“Eh, four out of five isn’t bad.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind.” What was I thinking? I had enough heartache with Judd and Simeon. I turned toward him. “So Kaleb, why are you out here and not at the party?”
He examined me for a moment before he leaned in closer. “Simeon and I don’t get along,” he said. “We try to stay out of each other’s way. I knew he’d be here tonight, and I knew he was bringing someone my grandmother wanted to meet, so I stepped aside. I needed to work on this car anyway. Unfortunately this is the only place I have to store it at the moment.”
This was interesting. Everyone at the party seemed to adore Simeon. “Is it because he’s part demon?” I asked.
“Sure. If that has anything to do with why he broke up my marriage.”
My mouth dropped open. “How did he break up your marriage?”
“He seduced my wife on our wedding night. She’d always had a crush on him, so it didn’t take much, but still, my ring was on her finger. We were supposed to spend our lives together.”
Oh, geez. What was Simeon thinking? I wouldn’t have believed a word of it if I hadn’t been the Angel to give Simeon a strike for this very same reason. Although, I had no idea he’d seduced his nephew’s wife. How awful.
“Did this happen about five years ago?” I asked.
“How did you know?”
“I just know,” I said. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
He waved my concern away. “I should’ve expected it. He’d warned me not to marry her, and I did it anyway.” He chuckled uneasily. “Mostly out of spite. I’ve been butting heads with Sim since before I could walk. I never understood why everyone took his advice and listened to every word he said. It always pissed him off when he couldn’t control me like he could the others.”
So Kaleb was immune to Simeon’s persuasion. Fascinating. I wondered if he was impervious to all demons’ influences.
He reached out and brushed his rough hand across my cheek. “Does he have you under his spell too?”
“Of course not.” Not really, anyway. My vulnerability to Simeon was under a completely different category. Namely lust.
“Then why are you here with him? I didn’t realize Angels and demons dated each other.”
“We don’t usually.” I seriously needed to change the subject. “What do you know about Simeon’s father? I heard he’s pretty fierce.”
Kaleb blinked at me, and then a realization came over his face. “You’re not here as Sim’s friend, are you?”
“Yes, I am,” I answered too forcefully. “I happen to enjoy his company. A little too much, in fact.”
“It’s okay. I won’t give you away. Are you deep undercover, or what? Are the Angels trying to take down the demons?”
My cheeks were warm. Damn it. “What are you talking about? Angels aren’t aggressive.” Just avenging.
“Sure. Sure. So what are you up to? Are you going after Malakai?”
The name alone sent shivers down my spine. “What do you know about Malakai?”
“You are after him. I knew it.” He cracked his knuckles and grinned at me.
“You don’t know anything. You’re a simple human.”
“I know enough to figure you out, sugar. What I don’t understand is why Sim hasn’t figured you out. Unless...” His eyes drifted down my body and back up again. “Unless he’s got it bad for you. He’s in love with you, isn’t he?”
“Demons don’t have it bad for anyone but themselves.”
“Which proves my point even more. You don’t even like him, do you? He’s just a pawn in your little demon takedown game.”
This was getting out of control. “I do like Simeon. I might even be falling for him. We’ve even had sex...twice.” Why was I explaining this to a mere mortal?
“But?”
“No buts.”
“Come on. You can tell me. We’re on the same team.”
I pursed my lips shut.
“Fine. You want to know about Malakai. I’ll tell you about Malakai. I heard he’s been out of the country for the past few years, setting up a prostitution ring in Tijuana or something like that. My grandmother keeps a close eye on the guy. She’s been trying to shield Sim from him forever now. It’s a futile task, if you ask me.”
“Why does she?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Is he a big threat to Simeon?”
“At one time, I guess. I don’t know the whole story, but I heard that when Sim was just out of high school, he disappeared with Malakai. He was gone for about ten years before my grandmother saw him again. She’d worried about him, but she never asked him what happened during that time, and Sim never talked about it. I’m willing to bet he’d crossed over to the dark side while he was with his daddy. I bet he did a lot of bad things.”
