and pulled off my jacket to smother the flames. "You creeps! What was that for?"
"Just a little reminder of who you're talking to and where we're from. This isn't a game, people. Take it seriously." Caryon waved a hand. "We'll be going now. You have a lot to think over, don't you, Glory?" Caryon ran a finger tipped in a black claw over my cheek, then simply vanished. Spyte gave us a little wave then disappeared as well.
"Son of a bitch!" Rafe jerked free and ran to me. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay. Boots? Not so much." I fell to the ground, my toes stinging but not really hurt. Not like my boots were. They were a melted mess. Ralph Lauren black patent, found on sale, now history. I handed Penny the ruined jacket and risked singed fingers to pull down the zippers and get the boots off. Damned demons.
Rafe examined my toes, reassured himself that they were just a little pink, then stomped around the hillside. Of course it was futile. The demons were gone, the only other sign they'd ever been there the cloying scent of sugar that clung to the air, like we were downwind from a donut shop. Mortals would think that was yummy. Me? Since I couldn't eat a donut, it was nothing but more torture.
"That was strange and scary as hell." Penny sagged against me. "Uh, literally, I guess." I could feel her shaking as I hugged her and met Rafe's eyes over her head. He looked like he wanted to flame another bush. "When he threw me from one hand to the other, I almost died. Again."
"You certainly got to practice your shape-shifting. But a rat?" I pulled back and looked at her.
"We have them in the lab. It was all I could think of." Penny's hand went to her pants pocket. "Those demons blew my mind."
"Penny, give me that card." I gave her a stern look.
"No way. It's cool. A demon's card. It's going in my 'Oops, I'm a Vampire' scrapbook." She held her hand over her pocket. "I'm not going to call him. Are you kidding me? My grandpa is a Baptist preacher. He'd have a cow and calves." Penny sighed. "Of course what would he do if he saw my fangs?"
"You won't let him. And just because you're a vampire now doesn't mean you're bound for hell. I go to church. As many Sundays as I can. Night services." I felt Rafe's arm go around me. I turned to him. "You okay?"
"Sure. I'm worried about you. Getting attention like this from Lucifer is no joke. No, they can't coerce you, but evil is their specialty. They can apply lots of pressure indirectly to get what they want. Like the hot foot just now." He leaned down to kiss my cheek. "That bitch Alesa sicced them on you as payback for playing hard to get when she was inside you. Now they'll see you as a personal challenge." Rafe's frown was so fierce Penny stepped back from him. "They'll be back. I guarantee it."
"Way to make me feel better, Rafe." We climbed into his car. Penny peppered me with questions about Alesa that I didn't want to answer as the dawn dragged at me. Rafe drove fast, anxious to check with Trey on how the closing had gone. Reality. Unfortunately, we hadn't faced the last of it.
"Jenny called me six times while I slept." Penny shoved her cell phone in my face as soon as I rolled out of bed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to just dying at dawn."
"Can I brush my teeth before I deal with you and your sister drama?" I pushed her out of the way and staggered into the bathroom.
"It's not drama. It's my life, Glory." Penny stood in the bathroom doorway.
I ignored her and grabbed my toothbrush. I squeezed toothpaste, leaned against the sink, looked up and screamed.
"Glory! What happened?" Penny grabbed my arm and turned me to face her. "The demon's back?"
Okay, Penny was real. I touched her face, clear of makeup, and patted her tangled hair. Hairdresser. Calling her first thing. Then I slowly turned toward the mirror above the sink. No, not possible.
"L-l-look. What do you see?" I pointed at the mirror.
"You trying to torment me? I already brushed my teeth and washed my face. Talk about a freak-out. Checking the mirror and nobody . . ." Penny stared at the mirror and then at me. "Oh. My. God."