I show up with you, they might kill her. We make it look like I’m alone. You hang back. Stay out of sight. You come in sword blazing only if and when Hazuldar’s minions make an appearance or if things get out of hand.”
“No. Something could still go wrong. I’m not leaving your side. I won’t put you in that kind of danger.”
“Arc—Hawk—” I scoff, rolling my eyes at my own fumbling. “Lay off the macho hero bit, will you? See this is why I work alone.” Any time I work with a man, he inevitably manages to think the woman at his side can’t handle herself without him. “If they see you, Saffron could die.”
“And if I come in too late, if they somehow delay me getting to you, you could get yourself kidnapped or killed.”
“Ugh. Listen. That’s not how policing works. This is just like any hostage situation. I have to go in alone. Backup, if there is any, waits out of sight, at a distance until they have the advantage.”
“You’re still thinking like a cop, Cassidy,” he says coldly. “Your sister isn’t being held by human kidnappers. These are beings only I know how to fight. I know how they operate. You need to trust me to take care of this.”
Deep down, I know what he’s saying, but fear keeps me from just allowing him to handle this his way. I’ve been searching for my sister for thirteen years. After all this time, I might finally be able to find her. One mistake is all it takes. My stomach tightens with panic.
“But—” I start.
“Enough.” He holds up his hand. “No more arguments. This is how it has to be.” He nods to the food sitting in my lap. “Eat, Cassidy. I haven’t seen you eat since this morning.”
“I’m not hungry,” I grumble.
Meaning to buy time, I reach for the door so that I can toss the sandwich in the trash can by the car.
Arcayos rumbles a sigh, sounding remarkably like himself despite his disguised voice. He sets his hand on my arm, a firm grip. “Wait.”
I pause, not responding to him, but not fighting him, either. Fear for Saffron makes every muscle tight.
When next he speaks, Arcayos—Hawk’s—voice is warm and low. “Look at me.”
I clench my jaw stubbornly, but look up at him.
Arcayos cups my chin with Hawk’s big hand. It’s strange looking into those piercing, human blue eyes and yet knowing it’s him, my demon protector behind them. Somehow, I can feel the weight of his supernatural stare there, as if the fire in his red eyes is heating me through the disguise.
“You are trained to fight human bad guys, right?” he says gently.
Unsure where he’s going with this, I nod.
“I am trained to fight Tae’agul, but there is more to being the Champion of Va’halzoret than killing them. I am trained to take whole organizations run by demons down. In the same way that those policemen on the television are trained to rescue people from bad guys, I am trained to rescue humans from demonic forces.” He runs his thumb along my jaw. Inevitable warmth spreads through me. “If there is a way to save her, we will, but I need you to trust me to take care of this, all right?”
I heave a sigh. If there are demons involved, trusting him is the only way to safely get her back. This is his domain. It feels as if I’m handing Saffron’s life over to him, letting go of something vital.
“I’m not used to letting someone call the shots,” I tell him.
“I know.” His smile is a little crooked. “Trust me. Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I’m not big on trusting people either.”
“You’ll learn.” He drops his hand and nods to my lap where the sandwich still sits untouched. “Eat up. We have a few minutes before we’ll have to get to that factory.”
“I’m really not hungry.”
“Do you have to argue over everything?” His eyes tease.
I can’t help a grin.
“Eat. Or I’ll kiss you.”
The threat makes my blood heat, my lips tingling with the thought of his mouth devouring mine. “Shudder, gasp. Can’t have that.” I take a bite. “Happy?”
“Good girl.”
We arrive at the factory at about ten minutes before six. There’s a parking lot for another factory across the street, so he hides the Junk Pile around the side, out of sight.
The meatpacking plant has long since been abandoned, the two floors dark, no smoke coming out of the chimneys. The door to the