“And why do you think that?”
“Well, he came back a whole lot richer, for one. He set Naomi up in this nice house. He bought a business. He set up a college fund for everyone in our family then and for years to come. Where do you suppose he got all his money? Probably not from working nine to five.”
“You’re just assuming.” I hated to believe Simeon had been truly evil. He’d only been deported twice for minor crimes against humanity. But...I guessed MOG wouldn’t have known Simeon’s actions if he’d been with Malakai, who was able to divert her visions.
“Believe what you want.” Kaleb reached over and gently tugged on a lock of my hair. “Don’t let him fool you, sugar. I’d hate to see an innocent Angel get hurt.”
His eyes veered to something behind my shoulder and then back to me. And before I could protest, he leaned in and kissed me.
“Get the hell away from her,” Simeon said from behind me.
I shot up to my knees and pushed Kaleb away. He easily fell back against the passenger door.
“What?” Kaleb gained back his composure. “I didn’t see a ring on her finger. Not that that matters to you. Right, Sim?”
Tension and testosterone thickened the air, and I wanted nothing more than to get out of the building. I hopped from the car and ambled past Simeon, but he gripped my arm.
“What are you doing in here with him?” he asked me.
“I needed some fresh air, and I saw lights on so I got curious.” I gulped down the anxiety rising in my throat. “We were just talking.”
“Go get in my car.” He looked down at me with a hurt expression. No, maybe it was anger. “I need to have a discussion with my nephew.”
I glanced back at Kaleb who was now leaning up against the Citroën with his arms stubbornly crossed in front of his chest.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I whispered to Simeon. “He’s weaker than you.”
“Go, now.”
I left without another word. I had a lot to think about and breaking up a family dispute wasn’t one of them.
As I made my way back to the Jaguar, I forced myself to concentrate on why I was here. Malakai. If I believed Kaleb, then the demon wasn’t even in the country, let alone coordinating a revolution against the Denver Demon Control Angels. But I’d seen Malakai’s courier that morning with my very own eyes, so I knew that couldn’t be true.
Or could it? I was confused.
I scooted into the passenger seat and pulled out my phone to call MOG.
“Yes, dear,” she answered right away.
“Expecting me?”
“Of course. Any news?”
“I just got unofficial word that Malakai has been in Tijuana for the past few years.”
“Ridiculous. I can feel his presence, or more so the lack of presence. I know he’s close.”
I sighed into the phone. I really didn’t want to ask if she’d been smoking again.
“Relax, Abigail. Just continue with your task. You’re doing wonderfully.”
“Gotcha.” I hung up and sunk into the butter-soft leather, more confused than ever. If Malakai was in Mexico, how could he be behind the demon revolution? But why did
MOG feel his presence? Ugh. Kaleb must be mistaken.
Before I could fully comprehend what I’d just learned, the driver’s door popped open. Simeon got in and cranked the engine.
“Kaleb still breathing?” I asked, only slightly kidding.
Simeon shot me a glare but didn’t answer. I guess he wasn’t in the mood. Fine. Neither was I. We pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road when my phone, which was still clenched in my hand, buzzed.
I glanced at the screen. It was MOG’s number so I decided to answer. “Hello?”
“Abigail, I forgot to mention something, and I thought you’d want to know.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Apparently, your friend Eli has gone missing. He didn’t come home from his shift this afternoon, and Judd’s been trying to reach his cell phone but to no avail.”
A horrible thought came to mind. “Do you think he’s been attacked? He’s not a demon control agent. He’s harmless.”
“There’s no telling until I have a vision or he shows up. I’ll have Judd call you if we find out anything. I must get back to work now. Take care.” And she hung up.
Chapter Twenty
I woke up when Simeon opened my car door. We were in his garage, and I’d slept through the entire drive home. Home? Well, the entire drive to Simeon’s home.
