Page 77 of Fallen Demon

“Bringing mayhem to your doorstep.”

“Oh, Ariella, we can try to hide from it, but as supernaturals, mayhem will always find us. I’m surprised it took so long.”

“Still, it’s my fault.”

She opened both eyes. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay.”

“But your agreement with the Mojave tribe. You weren’t supposed to make a ruckus on their land.”

“I’m good friends with their leaders and I’m sure I can make them look the other way. Don’t worry about it. I’m not.” She reached to me and patted the top of my hand. “Go with the others and let me rest now.” She closed her eyes and whispered, “Everything will be fine.”

With a sigh, I turned to leave and saw Levi had stayed by the door, waiting for me. As I approached him, he offered me his hand.

I stared at it for a second before taking it. This was new. Before, he wouldn’t have held my hand while walking down a hallway.

“They went this way,” he said, taking the lead.

As we walked, I glanced at him. There was so much to talk about, so much to understand, but now wasn’t the right moment.

We found the others as they entered a room in the front area of the manor, near the foyer. We followed them into the dining room, with a long table for twenty.

Another warlock was there. “I’m Calder.” He had cropped black hair, like a military buzz, and dark skin. “If you need anything, let me know.”

He gestured for us to come to the table, which was brimming with food and drinks. We all sat down and dug in. After pouring myself some red wine, I looked around the table. Levi to my right, Lacey to his right, Abbie to my left, Zad to her left, Farrah and Wyatt right in front of me, and Rage, Ava, Harvey, Doreen, and Andre took the right side of the table.

We were just missing Topaz.

I took a sip of my wine. I owed Topaz a lot, and I would have to find a way to make it up to her.

Everyone ate and chatted with the people beside them, as if we were gathered here to celebrate.

After taking a few bites of my food—which was delicious—I couldn’t take it anymore.

“We can’t ignore what just happened,” I said. The conversation around the table died out and everyone looked at me. “We got Levi back, and I thank you all for that.” Levi reached under the table and placed his big hand on my thigh. “But I lost the dagger.”

“Welost the dagger,” Zad said. “We were all there. It was our responsibility.”

My brows curled down. I could argue about this, but the guilt wouldn’t go away, no matter what they said. “Rhodes has it, and while we’re here eating, he’s probably enacting the next step of their plan.”

Rage lowered his fork and knife. “I agree we need to act fast, but we can’t finish this with Rhodes exhausted and hungry.”

“Or without a proper plan,” Doreen said.

I nodded once. “All right, then let’s come up with a proper plan.”

“We’re too angry and tired to think straight,” Andre said. Even though he had been healed, dried blood caked his hairline, where he had been hit.

I looked around the table. We had all been healed and had cleaned some of the blood and dirt away with damp rags, but we still looked like we had been run over by tanks.

“I agree with Andre,” Aspen said. “If we come up with a plan now, it’ll be rushed and not well thought through.”

I groaned, but didn’t say anything. Not even Levi seemed to be on my side.

For a moment, disappointment cut through me. Before, I had kept to myself, not sharing my problems, because I knew no one would care about them like I would.

And now, that exact thing was happening.

Only it wasn’t true. That was my anger—toward myself, toward this situation—talking.

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