Page 41 of Demon Huntress
“We need to hear her concerns, brother,” Slade said, his voice soft and reasonable. “I know we both have a strong feeling about this, but Cass is stating her concerns and boundaries. Only a mad dog would ignore that, right?”
Flash said nothing but growled low in his throat.
“Right?” Slade asked forcefully. Cass saw his hand tighten on Flash’s shoulder.
“Right,” Flash said, taking a deep breath. Obviously, he didn’t agree, but he was going to shut up and listen to Slade.
“I’m not going to argue with you,” Slade said gently. “But I would ask that you take a bit more time to think about this if it is your final decision. All of us have had tension running high for a few days, and all of us are strung out. Is it the best time to make a permanent decision?”
“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Cassandra said softly. “As soon as things get serious, the whole situation implodes. I’d rather not see that happen this time.”
Slade nodded. “I understand. But since we have to stay together until the case is done, why not just think about it for now? Once the Crenshaw business is over, then you can decide for good.”
Flash glanced at Slade, then back to Cass. He clearly wasn’t happy about how the conversation was going, but he didn’t say anything. Cass just kept looking into Slade’s big, deep eyes, and the emotion she saw there made her feel worse.
The idea of stringing them along, letting them expect things she couldn’t possibly deliver, tore her apart inside. The longer they stayed together, the more attached they would all become, and the harder it would be to break up.
But since we have to stick together to nail Crenshaw’s ass to the wall, there’s really not much I can do about it until we unravel the plan.
“Okay,” she said, sighing. “I’ll wait for now. Once we have Crenshaw sorted, then I’ll decide on the terms of our relationship.”
The guys seemed satisfied, happily going back to their food. It was almost as if the conversation had never happened. Cass backed away from the counter, turning to the nearby window.
The afternoon was bright, a picture of innocence stolen right from a child’s storybook. The gilded rays of the sun and the chirping of small birds did little to cheer her up.
I’m not going to change my mind. How could I? Even if I was relationship material, Flash is a fucking rage machine, and Slade is overprotective to the point of paranoia.
Flash’s emotional instability had already upset her, and now that she’d seen Slade have a proper freak out over his sister, she was scared he might try to treat her the same way.
She turned away from the bright scene outside and watched the boys as they joked together. Even though it hurt her heart terribly, she knew this moment could not last.
Chapter19
Cassandra
She remained calm as she and Slade pulled up to the party. It was on the fortieth floor of the building, and she'd been told that Flash had arrived earlier and taken his post for the evening. He kept a watch on Edwards while Slade stood next to her, looking focused.
"You in?" Slade asked next to her, giving her his arm to hold onto while entering the building.
"Yes," she heard Flash say from Slade’s earpiece, along with soft Halloween music playing in the background. She swallowed, hoping she had shoved her earpiece deep enough in her ear so no one noticed.
Since it was Halloween-themed, everyone wore whatever they wanted. She and Slade decided to simply wear masks for their outfits before they left. They would blend in just fine.
They walk into the building and up to the fortieth floor, taking in all the Halloween decorations. Ghosts hung from the ceiling, and the food display was quite creative. There was a body where the intestines were the food. Pumpkins were filled with candy, and the drinks were a deep red like blood.
She swallowed and felt Slade's arm tighten on hers, reassuring her. They could do this. They were in and out within an hour easily. They had planned for this.
Her stomach told her there were parts they didn't, and that scared her a little. She didn’t like the unknown, and certainly not in this situation. Anything could go wrong.
She scanned the crowd, looking for Crenshaw. He was a powerful demon, and she could feel his energy. Ba'al ... the demon she determined was behind all of this ... possessing Crenshaw was a smart move for the demon, not so much for the human. He had billions of dollars and all the social media viewers he could ever want. It made for a disaster for them.
It wasn't hard to pick him out as he stood by the bar with a couple guards sipping on a glass of wine.
Crenshaw was in his forties with thick glasses and black hair. He looked in good condition, but she could see the demon inside. Henry's features were slightly altered, like the dark circles under his eyes and the way his eyes took everything in.
A woman stood next to him, batting her eyelashes. She was clearly trying to grab his attention, and it worked a little. But he wasn't really giving her attention.
Cass could only wonder if this woman knew who he was and just all the dark and terrible things he'd done. The man wasn't innocent.
