Page 21 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Nova

D ex flew leisurely this time. Nova kept her face buried in his neck to avoid the worst of the sun and it was almost soothing enough to fall asleep. For how far they were flying, it only took a few hours with a stop here and there.

He never got tired and he never complained. Nova had no idea how he could carry her and fly without any issue, but he made it seem easy.

“We’re almost there,” he said right in her ear. “Your place first?”

She nodded, wondering what he meant by ‘first.’

Dex landed a few minutes later and then gently set her down, swinging his arms to ease the strain. Nova stretched, wishing there’d been a better way, but she didn’t want the council asking her why she was using the coven’s portal without checking with them first.

“Thank you for taking me,” she said, feeling awkward for some reason.

Being back in Seattle made her feel anxious, but Nova had said she would stay. So that’s what she would do until they figured out if this was going to work long term or not.

Nova looked up to see his eyes were glowing and his lips were pulled back in a silent snarl. Instantly she went on the defensive and held up a finger for him to wait. She tilted her head and listened.

Someone was in her apartment.

Pulling out her phone, she checked and saw there were missed calls from when she’d been flying with Dex. Nova didn’t recognize the number, so she checked the voicemail and gritted her teeth when she saw the transcript.

Fuck.

Tapping out a message, she sent it to Dex, pointing at her phone.

The council is here to check on me.

Dex glared at nothing in particular but gave her a nod and then sent her a response.

I’m staying until you signal the all clear.

Nova sighed and tucked her phone in her back pocket.

It was time to go back to work.

The stairs to the roof unlocked easily enough with one of her charms and Nova walked down to her floor, bracing herself for whoever they’d sent.

She slipped her scent charm back in her ear and put her keys in the lock, making more noise than necessary so Dex could track her.

When she opened the door, the hunter stood in her apartment like he owned the place.

Nova felt her stomach flip flop when she recognized him. “Zane.”

“Novalie,” he said with a smirk. “You’re looking good.”

“Don’t call me that.” She pulled out her phone and texted Dex the all clear. “What are you doing here?”

“The council wants to speed this up. You’re taking too long, sweetheart.” He tossed his black hair, knowing just how hot he was.

Nova studied him from head to toe and remembered why she’d spent more than one night with him, but she’d never cared for his attitude, just his dick. “And they picked you? All the other competent hunters must have already had jobs.”

Zane narrowed his eyes. “I forgot how sharp that tongue of yours is, but I distinctly remember how soft it felt on my cock.”

She froze, heart pounding as she waited to see what would happen next, but no one came blasting into her apartment, so that was something.

“I’m surprised you remember what it feels like at all since it only took you thirty seconds to come.” She set her backpack on her bed and checked her phone when it vibrated.

Can I kill him?

She almost smiled.

No.

Text me and I’ll meet up with you after work.

“It’s not my fault you suck like a porn star.” Zane shrugged, not the least bit bothered by this conversation.

Nova sighed and rolled her eyes, trying to remember why she’d liked him the most out of all the hunters. “Can you please just tell me what the plan is?”

“They want this shit wrapped up, so they figured two hunters were better than one.” Zane looked around her apartment like it disgusted him. “Where are you on your canvassing?”

“You’d know if you’d read my reports.” Nova sighed and closed the blinds before taking off her sunglasses. “Where do they have you staying?”

“My place is down the hall.” Zane studied her from head to toe like he was trying to figure something out. “But I could stay here if you like.”

“No thank you.” Nova pulled her hair out of the bun and let it fall over her face. “I’ve been going out around sunset and working on a new group I discovered.”

Maybe this would end up working out for the best. The quicker she was done, the quicker she could move on before she became a risk to Dex.

She considered the hunter she’d trained with for years.

He was one of the last ones she’d slept with and Nova had almost considered a relationship with him just to have a partner, but she’d never felt anything more than affection for him.

How did she ever think that would work?

Zane crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, fill me in.”

