creepiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Blackstone shone ahead. Lit up like a beacon for all things demon, the wing-design roof structure and ultra-modern rectangular glass seemed utterly at odds with the dozens of demons crawling all over it. There were hundreds, maybe more. The forest heaved with demon-forms, and their eyes glowed like stars in a midnight sky.
I pulled the car to a halt beside Akil’s sleek vehicle. A demon the same size as the arrow-shaped sports car sprawled over the entire length of the vehicle, tail dangling off the hood. It eyed me with curiosity, as though it was capable of turning me into a tasty snack, but maybe later, when it wasn’t so sleepy.
All of Blackstone’s doors and windows were thrown wide open, so Stefan and I took that as an invitation to head inside. More demons. Some slept in the hallway, others squabbled, growled, and jostled for rank in the rooms we passed. It was like a frat party for demons. Chaos. Could Akil control them all, or were they here for sanctuary?
We found Akil in the kitchen, leaning back in a chair at a dining table, playing poker with Jerry. A black satin shirt gaped with several buttons undone. He wore tailored black pants, but his feet were bare. He slid a hand through his hair, contemplating his next play. He saw me standing, mouth open, in the doorway. “Muse.” He slid his gaze to Stefan standing just behind me, and his eyes flared with a touch of fire. One of the three demons in the corner hissed, then settled back down, curled around its companions like kittens in a basket—big, leathery, ugly, demon kittens.
Jerry looked up from his cards, saw the look on my face, and laughed. The heady, rolling, sound of his laughter tempered the rising tension. “Join us. The stakes are high. Cocktail sticks and chocolate coins.”
This was absurd. The world was ending, and Akil was playing poker? “Jerry, Akil… What are you both doing?”
Akil glanced at the spread of cards on the table. “I’d have thought that was obvious.”
Jerry huffed some more rumbling laughter and spread his cards on the table. “I fold. Ahkeel, I never could beat your poker face.”
I glanced at Stefan for back up, but he arched an eyebrow and stayed quiet. That was probably a good thing. “Akil, your house is full of demons.”
He placed his cards down and stretched back in his chair. “I had noticed. Where did you expect them to go? With the veil weakening, many of them are struggling to maintain human form. The people of Boston will kill them or try to. I offered them sanctuary in exchange for their allegiance.”
“How many are here?”
His eyes narrowed, and his gaze briefly wavered. “Five thousand seven hundred and sixty three–no, two. They’re squabbling over territory in the woods. If the princes don’t arrive soon, the numbers will decline. This many demons do not socialize well.”
“They’ll fight for us?”
“For me.” He sucked in a deep breath and turned his attention to Stefan once more. “Reconsider those thoughts, Wrath. The second you attack, my demons will shred your half-blood flesh and turn your frozen skin into snowflakes.” Another growl emanated from the tangled pile of demons in the corner.
Stefan stilled. He lifted his chin and glared back at Akil. I’d forgotten they shared Prince FM. Akil had picked up on Stefan’s less-than-friendly thoughts about him. “I can wait.”
Akil sighed. “Indeed.” He shoved out from the table, stood, and sauntered across the kitchen, pouring masculine prowess into every stride. Stefan’s element reached out and coiled around my legs with a silvery chill. Akil either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He stopped too close, well within my personal space, and brushed his knuckles down my face. “Why did you come here?”
“To check up on you?” I hadn’t meant that to sound like a question.
“A call would have sufficed. You do not trust me.” His voice, deep, smooth, slippery, wove into my mind, unraveling my stubborn denial that I felt anything for him. I tasted spices, smelled cinnamon, and had to stop myself from reaching out to him. He didn’t need to touch me to make my insides liquefy and heat pour through me. He was already inside. Dammit. This was going to be harder than I’d thought.
Jerry was beside me, his presence like a damned portent of doom. I blinked, Akil’s spell broken, and backed up. Stefan glowered from behind Jerry, his power coiling and wisps of vapor rising off