Drowning In The Dark - Pippa DaCosta Page 0,44

my partner. If I see one fuckin’ flake of snow where it shouldn’t be, I’ll kill you.”

“You can try.”

I winced and sliced Stefan a frown. He shrugged a shoulder.

Ryder glowered and eased his gun down to his side. “A temporary truce until this shit is over. Agreed?”

I nodded and slid Stefan a glance, suggesting he might like to do the same. He sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as though considering it. If I knew him, he’d be curious. This was Ryder, the Institute’s numero uno enforcer, working incognito for the militia.

“Sure,” Stefan drawled. “But don’t expect me to play nice if you turn that gun on me.”

There, we were all friends. Sort of. In an awkward, Mexican standoff kind of way. Coleman and Ryder escorted us back to their warehouse base. It looked as though the SRT has taken up residence in a recently abandoned call center building, complete with booths. Only these booths were filled with guns and people who evidently knew how to use them. We were greeted with suspicious glances, but the crowd milled around as though we were their own, not two half bloods with enough power between us to level a city. They’d spray-painted protective symbols on the walls, floor and ceiling, which I was grateful for, considering I was having trouble taming my demon instincts, but the markings wouldn’t have any effect on Stefan. Ryder knew that. However, he didn’t know how Stefan had joined the Prince of Hell club. I wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to that news. Frankly, I was surprised he hadn’t already tried to put a bullet in Stefan. As far as I knew, the last time they’d seen each other, Stefan had stabbed me, and I’d effectively died in Ryder’s arms. That sort of thing tends to leave a lasting impression.

“Coffee?”

I beamed at Coleman. “Do you need to ask?” He grinned and set about working a machine, dumping his rifle on the counter beside it.

Stefan hung back, reading the room with his sharp gaze. He saw me watching him and moved closer. His easy stride and relaxed posture utterly belied what he was capable of. “Coleman, you’re taking a big risk bringing us here,” he said, coming right out and saying exactly what I’d been thinking. “You saw us back there, right? You know we’re demon.”

“Half demon.” Coleman raised a plastic cup at Stefan, who declined the offered coffee with a shake of his head. “Tomorrow, we move. We never stay in one place long enough to become a target.”

Stefan scanned the crowd again. The low murmur of dozens of voices created a comforting background hum. His gaze settled on Ryder and lingered as his old friend chatted to a woman, the both of them engrossed in conversation.

Stefan and Ryder had worked together for a long time before I appeared on the scene. Ryder had briefly been charged with Stefan’s ‘rehabilitation,’ and when it became clear Stefan had no intention of reining in his demon, Ryder had been tasked with Stefan’s termination. He should have shot Stefan on sight. Ryder was not acting like the Ryder I’d come to appreciate as a friend, and Stefan knew it too.

Coleman dumped a load of sugar into my coffee, remembering I liked it sweet. He handed it to me. “What were you doing on the street back there? We caught the radio chatter and knew a demon battle was in progress, but when we arrived on-scene, the enforcers were already there. The fog rolled in, and we couldn’t make out who was fighting who.”

I recalled how Stefan had plucked a sniper’s round out of the air before it could smash through my skull. “I’m not entirely sure who was fighting who either.” So much for the Institute accepting my offer of help. They’d gotten me out of their facility—probably with the intention of taking me down once their precious base was a safe distance away.

“Ryder wanted to talk with you, so we stuck around. It’s good to see you, Charley. Just a shame it’s not under better circumstances.” Coleman slouched against the counter and ran a hand down his face. “I can’t believe how bad things are.”

Sipping my coffee, I watched Ryder stroll around a few booths to reach us. Stefan immediately tensed, and the touch of cool energy fizzed against my skin before vanishing under his control.

“Hey,” I hedged, not entirely sure whether I was meant to be happy to see him or