“So far, I’ve discovered two syndicates that are ruling over the city like packs,” she explained. “They operate independently from the official coven and the local vampires. There are also a variety of unaligned witches and some of them like to go around stealing magic.”

Nova leaned against the window and shrugged. “She’s dead now, but I still need to dig and see if the witch was working alone or not.”

All of that was in her last report. Just not how she’d found out.

“So, you’re still not sure who’s responsible for the reports the council received?” Zane sighed. “Dammit, I’d thought you’d be farther along after being here for a few weeks.”

Nova glared at him. “It’s a big city and a lot of paranormals live here. Excuse me for trying to be subtle.”

“I still can’t believe they sent you here alone,” Zane muttered, uncrossing his arms. “Have you had a chance to train today?”

If she didn’t know better, she’d think he sounded concerned for her. “I’ve been handling things just fine on my own,” she reminded him. “And I don’t think training with you is a good idea right now.”

“Aw, scared you might kill me?” Zane teased, taking a step closer.

“The idea doesn’t scare me as much as it excites me,” she said. “Since you think you’re smart, what do you think the next step should be?”

He took another step closer. “Show me the map.”

Nova ignored his posturing and went around him, heading for the closet. She grabbed her tablet and stuffed the dead witch’s laptop under her dirty clothes.

“When I spoke to that witch, she said she didn’t work for anyone except her and her sisters. So, I assume there’s a group of witches out there I need to look into.”

“Did you have the coven give you a list of the witches in the city?” Zane asked as he took the tablet from her.

“Why would they have a list of all of them? You know just as well as I do that covens are snooty and exclusive.”

She grabbed her backpack as he checked over all her official notes.

Working with Zane was familiar and comfortable since they’d spent years training, studying, and fighting together. Even before they fucked, he’d been a decent hunter, if not the best.

Unfortunately, Nova had ruined any chance of a good working relationship with him when she’d left without saying goodbye. Honestly, she hadn’t thought he would notice. The boy was pretty self-absorbed.

“If the coven doesn’t know all the witches in the city, you could ask for them to do a locator spell to pinpoint them.” Zane suggested.

Right, he had no idea she was also a witch.

Fuck. This was going to be a pain in the ass.

She’d been planning to do the locator spell herself and then go through the laptop tonight, but fucking fuck .

Nova sat down on the bed and tried not to freak out.

What exactly did Zane know about her?

“I think you should show me around the city tonight and then we can go from there,” Zane said, all business now. “How do you want to approach it?”

“Dressed as civilians but we gear up underneath. I can get us in through the back of most places by now.” Nova cracked her neck. She wished this shit was over and done with already.

“Have you thought of any undercover options?” Zane asked as he flipped through her notes.

Thankfully, her dad’s paranoia had stuck with her. Only the bare minimum of info was sent to the council – just enough they knew she was making progress, but her personal thoughts and opinions, the relationships she’d built – all that was hers and hers alone.

“I considered applying as a bartender to a few places to get more of an insider look, but I ran into that witch before I could.” Nova rummaged through her backpack and saw her mother had included birth control potions.

Holy shit.

When was the last time she’d taken one of those?

She quickly did the math and then breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she realized she was still within her six-month window.

Her mother had always made sure she had these and Nova downed one just to be safe – marking the time and date on her phone. Then she set the next alarm, and when looked up, she found Zane watching her.

“What?” she snapped, tossing the bottle in her backpack.

“It would be a good idea to split up the day, but we can wait to do that. I know you prefer hunting at night.” Zane airdropped the info from her tablet to his and then handed it back. “You still ride a motorcycle?”

“I need to buy a new one.” Nova studied her tablet and the places he’d marked on the map.

How was this going to work? How was she going to spend time with Dex if this asshole was always around?

Would it matter if Zane knew about him?

Nova tried to imagine all the possible ways that could go wrong.

It would be safer to keep it a secret, but she doubted Dex would be okay with that, or with not seeing her that much.

