He motioned toward the ceiling. She glanced up, and he could almost hear her swearing in her head. There were demons there—sleeping demons that would wake only if someone crossed the threshold. It was a common enough trap, one that took little planning.
She took a cautious step back. “What now?” Her voice was low, though there was no need. These demons would sleep for a thousand years unless someone entered the room or Lucifer retrieved them.
“Alley or office?” Those were their two choices.
“Office first,” she decided. Taking the lead once again, she made her way toward the other end of the gallery. This time they were a bit more cautious but encountered no other traps. Like the rest of the space, it was empty.
“It’s as though she never existed.” He hated the melancholy in her voice.
On a hunch, he pulled out his phone and searched for Kayley Quill. There was nothing. No website or social media, no mention of any of her paintings. Only yesterday, she’d been a celebrated painter with a reputation in the art world, a penthouse apartment, and a huge bank account. Now there was nothing.
He showed his search to Morrigan. She swallowed heavily. “He’s erased her. It’s as though she’s never lived, never been an artist. That’s not right.” She looked to him for confirmation. “That’s not fair.”
Leaning against the wall, she sighed and rubbed her hand over her face. “What does this mean?”
Lucifer was flexing his muscles, reminding them he was very powerful. He’d say all-powerful, but no one had that distinction as far as Maccus was concerned. The minute you started thinking that way, you were doomed. There was always someone with greater strength or influence. Even if there weren’t, it was only a matter of time. That was a law of nature. Change was inevitable.
It was too damn quiet. “Let’s go.”
She pushed away from the wall and left the empty office. Instead of heading toward the back entrance, which would take them through the demon trap, or to the front door, Morrigan made a beeline for the fire exit.
Without hesitation, she put her back to the panel and pushed, leaving her hands free. Gun raised and knife at the ready, she stepped into the alleyway.
He was right behind her.
It was empty. One of the security lights had been smashed, leaving the area in shadows. Whether it had happened during their battle a few nights back or someone had done it since, he couldn’t say. And that bothered him. Those were the kinds of details he never missed.
Being with Morrigan was messing with his precision.
The air was still tainted with the smell of blood and the stench of sulfur. There was a slight scuffling sound off to his left. He spun around to face the threat. Morrigan stepped in front of him.
“Come out, Kayley.”
The woman who emerged from behind the dumpster was not the same one he’d met before.
…
Whatever had happened to her sister hadn’t been pleasant. Gone was the sexy siren in the red dress. Oh, she was still wearing the dress, only it was stained and torn. Her feet were bare. Several of her fingernails were jagged or missing. And her once-glorious red hair had been hacked off, leaving it a ragged halo around her head. Her carefully applied makeup was smudged, leaving her eyes blackened. Red lipstick streaked up one corner of her mouth, giving her a grotesque, lopsided smile.
Her eyes, which had been a lovely green, were now tinged with red.
Morrigan’s heart raced, and her palms were sweaty. She hadn’t been this nervous since her first demon hunt. The cuffs in her back pocket vibrated, as they always did when her target was close.
But this was no ordinary demon. This was her baby sister. And no matter what she’d done, she didn’t deserve this. No one did.
“Kayley.” Was there anything left of the little girl she’d grown up with, or the brash, confident woman she’d met last night?
Her sister hissed, fingers curling into claws.
Morrigan carefully tucked her gun back into her holster but kept