“Nothing. You keep an eye on Brynn. I’ll be back by tonight.”
Ronin rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Where are you going?”
“To meet with the Council in person.”
Alarm crossed his brother’s face. “Keeg, no.”
Keegan didn’t bother to listen. What was the point? He’d already made up his mind.
He turned and left the room, fighting the urge to unlock Brynn’s door and look in on her before he left. For all he knew, it might be the last time he’d see her. Because once the Council heard what he had to say…
They might very well choose to end him.
Chapter Fifteen
Taeg flashed over to Cresso’s tiny studio apartment in the middle of Cairo, where he had taken up residence ever since arriving in Egypt just a short while ago. Since Cresso expected him, and he didn’t want to risk blowing his cover by being seen with him, he didn’t bother knocking. Instead, he landed on the other side of the front door. “Anybody home?”
“In the kitchen,” Cresso called.
Taeg walked the three steps it took to get from the front door through the barren living room and into the shoebox-size kitchen, decorated in depressing shades of beige. A mini stove and set of double cabinets lined the far wall. Cresso was seated at a tiny round table that had collapsible legs.
“There’s my favorite faerie,” he quipped, throwing Taeg a mischievous grin.
“Fuck you,” Taeg said without heat. Cresso knew how much he hated that.
With a chuckle, Cresso motioned toward the only other chair. “Got us some Chinese takeout.”
“This place is a shithole, man.” Taeg took a seat and picked up one of the white cartons, taking a peek inside. “Ooh, lo mein.”
“Gotta play the part,” Cresso said with a shrug. “Can’t be staying in a four-star hotel if I’m supposed to be a down-on-his-luck demon looking for some quality work.”
“Suit yourself, man. I’ve got eight-hundred-thread-count sheets on my four-star hotel bed, thank you very much. So, have you found anything out yet?”
“Spoke to one guy so far. He said they’ve still got demons working night and day to comb through the Valley.”
“Yeah, I figured. There was no activity going on in Memphis when I went there yesterday.” Taeg practically inhaled a huge bite of lo mein, then pointed his fork at the carton. “This is some good stuff.”
“Leave it to you to still have an appetite.” Cresso let out a dry chuckle. “So what do we do next?”
Great question. And he knew just the answer. “Got any beer?”
“Help yourself.” Cresso gestured toward the tiny refrigerator.
Taeg grabbed two beers before responding. “We need to get ourselves a team to start digging up Memphis, I guess. We’ll have to do it on the down-low so Mammon doesn’t catch wind. Ronin’s been working on narrowing down the location for us.”
“What about the Council? Will they help with some men?”
“The Council?” Taeg snorted. “They’ve been supremely unhelpful to this point. It’s almost like they’re trying to disclaim any responsibility for what happens.”
“Well, that’s fucked.” Cresso shook his head. “Sounds like them, though—a bunch of bureaucratic assholes.”
“You would know, since you work for them.”
“Adviser—not employee,” Cresso pointed out. “Besides, you work for them, too.”
“Oh, yeah,” Taeg said, his voice deadpan.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Cresso asked, “What’s Dagan up to?”
“I told him to go out and relax, take a load off. This whole deal has got him moody as a chick.”
Cresso sneered, shaking his head. “You and your brothers baby him way too much. Just because he’s the youngest doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have any responsibility. He’s a grown-ass man.”
Taeg shrugged. “So?”
“So, he could really be useful if you let him. In fact, he’d probably kill to feel like he was useful. Instead you encourage him to screw around like he doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“Whatever, man. I don’t encourage him, but at the same time I’m not stopping him, either. Let him have some fun. At least one of us gets to.”
Cresso snatched one of the beers. “Suit yourself.”
Taeg didn’t bother to reply, because Cresso didn’t understand. Dagan was upset about what they would likely have to do to Brynn, and who could blame him? If one of the four of them could escape his worries for a while, why not let him?
Let Dagan have his fun. Taeg would do what had to be done in order to save this world. No matter how unsavory the prospect.
…
“What do you expect us to do about it?” the monotone voice of the Council member asked.
Keegan stared at the Councilman’s eyes, trying hard not to let his fury show. The Council used some sort of cloaking spell when it met with petitioners and the eyes were all he could see. Even though he knew there were quite a number of them seated around the large semicircular table located on a raised platform, the entire area appeared pitch black, save the one Councilman’s large, almond-shaped eyes. His voice was the only one Keegan could make out, too. The rest, when they spoke, sounded like incomprehensible whispers. He had never quite figured out what species that one Councilman was, but he certainly wasn’t demon or human.
“What do I expect you to do?” Keegan finally responded. “Provide enough people to make a quick dig for the book would be a good start.”
There was a chorus of whispers all around him. The Councilman’s gaze shifted from here to there before finally returning to him. “We cannot spare large numbers. The fewer who know about this, the better.”
Keegan shook his head in disbelief. “With all due respect to the Council, I don’t understand you. You give us no help, knowing Mammon has recruited an army of hundreds here on Earth, yet somehow you expect us to stop him.”
