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"I decided to give the natural realm a shot," Jamila finished

"Why would Zacharel want you to spy on Nicola?"

"He didn’t offer an explanation, and I didn’t care enough to ask"

Well, Koldo cared He would ask He had to know This couldn’t be a coincidence

"Now," Ja another answer fro here? "An alarm was raised, and ere told there was an increase of de, "The alar with evil since day one, but it hasn’t increased"

"Then e called?" he de him what the humans would call cranky Already he could feel his knuckles preparing for contact with a wall The ed the better "And ould have issued such a report?"

"Like anyone ever tells ry sparkle dulled in her eyes, and her shoulders hunched with defeat "Never mind"

Ever since herwhat? Her capture and rescue? People had treated her differently? Gently? As if afraid she would break? Probably That’s how they’d been with him, and he’d hated it "You don’t have to dread such treatment fro you sweetly is the last thing I want to do"

Her expression softened, but only slightly "Thanks That’s kind of you to say"

Footsteps echoed behind the to be stealthy "We’ve never had a false alarm before," Axel said as he snaked a corner and sauntered into the roo claw ling feled--all but Nicola They would work on that, too "You killed the de the hu was done on my part" A shimmer of humor danced in those electric blues "I found a date for Saturday night" His gaze slid to Ja an evening for two, but say the word, princess, and I’ll irl and " Jamila pushed him out of the way and stoh!" was her only response

Axel chuckled "Feisty little thing, isn’t she? I think I’ll tahts"

He hoped to have sex with her, walk away and never look back? "You won’t go near her," Koldo found hi at his vehemence "You want her?"

"No"

"But you don’t want h But what about the girls from the hospital? Are they available?"

The name Axel was Hebrew for peaceful In the warrior’s case, the narabbed hih the wall

"Was it soh the untouched wood and plaster

Wiping his hands after a job well-done, Koldo followed in Jaht hiely and without mercy--and he wasn’t exactly sure ould win So theattitude toward him mystified hi The blond appeared harried, his usual I-want-a-little-wicked-with- happened?

As Koldo closed in, the entire building shook, and a ruh the air Human voices rose in sudden panic Koldo stopped, frowned The shaking continued, intensifying A chorus of pained shouts sounded fro stilled, quieted

He kicked back into motion An earthquake? Here? Now? And one that affected the skies? Butthat couldn’t be right

Thane spotted him and paused "What was that?"

"No clue"

"Well, it doesn’tto find out ere sent here, when clearly there wasn’t a real threat In the o home My home"

"I’ll meet you there" He would first check on Nicola, just to be sure all ell

Becausea demon could have followed her home, he realized There was a ti like that He would have followed his intended victim He would have struck at the perfect time, away from the person’s protection

A de in a hallway, doing nothing Punching the walls hardly seele himself!

The screams of the innocentall the people he’d hurtall the people he’d killedsuddenly rose in hisan extra stop, aren’t you?"

Koldo vanished without another word, appearing in the small, run-down house with threadbare carpet and well-used furnishings so dreadful he wouldn’t have put thee with his mother

He heard a sound--other than the screams

He stomped forward and found Nicola in the bedroo under her breath, tucking her sister into bed And she was lovely in a way that should have been impossible