CHAPTER SEVEN
Devon
“Fucking hell.” The words slipped out as Ty Radnor stalked into my bar, grinning like a maniac.
I shoved the last of my regulars out the front door and locked it behind them. I didn’t need any bloodied bodies in my bar, especially not the paying customer kind.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Radnor?”
“I’ve missed you too, Parrish.” Ty chuckled like the daemon he was. Even before this fucking mess, Ty was more daemon than man. “We have a…mutual friend, it seems.”
“Oh yeah?”
I grabbed a bottle of Jack and two rocks glass from behind the bar as Ty dropped his massive frame onto a bar stool. It creaked under the weight of all that muscle. I pretended not to notice, even though it irritated me he would always be stronger than me.
“So, Dev. Who is renting your apartment upstairs?” Ty asked, his voice laced with danger and amusement, an unnerving combination.
I poured the whiskey and shot mine back before responding. “What’s it to you?” I arched an eyebrow, unable to hide my surprise at his question.
Ty smirked, his eyes glinting dangerously. I could tell he knew the answer to his question, but I wasn’t ready to give him any information on Sara. He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before placing it on the bar top, the ringing echoing in the empty space as he switched it to speaker.
“Hello, brother,” Levi answered on the second ring, his overly peppy tone already grating.
I poured another shot of whiskey.
“Levi.” Ty gulped down his own whiskey before continuing. “Meet any incredibly attractive, sassy as fuck, blue-haired women lately?”
I nearly spit out the liquor, choking it down as I absorbed Ty’s words. What the fuck?
Levi was silent for a beat. “Funny you should ask.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I slammed my fists on the bar, and Ty arched an eyebrow at my outburst.
Levi laughed, and suddenly I heard Andras’s stern, I’m-Always-In-Charge voice added to the call. “Why do you ask?”
“I think we have a problem.” Ty tossed his empty glass into the air, catching it before it shattered on the dirty floor of my bar. “Sara Braun.”
What do they want with her?My heart was racing, but I kept my face as neutral as possible. “How do you know Sara Braun?”
Ty cocked his head, assessing me before answering. “She’s apparently a regular at my gym. I met her tonight.”
Levi laughed again as Andras cursed into the phone, a very bad sign. He rarely let his emotions show, even with us. “She is also attending Harvard and in a class I’m teaching.”
“What the fuck?” The words escaped my mouth before I could stop myself.
I knew she was in school but had no idea she was attending Harvard. Had I even asked? I was fucking obsessed with her and starting to realize I didn’t know much about her.
“How do you know her, Devon?” Andras demanded.
His voice reminded me of his father, and I bristled. Ty stared at me across the bar with a sinister smile. Of course he’d beat me to hell if I didn’t answer.
I crossed my arms defensively. “She lives above my bar. Moved in two months ago.”
“And is that all, brother?” Levi cut in, his mischievous tone seeping through the line.
I could feel my face flushing even as I clamped my mouth shut, and Ty growled, crushing the rocks glass in his fist and making a mess, not even registering the blood seeping between his fingers.
Ty stood quickly, knocking the stool back and glaring at me. “You fucked her, didn’t you?”
These assholes could fuck right off. “Fuck you! It’s none of your fucking business if I did. I don’t give a shit if she goes to your gym or your fancy fucking college.”
Levi’s laughter was cut short as Andras growled at him. “Typhon, calm down. Devon, I don’t give a shit if you think you’re in love with her. She clearly has some ulterior motives. I do not believe in coincidences. She moved here two months ago and has now made herself known to all four of us?” He paused, but didn’t give any of us a chance to respond. “And there’s something else. Can any of you read her?”
My mouth snapped shut. I hadn’t even tried. I hated hearing people’s thoughts. Part of leaving these assholes behind included ignoring all the stupid abilities we gained from the rituals.
“I couldn’t read her,” Ty growled.
Levi agreed, and I frowned.
Andras sighed. “Neither could I. We need answers. And we keep this quiet. No mention of her to our fathers.”
“Dev, what color are her eyes?” Ty asked, and I turned to him, caught off guard.
I thought for a moment. “Dark brown. Why do you ask?”
He frowned. “I think she’s wearing colored contacts.”
Levi chuckled. “I think you’re right. She had pretty turquoise eyes when I met her.”
“God dammit,” Andras hissed. “Ty, bring her to my place. Now.”
They’re going to kidnap her?I glared at the phone. “Are you fucking serious? You’re going to kidnap a fucking woman? Are you insane?”
The line went quiet, and Ty squared up to me, waiting for instructions from Andras.
“Devon. I’ve left you out of Obscuritas business for nearly two years because of the death of your father. It’s time to return to us. If we don’t do this together, we’re all fucked. And we don’t need any distractions, especially ones we don’t understand.”
I ran my hands through my hair and down my face in defeat. I knew this day was coming, I just hoped it wouldn’t. And now the one fucking girl I’d caught feelings for was somehow a part of all of it. I took a swig directly from the bottle of Jack and passed it to Ty, a peace offering. At least for now.
“Fine. I’m in. But we need a better plan than this. If the woman living above my bar goes missing, people will talk. Police will get involved. She has friends at the club who will look for her.”
“Perhaps.” Andras’s tone was clipped and deadly calm once more. “A new plan then. Track her, find out everything we can about her over the next few days. Once it’s confirmed she is a potential threat, as I have no doubt, after the event next Friday, we take her.”
I slammed my fist on the bar angrily, barely controlling the rage and fear I felt for my girl. “And what if she isn’t some super spy and just a girl who happens to live in this city like millions of others? It’s not like she’s doing anything out of the ordinary. Going to school, working out at a gym, and living in an apartment are hardly strange behaviors, Andras. She’s also not the only person we’ve met who has decent mental shields.”
“All behavior is strange when it comes to us, Devon. What about Jackson’s recent death? And the robbery where a professional clearly took out Bullseye?” Andras countered, his voice clipped and irritated like he was arguing with children. “One of the relics is missing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jackson was a drunk fool, and I fully believe he set his shop on fire himself, then was too drunk to get out before burning alive.”
Andras sighed. “It’s a possibility. His body is being autopsied by our people. And his toxicology came back already. We know he was drunk out of his mind, but it still seems suspicious. And when something feels wrong, it usually is.”
Ty cracked his knuckles. “Something is strange about her. I could see darkness and cunning in her eyes. I don’t believe for a second she doesn’t have secrets of her own.”
“She’s coming by the firehouse this week,” Levi cut in. “I’ll see what else I can find out about her.”
I could feel my face getting hot with jealousy. “Why is she going to the fucking firehouse?”
Levi laughed, and I could practically feel the smirk in his voice. “Because saying yes to me pissed off Andras something fierce.”
Ty grinned darkly, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “She definitely enjoys taunting the devil. This is going to be fun.”
I was fucking fuming, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had to act like everything was fine to Sara’s face because Andras was right. It was too strange, her showing up and singling us out. But if she was…something, did that even matter? I was falling hard for the girl already, and my heart beat erratically at the thought of her spending time with any of them. I schooled my features and conceded to the stupid plan. Ty left the bar without another word. If she fucked Levi, I would give her up. I’d let the devils take her without a backward glance. Probably.