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Authors: Lori Handeland
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something he might never get over.
“You need a new seer?” I asked.
“I work here now.” Quinn shrugged. “I’ve no need of anything else.”
Good. One less thing. If I ever got my own power back, became the seer I was supposed to be before everything went to hell—or before hell came to me—I’d take him on. I’d lost a few DKs in the purge too. I had openings.
The dead bolt on the back door clicked. All three of us froze, glancing first at one another and then at the door as it began to open.
The next instant, we were behind the thick shrubs that separated Megan’s yard from the yard to the north. I hoped the neighbor didn’t have a yippy dog that would announce our presence.
Megan stepped onto her porch, her gaze searching the shadows. She wore a pair of Max’s old department sweatpants, cut off above the knee, and a shamrock green tank top that read: Murphy’s .
She looked exactly the same—short and cute, with curling red hair and dark blue eyes, a few freckles on her darling pert nose. Her arms were round but toned—from lugging around three kids, their stuff, trays offood and drinks—her legs solid and sleek. Twelve hours a day on your feet will do that.
“Liz?” she murmured.
I bit my lip, forced myself to remain silent. If she knew I was here, she’d want to spend time with me, talk awhile. I wanted that too. I missed her so damn much. But I couldn’t hang around, couldn’t risk any Nephilim seeing me with her, knowing how much I cared. So far I’d been lucky. But luck never went my way for very long.
Megan sighed. Her shoulders sagged. I felt like a shit. I promised myself I’d call as soon as I could and do my best to reassure her that everything was fine.
Jimmy tapped my shoulder. I turned my head, and he jerked his at Quinn. The gargoyle stared at Megan with an expression I recognized—complete fascination and utter devotion.
“He loves her,” Jimmy whispered. “Nothing will ever hurt her while he’s here.”
For an instant I closed my eyes and remembered what it was like to know that Jimmy loved me that way and what it had been like to destroy that love for the sake of the world.
Sucked, but I’d do it again.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about a gargoyle being in love with my best friend and my partner’s widow, but Jimmy was right.
That devotion would keep Megan alive.
Eventually she went back inside. I hurried along the side of the neighbor’s house and onto the street a block away. Jimmy and I would only have to cut around one more corner and we’d be back at Murphy’s, where we’d left the car.
Quinn emerged from the shadows with his pantson. At least he was human enough to know that walking down the street naked would get him noticed.
“Thank you.” I held out my hand, and Quinn took it. I had a flash of fire on the ocean, ice bobbing in a sea of flames.
I tilted my head, and he smiled. “If I hurt her, feel free.”
I realized he’d just shown me the way to kill him, although I wasn’t sure how flames could dance on water and ice survived fire, but if he hurt her, I’d figure it out. That he’d shown me such a secret made me trust him even more.
I handed Quinn my cell phone number. “If you need help—”
He pocketed it and nodded.
“We should go,” I said.
Though we were alone on the street, we couldn’t hang around. Someone might glance out the window. A cop could come by. We might not resemble gang members, but we had no business loitering on a street corner in the middle of the night. Who did?
Max had always told me “nothing good happens after midnight,” and he’d been right. If I was still a cop and I saw us, I’d pull over and run every one of us through the system. We’d all be detained. Jimmy’s record was . . . colorful, mine newly blackened and Quinn’s . . . Lord only knew what would turn up.
With a nod to the gargoyle, I turned toward the car, and Jimmy followed. “We need to get to New
“You need a new seer?” I asked.
“I work here now.” Quinn shrugged. “I’ve no need of anything else.”
Good. One less thing. If I ever got my own power back, became the seer I was supposed to be before everything went to hell—or before hell came to me—I’d take him on. I’d lost a few DKs in the purge too. I had openings.
The dead bolt on the back door clicked. All three of us froze, glancing first at one another and then at the door as it began to open.
The next instant, we were behind the thick shrubs that separated Megan’s yard from the yard to the north. I hoped the neighbor didn’t have a yippy dog that would announce our presence.
Megan stepped onto her porch, her gaze searching the shadows. She wore a pair of Max’s old department sweatpants, cut off above the knee, and a shamrock green tank top that read: Murphy’s .
She looked exactly the same—short and cute, with curling red hair and dark blue eyes, a few freckles on her darling pert nose. Her arms were round but toned—from lugging around three kids, their stuff, trays offood and drinks—her legs solid and sleek. Twelve hours a day on your feet will do that.
“Liz?” she murmured.
I bit my lip, forced myself to remain silent. If she knew I was here, she’d want to spend time with me, talk awhile. I wanted that too. I missed her so damn much. But I couldn’t hang around, couldn’t risk any Nephilim seeing me with her, knowing how much I cared. So far I’d been lucky. But luck never went my way for very long.
Megan sighed. Her shoulders sagged. I felt like a shit. I promised myself I’d call as soon as I could and do my best to reassure her that everything was fine.
Jimmy tapped my shoulder. I turned my head, and he jerked his at Quinn. The gargoyle stared at Megan with an expression I recognized—complete fascination and utter devotion.
“He loves her,” Jimmy whispered. “Nothing will ever hurt her while he’s here.”
For an instant I closed my eyes and remembered what it was like to know that Jimmy loved me that way and what it had been like to destroy that love for the sake of the world.
Sucked, but I’d do it again.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about a gargoyle being in love with my best friend and my partner’s widow, but Jimmy was right.
That devotion would keep Megan alive.
Eventually she went back inside. I hurried along the side of the neighbor’s house and onto the street a block away. Jimmy and I would only have to cut around one more corner and we’d be back at Murphy’s, where we’d left the car.
Quinn emerged from the shadows with his pantson. At least he was human enough to know that walking down the street naked would get him noticed.
“Thank you.” I held out my hand, and Quinn took it. I had a flash of fire on the ocean, ice bobbing in a sea of flames.
I tilted my head, and he smiled. “If I hurt her, feel free.”
I realized he’d just shown me the way to kill him, although I wasn’t sure how flames could dance on water and ice survived fire, but if he hurt her, I’d figure it out. That he’d shown me such a secret made me trust him even more.
I handed Quinn my cell phone number. “If you need help—”
He pocketed it and nodded.
“We should go,” I said.
Though we were alone on the street, we couldn’t hang around. Someone might glance out the window. A cop could come by. We might not resemble gang members, but we had no business loitering on a street corner in the middle of the night. Who did?
Max had always told me “nothing good happens after midnight,” and he’d been right. If I was still a cop and I saw us, I’d pull over and run every one of us through the system. We’d all be detained. Jimmy’s record was . . . colorful, mine newly blackened and Quinn’s . . . Lord only knew what would turn up.
With a nod to the gargoyle, I turned toward the car, and Jimmy followed. “We need to get to New
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