Authors: Parker Blue
Make Me (12 page)
He nodded wordlessly, and I asked Shade, “What is there to talk about? You have an idea how to solve this stalemate?”
“Yes,” Shade said earnestly, his hands grasping my shoulders. “Leave me here.”
“What? Are you delusional? You do realize she’s a succubus? Give her the slightest opening and she’ll be all over you.” The thought of that woman putting her hands on Shade totally made me see red.
He shrugged. “She said she’ll take good care of me.”
“How do you know she’ll keep her word?” I didn’t trust her as far as
he
could throw her.
He seemed unconcerned. “She knows that if she breaks her promise, she’ll have the entire San Antonio Underground to deal with. And if she tries it anyway, then that will tell us something, too, won’t it?”
But then Shade would be violated. I couldn’t stand that, even if she
could
make him enjoy it. “No,” I said with finality. “You return to San Antonio and take the books with you. That way she doesn’t have to worry about either one.” And neither would I.
Shade froze, then raised an eyebrow. “Is that an order?”
Oh, crap. I hadn’t meant it to sound like that. “No, of course not.”
“Good. I can take care of myself, you know. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
Oh, geez, I was really messing this up. “I know, but—”
Shade squeezed my shoulders reassuringly and cut me off. “You don’t need my help to track down rogue vamps. This way, I can do what I’m good at. Scout out the organization, see what’s really going on here.”
That would be helpful, but not at this price. “No.” Oh, hell. That probably came across as an order, too. “I mean, it’s too risky. She could make you do anything.”
“She would be foolish to risk the Slayer’s wrath,” Jack said. “I’m sure she’s aware of that. And she has to sleep sometime. Shade will be free of her influence then.”
Shade nodded. “If I think it’s too dangerous, I’ll get out.”
“But what if Lola needs you?” I asked, looking at him pleadingly. I was trying to find any way to change his mind, short of using Lola to force him to do as I wanted.
“Lola can feed on Jack,” Shade said firmly. “Or Austin. I bet he’d like it.”
Was jealousy prompting this attitude? “Look—”
Shade interrupted me. “I don’t need your permission, Val. And I’m not your boy toy. I’m a trained watcher, and I know what to look for. I’m going to do my job whether or not you agree. Micah obviously needs to know more about how this place runs.”
Crap. He’d pulled out the big guns. How could I protest without being overly possessive or implying he was weak or incompetent? I couldn’t.
“Okay,” I gritted out. But I sure as hell didn’t like it.
Micah finished his dance at the club and eluded the women’s groping hands to exit the stage. He needed their lust to feed the incubus part of him and keep it quiescent, but sometimes he felt like nothing but a piece of meat. Or maybe it was because everything seemed to annoy him after his discussion with David and Val. Having someone question everything you were proud of in your life would do that to you.
He wasn’t even sure what exactly they expected of him. Except for one thing. He’d agreed to watch over Gwen and Princess while Val and Fang were away. He checked his watch. Gwen should be getting home from the ER about now. He could call—
No, wait, he’d do better than that. He’d go by and check on her, take a break from all this noise and need. He showered quickly and let his assistant, Tessa, know he’d be gone for a bit, then headed over to Gwen and Val’s townhouse.
Gwen answered the door in blue scrubs, looking tired. “Hi,” she said, looking surprised to see him. She backed away a couple of steps, then looked embarrassed. “Sorry, but I know getting too close—”
“It’s okay.” He smiled. It really was. In fact, it was refreshing to know a woman who tried to avoid the incubus lure instead of getting up close and way too personal. “Val asked me to stop by and check on you and Princess while she’s gone.”
“Oh, sure. Come in.”
Micah followed Gwen into the living room and sank down onto the couch. Their place was small but comfortable, and with Gwen’s bright, whimsical Christmas decorating, it was a nice place to spend time. Gwen went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of iced tea for him. He smiled again. She even knew what he liked to drink.
Settling on the chair across from him, she cocked her head and said, “You know, they’ve only been gone a few hours. You don’t really need to check up on me.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I know, but I also wanted to bring you something.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her some cash.
She looked at the money in her hand. “What’s this for?”
“Groceries.”
“You do know I have a job, right?”
“Yes, but I also know you’re constantly feeding my people in the Underground. And I can’t imagine what Princess is like now that she’s pregnant. She’s probably demanding filet mignon and escargot three times a day.”
I HEARD THAT, Princess told him mentally from somewhere outside the room.
Gwen chuckled. “Maybe, but I can’t hear her. And, as a nurse, I’m making sure she eats sensibly. In fact, she’s eating in the kitchen right now.”
I’M FINISHED NOW, the part hellhound, part Cavalier King Charles Spaniel said and came trotting into the room. CHICKEN AND RICE AND YOGURT. BLEH. TELL HER I WANT SOMETHING GOOD.
You’re lucky you’re not getting store-bought dog food
, Micah told her silently.
Be grateful.
Aloud, he told Gwen, “Princess says to thank you for taking care of her.”
Princess actually rolled her eyes.
Gwen laughed. “Nice try, but I know her expressions. She’s miffed that I didn’t give her lasagna, isn’t she?”
