Page 106 of Demon's Heart

Onyx caught Dante’s eye as they hurried to catch up. He didn’t seem to like this development either.

Lucifer must have mentioned their mates to someone. Maybe a secret like that would travel faster than anything else, reach demons who normally avoided Luc as much as possible. It had been a couple weeks since Ollie’s attack, so it wasn’t unreasonable for news to have circulated.

As they approached the tallest building, windows opened on all sides and the sky filled with demons. Early rising was typical for their kind, but it seemed Dante, Onyx, and Ash weren’t the only ones heading toward the ornate building towering above the rest.

What the hell were they flying into? Hiding behind illusion felt less secure than it had in centuries.

Ash led them in a circle around the tower, away from the other demons, who seemed to be congregating on one side. “It would have been better to turn up in the middle of the night.”

“Could you remember where we were in the time gap between realms?” Dante hadn’t thought about that difference in so long. Days didn’t change length in the Realm of the Damned. There were no seasons. It was one long, unchanging existence.

The top of the tower was more glass than stone, shimmering like a polished jewel. Dante, Onyx, and Ash hovered out of sight of the crowd.

“I feel him inside,” Ash muttered.

The glass reflected the rising sun at their backs, completely obscuring the interior of the building. At least their illusions held firm. Not even a shadow betrayed their presence.

Should they burst in or try to open a window quietly?

Abruptly, the birdsong cut off. Two large panes of glass in front of Dante swung open, revealing Lucifer in full demon form, his expression hard, fangs accentuating his frown.

Impossibly, his burning red eyes focused on Dante before flicking to Ash and Onyx on either side.

“Brothers, I was hoping to find you.”

29

OLLIE

Ollie followedHarper and Nico down the service stairwell. There must’ve been great soundproofing because he didn’t hear any music or dinging slot machines.

“Is Onyx always like that?” Nico asked, voice shaky. He had Ollie’s sympathy.

“No,” Harper said vehemently, looking back at Ollie for agreement.

“He’s actually a decent guy. I think that was more about Ash and Dante than you.” Didn’t Onyx care about giving such a bad impression? It was worse than the first time Ollie had met him.

“If you say so.” Nico shook his head and opened a door. “We can head down to the club if you want, but I should introduce you to Rowan first.”

“Of course. We don’t want to be rude.” Harper dropped his voice. “I was kidding about getting a lap dance.”

Nico chuckled. “No shame if you want one.”

He led them down a carpeted hall to a polished wooden door and held it open. Ollie followed Harper into a large corner office. Low, moody light filled the room. There was a hint ofcigar smoke and something sharp in the air, and while nothing about the room should have been threatening, Ollie wanted to leave.

Nico shut the door, addressing the man sitting at the desk by the window. “Here we are.”

There was no immediate response.

Ollie half expected the vampire to be ghostly pale and wearing a cape, maybe looking like he’d recently popped out of a coffin. That was far from the case.

Rowan sat poised, eyeing them with a keen dark gaze, his skin golden brown and glowing with life.

Harper stepped up to the desk, seemingly without a care in the world for the vampire sitting behind it. Ollie willed himself to project confidence. He reached for Dante, detecting unease in his mate.

Rowan stood, buttoning the jacket of his perfectly tailored suit, and brushed his long dark hair over his shoulder. “Thank you, Nico,” he said as if Nico had done him a favor. “Harper Nightingale and Ollie Hudson, it’s nice to make your acquaintance. I’m Rowan Valero.”

He smiled, and Ollie’s neck prickled. Rowan had his fangs hidden, but somehow he looked less human than the demons, as if Ollie could sense the magic in him. Ollie averted his gaze.