Page 39

Carefully, I took his hand, lifting it. “You’ve hurt yourself.” I sent power into him, healing the worst of it, aligning the bones that he’d broken and repairing his split-open bleeding hand, doing whatever I had to, to win his trust.

He let me, watching me closely. “You care about me, don’t you, Sutton?”

“Of course,” I said, the lie like ash in my mouth. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”

He grabbed my jaw roughly. “I’m upset, that this, you and me finally being together, has been delayed again . I can’t take much more. I can’t be separated from you much longer.”

This was bad.

His phone rang again, and he cursed as he pulled it free. “I have to leave.”

“I can find my own way home,” I said. “It’s fine.”

He watched me from under hooded lids for several seconds. His moods, his reaction changed on a dime. He’d gone from excited to furious to whatever this was in minutes. “I’ll be in touch,” he finally said.

He got into his car and peeled off, and I almost collapsed in relief against the storefront I stood beside.

That’s when I realized I had no phone and no way to contact anyone, and nothing was open around me. Putting my head down, I quickly strode along the street, in search of a phone, then spotted a street sign. I was close to Rune’s asylum.

I had some things to share with him, then maybe I could get a ride home.

It didn’t take long to reach the intimidating building in the center of Seventh Circle, and the demon at the door let me straight in. Rune was waiting with his apartment door open when I stepped out of the elevator.

“Sorry to just show up like this?—”

“No need for apologies, lovely.” He held his door wide, his gaze roaming over me as I passed. “I like the dress, and the shoes. Is the outfit for me, or is this just a happy accident?”

“I was just out with Poe.”

The light and flirty attitude dropped instantly. “You have an update?”

“He took me to some secret lair Tarrant created under the city, it’s part of the old sewer system. There was supposed to be an auction there tonight. He made me wear a mask, it’s apparently all anonymous?—”

The door crashed open. I jumped and spun around as Jagger strode in.

“You could knock, you know? I just had it repaired,” Rune said, looking pissed.

But he wasn’t the only one. Jagger’s anger saturated the room.

“What the fuck?” he said, but his hard stare wasn’t on Rune, it was on me. “You didn’t think telling me about this outing you had planned with Poe was important information?”

Shit . I hadn’t actually told him about the upcoming surprise event Poe wanted to take me to. I’d gotten home to find Jagger in my place, and he’d touched me, kissed me, distracted me.

“I’m sorry. I planned to. And in my defense, he never actually gave me a time or place. It was last minute. I had twenty minutes to get ready before he picked me up.”

His nostrils flared, and he looked down at his boots while he breathed heavily in and out, over and over again.

“Jag—”

He lifted a finger and shook his head, silencing me.

I bit my lips together and waited.

Rune sat on his couch, his arm casually draped along the back. “You didn’t tell him?” Rune asked me now, brow arched.

“I meant to.”

“You meant to?” His eyes darkened. “I don’t often agree with Jagger.

In fact, I never have. But if you were mine, I would take you over my fucking knee for that shit.

Lucifer told you, you were to have Jagger shadow you whenever you were with that fucker, yet you recklessly went to this underground shithole with a demon who is known to be seriously unstable, not knowing what you were walking into or who would be there? ”

I straightened. “Now hang on a minute. You and Lucifer were more than happy to toss me into this situation. Jag protecting me was just something he threw on at the end of the conversation to keep the peace. I told you I planned to tell Jagger, but everything happened fast. I did text him tonight as soon as I found out. I’m here, I’m fine, and I’m fucking getting sick of having to answer to overbearing, controlling males. ”

Jagger was suddenly at my back, his hand coming around and taking my jaw, tilting my head to the side. He dragged his nose along my throat and snarled.

“He touched you, again. Put his fucking mouth on you?” His beast had control of his voice.

“It’s okay. Apparently, Tarrant has some rule about fraternization between the demons who work for him and contractors like me.

They have to keep it in their pants because of some issues they’ve had in the past. Poe seems to think once I’m brought fully into the fold, then we can finally be together .

He seemed to think that me being at this auction would achieve that.

When it was called off due to some big buyer pulling out, he lost it, and messed up his hand pummeling a brick wall. ”

“Is there a new date for this auction?” Rune asked.

“Tomorrow night. I assume the time and entrance to get down to this place will be the same, but I can’t be sure of that. Poe said there were many entrances.”

