Page 49 of Her Deadly Angels (The Seven Sinners of Hell's Kingdom 2)

“This had better not have been your plan,” Kase snaps, keeping his attention on Elias.

“No, it was me trying to take advantage of an opportunity instead of convincing you to act as if you’re my prisoner to get the hunters to allow us all in through the back and into the only non-warded room on the premises. It’s where some hunters capture and interrogate demons.” Elias combs his fingers through his tousled hair. “Which is what I meant about it being too much trouble.”

“Me, your prisoner? No one will fucking believe that.” Kase lifts an eyebrow and turns to me. “It’s laughable.”

It kind of is, but I don’t say as much. “It wouldn’t hurt to try. Please, Kase. Think of our deal. Just give Elias this dying wish. If you do, I’ll add something to the bargain.”

Red light warms Kase’s gaze. “I’m listening.”

I lick my lips. “You can leave your mark on me.”

“I have something better in mind.” A wicked smirk lights his handsome face. Uh-oh. “I want you to wear a ring from me too.”

I glance at the one Micah gave me with the soul in it. I hadn’t thought anyone noticed. “Deal.” Turning to Elias, I reach out and touch his shoulder. “Enjoy this moment. I don’t think anyone on Earth has ever had the chance to control a devil.”

Elias lifts his eyebrow. “Except for Raven.” Turning to me, he adds, “And I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”

Micah grabs Elias by the shoulder and spins him away. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

***

“How in the world did you manage to get two demons to willingly come here, Elias?” a hoarse, masculine voice asks.

I stretch onto my tiptoes, trying to glimpse Elias with his hunter friend, but the window inside is far too dirty to see anything except the blurry forms within harsh lighting.

“I’m already a dead man, so I offered them a deal. Don’t worry about it, Preston. Just get the holy circle ready. Make it quick,” Elias responds. “They have a woman with them I want to steal from their sadistic asses.”

The two figures separate, one heading in our direction. Micah releases a low growl, the rumble vibrating across my shoulder blades as he steps closer, touching his hands to my hips. His body heats me up, and I rub the sweat prickling along the hairline of my neck. I shiver as Kase twines his tail around my waist, ensuring I’m never out of his grasp even with space between us. Running my fingers over the smooth appendage, I absently stroke it for a moment before I realize it’s probably not a great idea to get him worked up.

“Dante better have his act together,” Micah mutters near my ear. “A holy circle can entrap us for a while if he doesn’t, and I’m not absolutely certain we can trust Elias.”

“We can. Trust me if you don’t trust him,” I say, grasping his hand to slide it more around me.

“I do, but you don’t understand our history, Raven. He—he abandoned me without a single word. Never told me about you or his plans. He just vanished like the selfish disgrace he is.” Micah huffs a breath through his nose, his familiar crisp ocean scent wafting over me.

I open my mouth to ask him more about it, but the cranking of a metal sliding door screeches through the air. I stiffen and reach for Kase, wanting both devils to hold onto me in case. If I wasn’t so worried about something happening to Elias, I’d suggest we all go wait in the car, but the only way I feel even a little bit better is to stay close where I know Kase, Dante, or Micah can intervene. With the thought of Dante, I shift and try to peer over Micah’s towering form for my favorite kinkster. He’s hiding out of sight, and I realize I hate it. I want my eyes on him too.

“Hey, fuckers. In here. Don’t touch anything if you want the book,” Elias says, appearing in the wide doorway to a huge concrete storage room.

“We want to see it first,” Kase says, falling into his demonic negotiator role. He makes playing along with Elias sound so easy and natural. If Elias had said something like that to me, my first reaction would have been to ask him what the fuck he’s talking about. We never even mentioned anything beyond a fake deal.

“And we’d like a word with the hunter in charge around here,” Micah adds, his gruff voice far from the angelic tone he used to speak to me in.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Elias snaps, glowering. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he wasn’t acting any longer and that he and Micah arranged something without me knowing.

A loud whistle shrieks through the air, startling me, and I intake a sharp breath. Tugging me with him, Kase moves toward the doorway, inadvertently making Micah follow along like I’m the chain keeping the two of them together.

“Son, why don’t ya let me finish up with this? I wish you’d have called, Elias. I’d have better prepared for our...guests.” The slightly accented, masculine voice booms from inside like the man thinks if he talks loud enough, it’ll somehow intimidate my devils—though maybe if they weren’t the rulers of Hell, it might work. I’m not sure. I don’t deal with many demons.

“I got it, Pops. You don’t know what we’re dealing with, and I do. Just bring me the grimoire.” Elias faces the man, his body slightly hunched forward like it’s taking everything inside him to remain on his feet. “Trust me. These guys only want a specific page. They said they’d help me with my deal with my demonic soul keeper. Now go get it. You know it belongs to me. I was the one to get it.”

The old hunter scowls. “Watch your tongue, son. You—”

“Enough!” Micah shouts, his body rippling against mine. “We don’t have time for this.”

Releasing me, Micah shoves past Kase and stomps into the storage room. I try to run after him, but Kase lifts me up from behind. My arms hang at my sides, his embrace pinning me to him. I don’t fight and relax. I appreciate the hellish intervention because sometimes I react before I can process things.

And it’s a good thing at least one of us thinks things through.

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