Page 174 of Devoted

Standing there, out of nowhere, was Gloria.

“Good morning.” Her lilting voice sent shivers down my spine. I shrank closer to Zeke. “Quite the committee you’ve brought to this meeting.”

“I could say the same to you,” Micah said, his tone even. I leaned to the side, my eyes widening at the sight of the heavily armed angels that stood on either side of Gloria. There had to be twenty, at least. “I wasn’t aware you travelled with an entourage. You certainly didn’t the last time you paid us a visit.”

Gloria’s beatific smile didn’t falter. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sure you do,” Zeke growled. “After all, how else do you explain how my mate was compelled?”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed, the slightest hint of annoyance before she hid it once more. “What are you accusing me of, Ezekiel? I can assure you, I know nothing about how the human became compelled. Perhaps one of your unit did it. I imagine several of them have their sights set on him. He is quite pretty for a human, I suppose.”

It wasn’t only Zeke who stiffened at that, but the entire unit. Her implication was obvious, as was her intent. She was testing the unit for weaknesses, trying to find one she could exploit.

“Unlike you, I have complete faith in my unit,” Micah said, the chill in his voice making me shiver. “None of them would dare influence Sam the way you did. They respect his bond with Ezekiel. They wouldn’t dream of trying to part them.”

Gloria’s hand fluttered over her chest. “And you believe I would? I thought better of you, Micah. Stooping to low tricks like this is?—”

“It was your mark on the wards,” Benji cut her off bluntly. “You can’t deny it. It was confirmed by a son of Lucifer who has expertise in this area.”

Gloria’s pleasant demeanour slipped. “A son of Lucifer,” she spat. “I see your time of consorting with demons is far from over.”

Micah growled, but calmed when Nox squeezed his shoulder. It was he who addressed Gloria now. “We’re above petty prejudices here, Gloria. It fosters a more cooperative environment. Perhaps you should try it sometime.”

She didn’t even acknowledge that he’d spoken, instead focusing on me. “This is all irrelevant. I’m here today with a singular intent. Micah, you have an unmated human living on the compound. He is to be dealt with.”

Even though I knew they had no intention of handing me over, a trickle of fear went down my spine.

“Your deadline was met,” Micah said, lifting his chin defiantly. “Ezekiel and Sam are mated.”

Gloria’s lips thinned. “And you think that excuses the fact you had an unmated human in your home for so long? Who knows what information he might’ve leaked to the world.”

Micah smiled sardonically. “Nate?”

The silver-haired twin stepped forwards, his gaze deadly even as he smiled. “Yes, boss?”

“Has any confidential information pertaining to the supernatural world left the compound via any of Sam’s devices?”

“Nope,” Nate said cheerfully. “As you know, I monitor all information that comes in and out of the compound. We’ve had no security alerts from Sam, or anyone else for that matter.”

Fuuuuck.Did that mean Nate had seen the porn links my client sent me?

From the subtle wink he fired my way, I was going to assume the answer to that was yes.

“Sorry,” Zeke whispered with a wince. “Totally forgot to give you a heads-up on that one.”

I squeezed his hand, sending calming vibes along the bond. I was fine with it, especially if it got us out of this mess.

Gloria’s face pinched in, her smile returning as she hit on another idea. Micah had warned me this would happen, but watching it play out was fascinating.

At least, it would have been, if she weren’t hell-bent on killing me.

Or should that be heaven-bent?

“How do I know the human hasn’t been coerced into the match?” Gloria said. “When I spoke to him a few days ago, he was very much against it.”

“You—” Zeke took an angry step forwards, but I flung out an arm to stop him. Her words had started to unlock something in my mind. The thing I’d forgotten. What was it?What was it?

“I can’t have humans being coerced.” Gloria sighed, mock sorrow on her face. “I think it’s best if I question Sam.”

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