of evidence. We discussed options for where to hide the heart so no one ever digs it up and decided to use the crematory at the mortuary Kellen owns.
The same one Victor Hesse allegedly wanted to take over.
It makes me nervous to go there, since it’s already on the mortifer’s radar, but nowhere else fits. We can’t hide it in our house, and it can’t stay in Julian’s office or go to his home. And after the unexpected construction on the storage facility where we buried Domnall’s body, burying his heart is out of the question.
With how long demons live, nowhere else in the city is safe from eventual discovery. We need to destroy the heart completely.
We file into the building in a somber, silent group, and take the elevator to the floor Julian rents.
The elevator doors open to a shadow-filled hallway, and my wings shiver against my spine. This feels like the setup to every horror movie where the group ventures into darkness, only to be picked off, one-by-one.
Julian had volunteered to go up alone, but I think the others have the same sense of trepidation I do, because he was unanimously shot down.
The keys rattle in Julian’s trembling hand as he unlocks the door to his business and steps inside.
Blue light comes from the computer center off to the left. He’d made a lot of layout changes after the Hunters destroyed the place in their attempt to take out Julian’s imps.
We had gotten everyone out safely, but the office hadn’t survived.
The new layout offers open spaces and a welcoming environment that eases some of my nerves. Aside from Julian’s office at the back, there’s nowhere for anyone to hide in here.
Julian hurries ahead of us and stops in front of the frosted-glass doors of his office, once more unlocking the door.
He risks turning on the lights once he’s inside, and I squint against the sudden brightness. We hadn’t wanted to risk drawing attention to ourselves by turning on any of the other lights in the building, but his office doesn’t have any exterior windows to reveal our presence.
Not that we don’t belong here. As a business owner, Julian can be here whenever he wants. But we don’t need to waste time proving his credentials to a well-meaning security guard. We have a mission, and everyone feels the urgency to get this done quickly.
I hover in the office doorway as Julian walks to his desk and snatches up the bronzed heart he keeps sitting out in the open.
While I wish our current circumstances didn’t push us, I’ll be glad to see the gory souvenir gone. Like Philip, I don’t think it’s healthy for Julian to keep a memento of his tormentor. How can he move on with the reminder sitting right in front of him every day?
Julian’s fingers trace over the rounded curves of the heart, his expression filled with regret and hate. He said once that Domnall wasn’t always a bad person, and maybe Julian had actually loved him in the beginning, or at least held him in high regard, but the relationship had twisted beyond repair long ago.
Straightening away from the door, I join Julian and gently pull the heart from his grasp. “It’s time to let go.”
He gives a jerky nod and turns to the coat rack in the corner. “Should we dispose of the sword, too?”
“It would be for the best,” Tobias agrees from the doorway. “Anything that can connect you back to Domnall should be destroyed.”
“Too, bad,” Julian lifts the sword and scabbard from the umbrella stand at the base of the coat rack. “A sword that can cut down demons is rare.”
“Any sword can cut down a demon,” I scoff. “Philip is proof enough this one wasn’t up to the task of truly destroying one of us.”
“I suppose not.” Julian hefts the scabbard. “But it had a nice feel at my hip. And it dealt well with the Dreamer’s drones.”
I lean closer to him. “I bet Emil has even better swords in the basement. He won’t notice if one goes missing.”
Emil’s cool voice drifts in from behind Tobias. “I will most certainly notice if one goes missing, Ms. Pond.”
“You need to clear out the basement anyway, you hoarder!” I yell, then drop my voice even lower for Julian. “It will be like a scavenger hunt.”
Exasperation fills Emil’s tone. “No one is scavenger hunting through my property.”
I stomp over to the door and lean past Tobias to glare at the frosty demon. “Can’t you