Page 8 of Priest

“Yeah, that’s ahimproblem, not ayouproblem. Trust me,” Azriel said, patting Oliver’s hand.

Oliver licked his lips, then repeated his question to Poe earlier. “Am I hideous?”

“You’re gorgeous. I’d put you up on that main stage if I could, babe. But dancing isn’t the life for you.”

Oliver flushed. It hadn’t exactly been a fantasy of his to get dressed up, throw on some glitter and lipstick, and dance for a crowd. But it wasn’tnota fantasy for doing that privately for one man. Or Demon, as it were. But he’d made a go-go dance joke the night Priest panicked and left, so maybe that wouldn’t be appreciated.

Letting out a small sigh, Oliver turned his attention back to Azriel, but suddenly, he got a chill up his spine too intense to ignore. He’d felt things like this before, usually before somedisaster struck. Half the time, it was some angry customer, and the other half, it was Poe picking drunk fights with people.

But this was something else. Something new. Poe was in trouble. No, it was more than that. A vision of Poe’s bloody, lifeless body filled his head, and his chest felt like it was cracking in half.

He jumped off his stool. “Something’s wrong.” His voice was trembling, and he realized he couldn’t just stand there. He didn’t know why or how, but he knew his best friend was in trouble, and he would be damned if he didn’t save him.

“Oliver!” Azriel called, but Oliver was running for the door.

He burst out into the street, then started for the shop. There was a van nearby looking odd, though he didn’t know why, but when he locked gazes with the driver, the feeling in his gut only got worse. Poewasin danger. Something was very wrong.

He was steps from the side of their building when he first heard the rumble, and then—between one breath and the next—there was heat.

And then there was pain.

He was falling through the air. His skin was burning, and he knew he was seconds from hitting the ground, and when he did, it would all be over.

And finally, just before his body shattered apart, there was blessed darkness.

3

PRIEST

He woke up with a gasp, bile in his throat, his heart racing so hard for a moment he thought maybe he was dying. Rolling onto his side, he groped for the little trash can he kept near his bed and unleashed a torrent of bitterness. His stomach ached, and his heart began to stabilize, but he couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.

And not just a little wrong.

Priest was a Demon. An Incubus. He sure as the nine hells was not clairvoyant, and he’d never had a premonition in his life. But somehow, he knew that shit had just hit the fan. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he scrubbed at his face and made his way into the living room. He could hear a low murmur, and he immediately recognized Knight, who appeared a second later, his brow furrowed.

“Mm. Okay. And he’s—yeah. You and I both know he’s going to lose his fucking shit.”

“Who is that?” Priest demanded.

Knight waved him off, turning his back. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I have a choice, do I? He’s going to find out on the goddamn news if?—”

Priest didn’t usually move faster than human speed, but this time, he was at Knight’s throat in the blink of an eye, grabbing him by the collar, careful to avoid actually touching him. He ripped the phone out of Knight’s hand and pressed it to his ear. “Who the fuck is this, and what the fuck happened?”

“Well, hello to you too, my darling.” Azriel.

Priest’s heart sank to his feet. He knew. Fuck—he didn’t know how, but he knew. “Is it Oliver?”

Azriel sighed. “Before you panic and do something we both know you’ll regret, know that he’s alive.”

Priest felt relief knock into him like a damn freight train, and it was only his grip on Knight’s shirt that kept him upright. “Okay, so what happened?” It became very clear in Azriel’s beat of silence that he had said Oliver was alive, not that he was fine.

That was a big distinction.

“Azriel! What fucking happened?”

“There was an attack.” Azriel sounded pissed, but not at him. “The cops are here, but they’re so absolutely useless. I got a call from the head of your adorable backups—I mean,BravoTeam—who told me to let you know they were standing by when you got here. I’m assuming this is because your fearless leader is unreachable while his dick is stuck in his cute little prince’s ass?—”

“Enough,” Priest said tiredly. He was in no mood for Azriel’s bullshit. “How alive is he? I mean… how hurt? How?—”

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