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My city.

Demons.

I might not be able to protect everyone, but I also couldn’t stand by and let everything go to shit either.

All I needed now was a mask and cape.

“I’ll protect you,” Ray said. She said it with such sincerity, squeezing my hands in hers, I had to chuckle. This woman, this demon,Christ,she really cared.

I didn’t know why, but she did.

Nodding, we ducked into an alley and relieved ourselves of our weapons, stashing them under a garbage bag. Hopefully, they’d still be there when we got back.

Hopefully, we’d come back.

Striding up to the bodyguard, I straightened my posture, crossing my arms over my chest and keeping my feet slightly apart.Power pose.It wasn’t accidental. It was a move that showed the definition of my arms, hid my chest, and also hid the limp.

The don’t-fuck-with-me expression was purely default at this point in my life.

“We need to see Emrick,” Ray demanded of him, and several people nearby stopped chatting and turned to us, not even trying to pretend they weren’t listening. The bodyguard eyed us before nodding, unlatched the rope, and let us through. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign.

“You know the way,” he grunted.

Things shouldn’t be this easy, and if they were, something’s wrong.

This thought rightly put me on edge.

But what option did we have?

We’d come this far and needed to see this through. Short of leaving the city and simply hoping we weren’t followed, we had no choice.

Ascending the stairs, Ray tried to shove her way past me so she could be in front, but the spiraling case was narrow, and I stood firm. It was a sweet gesture from her but unnecessary. I didn’t need her to protect me all the time. Elbowing Ray in ribs as she tried to get past again, we tussled as we made our way up the stairs.

“Stop it, Ray. I can look after mysel—”

“I’m just trying to help—”

“That’s very sweet, but let me lead for onc—”

“Let me pas—”

“No!”

“You’re sostubborn—”

“You can talk—”

We stood at the top of the stairs, wrestling each other in the small space, both trying to lead when the door opened, and the stairwell was flooded with light. Frozen mid-argument, I dropped my hands from Ray’s shoulders at the same time she dropped hers from my elbows.

It wasn’t the sinister entrance I wanted to make—squabbling like children about who got to go first—but what’s done was done.

Striding into the room, Emrick was in the same chair he was last time we were here, only this time he’s flanked by two women, one perched on each arm of the chair. He had a hand resting on each of their asses, sliding his fingers under their short dresses, staring at us as we stood our ground in front of him while the door was locked behind us. The women didn’t look particularly happy about our presence but stared at us with mingled curiosity and disdain.

Maybe they thought we were their replacements.

Yeah, right.

Ray might look that part, but I certainly didn’t. Pretty sure Earl’s blood was still on my top. Blood which I noticed Emrick was eyeing. He had the same number of bodyguards in the same positions as last time. Once again, I wondered what was behind the door beyond the balcony.