Page 13 of Dating the Dealing Demon

She blinks, her eyes going scarlet for an instant before returning to their deep brown. “Not something. Someone. They stole a match. That’s the only reason my brother would’ve left you to hurry back. He’ll find whoever did it, and he’ll annihilate them.”

My stomach drops in a freefall having nothing to do with the sick sensations I’ve felt since Theo kidnapped me and dragged me to hell. Someone has one of my friends. They snatched them from a place I’d driven them to.

I walked them into a trap.

And a certain demon dickhead didn’t feel the need to lead with that information.

I should’ve stabbed him when I had the chance.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Theo

After finding no clues at the house in the human realm, I teleport back from Val’s dimension into my home, arriving inside my locked study only seconds before a summoning call comes in from the labyrinth world. Checking on my knife-happy mate will have to wait.

A quick glance at Meg over the mirror magic connection confirms that Val’s gamer friend is with her minotaur, her fated match. With Meg safe and Rosemarie in the care of her gargoyles, I have only one last match to worry about.

The stolen one—Ava.

Val’s pounding at the door and rattling the knob serves as a painful reminder that there’s another woman who will be every bit as much of a headache as unraveling the mystery of figuring out who dared open a portal and steal a match under my care.

My mate.

Someone releases the ward holding the door closed. My sister perhaps. Or the suite itself if Val remembered to ask.

She storms into my study as I’m finishing my call with the minotaur. My vicious mate’s lip curls. She rakes her gaze over me, and fuck, she shouldn’t look so hot with murder in her eyes. I’m still reminding Meg’s minotaur of the time limits on their contract when my match makes a grab for a cursed hatchet that has been rumored to turn anyone who wields it into dust.

Horror has my heart plunging to my knees. “Val, don’t touch that,” I snap, disconnecting the call with Meg and her minotaur while reaching for my own wayward match.

She ducks from my hold but goes for a sword I collected after vanquishing a frost demon. “You let Ava be kidnapped by some monster from another dimension.” Using both hands, she swings the blade at my head.

I flinch away from the sword, worried about her hurting herself as much as maiming me. “I didn’t let?—”

“Bullshit. You lured us to the house. You knew the danger we could be in.” With each accusation, she hacks the blade closer, and my eternal restraint over my temper cracks another sliver. “It’s your fault someone snatched her.”

I curl my claws into fists to keep from taking the sword away, from forcing her to stop attacking. Will it always be a fight with her? I’ve already had a hard enough day. “I’ll handle it.”

“Handlethis.” She rushes me, the sword glinting as she brings it around in an arc.

“Enough.” The roar erupts from me along with a wave of magic. Sparks flash and sizzle before I can stop them. My mate throws her arms over her face to protect herself, and the helpless gesture hits me harder than a gargoyle’s punch to the gut. She acts so invincible, it’s easy to forget she’s not. “Val, I didn’t mean?—”

My mate doesn’t interrupt me.Shedoesn’t get the chance.

A pint-sized dragon appears in front of me, deflecting my magic like a fireproof shield.

The sudden appearance of a soul guardian hellbent on protecting Val from me? That’s a problem.

He drops to the ground and takes up his mongoose form, screeching loud barks at me.

I hold up a hand. “Fair enough, Montejanus.” I haven’t seen the soul guardian in person, but I’ve heard the stories and seen drawings of the golden-scaled beast. He was a terror against demons in the last war who dared to go against the witch under his protection. And now, it seems he has claimed my mate as the soul who needs safekeeping.

He’s right.

The realization makes me sick.

I could’ve hurt her. I haven’t lost control of my magic in decades. How could I do it now? With my mate? I move to leave, but the mongoose rears up on his hind paws and chitters his curses at me.

Val lowers her arms and cracks open her eyes, her gaze landing on Montejanus as he chirps so sweetly at her.

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