Page 57 of Kiss of Fire

“In the human world.”

The woman never blinked, never took her gaze off Raya, and a memory started to claw its way from her subconscious.

Those eyes. She’d seen them before. A wave of dread washed over her.

“You… you were in Nurse Phillips. You were watching me.”

Tala nodded.

“I’m a tracker. It took me a while to find you.”

“But… how…?”

“Tala is a shaitun,” said Shade. “A kind of demon. She can temporarily see what others see. Hear what they hear. It makes her an extraordinary spy. But rest assured, she does no harm to the host.”

“No harm?” Anger made Raya clench her fists. “She made Mary tear the skin around her mouth. She used her like a puppet.”

“That wasn’t me,” Tala said dismissively. “That was Ravij. One of Salaq’s. He’s an evil bastard.”

“Are you saying some demonsaren’tevil?”

“I’msayingwe don’t all harm innocents.”

“Really? Because a shaitun attacked me when I was just a child.”

Tala paused, taken by surprise.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was unexpectedly sympathetic. “How did you escape?”

“I killed it. With fire.”

“Ah.” Tala cocked her head to one side. “Did the demon by any chance have red snake eyes?”

“Yes. Creepy as fuck.”

“That was Sughal. He worked for Aelfric. I wondered where he’d got to.” Tala mentally reappraised the woman in front of her. “And you were just a child? I’m impressed. But just so we’re clear, Sughal was a sadist. I’m nothing like him.”

“Oh, because you’re aniceshaitun?”

Tala gave a bark of laughter.

“Not even a little bit.”

“What are you doing here, Tala?” Shade interrupted. “The last I heard, you were freelancing in the mortal world.”

“Yes, I was. Tracking some crime lord who’d ripped off the wrong person. In his lame attempt to buy me off, he let slip some interesting information.”

Shade raised a cynical eyebrow.

“’Let slip’?”

“You know me, boss. I can be very persuasive.”

“What did you learn?”

“That there’s a kill order out for Lemar.”

“Someone wants him dead? Who?”

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