Bittersweet Blood by Nina Croft Page B

the business district of the city, a fifteen minute drive from his building. They rented out the upper floors to human businesses, but the building went below ground almost as far as it went up toward the sky, and it was here that the Order staff worked.
    Security cleared him, and he rode the elevator down to the lowest level where Piers had his office. It had once been Christian’s office, but now reflected Piers’s more flamboyant personality.
    “We lost another agent last night,” Piers told him. “Stefan.”
    A shaft of pain ripped through him. Stefan, like Gabe, was one of his. He’d been a good man before death and a good vampire after. “It doesn’t make sense. Why kill agents? They must know we’ll come after them.”
    “Maybe they are getting ready for another full-scale attack. Maybe they’re trying to weaken the Order.”
    “Picking off odd agents isn’t going to do that. There has to be something more.”
    Piers shrugged. “It could be that the attacks are more personal. You know Ella believes that Asmodai is involved. That he’s the source of the extra power. Maybe he’s after you.”
    Christian frowned. “Why me? Why make it personal?”
    “You were head of the Order during the last war. You were responsible for beating Asmodai and banishing him back to the Abyss. He must know that you wanted him killed. And look at the agents we’ve lost—Gabriel and Stefan. That sounds pretty fucking personal to me.” He cast Christian a pointed glance. “And perhaps he knows you feel the same way about him.”
    “Don’t go there,” Christian growled.
    “Look, I don’t know what happened, and I don’t care, but don’t ever try and deny there’s bad feeling between the two of you over and above your involvement in the wars.”
    Christian rubbed his forehead. Piers was right. It was too much of a coincidence.
    “We need to capture one of these demons,” Christian said.
    “Sounds like fun.”
    “It’s not going to be easy. They’re strong, and working in teams. Make sure none of the agents go out alone, and next time there’s a sighting we go in force. Get one of them alive. We need to find out who’s sending them and what they’re after. And we need to find out fast.”
    Piers grinned. “It’s good to have you back. I was seriously worried with all that businessman shit going in.”
    Christian frowned. “This is only temporary.”
    “Yeah, right. And afterward, you’ll be going back to your balance sheets. Of course you will.”
    Christian didn’t answer.
    “There’s also the little matter of the Walker,” Piers added. “The two things couldn’t be connected, could they?”
    “I can’t see a connection. The fae never leave their lands if they can help it.”
    “Yeah, they’re too fucking superior to mix with the likes of us.”
    “And there’s no way demons could have gone anywhere near the Faelands, or we’d have far more than the Walker to contend with. Did you have no luck arranging a meeting?”
    “Not yet. If he’s around he’s keeping a low profile.”
    “Maybe the information was wrong.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    Christian fought down the nagging sense of frustration building inside him—he wanted this over with.
    A knock sounded on the door, and they both glanced up. Piers crossed the room and spoke briefly with the agent, before turning back to Christian. “There’s been a confirmed sighting close to where you nailed those three demons last night. That’s right next to your building again. Looks like it is you they’re after. Let’s go get the bastards.”
    They stopped at the weapons room.
    “Remember we want them alive,” Christian said as Piers strapped a sawed-off shotgun to his thigh.
    “These things have already taken down two of my men. I’m not taking any chances.” He slipped a couple of grenades into the slots on his belt. “Don’t worry, they’ll be alive.” He grinned. “They might also be in bits, but they’ll be