said you have?”
If Nix perused them, he’d be left scratching his head. Gage was the brain in the family, could dissect a computer faster than an IT tech.
“Yeah. No point in sitting in the hallway feeling sorry for myself.”
Nix stood and offered his hand to help her up. Madison stared at it as if he might bite if she accepted, but she finally placed her hand in his.
He noted her tiny shiver as if skin-to-skin contact left her tingling in awareness.
Chapter Nine
Phoenix insisted on carrying Amos downstairs for her since she refused to let her son out of her sight for longer than a few minutes at a time. He settled Amos on the sofa, and she tucked a throw around his legs.
“Thanks. He sleeps a lot.” She worried her bottom lip with her top teeth. Sleeping blissfully, he reminded her of the child he’d been, not the one that displayed hellfire colored eyes and went Jason on someone’s ass—normally her ass. “More than usual.”
“We’ll figure this out, Madison.” Phoenix squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring gesture; his touch electrified her with sexual awareness. There couldn’t be a worse time to delve into a hot and fast romance. Terribly inappropriate when her focus should be on her son. Not that she’d ever been involved in a hot and fast romance anyway. Micah claimed the title of her one and only lover.
James entered the room, cell phone pressed to his ear, and Madison stepped out of Phoenix’s reach. The older man studied Amos as he talked, and disconnected the call with an agitated snap.
“Something wrong?” Phoenix asked.
Laughable question. Aside from a child who’d gone psychotic, demon hunting strangers in her home, and a Mimicker her child dismissed as casually as he dismissed his vegetables, she thought the question blasé. Could anything scarier go wrong?
“Georgie is certain we’re dealing with a demon.”
“Perfect.” Phoenix’s tone held a wealth of sarcasm in his tone. “What kind of demon? Shifter? A Plague demon doesn’t fit.”
Did the world just rotate off its axis because it sure as heck shifted beneath her feet. There was more than one type of demon? She slumped into a chair, dropped her face into her hands, and rested her elbows on her knees.
“One of the Kings,” James said.
“A King?” Raw fear flavored Phoenix’s voice, and Madison studied his behavior.
She detected the hesitant glance James shot in her direction. Apparently things could get scarier. Madison felt the blood drain from her face. “Talk frankly. I want to know all of it, even the worst.”
Phoenix nodded his head at his uncle. James’s phone vibrated, he flipped it open to peek at caller ID, and must have decided whoever called could wait, because he pressed a button and the phone silenced. James rubbed his forehead with his fingers before speaking, “A demon King is one of the original fallen angels who sided with Lucifer against God.”
“I don’t believe in God.” She spoke the thought aloud. Maybe if she continued to not believe in God, repeated it often and loudly, demons couldn’t be real either, and all of this would go away. Denial kept Amos from getting help the first time—if anyone could call what she received actual help.
“Well, He believes in you, Madison.” James gave her a piercing stare. “You need to get with the program fast, or things are going to go to hell faster.”
She shot to her feet. “You can’t just tell me to believe in God and expect it to happen?” If it’d been that easy, her father would have saved her soul.
“Not believing helped get you in this mess,” Phoenix interjected.
She swung her glare to him. “Now it’s my fault?”
“That’s not what I meant.” He crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance, his eyes holding hers. “Demons prey on those with the strongest ties to God. Makes their conversion all the sweeter.”
“I just told you, I don’t have any ties to God.”
“Yeah.” He tossed a glance
If Nix perused them, he’d be left scratching his head. Gage was the brain in the family, could dissect a computer faster than an IT tech.
“Yeah. No point in sitting in the hallway feeling sorry for myself.”
Nix stood and offered his hand to help her up. Madison stared at it as if he might bite if she accepted, but she finally placed her hand in his.
He noted her tiny shiver as if skin-to-skin contact left her tingling in awareness.
Chapter Nine
Phoenix insisted on carrying Amos downstairs for her since she refused to let her son out of her sight for longer than a few minutes at a time. He settled Amos on the sofa, and she tucked a throw around his legs.
“Thanks. He sleeps a lot.” She worried her bottom lip with her top teeth. Sleeping blissfully, he reminded her of the child he’d been, not the one that displayed hellfire colored eyes and went Jason on someone’s ass—normally her ass. “More than usual.”
“We’ll figure this out, Madison.” Phoenix squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring gesture; his touch electrified her with sexual awareness. There couldn’t be a worse time to delve into a hot and fast romance. Terribly inappropriate when her focus should be on her son. Not that she’d ever been involved in a hot and fast romance anyway. Micah claimed the title of her one and only lover.
James entered the room, cell phone pressed to his ear, and Madison stepped out of Phoenix’s reach. The older man studied Amos as he talked, and disconnected the call with an agitated snap.
“Something wrong?” Phoenix asked.
Laughable question. Aside from a child who’d gone psychotic, demon hunting strangers in her home, and a Mimicker her child dismissed as casually as he dismissed his vegetables, she thought the question blasé. Could anything scarier go wrong?
“Georgie is certain we’re dealing with a demon.”
“Perfect.” Phoenix’s tone held a wealth of sarcasm in his tone. “What kind of demon? Shifter? A Plague demon doesn’t fit.”
Did the world just rotate off its axis because it sure as heck shifted beneath her feet. There was more than one type of demon? She slumped into a chair, dropped her face into her hands, and rested her elbows on her knees.
“One of the Kings,” James said.
“A King?” Raw fear flavored Phoenix’s voice, and Madison studied his behavior.
She detected the hesitant glance James shot in her direction. Apparently things could get scarier. Madison felt the blood drain from her face. “Talk frankly. I want to know all of it, even the worst.”
Phoenix nodded his head at his uncle. James’s phone vibrated, he flipped it open to peek at caller ID, and must have decided whoever called could wait, because he pressed a button and the phone silenced. James rubbed his forehead with his fingers before speaking, “A demon King is one of the original fallen angels who sided with Lucifer against God.”
“I don’t believe in God.” She spoke the thought aloud. Maybe if she continued to not believe in God, repeated it often and loudly, demons couldn’t be real either, and all of this would go away. Denial kept Amos from getting help the first time—if anyone could call what she received actual help.
“Well, He believes in you, Madison.” James gave her a piercing stare. “You need to get with the program fast, or things are going to go to hell faster.”
She shot to her feet. “You can’t just tell me to believe in God and expect it to happen?” If it’d been that easy, her father would have saved her soul.
“Not believing helped get you in this mess,” Phoenix interjected.
She swung her glare to him. “Now it’s my fault?”
“That’s not what I meant.” He crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance, his eyes holding hers. “Demons prey on those with the strongest ties to God. Makes their conversion all the sweeter.”
“I just told you, I don’t have any ties to God.”
“Yeah.” He tossed a glance
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