Rune sat forward. “Do you know what they’re selling?”

“No, but there were cages. Big ones.”

“Humans?” Jag said.

Rune’s jaw clenched. “If it is, we can send that fucker Tarrant so deep underground he won’t ever see the light of day again.”

“If they’re messing with humans, the knights will want to be involved,” Jagger said.

The Knights of Hell were half angel, half demon tasked with protecting humans and demi-demons like Jack, humans who carried demon blood and special powers.

Rune stood. “Let’s not involve them yet, not until we have proof. The last thing we need is them charging in there before I get my evidence to burn Tarrant for good.” His gaze slid to me. “This was good work, Sutton. I’m not pissed with you anymore.”

“Why, thank you.”

He shrugged. “It seems you handled yourself well.”

“Yeah, maybe you did,” Jagger said. “But don’t ever do that shit on your own again.”

“I did text you,” I said bristling.

“I was in Hell. I was only there for a couple hours, but with the way time moves differently there, I was too late.” He curled his arm around my chest. “Won’t happen again.”

He gave me an affectionate squeeze, and a hiss of pain slipped from me before I could stop it. Jagger froze, and Rune’s head turned sharply back to me.

“I’m okay,” I said quickly. “It’s nothing.”

Jagger was pissed enough, I didn’t want to worry him more. He turned me to face him, so my back was to Rune, then he hooked his finger in the deep V of my dress and tugged it lower, exposing the swell of my breast where Poe had manhandled me.

Now it was Jagger’s turn to hiss. I looked down and the skin he’d exposed was already bruised, and there were clear fingerprints in my flesh.

“Poe did this?” When I said nothing, his gaze sliced to mine. “Poe fucking did this to you?”

“He grabbed me, yes. But that’s all he could do. It looks worse than it is. He can’t force me to do anything, not when it’s against Tarrant’s rules.”

Jagger’s gaze was red now and so filled with rage, it was as if fire danced in his irises as they locked on Rune.

“My patience is at its limit, understand me? Asking me to stand back while my female puts her fucking life on the line, while some piece of shit assaults her repeatedly, is too fucking much, Rune.”

For once, Rune didn’t smirk or say something to piss Jagger off even more.

He nodded. “I know, and I know I’m asking too much to continue with this, but I have to ask, because if we don’t get Tarrant under control, if he continues to do the shit he is, we risk the gates of Hell closing permanently. ”

Jagger’s head jerked up. “Lucifer said that?”

“Not in so many words, but we both know it could come to that. Lucifer and the angels have been on shaky ground since the drama with his son a while back. They’re looking for any excuse to start a war.

We’ve gotten things relatively under control, at least in a way that keeps the angels somewhat happy.

But we need to finish this as quickly and as quietly as possible.

If humans are getting hurt, there will be no more negotiating.

Right now, Sutton is our only way to do that without starting a whole lot of shit, both here on earth and in Hell.

Shit is precarious, and your female is the only way we get out of this mess. ”

I stepped away from Jagger, or tried to.

He grabbed my hips and kind of snorted like a deranged bull.

I was pretty sure he couldn’t release me even if he wanted to by the way his fingers were flexing and the veins were bulging in his forearms, so I stopped trying to step away and placed my hands on his chest. “I can see that you’re worried.

” Massive understatement. He looked seriously feral.

“But I am doing this—for Luke, and for everyone else Tarrant has hurt. I’ll do whatever I have to, to keep him from hurting anyone else, and if I stop a war between Heaven and Hell while I’m doing it, that’s a seriously major bonus. ”

“Sutton,” he rumbled.

“You know I’m right. I have to do this.”

“Warrior,” he said roughly and slid his fingers through my hair.

My breath caught. “I’m not, I’m just?—”

“Yeah, you are.”

The silence stretched out and his gaze dipped to my mouth.

I cleared my throat.

“I want to see this place he took you to,” he said, thankfully changing the subject.

“The doors are locked with codes and there are cameras.” I chewed my lips. “I know a way around the cameras, there’s a spell.”

“I can get around a lock,” Jagger said. “Doesn’t matter what kind.”

“It’s a risk,” Rune said.

“No one else was down there when we were. I’m sure of that. If we’re going to check it out, now would be the best time.”