The Councilman’s voice was cold as ice when he responded. “Need I remind you that you asked for this opportunity to stop Mammon? In fact, as I recall, you insisted.”
“You know why,” Keegan said, no longer caring that he showed the full extent of his fury. “And when my brothers and I agreed, we certainly didn’t realize that it would be just the four of us.”
More whispers echoed, and the Councilman whispered back, until finally he turned to Keegan. “We will do our best to accommodate your request. We will be in contact within the next few days.”
Great. Fucking great. They were brushing him off.
Keegan gritted his teeth. “What about the heir?”
The Councilman’s eyes blinked at him. “What of her?”
Keegan breathed in and out several times. Losing his cool would accomplish nothing. “As I’ve already told you, she is an innocent.”
“Many are.”
“Allow her passage into another dimension,” he urged, restraining the angry growl that threatened to spill forth. “She will be safe there, since Mammon can no longer use the portal without facing immediate imprisonment.”
“That would require the agreement of Earth’s Grand Council member, and we cannot—”
The Councilman was cut off by angry whispers. His eyes swung wildly from one spot to another.
Keegan’s mouth dropped open as he realized the truth behind the Councilman’s unintentional revelation. They had to be kidding him. “She doesn’t know, does she? Earth is in serious danger of having all of its humans wiped out, and you’re not even going to tell its leader?”
“You risk much, saying this,” the Councilman hissed.
The whispers continued all around him, and Keegan realized the immediate peril behind his situation.
Fuck me.
The Council couldn’t help him. Its members couldn’t even agree among themselves.
There was a lot more going on behind the scenes than he’d ever imagined. Things he couldn’t even comprehend. If the Council was keeping
things from its own members…
He was in serious trouble. Time to do some major backpedaling.
“I’ve reconsidered my position,” he said in a smooth tone that belied the furious pounding of his heart. Thank the devil they couldn’t hear it. He hoped. “I can have my brothers dig while I guard the heir.”
The Councilman conferred with the other members for a moment. “Agreed. And if Mammon should find the book before you…”
Keegan stood still, waiting for the rest. Somehow, he knew he wouldn’t like it.
Finally, the Councilman turned back to him. “If he finds the book first, there will be no need to contact us for further instruction. You are to immediately destroy the heir, then report back to us.”
The words hit him like a blow to the chest. Keegan breathed in deeply. It wasn’t like he hadn’t expected this, especially after his lousy attempt at saving face. Still, it hurt. He’d failed Brynn. One more mark on his long list of failures.
“Understood,” he said to the Council, making sure to keep his voice even. Turning, he walked toward the portal waiting to transport him back to New Orleans.
No two ways about it. Brynn was still in peril…which meant he was seriously fucked.
Chapter Sixteen
Keegan downed another shot—his fifth one so far—and set the empty glass on the worn and dented wooden countertop. Just his luck. A city of over a million people, and he’d somehow managed to stumble upon a bar that catered mostly to demons. The waves of energy vibrating off the others buffeted his senses, forming a deafening cacophony that almost drowned out the stench of his own failure.
Almost.
How had he managed to become such a total fuckup? He couldn’t do anything right. Not only had he not been able to protect his brothers when they’d needed it most, but now he’d let himself become responsible for yet another person. Just one more on the long list of people he couldn’t help.
Someone rubbed against his shoulder. He looked to his side and watched a pretty demoness take a seat on the barstool next to him. She was all lush curves and sly glances, and there was no mistaking the interest in her eyes.
“You look lonely,” she said in a sultry voice.
“Yeah?” he replied bitterly, motioning to the bartender for another round.
“What’s the matter, baby? Having some problems?”
Keegan chuckled into his empty shot glass. “You could say that.”
“Maybe I can help.” She leaned in closer to him, near enough that he could see down her blouse. “I’ve been told I’m very good at solving problems.”
The invitation in her voice was all too clear. And he couldn’t be less interested. While he might have found her alluring once, right now all he could think about were laughing green eyes and hair the color of honey.
“I have a place down the street from here,” the demoness continued, fluttering her lashes as she ran a teasing finger down his arm. “We could go grab a drink there, and you can tell me all about it.”
Her touch awakened a glimmer of interest in Keegan’s cock. After yesterday’s close call, that wasn’t too hard to do. He ached to get off, to be buried inside warm, willing flesh.
He considered her offer for all of half a second. While going home with her would certainly solve a lot of his problems, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when he’d be imagining it was someone else the entire time.
Shit. What had he been thinking yesterday? He’d almost made love to Brynn. Worse, he still wanted to, even though he knew it couldn’t happen.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered.
The demoness’s eyes widened and she sat back with a look of affront on her face. “What?”
“Sorry, uh…forgot I have to go somewhere.”
He ignored her angry sputter and threw some cash onto the counter. If his time with Brynn was limited, he wouldn’t waste it here. Who knew what would happen tomorrow? Tonight, he was going to take her out. Let her have some fun. After all, it was the least he could do.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, given he was halfway drunk and didn’t know how he’d keep his hands off her, but right now he didn’t care. He needed to see her.
