Page 28 of Demons of Eden

An unhappy suspicion pokes at me, and I wait for a moment more before slowly creeping forward and peering around the edge of the building. I groan internally when I spot Torrin, fleetingly contemplating the wistful idea of knocking my head onto the red bricks and leaving the land of the conscious.

Standing next to him is Rio, who’s looking just as irritable as ever. Honestly, somehow he’s managing to look even more aggravated than usual. He’s radiating bad fucking vibes, which is just freaking great. I’m sure that won’t end up being my problem whatsoever.

“I’m not letting you go into this cesspit without me,” he snaps, glaring at both his brother and the building as if they’ve personally offended him in some way.

I sigh quietly. When Torrin called saying Eli had contacted him with a lead, he hadn’t mentioned anything about the other hunter coming along. Surprises aren’t always good ones, I suppose. Thankfully, they appear too caught up in their conversation to notice my arrival and subsequent snooping—small mercies.

“Look, I know you have good reasons not to like their kind, but Eli said this place has a good reputation. You really think I would invite Eden along if it wasn’t safe?” Torrin questions him, being far more patient about this than I would be in his shoes.

“A building filled with demons is never safe,” Rio sneers back while pulling out his crystal pendant from underneath his dark shirt. It’s glowing bright pink, and the intensity of the light is far stronger than when Torrin had shown me his own. When it had been triggered due to my proximity. “Especially not when it’sthem.”

Them.

I swallow hard, trying to force away the uncomfortable tightness suddenly present in my throat. He means succubi and incubi, obviously. Even if he hadn’t spelled it out with the crystal, he hasn’t exactly made his particular hatred for them, which is way over the other subtypes of demons, subtle. From accusing me of being one, to all of the snide little comments he’s made, there’s no doubt about it. However, the sheer level of vitriol in his voice this time has my hand drifting down protectively over the tiny bump that’s hidden underneath my clothes.

I video-called with Suvi to show her earlier, paranoid that it’s already obvious I’m pregnant. She’d reminded me that while I may have only been pregnant for twenty-five days, the baby’s now at roughly the equivalent of twelve weeks of development. A small bump wouldn’t be out of the ordinary at this stage, and mine is still barely that, apparently. Despite her reassurance, tome, it’s blatantly obvious, especially when I caught my reflection in the mirror this morning without my clothes in the way.

Seeing the physical evidence of my pregnancy made everything feel so much more real. Terrifyingly so. It’s not as if I’ve been able to get a scan done so far, though Suvi had mumbled something about how she was working on that, making this the first truly tangible confirmation of the situation. I mean, clearly something demonic was happening to me, but a baby growing inside of me?My baby?

“Did you lose all of your common sense?” Rio seethes, loud enough to pull my brain out of my demon spawn spiral and back into their conversation. It doesn’t sound like I missed Torrin making any progress in calming him down. “You know what? Fuck it. It’s not my fault if you’re stupid enough to welcome death into your bed.”

Does he mean…?

“You can’t judge any group by the actions of the very worst of them alone,” Torrin replies smoothly, clearly still attempting to placate him. “Everyone who comes here knows what this place is, and theyallleave happy and satisfied. We’re not here for that, anyway. You know why we came. It will be a quick conversation or two, in and out.”

Okay. He’s not talking about me, then. Phew.

“It’s irrelevant what we’re here for when you’re walking in there basically unarmed and unprepared for a fight. There aren’t any good ones, or safe places like this. That’s just what they want people to think,” Rio disagrees, unconvinced. His voice is acidic and bitter, turning even more caustic as he continues, “Iknowthey can’t be trusted, so should you. Then again, what’veyoulost to teach you that lesson?”

“Rio—”

“Don’t. You only got into this job because it’s the family business. Dai and I do this because we have to. Because it’s our only way?—”

Having heard more than enough, more than I’d been prepared to hear anyway, I pull my head back from watching them to lean against the bricks. I frown as I think over their words, an uncomfortable feeling twisting my insides. The pieces of the Rio-shaped puzzle are coming together, and I don't think I like the picture it reveals.

Is that…sympathy prickling at the edges of my thoughts, or am I just having an aneurysm?

Damn it. Now I feel bad for listening in. Huffing quietly in frustration, I force their conversation out of my mind, telling myself it’s because I don’t care. Why should I care what traumas Rio’s lugging around with him like an oversized freaking suitcase? No wonder he’s so tetchy. It still doesn’t excuse what a total ass he’s been towards me, though.

Deciding that’s more than enough eavesdropping, I take a second to compose myself, then stride around the corner, smile on my face as if I’ve heard nothing at all. I purposefully make my steps louder than usual against the pavement, waving as they glance my way to ensure they’ve spotted me, not that there’s a crowd to lose me in around here. Rio looks away from me as soon as he realises who’s approaching, staring at the building and staying where he is, while Torrin waves back and comes to meet me halfway.

“You got here quick,” Torrin says as he comes to a jolting stop in front of me. There’s an awkwardness to the movement, like he’d caught himself going for a handshake and then decided against it…but that’s not quite right.

“I may have pushed the speed limit a little,” I admit, glancing at the building that’s causing Rio’s current irritation with someconfusion. “What is this place anyway? It looks like an empty warehouse.”

Torrin hadn’t explained much, other than saying that Eli had told him about a demon that works here who’s supposedly friends with an incubus called Ash. It may not be much, but it’s the best lead we’ve managed so far, and the very first mention of a demon going by his name. It was enough to get me dressed and in my car in record time.

“It’s err…” Torrin’s face flushes slightly as he fumbles for the words.

“Goddess. Are you blushing?” I ask in a teasing tone, unable to stop my lips curling into a grin. The pink tinge on his cheeks seems to stretch right back to his ears; the tips look like they burn from embarrassment. It’s oddly cute, endearing even.

“It’s a demon sex club,” Rio bluntly answers instead, not waiting for Torrin to find the words. “It’s a place where incubi and succubi come to feed off the stupid.”

“Demons have their own sex clubs?”

I look at the building with renewed interest. I suppose it would make sense for demons who feed off sexual energy to ensure they have a reliable source of the stuff. The idea of demons going to a sex club the way we’d go to a restaurant for dinner, though, that’s an admittedly strange thought. I can’t help but wonder if Ash has been here to feed before or somewhere else like this. Was he just searching for a meal the night we met? I bite my lip, more than a little unsure over how I feel about the idea, not that there’s anything I can do about it now. Regardless of what Ash’s intentions were, I’m sure he’ll be surprised by the unexpected consequence of our night together…

“They do,” Torrin confirms, seeming to get over his embarrassment once he’s seen my unbothered reaction to the reveal of what this place is. “The one who runs this club, Marbas, is who we’re here to try and speak with.”

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