in her soda
bottle. Twisting the cap on tightly, she slipped it back into the cup holder.
Jace eased his black Tahoe up against a curb. He looked tired, as did she. This was monotonous work
and had so far yielded no leads. Add to that their entirely too short nap. A few hours after sunup, they were
awake and ready to hit the road.
Well, there’d been that quickie on the bathroom counter before their shower and his oral attention up
against the wall in the abandoned house they’d just left. She hoped to last a few more hours before needing
some more attention. At least the backseat and tinted windows of his SUV would give them a little privacy.
Glancing at him again, Isla had to admit she was a little surprised by how well he was taking their
current conundrum. She’d expected this morning to be awkward at the very least but it had been shockingly
normal. She supposed their prior friendship and close working relationship made the transition to fuck
buddies a little easier than if they’d been complete strangers.
“Ready?” Jace’s eyebrows arched expectantly.
Isla nodded and patted the various vampire-fighting tools hooked into her tactical belt. The weight of
the implements tugged her low-slung jeans down just enough to bare her belly button. She shrugged into
her grey hoodie for a little warmth against the chilly November afternoon and to camouflage the bulging
weapons sitting on her hips. Hand on the door handle, she paused as she noticed a neighbor staring down at
them from a second story window. “Wait, Jace.”
His half-opened door slipped closed. “What?”
“Normals.” She gestured to the house. “Glamour?”
“Good idea. Less suspicion we rouse, the better.”
Reaching for Jace’s hand, Isla tapped the demonic energy swirling throughout her body and crafted a
simple glamour. Energy zinged through her fingertips and into his as the magic enveloped their bodies like
a warm embrace. A static snap filtered through the air and he winced. His body tried to fight her glamour,
his angelic blood revolting at the demonic magic. She pushed a bit harder, forcing it on him. When she
broke the connection of their hands, Jace stretched his neck and tried to accustom himself to the sensation.
She could only imagine his discomfort. They’d practiced transmission before and he’d learned to accept the
discomfort of their competing energies in much the same way she’d learned to ignore the prickling,
irritating heat of his angelic aura against hers.
“All right?” She eyed him carefully.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
From now on, any humans looking at them would see exactly what they expected to see so early on a
weekday morning: the cable guy, the water meter reader, a friend stopping by for coffee. For each person, it
would be different and unremarkable. Five minutes from now that neighbor peeking out the window
wouldn’t even remember she’d seen two people at all.
The glamour in place, Isla and Jace left the Tahoe and cautiously proceeded toward the house. Eyes
peeled, Isla surveyed the property and then the house. The windows were suspiciously bare of any
coverings and she pointed them out to Jace. “Odd.”
“For a vamp hideout? Definitely.” He frowned as they drew near the open front door. “And so is that.”
Jace shot her a watch-your-ass look before drawing his sidearm containing a clip of specially modified
vampire killing rounds. Isla kept hers holstered, preferring the fireball route, and shadowed him into the
home. The entryway opened into an oversized living area. She’d expected opulent furnishings but found
nothing. The place was empty except for the occasional crushed box or scrap of trash. She had the distinct
feeling the house had been cleared out in a rush. And what the hell is that smell?
“Sulfur,” Jace said, nose wrinkled. “Demons?”
“Yes.” Isla sniffed subtly. That telltale stink was the calling card of a high-level demon. She