Revealed in Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

…enhances her beauty. Too bad she’s with that vamp…

I’d forgotten how forceful Roger’s thoughts could be. He was used to broadcasting them to lead his pack, which he’d apparently taken a vacation from to be here. I hadn’t realized he thought about the bang-bang train when he looked at me, though. And if I hadn’t heard his thoughts, I still wouldn’t know—he seemed as annoyed and impassive as ever.

I worked harder to block him out as I started forward again, tossing my hair over my shoulder. I could screw with him as easily as I could screw with Penny. One would have to fight his male reactions, and the other would be embarrassed and probably do weird things in response. Could be worse.

“Darius isn’t going to be thrilled you found his hideout,” I said nonchalantly as I crossed behind Penny and Emery before taking a seat on Emery’s other side, letting those last rays filter through the light cream fabric flowing over my body.

To Roger’s credit, his eyes did not waver from my face, and he did not tense even a little. Ironclad self-control, this one. Though I guess it helped that shifters were used to wandering around in the buff. Their animal forms didn’t usually have opposable thumbs with which to carry their clothes.

“Hmm, Reagan, what’s that scent?” Emery asked as I lowered into the empty seat, nearly flashing Penny as I bent.

“It’s called afternoon delight. You should try it, Penny,” I mused.

Her face practically glowed.

“Roger…” I turned his way, leaning back and clasping my fingers over my stomach. “Did you know that Penny has learned to bust in doors? She’s still working up to breaking them down. It’ll come.”

“Blood-spattered crustaceans,” Penny murmured. Through her teeth she said, “Try to be professional, would you? I thought you’d be sleeping.”

“Don’t lie, you wanted to catch us…dancing. Tell me, do you like to watch everyone when they dance, or just Darius and me?”

Emery coughed laughter into his balled-up fist. “Excuse me.”

Get answers before the vampire gets here, Cahal thought.

He had a point. Darius would not be pleased to find one of the world’s most powerful shifters in his secret hideout. Given they didn’t trust each other at the best of times, and there were hardly any of those, I needed to get some answers before Darius lit a fire under this pile of dried leaves. Penny’s torture would have to wait.

I slid my focus to Roger. “So, Roger, to what do we owe this very dangerous intrusion?”

He cocked his head to one side, his gaze zipping from Emery back to me.

…something is…wrong…

He was cluing in to Cahal, I’d bet, his senses picking up the danger waiting thirty feet behind him.

“Yeah, I don’t always wear leather. Surprise,” I badgered, bringing his focus back to me. “Want a picture? Unlike the guy who owns this place, I’ll show up in photographs.”

His brow lowered. That did it. He did not like being on Darius’s property, probably especially because it was an island and he wouldn’t be able to easily escape if everything went pear-shaped. Which raised the question, why was he putting himself in this situation?

“I’ll ask again, why are you here, Roger? I don’t really want company out here—or didn’t you pick up on that from my disappearing act?”

He glanced at the sky and then the sun, sinking into the horizon like a big, melting tangerine gumdrop. I made a mental note for the next time I trained with Cahal. “The fae sent me. As you know, they have a Seer like Karen…”

“Never say those words to my mother,” Penny said.

The Red Prophet was a rare breed of…eccentric. Karen would be pissed if she heard anyone comparing her to the fae Seer. At least, she would be once she actually met the whacko with fuzzy, unbrushed red hair who sometimes hung from trees like a bat and made owl sounds. That was how I’d first “met” her.

“What about her?” Emery asked, his smile long since wilted.

“I don’t want to repeat myself, so I’ll wait for Durant,” Roger replied, “but she said to make sure to tell you I’m the only one in the supernatural world who’s been informed of your whereabouts. She gave me the company to use for the private jet and suggested the best way to bribe them into falsifying the ending point. It’s parked next to Durant’s jet. She said he would probably want to…speak with the pilots. I assume that means addle their thoughts.”

I’ll recover them and stash them in the house so they can’t escape, Cahal said, and then he was gone, hurrying away from the scene. I knew he’d be back by the time Darius got out here.

“We’ve had a lot of demons in the Brink, popping up all over,” Roger said. His tone was casual, almost conversational, but only a fool would believe it. “I thought demon hunting was kind of your thing. Yet…” He turned and looked back at the enormous residence behind him. “Durant has you living the good life, huh? Hanging up your bounty-hunting hat?”