“This is not a normal situation,” Hamid said. “We have no idea what we are up against here or what new dangers we could encounter out there. You are not prepared for this.”
I breathed deeply through my nose, trying to keep my temper in check. “No warrior knows what they’ll have to deal with from one day to the next. When Nikolas Danshov was captured by a Master, his age and experience didn’t help him. Neither did Desmund Ashworth’s when he got attacked by a Hale witch. And Chris Kent got taken down by a Hale witch…at Westhorne of all places. Last year, we had a Lilin running around California, and you know who killed him? A warrior, two years out of training.”
Hamid didn’t respond, which was just as well because I wasn’t done.
“I get that you’ve been around a while and you’re probably a badass like Nikolas. I even respect that. But you don’t know me or what I can and can’t do. You’ve already established I’m not as fast as you, but have you ever seen me fight? No. You don’t like me, fine. I’m not trying to win a Miss Popularity contest. But do not dismiss me because I don’t measure up to your impossible standards.”
For the first time since I’d met him, Hamid’s expression softened to something that wasn’t quite a scowl. Was that admiration?
Right. And next he’d go down on one knee to profess his undying love for me.
I pressed my lips together, done arguing with him about this. Too riled up to sit and work on a report, I turned to Brock and Mason. “You guys up for some sparring?”
Mason eyed me warily. “I don’t know. How much is it going to hurt?”
“Wuss,” Brock barked behind a cough.
“Really?” Mason shoved him. “I don’t hear you offering to go first.”
Brock chuckled. “That’s because I’m older and smarter than you. And I was her pin cushion the last time she was in a bad mood.”
“Yeah, but you also heal faster,” Mason said.
I tapped my foot impatiently. “Are we doing this or not?”
Vivian entered the control room. “I’ll spar with you.”
“Okay,” I said eagerly, feeling a rush of adrenaline. Vivian had told me how competitive she and Nikolas were back in their training days, so she would be very skilled with a sword. And I needed a challenge to burn off all the negative energy bouncing around inside of me.
She smiled. “Give me a minute to change into some workout clothes.”
“I’ll go warm up,” I called to her back as she left the room.
“This should be fun,” Mason said to Brock. “Want to place bets?”
I scoffed at them and headed to the gym. As I passed Raoul, he mouthed, I’ll handle it.
A tight smile curved my lips. I should have known he’d have my back.
I ignored Hamid, who hadn’t spoken since my little speech. Good. I had nothing more to say to him. He was too set in his ways to change his mind, and I wasn’t going to back down, ever.
I’d meant it when I said they’d have to shackle me to keep me from doing my job. Since the day I’d learned what I was, all I’d ever wanted was to be a warrior. No one and nothing was going to take that away from me.
* * *
“I swear to God I’m going to end up strangling him if he stays here much longer,” I ranted into my phone as I paced around the edge of the pool. “It’ll be justifiable homicide. No one who knows him could blame me.”
Laughter came from the phone, and I stopped walking to glare at it. “This is not funny, you guys.”
“It so is,” Beth said before dissolving into giggles.
Sara made a sound that was between a laugh and a cry. “Oh, God. I think I just peed myself.”
That sent the two of them into another fit of laughter, and I had to wait a full minute for them to stop.
“Beth, you’re now on my shit list,” I grumbled.
“Me?” Beth choked out. “What about Sara?”
I sat on one of the loungers and scowled at the evening sky. “She gets a pass this time because she’s preggers and she’s susceptible to bouts of insanity.”
Sara sniffled. “Being pregnant doesn’t make you crazy.”
“I don’t know,” Beth said. “Only a crazy person would eat that nasty moulis.”
“Moulis?” I asked.
“It’s a Fae water plant,” Sara explained. “Eldeorin gave me some to help with morning sickness.”
I put an arm behind my head. “What’s wrong with that?”
“What’s wrong is it looks like slimy seaweed and smells like dirty socks.” Beth made a gagging sound.
“If you ever carry a Fae baby, we’ll talk food choices.” Sara groaned softly. “I can’t believe Faerie pregnancies last a whole year. I already look like I have a soccer ball under my clothes.”
Beth laughed. “She does not. She looks adorable.”
“You’re feeling okay, though?” My own woes suddenly seemed insignificant. “No problems with the baby?”
“The baby and I are great,” Sara rushed to reassure me. “Eldeorin said she’s strong and healthy.”
I exhaled in relief. “Good.”
“So, back to your hot Egyptian warrior,” Beth drawled. “I want to hear more about him.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “He’s not my warrior.”
