Page 40 of Cry for Help

“About that,” Murmur’s lips pulled to the side. “Mammon is in the city tonight.”

“Mammon?” Stolas quirked a brow. “That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I don’t think it is.” Murmur shook his head, but he did not elaborate. I wondered if he wanted to say more. Maybebothparties had something to do with the human trafficking case.

“You guys should come to the Mammon party.” Aimee declared, blissfully unaware of the tension. “Fifth circle. In the Epsilon building. Penthouse.”

Stolas exchanged a glance with Murmur. Malphas muttered and disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Or I could just take Maddie?” Aimee suggested.

“No,” Stolas uttered the word reluctantly. “Maddie should take Caim and Malphas.”

“Hey!” Malphas called from the kitchen.

“Once you’ve all had dinner.” Stolas pinched his brow. He shot Murmur a pointed look. “You’re with me at Behem’s party.”

Chapter Ten

Caim emerged after Stolas and Murmur left, dressed in a suit jacket and tie. It didn’t suit him at all. I searched for some unknown sign that Caim and Darla had donesomething. After all, she’d been in the shower a while, and Caim had disappeared for no good reason.

He caught me staring and shot me a wink. I looked away, wondering what that wink meant.

Did he fuckDarla?

I mean, it didn’t matter if he did, but it was just soobvious.

“Is dinner ready?” Caim put his hands in his pockets.

“The demon in the kitchen said it would be a minute.” Aimee supplied helpfully, knitting her fingers together and rocking on her heels. She turned to me, offering an apologetic smile. “I hope I didn’t derail your plans. You can catch up to Stolas if you want.”

After you’d told me Behem was literal bad news? I thought, but obviously didn’t verbalize. I waved away her concern with my hand.

Caim eyed both of us. “We’re not going to Behem’s party?” His eyes lit up, and his slumped shoulders unfurled. “Wherearewe going?”

“That demon, Stolas, was it?” Aimee tapped her lip. “He said Maddie could come to our party instead. With you, and Malphas.”

“The Mammon party?” Caim squinted, turning to me.

Before Aimee could answer, Darla appeared in thedoorway, a tiny towel barely covering her body. She squeaked when she saw us in the hall, though she showed no sign of embarrassment or desire to cover her skin. Darla shot Caim a hot look.

“You’re coming to the party?” Darla fluttered her lashes at Caim.

I rolled my eyes, but neither of them seemed to notice.

“Apparently.” Caim grinned.

“After dinner!” Malphas shouted from the kitchen.

While Aimee, Darla, and the two demons were dressed up to the nines, it seemed to escape everyone’s notice that I was in jeans and a t-shirt.

I couldn’t articulate my need for something fancy to wear without seeming superficial. Not that I wanted to wear a dress like Aimee or Darla, barely covering their underwear. They had the bodies for it, and I very much didn’t. Not that it was their fault, even if I felt vaguely sick every time they laughed or joked, looking like models from a magazine.

We took the SUV, and the girls made a good show of covering their disappointment. I supposed they were used todemons=high status.

I didn’t know Aimee or Darla well enough to know if they regretted inviting us to Mammon’s party.

I was given the window seat, squished against the car door as Darla leaned across the center console and rubbed Caim’s arm—and Caim did nothing to stop her.

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