“Hi,” I said to gauge his response, since all he was doing now was staring down at me with an emotionless expression. Was he still upset with me for leaving the party and striking up a conversation with Kaleb? Or was he upset because he’d actually heard the conversation? Oh, what did it matter? I had too many other things to worry about, including Eli’s disappearance. Where could he have gone?
Simeon helped me to my feet and guided me up two steps and into his kitchen. A Nordstrom’s shopping bag sat on the counter. Where had that come from? I hadn’t seen it before we’d left and, believe me, a Nordstrom’s bag was something I would’ve noticed. It was a rare species as far as I was concerned.
“This is for you.” He handed me the bag. “I had my assistant pick up some items while we were gone.”
“Your assistant?” I looked around the room. “Another family member I don’t know about?”
“No relation,” he said before bypassing me and heading toward his office. “Should be a nightgown in there. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“All righty then.” I wanted some alone time anyway.
I slipped into the master bath since the bathroom in the hall didn’t have any shampoo or body soap. A shower would do wonders for my mood.
Twenty minutes later, I was wrapped up in a gigantic fluffy towel and was digging through the Nordstrom bag. There were a couple of pairs of jeans—how he knew my size was a mystery—a couple of nice tops and a silky black chemise. Still no underwear. Great. Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I towel-dried my hair for the third time and tugged the chemise over my head. It had thin spaghetti straps holding it up, and the hem hit right above my knees. Not exactly cold weather pajamas, but at least it was something.
Simeon hadn’t made it back to the bedroom yet, I noticed when I walked out. It occurred to me that he might not want me to sleep in his bed with him. Especially after he’d seen his nephew trying to lip lock with me. Which wasn’t my fault at all. I might’ve been lacking in the virtue department, but I had my standards. Besides, after what Kaleb had told me about Simeon, I wasn’t exactly comfortable being in close quarters with the half-breed. Maybe Judd was right about Simeon after all, and I didn’t want to see it. Blah. My belly turned over at the thought of Simeon being one of the bad guys.
“He can’t be,” I said to myself. “Nope, not going to believe it.”
I found the linen closet and pulled out a pillow and a big silky comforter. It was sofa city for me tonight. The leather couch wouldn’t be as comfy as Simeon’s bed, but it would do.
The fireplace was going when I stumbled, arms full, into the living room. Simeon was still in his office. I could hear his deep, murmuring voice through the closed door, probably talking on the phone to his mysterious assistant. Or maybe his maniacal demon father. Who knew?
I could always attempt to find out later. Sleeping on the couch meant that I might have a better chance of sneaking into his office after he went to sleep. See, there was always an upside to any given situation. Right?
Yeah, yeah.
I made up the couch and then sat on the carpet by the fire to brush and dry my hair as much as possible. Going to sleep with damp hair left a huge disaster in the morning. And without my usual hair products, it would be even worse.
The office door creaked open, but I kept my eyes diverted, hoping he’d continue on to his bedroom and not pay me any attention, because at the moment, I felt more awkward and nervous around him than I’d ever felt.
No such luck. He kneeled down behind me and took the brush from my hand.
“What are you doing?” Gooseflesh rose on my skin from his sudden looming presence.
“Helping you.” His voice was whisper against my ear as he put the brush through my hair, slowly and gently. “Or actually helping myself, if you don’t mind. I love your hair.”
I eased my tense shoulders and decided to surrender to his touch. No man had ever brushed my hair. There was something very sweet and sensual about it.
“I understand if you don’t want to sleep with me tonight,” he said. “But you should understand that Kaleb’s stories always have at least two sides.”
“You heard what he said to me?” I should’ve guessed.
“Sweetheart, my ears never give me a moment’s rest. I heard every word you both said.” He swept my hair over my shoulder and pressed his lips to my bare skin.
