say something, then closed it. An odd prickling sensation skated along the tops of her arms, leaving her feeling unsettled. She already knew Declan was in the compound, so it wasn’t some witchy warning system.
But she’d bet her favorite Hisshou fixed-blade military knife that her unease had to do with the sexy half-demon. Reposing in tattoo form on her shoulder, Elle offered spidery whisperings that echoed Maggie’s thoughts—trust an arachnid with mating on her mind to be alert to those particular sensations.
“Maggie?”
She straightened up at the sound of Tita’s voice.
“Sometime today? Tick tock.” Tita tapped her watch. “Fine, last night was a cluster fuck. No one’s fault.” She glanced sideways at Frebus, who slid further down in his chair, trying unsuccessfully to minimize his seven-foot furry self.
“Perhaps a little. We all know that outside intel can be sketchy or not entirely accurate. We need to have one of the researchers look into the Bloater communities. There are clearly things we don’t understand about them. That way, if we come up against another, we’ll know better how to handle it.”
Damn, I should have been the one to say that!
“I don’t understand why this particular Bloater suddenly popped up on our radar,” Meech said. “They always stay pretty much to themselves.”
“Easy. The so-called ‘blob from the swamp’ had been seen cruising the human communities for the previous couple of weeks,” Maggie said. “Dogs and cats were missing, and fear escalated when a four-year-old boy disappeared. Luckily, he was found a couple of hours later. The Bloater had nothing to do with that, but we needed to neutralize this one before something worse really did happen. Anyone know how we got the tip it would be at Damnation Alley?”
Frebus studied the contents of the file folder in front of him. “The call was anonymous and couldn’t be traced.”
“Then we need to find out if that was the only Bloater causing trouble,” Maggie announced, getting up from the table. “Frebus, you put in the request for a researcher. Meech, it’s your turn to write up the report for Mal.” The creature groaned. “Consider it safer than pissing off Reesa any more.”
“I’m willing to offer a personal apology to Declan,” Tita volunteered with one of her patented smiles that were guaranteed to make a male offer up a vein.
“That’s been done,” Maggie said crisply.
“O’Malley, to the holding cells.” Mal’s voice boomed from the speakers implanted in the walls. “ Now .”
“Everything is now up to him.” And she knew just why her boss was demanding her presence there.
It all had to do with a demon named Declan.
***
Declan paced the room with the impatience of his kind. The last place he wanted to be was in the Hellion Guard compound. But Snips’s news that Anna had been brought here was enough to have him out of bed and in his car in seconds.
Not that the idea of seeing Maggie again didn’t have its charm. The witch intrigued him, and he intended to find out just why she had invaded his dreams and his very being.
“As I told you, she won’t awaken until late tonight,” an elf with large lavender eyes informed him.
He sensed that the elf’s delicate exterior housed a steel-like core. Tough as titanium, just like all Hellion Guards. Just like Maggie.
Except when she smiled up at him after he pointed out the flower—and what was it she had said? Something about new life amid the desolation.
“And she will awaken when I demand she do so. All I have to do is see her ,”he said between clenched teeth. He took one step forward into the elf’s personal space. To her credit, she didn’t back down.
He froze when a razor-sharp blade rested against his neck and one arm was smoothly pulled behind his back.
“I suggest that the big, bad demon back the Hades up now ,” Maggie purred in his ear. “Otherwise, I would be forced to grovel to the brownies so they’d
But she’d bet her favorite Hisshou fixed-blade military knife that her unease had to do with the sexy half-demon. Reposing in tattoo form on her shoulder, Elle offered spidery whisperings that echoed Maggie’s thoughts—trust an arachnid with mating on her mind to be alert to those particular sensations.
“Maggie?”
She straightened up at the sound of Tita’s voice.
“Sometime today? Tick tock.” Tita tapped her watch. “Fine, last night was a cluster fuck. No one’s fault.” She glanced sideways at Frebus, who slid further down in his chair, trying unsuccessfully to minimize his seven-foot furry self.
“Perhaps a little. We all know that outside intel can be sketchy or not entirely accurate. We need to have one of the researchers look into the Bloater communities. There are clearly things we don’t understand about them. That way, if we come up against another, we’ll know better how to handle it.”
Damn, I should have been the one to say that!
“I don’t understand why this particular Bloater suddenly popped up on our radar,” Meech said. “They always stay pretty much to themselves.”
“Easy. The so-called ‘blob from the swamp’ had been seen cruising the human communities for the previous couple of weeks,” Maggie said. “Dogs and cats were missing, and fear escalated when a four-year-old boy disappeared. Luckily, he was found a couple of hours later. The Bloater had nothing to do with that, but we needed to neutralize this one before something worse really did happen. Anyone know how we got the tip it would be at Damnation Alley?”
Frebus studied the contents of the file folder in front of him. “The call was anonymous and couldn’t be traced.”
“Then we need to find out if that was the only Bloater causing trouble,” Maggie announced, getting up from the table. “Frebus, you put in the request for a researcher. Meech, it’s your turn to write up the report for Mal.” The creature groaned. “Consider it safer than pissing off Reesa any more.”
“I’m willing to offer a personal apology to Declan,” Tita volunteered with one of her patented smiles that were guaranteed to make a male offer up a vein.
“That’s been done,” Maggie said crisply.
“O’Malley, to the holding cells.” Mal’s voice boomed from the speakers implanted in the walls. “ Now .”
“Everything is now up to him.” And she knew just why her boss was demanding her presence there.
It all had to do with a demon named Declan.
***
Declan paced the room with the impatience of his kind. The last place he wanted to be was in the Hellion Guard compound. But Snips’s news that Anna had been brought here was enough to have him out of bed and in his car in seconds.
Not that the idea of seeing Maggie again didn’t have its charm. The witch intrigued him, and he intended to find out just why she had invaded his dreams and his very being.
“As I told you, she won’t awaken until late tonight,” an elf with large lavender eyes informed him.
He sensed that the elf’s delicate exterior housed a steel-like core. Tough as titanium, just like all Hellion Guards. Just like Maggie.
Except when she smiled up at him after he pointed out the flower—and what was it she had said? Something about new life amid the desolation.
“And she will awaken when I demand she do so. All I have to do is see her ,”he said between clenched teeth. He took one step forward into the elf’s personal space. To her credit, she didn’t back down.
He froze when a razor-sharp blade rested against his neck and one arm was smoothly pulled behind his back.
“I suggest that the big, bad demon back the Hades up now ,” Maggie purred in his ear. “Otherwise, I would be forced to grovel to the brownies so they’d
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