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Chapter Nineteen

It had become something of a ritual for them — to go out to eat after the competition, to do something so relentlessly normal that they could forget at least a little about what had transpired earlier in the day.

Unfortunately, Delia didn’t think she’d ever be able to forget any of it.

Aaron Sanchez possessed by a demon. The tournament as a cover for some sort of massive supernatural ritual, one whose true purpose still wasn’t entirely clear.

About the only good thing that had happened today was Caleb advancing to the finals.

If you could even call that part of the whole mess “good.”

Maybe more like necessary, at least according to Ty Carter.

Caleb had already drunk more than half the bottle of cabernet they’d ordered to go with their steaks.

True, she’d seen firsthand how the demon blood he carried within him gave him a tolerance for alcohol that would have made a frat boy green with envy, but Delia still wasn’t sure whether attempting to tie one on the night before the finals was that great an idea.

However, she didn’t say anything. He was an adult, and since she was driving, it wasn’t as if she needed to worry about him getting behind the wheel while impaired…

not that she thought he’d ever actually do something so reckless.

No, he’d call a cab and leave his car behind, and then come back to get it in the morning.

Or maybe just disappear into the men’s room and teleport home from there.

Actually, scratch that. Even drunk — if he could get drunk — Caleb wouldn’t do anything so careless. He knew better than to attract that kind of attention to himself.

And because they were in a public place, they couldn’t dissect what Pru had told them, or what had actually happened during the tournament.

Delia had suggested to Caleb that they get takeout, but he’d shot down that idea pretty quickly.

No, he’d wanted to go to a real restaurant and order a bottle of wine and have someone bring the food to them.

“Also,” he’d added, “I want a steak, and that’s not the kind of meal that improves with delivery.”

Probably not.

So instead, they talked about the competition on strictly mundane terms, with Caleb giving his thoughts on the three other players who’d made it to the finals.

“I’ve heard of all of them, so whatever’s going on, it’s not like Aegis has put its own ringers in there,” he said.

Even a small mention of that diabolical organization made Delia think maybe he was skirting too close to dangerous ground, but she only nodded. “It seems like they can take control of people pretty easily, though.”

Caleb’s expression grew shadowed…or maybe that was only the flickering light from the small candle in the glass holder that sat on the table.

Quite a few restaurants had switched over to battery-operated tea lights just because there was a lot less mess involved, but they still did things old school at Domenico’s.

“It does,” he agreed. “Not me, however. So I suppose I’m the monkey in the wrench.”

Possibly. Once again, Delia wondered why the tournament organizers — who clearly were either members of Aegis or at least mind-controlled by them — hadn’t worked harder to make sure Caleb hadn’t advanced to the final round.

Surely they were worried that he’d do something to disrupt the competition, and therefore whatever ritual they were planning.

But…maybe they couldn’t stop him, not really. After all, he might have been mostly human, but he still had a pretty formidable complement of powers at his disposal. It was possible there wasn’t much they could do.

She hoped.

Even so, she thought leaving him alone at his house seemed like a very bad idea. The mere notion was enough to send a trickle of cold shivering its way down her spine, like she’d just walked through a particularly nasty draft.

“I think you should crash at my place tonight,” she said, and Caleb stared at her as if she’d just suggested that they go base-jumping off the tower at the Stratosphere.

“What?”

“Safety in numbers,” she told him.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then one dark brow lifted ever so slightly. “A premonition?”

A very good question. Was she now able to get vague hints from the future, or were her current heebie-jeebies nothing more than her imagination getting to her?

Whatever was going on, she’d learned to trust her instincts over the years.

“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “But it kind of makes sense that if they were going to make a last-ditch attempt to knock you out of the competition, they’d do it when you were home by yourself.”

Once again, Caleb went silent. Delia could almost see the thoughts darting around in his brain as he weighed what would be the best course of action.

True, he’d probably get a better night’s sleep and would be sharper at the tournament if he spent the night in his own bed, but on the other hand, getting attacked while you were sleeping generally didn’t contribute to a sense of well-being and relaxation.