Sara snickered. “I remember when all you could talk about was his big sword.”
“That was before he showed up here and decided to ruin my life.”
It had been two days since our argument about patrols, and thankfully, the subject hadn’t come up again. That didn’t stop Hamid from annoying the hell out of me in other ways.
I ground my teeth together when I remembered my sparring session with Vivian. I had been doing great and feeling pretty good about it until Hamid had come to stand in the doorway and watch. His glowering presence had unnerved me, and I’d messed up several times. After our match, Hamid had the nerve to point out my mistakes and to offer to help me with my technique. As if I needed him to show me how to properly use a sword.
“I guess this means there will be no future hookup for you and him,” Beth said.
I snorted. “Are you kidding me? He’d probably criticize my performance, and then I’d be looking for a place to hide the body.”
The two of them started laughing again, and this time, I joined in.
“Man, I miss you girls,” I said when we were laughed out.
“We miss you, too,” Sara replied. “When are you coming for a visit?”
“Yeah, like a permanent one,” Beth chimed in. She’d been trying to get me to go work with them ever since they left Los Angeles.
“I might do a short visit.” The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I’d get to hang out with my BFFs and put a lot of miles between Hamid and me. I could work just as easily in Chicago as I could here, and by the time I came back, the Council’s investigators should be gone. Perfect.
“When?” Sara and Beth asked in unison.
“Soon. I need to run it by Raoul, but I don’t think he’ll have any problem with me leaving.”
Through the French doors, I saw Raoul approaching. Speak of the devil.
He opened the door and came outside. “Going on a call. Want to ride with me?”
“Sure. Give me one minute.” I put the phone to my ear again. “Duty calls, girls. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye,” they called together.
Standing, I stuck my phone in my back pocket. “What’s up?”
“We got a call from a night janitor at Fisher Middle School in Compton. He said he heard suspicious noises coming from the gymnasium.”
“Why would a janitor call us instead of the police?” I asked as I walked toward Raoul. “How would he even know about us?”
Raoul stepped aside to let me enter the house. “He’s a Vrell demon.”
“Ah.” Vrell demons were one of the few demon species who could blend in well with humans, as long as they hid their tiny horns and fangs. Sara’s work with the demon community had built up their trust in us so they were less afraid to call us when they needed help or to report suspicious activity.
“Grab your stuff,” Raoul said. “Brock and Mason are meeting us there.”
“You sure the Council’s people don’t want to handle this?” I asked when I met up with Raoul in the garage. “I wouldn’t want to step on any delicate toes.”
He grinned as he pulled on his helmet. “Hamid and the others went to San Diego today with Orias, so their toes are safe.”
I frowned. “What’s going on in San Diego?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been briefed on it yet.”
I shook my head as I mounted my bike. Of course not. Why keep us in the loop?
Mason and Brock were waiting for us when we pulled into the school parking lot. Raoul decided it was best for us to stay together, considering recent events, and we walked to the front door as a group. On the other side of the glass door, a nervous Vrell demon visibly relaxed when he saw us.
“Thank you for coming,” he whispered, running a shaky hand through his curly brown hair.
Raoul introduced us, and the demon said his name was Kaden. Then Raoul asked him to tell us what was going on.
“First, I could only hear voices, and I thought some kids had snuck into the school. But then I heard someone speaking in demon tongue.”
I paused in adjusting the leather harness that held my sword against my back. Demon tongue was the language common to all demon species, although most spoke English. We had scholars who spent their lives trying to understand the complex language. Whoever was in the gym was definitely not human.
“What did they say?” Raoul asked him.
Kaden wrung his hands. “I don’t know. My family doesn’t speak the old language, so I only know a few words. But it has a very distinct pronunciation.”
Raoul nodded gravely as he pulled out his phone and made a call. “Hamid, are you still in San Diego?” Pause. “We’re in Compton, and we might have a situation here.” He went on to relate what Kaden had told us, and the two of them talked for another minute before Raoul ended the call. The thin line of his mouth told me I wasn’t going to like what he said.
“Hamid and the others are twenty minutes out. We’ll wait for them.”
“Why are we waiting?” Mason asked before I could.
Raoul darted a glance at Kaden and motioned for us to walk a short distance from the Vrell demon before he answered Mason.
“The Council wants Hamid to take the lead when there is suspicious demon activity.”
Annoyance pricked at me, but I kept my mouth shut for once. Raoul was stuck between doing his job and following the orders of the Council. I didn’t envy him, and I wouldn’t make it harder for him by complaining about something he had no control over.