Page 30 of Living Legend

“I thinkborrowis the word she’s looking for,” I corrected, eyeing my fellow demon.

“That’s kind of impossible. There’s no way into Jonah's office when he isn’t there,” Nicholas pointed out. “Plus, I have no idea what the book looks like.”

I turned away from Elise and smiled at him. “I think it’s called a distraction, Nicholas. Buy yourself enough time to find it and get the information. Jonah seems smart, but ideally, something like that is kept in plain sight, where anyone and no one can find it, or it’s kept somewhere remotely close to him.” I shrugged a shoulder and looked up at him through my long lashes before winking. “I think you’re underestimating your sleuthing skills.”

“A distract—” Nicholas started but was cut off by the door opening. I could feel the room tense with the angel’s uneasy feelings. We shouldn’t be in here; well, Elise and I shouldn’t be in here. A briefing room was not on our certified list of places to go today. Nicholas stood a little straighter, his hands clasped behind him, and Reese removed himself from the wall, his arms over his broad chest.

I leaned back against the table next to Elise, no tension to be found from either of us. I saw gray hair and the confused expression first. I recognized him from the meeting a few days ago, the one who saw the demon in the first place. His name was right on the tip of my tongue.

“Markus,” Nicholas greeted.

“What is the meaning of this?” the executive angel responded, looking around the room.

Reese cleared his throat. “We took them to the training room this morning for some sparring—” he began, but Markus cut him off.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Diniel, but is this the training room?”

I peered over at Elise, who had her lips pulled tightly together, holding in a laugh.

“No, I guess it’s not,” Reese answered, looking down at Markus. The angel was only a few inches taller than myself, and I thought Nicholas and Reese were giants. Markus looked back with the same fierceness, causing Reese to eventually look to the floor.

“No, it’s not. So, I will ask again, what is the meaning of this?”

None of us said anything. There really wasn’t a good explanation for it and we knew it.

“Strategizing,” Nicholas said at last. I noticed his shoulders were pulled back and his back was straight.

“Strategizing?” Markus repeated as he walked towards Nicholas, giving Reese a chance to roll his eyes.

Nicholas nodded. “About the issue at hand. The training room didn’t seem like a good place for strategic planning, so I thought it would be a good idea to voice our thoughts here.”

Markus had his back turned to me, but I knew he was sizing him up as best as he could from his height. I saw Nicholas’s Adam's apple bob when he swallowed hard with nerves.

“I appreciate your thinking, Mr. Cassial, but you can’t gallivant off with these two as you wish. We’re working with a delicate matter, and anyone could have walked in on you. You’re quite lucky it was me.” He placed a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder and gave it a firm pat. “I’m meeting a few others here shortly, so I suggest you get them to their room before you cause unwanted trouble. If you would, Mr. Diniel.”

“Me?” Reese asked, stunned.

“Yes, you. I’d like to speak to Nicholas in private.” I saw the moment Nicholas’ deep brown eyes went wide. He looked over to Reese, who was staring back with the same bewildered look on his face. Whatever silent conversation they were having was cut off when Markus motioned for Nicholas to sit. He seemed to forget Elise and I were there, but Elise was already making her way out the door. Reese tilted his head towards her, wordlessly telling me to follow.

I had the urge to fight to stay. I wanted to hear this conversation. I had only known Nicholas Cassial for a short period of time, but I knew meetings with high executives didn’t present themselves like this often. I had one foot out the door and one hand on the door frame when I turned my head and saw him staring back at me. He gave me a short smile, as if acknowledging my thoughts, before returning to his meeting with Markus.

We got back to our room through a short series of hallways and staircases Reese claimed no one used. The staircases were cold, but not freezing. Elise had hopped up on one of the railings and slid down, getting an aggravating grunt from Reese.

“Come on,” Reese had said, opening the door to the second floor and peeking out.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Blondie. If anyone sees us, I’ll just compel them to forget,” Elise taunted.

“What?” Reese asked, stopping her before she could get through the door. “Compel?”

“Yeah, like making people do and say what you want.”

Reese continued to block the door. “You don’t have that kind of magic. You can’t. Compulsion was outlawed years ago.”

Elise grabbed his chin and shook it. “All that hair is blocking your brain cells from operating properly. Outlawed means it doesn’t exist in plain sight. No one is stupid enough to use it in front of beings like you.” She shoved his arm down and away from the doorway. “It was a joke, if that makes you feel any better. I can’t compel anyone.”Reese watched her as she strolled into the hallway. “But she can.” She nodded towards me and disappeared down the hall.

He hadn’t said anything the short walk to our living quarters. I knew she’d caught him off guard. Elise liked using action to get her points across, but there were many times when her words could do just as much damage, if not more. I grabbed the handle to the door, but Reese caught my arm before I could make a move.

“Have you ever used it?” he asked me.

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