Page 5 of Micah

But my powers are tightly under control, so that means he’s—

Before I can finish the thought, he straightens, lips pressing tightly together. I’m not sure what made him change his mind, but I can’t lie, I’m disappointed. It’s been a long time since I fed the old-fashioned way with a good-looking demon who can probably handle me in all the right ways.

I sigh. Oh well. At least I’ll have the pretty!

Which is apparently at the top of a snow-covered mountain. Alistair really should have told me that.

“Just to recap,” I say, because this is important, “I can have daily access to the cave and there’s internet and cell service?”

“In the village,” he qualifies, his voice a bit rough. I pretend not to notice. “Not in the cave. But yes, I’ll take you to the cave every day… though it would be fine if you wanted to take weekends off or something. I can even take you to Zurich for shopping or nightlife… or back here, if you want to spend the weekend at home.”

Is he crazy? Why would I want time away from the puzzle?

Maybe he doesn’t get it. I pull my phone out of my pocket and bring up the pictures Alistair sent me. “Here… look. This is what I’ll be working on.”

He glances at the screen, and his brow furrows in a frown before his eyes return to my face. “I know. I was one of the people who found it.”

I grab his arm with both hands, dropping my phone. “You were? Tell me everything! Is it as amazing as the pictures make it look?”

For a second he just blinks at me, and I give his arm a little shake. A tiny smile appears on his lips. “It is,” he admits. “Completely amazing. Incredible.”

I sigh and sag against him. “I knew it would be. I can’t wait.”

“Let’s get moving then,” he suggests, bending to pick up my phone and handing it back to me. “I’ll take you to the cave for avery shortlook, okay? Just a few minutes. No working, just looking. It’s a lot later there, remember? And then we’ll go back to the village and settle you into the house. Tomorrow morning, the village council wants to meet with you, and then I’ll take you back to the cave.”

I don’t love the idea that my first visit with the pretty is going to be a short one, but I get it. I forgot about the time difference, and I guess it would be wrong to make him sit with me without giving him time to prepare first.

So I nod. “Sounds good.” Except for the part about meeting the village council. “Why does the council want to meet me?”

He’s looking over my shoulder, frowning fiercely, and I half turn. There’s nothing there, just a bunch of teens who live on this street. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he says abruptly. “Let’s not stand around here any longer.”

I shrug. “Sure.” The faster I get to the pretty, the better. “There’s an alley just up ahead.” It goes all the way through to the next block, but people hardly use it because… well, it’s hard to pretend you don’t see something when you have to squeeze past what you’re trying not to see. I lead Micah toward it, then hesitate and peer carefully around the corner. I’m not really worried for myself—if I’m in danger, I can use enthrallment in self-defense. But I’ve heard that demons can be very extra when they feel attacked, and I don’t want some hapless human ripped to literal pieces because he points a gun at Micah. So much easier to just roll his mind and make him think he drank too much and imagined us.

Thankfully, the alley is empty, and I pull him in, my suitcase dragging over the concrete.

“I guarantee you that people have died here,” he says, his lip curling as he looks around. He’s probably right, but since they’re not here dying right now, does it matter?

“Is that important? Do you need the power of dead souls to help you teleport us?”

From the startled way he looks at me, I’m guessing not.

He shakes his head and holds out a hand. “Come here.”

I put my hand in his, and he pulls me to his side and wraps an arm around me. “Ready?”

I’m too busy enjoying the sensation of his muscles pressed against me to understand what that question really means. “Yes,” I say, wondering if he’d notice if I turned and plastered my front to him. Maybe wrap my arms around his wais—

The world spins, the alley blurring into gray nothing and then into… blackness.

“Whoa.” There’s solid ground under my feet, but I can’t see…

Light spears out, and I blink and look away as it sears my retinas. Micah lets me go and steps away, and I realize the light is the flashlight on his cell phone.

“Let me just turn on the lights,” he’s saying, and in a flash, I realize what this means.

We’re in the cave. The puzzle is almost within arm’s reach!

I make myself stand still. The last thing I want is to accidentally trip on something and hurt myself when I’mthis closeto the pretty. I can be patient, even if it does feel like I’m actually vibrating from the excitement.

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