…
Keegan had been gone since she’d woken this morning. Brynn had tried convincing Ronin to tell her where he’d disappeared to, but he wouldn’t budge. In fact, he hadn’t left her alone all day, other than when she went into the bathroom. He sat next to her the entire time, plugging away on his laptop.
Right now, he was on the phone with Taeg.
“Yeah, he’s still gone.” Ronin aimed a sidelong glance at Brynn before he stood and turned to face away from her. “I’m thinking we should just start in the necropolis. It seems the most likely place… Yeah, well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get much help.”
Ronin sighed and began pacing as he listened to whatever Taeg was saying. “Maybe I should fly in to help. What about Dagan? You should make him do something.”
Brynn gave up trying to watch television. She clicked it off and walked to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. Even from inside, she spotted the heavy crowds on the street.
“What? What do you mean, he hasn’t come back yet?” Ronin said. “Damn it, Taeg, we’re on a mission here, and it’s not to see how many chicks we can bang.”
Her cheeks flushed at his crude language, but she didn’t turn around. Maybe he’d think the sights occupied her and he’d keep talking. Maybe she’d find out where Keegan was.
“I don’t know, but we need to—”
Ronin broke off at the sound of the door to their suite opening.
Brynn whirled to see Keegan striding in, a grim look on his face. The heavy weight in her chest eased a fraction. “Keegan.”
“Hey, Keegan just walked in,” Ronin said into the phone. “Yeah, I’ll call you back later.”
“Everything okay?” Keegan said, stopping in front of her. Something about his voice sounded off. Sad.
Brynn nodded. “I’m fine.”
Ronin dropped his cell phone on the table and stood next to Keegan. “How did it go?”
“We’ll talk later.” After a moment’s pause, Keegan added, “What about you? Any discoveries? Anything on Taeg’s end?”
“Nothing new,” Ronin said grimly.
Keegan nodded and turned to Brynn. “Want to go out for a while?”
She hadn’t expected that, but she wasn’t about to turn it down.
“I’d love to.” She snatched up her coat and slipped it on before he could change his mind.
“I’ll go, too.” Ronin headed for his jacket, but Keegan stopped him with a shake of his head.
“You stay here and keep working.”
For a second, Ronin looked like he would argue. But as if he and Keegan shared some sort of silent agreement, he merely nodded.
Brynn followed Keegan outside their suite and to the elevator. She waited until they headed down to start questioning him. “Where did you go?”
“I went to see the Council.”
“Really? In New Orleans?”
He chuckled at her obvious confusion, a fraction more relaxed for the first time since he’d returned. “The Council isn’t really anywhere. It convenes on a plane between dimensions.”
Between dimensions. There he went, astounding her again. “So how do you meet with them?”
“Through an interdimensional portal. There’s one in every major city. It can take you from one world to another, or it can bring you to the Council’s plane.”
Why did she still expect a “gotcha” somewhere after the things he said? But it was quite clear he wasn’t toying with her. This was real. “Oh, God. This is crazy.”
His smile was sympathetic. “Too much?”
She paused for a long moment, then shook her head. “No, I want to know. How does it work? Can anyone use it? Do people stumble into it by mistake?”
Keegan draped his arm around her back and led her through the lobby, o
ut into the chilly air of the street. “No, but you need clearance from the Council. It’s invisible, but it emits a repellant force that steers most people away.”
“Wait a second. If there’s a portal in every major city, how come we couldn’t just use that to get here instead of flying?”
“Traffic control,” he said, straight-faced.
“Are…are you shitting me?”
“No.” He uttered a short laugh. “The Council would never have time for anything else if it had to monitor use of its portals within dimensions. So all travel within any given world has to be done according to that world’s means.”
“Even when you’re trying to catch a sadistic madman who’s in danger of taking over an entire world?”
“I never said the Council didn’t have a twisted sense of logic.”
Apparently, that couldn’t be more true. “What did you talk to them about?”
“I asked for some help digging for the book in Memphis.”
“And?”
“They blew me off.” Though the words were said in a casual tone, she got a sense of just how pissed he was.
“Why would they do that?”
“Stupidity. Politics.” Keegan shrugged. “Whatever the reason, it appears we’ll need to solve this problem ourselves.”
That was crazy. If he wasn’t going to be angry, then she’d do it for him. “That’s ridiculous. Why bother sending you here to guard me at all? Why not just have me killed?”
Keegan averted his eyes, and her stomach did a panicked flop. She froze in place so abruptly that he kept walking, and she lurched when his arm on her back pushed her forward. “Wait. You were sent here to kill me, weren’t you?”
He stopped and turned to face her, two bright spots of color appearing on his cheeks. “If I had been, you’d be dead already, wouldn’t you?”
Well, he had a point there. He was far stronger and quicker than she was, and her number one defense mechanism didn’t even work on him. Still, something about this made her very uncomfortable.
“I suppose you’re right,” she finally said.
Keegan gave her a curt nod, then led her toward a bar advertising hurricanes, New Orleans’s classic rum punch. “Come on. A drink should warm you up a bit.”