his pocket, and murmured a few words she didn’t understand. The burst of flames made her jerk, and Phenex’s hands tightened on her.
“Don’t worry. This is just cleanup. Fire is cleansing. It’ll be like they were never here.”
He repeated the ritual twice more, then turned off the lights and locked the door before shutting it. Sofia considered suggesting that he put her down to make it easier for him, but she found that right or wrong, she didn’t want to be put down yet. His strength was a comfort, which she sorely needed when she was so low on her own.
“I’ll send somebody by to pick up a few of your things tomorrow,” Phenex said. “I’m not interested in sticking around to see if Belial has anything else to throw at us while the sun is down.”
“You didn’t kill him?”
His laugh was hollow. “Not even close. He didn’t make it onto the Infernal Council by being easy to kill. The Prince of Sloth moves pretty quickly when you swing a sword at him. Besides…it would take fire. A lot of fire. It’s really the only way to kill one of us.”
“Oh.” Any hope she might have had was replaced by a sick, empty feeling.
“Son of a bitch,” Phenex cursed softly. “I knew. I knew there would be a demon running things. When I see Uriel again I’m going to throttle him. He could have given us some warning. If I’d known, I would have had you somewhere safer. Especially if I’d known it was Belial.”
“He said you took something of his...”
She felt him stiffen. “No. I removed something he should never have had. The lords of Hell are like dragons with their treasure, Sofia. They hoard it, amass it, and ignore it. But remove the smallest thing, and their fury will make you think you’ve stolen their most precious possession.”
“Would he stop if you just gave it back?” Sofia asked, unable to imagine what it might have been.
“No. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. It should never