Page 31 of Demon Hunter

For a moment, the only sounds in the car are the air conditioning and the whir of the tires on the road. What the actualfuck?

“Are you suggesting we should also look at people who were kicked out, say, fifty years ago, and see if they have kids or grandkids who might be doing this?” Matt asks faintly.

Norval snorts. “I was thinking more like a hundred years ago,” he retorts. “Or a hundred and fifty. That’s why I asked you how far back. The recent ones won’t take a minute to do.”

I rub my eyes. “Jesus. That could literally be hundreds of people to whittle through.”

“I can help with that,” he volunteers. “Once we have the list, I can start visiting some descendants, snoop around their houses. I’m good at being sneaky.”

“It’s true,” Matt confirms. “He is.”

Shaking my head, I try not to think about the sheer immensity of the task ahead. “I guess that’s what we need to do, then. Norval, if you can get started on that list—don’t worry about the more recent ones. I can have Ian pull that from the archives, or even get it myself. It’s the ones from before computers that will be harder to track down.”

“Just leave it to me,” he asserts. “Now… when are we stopping for snacks?”

“You can’t eat snacks,” I point out, but Matt groans.

“He likes spooking scary truckers at rest stops.”

Chapter 13

Matt

Norval finally leavesto check on Ian and yell at him about keeping secrets just as we get to the Bay Area, and it’s a damn relief. He’s been lecturing me for the past two hours, while Dylan put on his noise-cancelling headphones and went back to work. Being scolded by a ghost while trapped in an enclosed space is only slightly better than being scolded by a ghost at the gas station while I’m trying to pay for gas and there are four people in line behind me.

I drop Dylan off at his car, which is thankfully still where he left it—though there are three parking tickets on the windshield—and travel the three blocks to his place. There’s a visitor parking spot that I privately think of as mine, though I’m sure the building’s other residents would probably dispute that.

He pulls in less than five minutes later and parks in his spot, then we grab his bags and head up to his apartment.

The lights are on in the kitchen and his office, and I stop dead only a step inside the front door. Is someone here? Fuck, I wish I had my weapons. They even stole the leather cuffs that armor my wrists.

“What’s wrong?” Dylan asks, squeezing past me, and I grab his arm and put a finger to my lips.

“The lights are on,” I murmur, so softly it’s barely audible.

For a second, he looks confused, but then comprehension dawns and a wry smile takes over his face. “Yeah, you idiot. Because when I found out you were in the hospital, I dropped everything and ran for it. Fuck the lights.” He winces. “Though I’m not looking forward to the electricity bill.”

I blink at him. He… “Did you secure your workstation?”

Scoffing, he drags me away from the door so he can close it. “Of course I did. I was freaked out and reacting, not dead.”

If it was anyone else, I’d say that puts me in my place, but I know how Dylan is about securing his workstation. He locks it down even if he’s just going to the bathroom or to get a snack. Once, when he had food poisoning, he delayed precious seconds getting to the bathroom just so he could secure it. There was vomit spattered across the tile, but he still maintained it was necessary. For him to not lock it down when leaving the apartment for an unknown amount of time, he would have to be… well, dead.

He left the lights on, though. I guess he really does love me.

Abruptly, I grab the duffel from his hand and drop it. “Put that down.” I gesture to his laptop bag. I’m not stupid enough to touch it, not after just escaping from the hospital. The last thing I want is to end up back there.

“What?” He cooperates, though, and I tow him toward the bedroom.

“We’re officially a couple, we’re alive, I’m fully healed, it’s been nearly three weeks since we’ve been alone together, and if we’re lucky, we have about an hour before Norval gets back. I’m gonna sex you up so good.”

He laughs, but suddenly I’m no longer towing him—he’s towing me. “Oh, you are, huh? Think an hour is gonna be long enough for us to celebrate your new lease on life?”

Huh. “No. Got any salt?” It’ll mean another lecture later, but sex with Dylan is totally worth it.

“Not enough to keep Norval out of the whole apartment,” he says regretfully. “I’m running low. So let’s not waste time.” He flips on the bedroom light, kicks off his shoes, and gets naked in record time.

Yesssss. I take a little longer to strip, distracted by the sight of his beautiful body. Even though he spends most of his day sitting at a desk, Dyl takes his hunter training seriously and stays in shape. Not as good shape as me, but then I have to actuallyfightthe demons.

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