“All right,” he said at length. “We’ll need to swing by my place first so I can pick up a couple of things, though.”

“That’s fine,” she replied, almost giddy as relief rushed through her. “Whatever you need.”

A lopsided grin tugged at his mouth. “I hope you’re right about this.”

Delia found herself smiling in response. “I know I am.”

Although he would have preferred to sleep in his own bed, Caleb had to admit that the guest room at Delia’s house was pretty comfortable…and not entirely unfamiliar, since he’d crashed there before after getting attacked by a gang of demons at his old house.

He’d slept for a solid eight hours and only awoke around seven-thirty because his nose detected the rich scent of coffee slipping under the door.

After a luxurious stretch, he got out of bed and went to the overnight bag he’d packed the evening before, and pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of sweats.

If his relationship with Delia had been a different sort, he might have wandered into the kitchen while wearing only his boxer briefs, but he had a feeling she probably wouldn’t respond too well to that kind of display.

Maybe someday that would all change, but he knew today wasn’t that day.

She was standing in the kitchen, long red hair pulled back in a scrunchie, slim legs covered in yoga pants.

No need for her to rush around this morning, since it was a Saturday and she didn’t have to go into the office.

If it had been a normal weekend day, she might have still had a few showings with clients or an open house, but he knew she’d cleared her schedule for him.

Yet another reason for him to be utterly grateful to the universe or whatever other force had steered her into his life.

As soon as he approached, she said, “Coffee?”

“God, yes.”

She flashed him a smile — no makeup this morning except maybe a little tinted lip balm, but she was gorgeous nonetheless — and then got a mug down from the cupboard and poured some Italian roast into it.

“How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty well,” he replied. “And it seemed like everything was quiet.”

“Very quiet,” she said. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Like my friends with kids say, if they’re too quiet, then you know they’re getting into some kind of trouble.”

Caleb wondered how many people in her circle had families. Certainly Pru appeared to be relentlessly single. But since he’d heard pretty much the same thing from the people he’d known back in Greencastle who’d started having kids early, it seemed that was one truth he couldn’t deny.

“Well, even if they’re plotting something, they left us alone last night, and I’m grateful for that.” He sipped some of his coffee, which was almost too hot to drink but not quite. Good thing, too, because he knew he didn’t want to wait to get any of that sweet caffeine in his bloodstream.

A hint of a smile flickered around Delia’s mouth. “Me too. Do you think we should do any more investigating today, since you don’t have to be at the casino until three?”

Caleb had already thought about that, so he had a ready answer.

“Probably not. For one thing, they know we’re hip to Paul Reeves’ game, so it’s not like we can follow him again and get any other answers.

And while I have a feeling Pru could probably get Hank Bowers’ address for us, I don’t see the point in confronting him beforehand.

He might be playing a key role in all this, but I have to believe whoever’s really pulling the strings would have some kind of backup for him, someone who could step in and take over if necessary if he got sidelined for some reason. ”

“Makes sense.” Delia sipped some of her coffee, and then her brows pulled together. “And I’m happy to stay as far away from Aaron Sanchez as possible.”

Words that Caleb was only too happy to hear, although he knew she’d only said that because her one-time date was now possessed by a demon, rather than because she’d had such a horrible time with him that she never wanted to see him again.

“Probably for the best,” Caleb agreed. “I’m still not sure why a demon decided to possess him at all. It’s not like he’s been competing.”

Another frown, and Delia said, “Maybe they’re trying to use him to get closer to me.

It’s possible he sensed something the night of our date, something that signaled my powers were expanding, and they thought they could slip a demon into him and have it do whatever was necessary to keep me away from you. ”

Caleb hadn’t considered that angle, but he thought it made some sense.

According to what Ty Carter had told them, Aaron had only been recently possessed and should have been wholly himself the night he went out with Delia.

But it was very possible that whoever in Aegis Holdings was controlling all this had been surveilling her and had decided that her erstwhile date and fellow real estate agent was the perfect person to take over.