I shivered as an odd mixture of anxiety and yearning rippled through me.
“I heard,” his lips gingerly grazed my neck, “you tell Kaleb that you were falling for me.” Another soft peck just below my earlobe. “I heard you ask about my father. And I heard Kaleb tell you things to make you doubt me. I heard it all.”
“And?” I swiveled on my bottom to face him. He was stunning in the light of the fire. Resplendent eyes against golden skin. Satin inky hair that dipped to his broad shoulders. I had to take a breath at the mere sight of him.
Get it together, Abby.
“Should I doubt you?” I asked, hoping he’d say no. I was eager to hear a valid explanation for everything. Why he’d seduced his nephew’s wife. Why he’d disappeared with Malakai for years and had reappeared with an inexplicable amount of money.
“Please don’t.” He leaned in and kissed me lightly, feather soft against my lips.
I inhaled his mesmerizing scent but managed to pull back. “You said Kaleb’s stories always have two sides. Tell me your side. Tell me everything.”
He exhaled a breath and stood, holding out a hand to me. I took it and allowed him to pull me to the couch where he positioned me on his lap. Tenderly, he slid his hands up and down my thigh, pushing the short chemise up with each pass.
“Kaleb shouldn’t have married that woman,” he said, keeping his eyes on his wandering hand. “I don’t know why he’d insisted upon it.” His frown deepened. “She wasn’t worthy enough to be a Keller. She slept around on Kaleb with humans and demons alike, and she’d treated him as if he were nothing but a pet.”
“Why did you sleep with her then?”
“I was at the end of my rope, Abigail.” He finally met my eyes. “One of my few pleasures is knowing that my family is happy and well. And I was not going to let her ruin Kaleb’s life. He was only twenty years old. He was naïve. I had to save him.”
“Why on the wedding night? You could’ve seduced her before that and saved Kaleb the humiliation.”
“I allowed the wedding to happen, because it’s what Kaleb wanted. He thought she’d settle down once he had a ring on her finger, and I wanted to believe that as well. But it quickly became apparent the wedding was a huge mistake. The devious little wom
an approached me at the reception, and I’d agreed to have one dance with her. It was innocent at first. She looked like a blushing bride, happy to be married...until she rubbed her hand against my cock and whispered she still wanted to fuck me.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were. I’d known demon women who were less shocking. So that’s when I decided it was time to end it for good. I took her into the bathroom, bent her over the sink, and had my way with her until she screamed loud enough for everyone to hear. Kaleb rushed to see what had happened and saw us.”
My mouth gaped open. “Way to prove a point, Sim. Geez. Couldn’t you have done something else?”
“Like what? Kaleb’s a stubborn man. He always had been. There was no other way.”
The story was so horrifying it was almost comical. I suppressed a giggle. I could not let myself laugh at this...this sinfulness. This disaster of a story.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked in such a serious, solemn expression.
“Sorry. Didn’t realize I was.” I clamped my lips together. A sacred bond of marriage had been decimated, I reminded myself. It wasn’t a laughing matter.
“You think it’s funny?”
“No, not at all. I’m just not used to hearing the story behind the sin. I can’t help but picture it.” And how sad was it that the sight of Simeon having sex with another woman made me jealous? What was wrong with me? I really needed to check into that Angel therapy. There was something seriously screwy with my mind.
“Really?” Simeon’s hand stilled on my thigh. “Does it make you think less of me?”
“Oh, well, no, I don’t think so. I mean, I already knew you did it. I just didn’t know why.”
He tightened his arm around my waist and sighed. “It probably wasn’t the best course of action, I can see that now. I have to admit it’s been very difficult to fight the evil tendencies that come with having demon in my soul. But I try, Abigail. My entire life, I’ve struggled. I know that must be hard for an Angel to understand.”
Boy, was he wrong about that. Struggling with evil tendencies? Me? Nah.
“I think I understand,” I said. “Sort of.”
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