time in the adult rec room at demon headquarters, and he liked the place. Pool tables, dartboards, game consoles, and a huge-assed television screen showing the football game. The bar was wide and fully stocked as well.
It was a birthday party for one of Hope’s friends, a cute kid named Paxton, and the children played over near the windows, while the adults mingled around the screen. The king’s kid, Hunter, seemed to be directing the other kids in some sort of game involving beanbags and dartboards. Two blond twin boys appeared to be winning when they weren’t wrestling with each other, and a kid who looked just like Jase Kayrs egged them both on.
Promise approached him, smiling and sliding beneath his arm, snuggling into him. She had a margarita in her hand, and her eyes were nicely blurry and her body relaxed. “This is a lovely party. We should do this more often.”
He should get her tipsy more often. The woman was a lightweight, and a hilarious one at that. The debate she’d gotten into with Kane over the tenth dimension in string theory had been quite enjoyable to watch.
Adare approached and handed him another beer, taking the empty bottle and tossing it into the trash across the room. “Bad news, brother.” He took a deep drink of his brew before continuing. “We sent a squad to bring in Haven Daly after your report, and she’s gone. Fled the coop without a hint of a location.”
Promise gasped, her pretty auburn eyes focusing. “Do you think she was taken?”
“Nope,” Adare said. “Cleared out her bank account, and we have some camera feeds showing her leaving town, but she disappeared somewhere toward San Francisco. Nothing has picked up her trail since. She told the art gallery to go ahead with her show, but she wasn’t going to be there. Is playing at being a crazy and mysterious artist, and it looks like it’s working.”
Promise looked up at Ivar, her hand on his chest, right where it belonged. “Do you think Quade told her to run?”
“Maybe,” Ivar said, running through his last conversation with the Kayrs brother. “He seemed a little out of his head, so he might have. If they are somehow communicating, which I’m not sure about. He could be insane by now.” But it didn’t matter. They’d get Quade home and find him the help he needed to heal. It’s what brothers did. He knew that firsthand or he wouldn’t be standing there now.
“I don’t have any new data yet.” Promise sipped her drink. “The computers are downloading any and all information from the 3D instruments right now.” She took a healthy gulp. “We should have preliminary results tomorrow. I love results. Even preliminary ones.”
Yep. Adorable buzzed. Man, he loved her.
Grace bounced up, pool sticks in her hands. Her dark hair was up on top of her head, highlighting her pretty hazel eyes. As usual, her camera hung around her neck in case a good shot appeared. “Adare? Want to get your ass kicked?”
Adare straightened, looking down at his mate, appearing to be almost twice her size. He reached for one of the sticks. “I’ve wanted to teach you a lesson for a while,” he said mildly, turning to follow her.
Promise watched them go, cuddling even closer to Ivar, her thigh to his. “Think they’ll figure things out?”
Ivar settled against the wall, enjoying having her in his arms. Her wild purple heather scent washed over him, easing his guilt over Quade. For now, anyway. “I’m not sure. There’s something between them, but they seem to fight a lot.”
Promise leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Not like us. We have logic and math to guide us.”
He captured her lips, kissing her deep. “And love and faith.” No matter what she said, the woman had shown faith in him when she’d chosen him over math. For his entire life, he’d never forget that. The next day, they’d have to get back to work. But tonight, he was going to enjoy every second with her, and soon he was going to get her away from the party so he could have her all to himself. All night.
She settled back against him with a soft sigh of contentment. “You came back to me. I knew you would.”
He grinned, basking in her trust. “Of course and always. In fact, I always knew, even in the darkest times, that when it really mattered, I would be able to keep my Promise.”