Micah chuckled along with her. “Probably.”
Petting the dog’s silky head, Gwen told her, “Well, you’re getting what’s good for you and the puppies.”
Princess
hmphed
and laid down with her head on her paws, looking dejected.
Micah nudged her with his foot. “Hey, didn’t I hear Gwen got you a pink satin bed? And what’s that you’re wearing? A new pink collar?” It was all blinged out with rhinestones and glitter.
IT’S A NECKLACE
,
Princess said, sounding indignant. Then, grudgingly, she added, YES, SHE HAS BEEN VERY NICE TO ME. UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE I COULD MENTION. The hellhound glared at Micah then licked Gwen’s hand.
“Now she really is saying thank you,” Micah told Gwen.
Gwen kissed the dog on top of the head. “She’s so sweet.”
Micah almost choked. “You wouldn’t say that if you could hear her.”
HMPH, Princess said. I’M GOING TO TAKE A NAP. She trotted off to the bedroom, her nose held high.
“I don’t mind taking care of her, really.” Gwen put the money down firmly on the coffee table in front of him. “I don’t need this.”
He pushed it back toward her. “Consider it hazardous duty pay.”
HEY, Princess protested from the other room.
Micah grinned. “Or consider it Fang’s salary and use it to buy Princess whatever she needs. You’d know what that is better than I would.”
Gwen laughed. “Okay. That I’ll do.”
Gwen’s cell rang. “Excuse me,” she said, then went into the kitchen and had a brief conversation. When she came back, she said, “That was my brother. He was checking up on me, too.” Placing her hands on her hips, she added, “And I told Dan the same thing I’m going to tell you. I’m a big girl now. I don’t need men to take care of me or to check up on me. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can,” he soothed. “But Val will hand me my head on a platter if I don’t do as she asked.”
“Okay, then—”
The doorbell rang and Gwen glanced at the door, looking exasperated. “Who else did she send to check up on me? The vampires?”
“I don’t know.” Micah rose. “You want me to send them away?”
“No, that’s okay. I can do it myself.” Gwen opened the door. “Can I help you?”
Micah moved so he could see past her. A middle-aged woman stood under the porch light—stocky, hard faced, with scraggly red hair. “Does Val Shapiro live here?”
“Yes, but I’m—”
Without waiting for Gwen to finish, the woman pushed her way into the house and kicked the door shut.
Gwen backed away, holding up her arms.
What the hell?
Micah took a threatening step forward, then noticed the woman held an odd-looking gun with a long, slender muzzle.
Was that a silencer?
Micah reached out to snag her with his incubus and force her to drop the gun, but couldn’t get a hold on her. It was as if someone else had her in thrall already.
What the hell?
His adrenaline spiked. “What do you want?”
“Don’t move,” the woman said, swiveling to point the pistol at both of them. “And don’t try anything funny, or I’ll shoot both of you.”
Micah’s mind worked furiously, as he considered and discarded options. What was the best way to get out of this alive? Keep her talking. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Carla. Not that it matters. What does matter is what my boss, Asmodeus, wants.”
Ridiculous. That couldn’t be her boss’s real name. Mythology said Asmodeus was the king of the demons. At least now Micah knew Carla was probably a demon, though wasn’t sure exactly what kind.
“Who are
you
?” she asked, waving her pistol in his direction.
“Micah Blackburn, the leader of the Underground here in San Antonio.” Maybe his position would earn the demon’s respect. “Val’s not here.”
Carla snorted. “Yeah, right. Nice try.” She waved the gun again, this time toward Gwen. “She already admitted she’s Val. And since you’re the so-called leader of the Demon Underpants, I’m sure one of you can help me. Just give me what I want and I’ll be on my way. Or…” She held out her other hand and a small fireball the size of a cherry tomato appeared in it.
Fire demon. Damn. So why did she need the pistol? Because she didn’t trust her puny talent?
Gwen was a lot calmer than Micah expected. It must be her ER training. She lowered her arms a little. “I’m not Val, really. I’m Gwen, her roommate. I can show you my license—”
“You think I’m a fool?” Carla bit out. “I’m not falling for that.”
Micah exchanged a glance with Gwen. Maybe they’d get out of this unharmed if they played along. “What do you want?” he asked.
“The books.”
“What books?” Gwen asked. “I—I have a lot of books.”
The woman snarled. “Don’t play games with me. You know what books—the
Encyclopedia Magicka.
They’re mighty powerful.”
She’d probably heard how Andrew’s fire ability had grown much stronger when he had the books. But evidently she hadn’t heard how they’d almost driven the fire demon mad as well. Why did everyone assume
they
were immune?
“The books are dangerous,” Micah said. “Not many people can handle them.”
“Yeah, right. Me and the boss aren’t worried about that.”
Okay, he’d try a different tack. “Why do you think Val has the books?” Micah countered, trying to look puzzled.
“I
know
she has them. A demon told me right before he died. Too bad, so sad,” Carla mocked. “Seems the rumors about the Slayer and the books were too juicy to stay quiet.”
Damn. If this woman had already murdered another demon, that didn’t say much for their chances.