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His face turned more serious as he listened carefully. I gave him a few of the tricks I’d learned over the years, from working in the shadows to asking questions without really asking them. He seemed to get the gist of it, and when I sent him onto the playground, he looked determined. I sat at a bench nearby, close to a group of gaggling women. If he couldn’t get any information, I’d pass some on to him. My uncle didn’t give a shit who heard it, as long as he got information.

It bothered me seeing kids actively avoiding him. I saw his hurt expression flash over his face more than once. He gave up trying after a while and sat under the slide, hiding his unhappiness with a scowl.

“... and I know her husband didn’t get that kind of money legitimately.”

Pulling out my phone, I pretended to scroll, listening to the women. If someone was getting money illegitimately, that could bode well for my family. Either with information on how, or giving them territory to take over.

“How do you know?”

The queen bee scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Tara’s husband works with him. She said she overheard him talking with his golf buddies about how Neil’s numbers have been dropping so much that the managers have all taken notice. He’s close to losing his job, if he hasn’t already. He has to be getting it somewhere else.”

“But where, though?” another woman asked, bouncing a baby on her hip. They were all staring at this woman like her story was fascinating, enthralled by a bit of gossip.

“Rumor has it he’s been laundering money for a crime family. His secretary, Charlene, heard him bragging about his connections over the phone once.”

They all gasped, and I bit back the urge to roll my eyes.

“Which family?”

Finally, a decent question. There weren’t that many crime families around. The city wasn’t that big.

The woman’s voice dropped to a whisper. Good thing demons had excellent hearing because I didn’t miss a word.

“Have you guys heard about the Shadowwalker crime family? I heard they’re some kind of paranormal organization. Super dangerous. Apparently, Neil’s been working with them.”

My body stiffened, though I made sure not to let it show. I didn't know all the humans my uncle had under his thumb, but if one of them was bragging about working with our family, then that was a problem. If you couldn’t be trusted to keep your mouth shut, you were a liability. This kind of information would keep Dante out of trouble for at least a few weeks.

I listened for a little while longer, but the women moved on to less interesting topics. Normally I’d send this information to my cousins right away to follow up, but I wanted to give it to Dante to report.

“Hey! Get away from him, you little freak!”

My head whipped up as a portly woman with blonde hair glared down at Dante. I was out of my seat and standing above him before either of them could blink, a snarl in my throat.

“Back up.”

The woman startled hard, her eyes wide. She had a tight grip on a little boy’s arm and she forced him behind her, taking a few steps back. She pointed an accusing finger at Dante, screaming at me.

“He doesn’t belong here! There are parks meant for freaks like him! Keep him away from the normal children!”

I didn't normally listen to human dribble. Their opinions didn’t matter. But Dante was just a fucking kid, and I wasn’t going to let her get away with talking about him like that. My temper swelled, fire licking across my skin and focusing on my horns. The woman looked rightfully terrified, her face paling in the face of my wrath. I didn’t hurt humans, but I had no problem making sure she never slept soundly again.

“Oh, shut up, Karen,” a voice snapped. “I saw them talking. He didn't do anything.”

The speaker was a man who stood a few feet away, his eyes locked on the bitch who was testing her luck with me. He was a little taller than the average human, not overly muscled or intimidating. It was the colorful designs all over his arms and neck that made him different. I’d heard of human tattoos, but I never really paid much attention to them. This one was covered in them. He wore a black cap, covering his hair, a loose fitted tank top, and ripped jeans. Not the typical kind of human I saw in this neighborhood. I saw more like him on the side of town that my uncle liked to work in. It made my hackles go up, even though this human was standing up for Dante.

The woman latched onto a conversation with another human, shooting the man a defiant look. “We as parents get a say on who our children interact with! I–”

“So leave,” the man demanded, his voice somehow rough and smooth at the same time. He didn’t look the least bit intimidated by the woman, even though she probably outweighed him by a lot. When she sputtered at him, he raised an eyebrow lazily.

“You’re the only person kicking up a fuss right now. The kid didn't do anything wrong. If you’ve got a problem with him being here, then roll your ass right along and let the damn kids play.”

It took work not to snort at his comment. Dante didn’t even bother to hide his reaction, snickering behind me. He’d gotten to his feet at one point, but he knew better than to move away right now. He stood close enough that I knew where he was and watched as the humans argued with one another.

“You can’t seriously want children to play with that… that…”

“Say it. I dare you,” I snarled. I knew she was about to call him a monster. It was a common term with humans. The warning in my tone got through her thick skull, however, and she finally made a smart decision by keeping her mouth shut. She looked around wildly, like she was hoping for back up, but there was more than one parent glaring at her. Even the gaggle of women from before looked disgusted. It gave me hope, which I’d long since given up on. Hope that maybe, in the future, Dante would have an easier time than me. They might not care about how I was treated, but bullying a little kid wouldn’t happen on their watch.

CHAPTER FIVE