Things between them had changed in Montana. It wasn’t just a random flirtation anymore.

What they had was so much deeper than she’d anticipated and the both of them were still trying to figure out what it meant and how it worked.

Eyeing Zane, she wondered if she could keep her relationship with Dex a secret from the other hunter when they shared the same apartment building while being forced to work together.

“I have a car. Where do you want to go first?” Zane studied her like he might find answers to whatever questions he had bouncing around in his head.

No doubt he was wondering why she’d left without saying a word.

They hadn’t been in any kind of relationship though and she owed him nothing outside of work.

“We can drive around so I can show you the territory boundaries. Then we’ll go to the tattoo shop and see who shows up.”

“Maybe they have some info there,” Zane suggested. “Something to lead us to the others in the group.”

“Go get ready. I’ll meet you outside the elevator in ten.” Nova stood and opened her door, waiting for him to leave.

Zane hesitated like he wanted to say something, but then decided otherwise. He finally left and she just barely kept herself from slamming the door.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Nova stripped down and slipped on her thinnest armor over her tank top. Then she pulled on her leggings with the thigh armor as she considered what she’d need to wear now that she was hunting with Zane.

All those years in the university had prepared her for this eventuality, but Nova hadn’t figured out exactly how she wanted to play this yet. She couldn’t wear her monster mask unless she wanted him to start asking questions about that.

Covering her eyes should be easy enough – no one had ever asked about the shadows covering her face when she had the hood up.

Nova would just let Zane do all the talking if that’s what needed to happen.

She pulled on loose green cargo pants and sneakers instead of boots. A long-sleeved black shirt would cover her tattoos and the armor. Gloves, a scarf, and a black mask would work too, plus a black hoodie under her puffy jacket.

Nova pulled on her beanie and then she started stashing weapons.

It would be hard to get into any clubs like this, but it was fine for the bars.

Grabbing her purple lipstick, she slicked it on and hoped it wouldn’t take long to complete the mission now that she had Zane’s help.

Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

A knock on her door made her sigh. “I told you to meet me at the elevator. Are we going to have to discuss who’s in charge of this shit every five minutes?” Nova yanked the door open and her jaw dropped when she saw Dex standing there.

He pushed her inside the apartment and then closed the door as silently as possible.

Before she could say anything, he whirled around and pressed her to the door, kissing her desperately.

Dex smirked when he noticed just how breathless she was. “I couldn’t leave without kissing you goodbye,” he explained.

He must have heard everything.

Nova wished she’d figured out she could blush at the drop of a hat before meeting Dex. She had no control over it and it was embarrassing as hell.

“My place tonight?” Dex asked, his grip tightening on her waist.

“I can’t stay,” she warned him.

The way his eyes flashed made her nervous.

“Do I need to be worried about Zane?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Do I?” Dex yanked her against him and kissed her neck.

“Mm, I think I like jealous you.” Nova grinned and kissed right below his jaw.

Another knock on her door made her freeze.

“Hurry the fuck up, Nova. I know it doesn’t take you that long to get dressed.”

She slapped her hand over Dex’s mouth before he could say anything. “Only because I was in a rush to get away from you. Just give me a second.”

Dex wouldn’t budge when she tried to push him toward the window.

Nova glared and stood on her tiptoes so she could whisper in his ear. “Don’t throw a tantrum or I’ll have to kill him and the council would hate that.”

The way his eyes flashed made her smile. Nova shoved him toward the kitchen and grabbed her wallet as well as some extra ammunition. Then she slipped through the front door, locking it behind her.

“Finally,” Zane muttered. His green eyes were bright, even in the dim light of the hallway. “What took you so long?”

“I couldn’t find my lipstick.” Nova pulled it out of her pocket and reapplied. “You really need to learn some patience.”

They got into the elevator together and she almost collapsed with relief when Dex didn’t show up out of nowhere.

Nova had to finish this job as quickly as possible. She didn’t know how much more stress she could take.