The Demon's Song (5 page)

“Thanks. Maybe I look tired because I work for a living.”

“So do I.”

“I think we might have different definitions of work.” Sofia shook her head. “No,
forget it. I’m going to make some more coffee. We need to get a few things hammered
out before I’m comfortable with you just
being
here. I mean—”

Phenex watched her, tuning out her voice in favor of the graceful dance of her hands
as she gestured at him, the weary but determined look in her eyes. The woman needed
sleep and was too stubborn to allow herself to rest. Lucky for her he had no compunction
about helping her along.

Underhanded tactics, in most circumstances, were his favorite kind.

In a blur of movement he retrieved his guitar from where he’d leaned it against the
wall in the corner. Sofia stopped in mid-sentence, staring at him.

“What are you doing?”

Phenex situated the guitar across his lap, feeling it as though it were an extension
of himself, and let his fingers fall across the strings to play a G.

“Sorry. Q & A time is over for tonight. Looks like you’re going to make me sing you
a lullaby.”

Her eyebrows shot upward. “I hope you’re joking.”

“I’m offended. I have people beg for private shows.”

Sofia snorted. “I don’t think you’re capable of being offended. And I don’t want a
lullaby. I’m not five.”

He didn’t even try to hide it when he drank her in from head to toe. Her cheeks were
flushed when his perusal worked back up to her face.

“No,” he agreed. “You’re not.”

She opened her mouth to protest just as he began to sing a sweet, only faintly mocking
version of a traditional lullaby. Phenex poured all of his will into the melody, winding
the simple song around Sofia like a warm blanket.
Sleep
, the music whispered.
Sleep
.

By the second verse, she was slumped sideways on the couch, curled into herself like
a child. Phenex put the guitar aside, stood, and lifted Sofia into his arms the way
he’d wanted to the first time he’d seen her, even spiriting her away to a bed the
way he’d imagined. He just wasn’t invited to join her.

So he consoled himself with her warmth, and the feel of her against his chest as he
carried her into her bedroom. After a short debate with himself, he left her in her
scrubs, only slipping off her shoes before he pulled the comforter over her, smiling
a little when he caught the sound of a soft snore.

His eyes swept the room only once, seeing trinkets from places she’d been, pictures
of people he would never know. All the trappings of a human life, full of sentiment,
a temple of warmth to remind him he had none. He couldn’t have the things he sang
of, only inspire them—it was something he’d come to terms with a long time ago, right
about the time he’d cut out and let his wings go black.

But something within him—maybe the empty place where a heart should have been—ached
anyway as he stepped away from her.

“Good night, Sofia,” Phenex whispered.

Then he headed back to the couch, ready to resume the watch.

Chapter Eight

She awoke with a smile on her face.

Sofia lay in her bed with her eyes closed, her lips gently curved as the notes of
a lullaby drifted through her mind. She hadn’t felt so content in…well, years, probably.
Her body was relaxed, her mind was at peace. And it only took a single deep breath
to catch the mouthwatering scent of bacon in the air.

Bacon. Someone was cooking breakfast. Someone who wasn’t Amy…and who’d been on her
couch last night. Her smile faded as her memories returned. Memories that included
a fragment of being sung to so that she’d shut up and go to sleep instead of asking
questions. It had been heartbreakingly beautiful.

Damn him.

Her temper had only just kicked in when the arguing started.

“I can’t believe you blew off hunting to play housewife. I should have brought you
an apron. With puppies and kitties on it, even. Maybe some ribbon.”

The voice had her opening her eyes. It was unfamiliar, deep and resonant, but not
nearly as musical as Phenex’s. She had a moment of pure panic until she heard a voice
she
did
know respond. He didn’t sound angry or threatened. Just deeply annoyed.

The relief she felt at his presence was as overwhelming as it was nonsensical. She
should have wished him gone. But her better judgment didn’t seem to have a thing to
do with her reactions to him.

“Keep it up. Really,” Phenex was saying. “Because once I shove this frying pan up
your ass I’ll be welcomed back to Terra Noctem as a hero.”

“You’re in a good mood. I’m going to assume the Betty Crocker act hasn’t gotten you
laid yet, then?”

There was a muffled sound, like something heavy connecting with a solid piece of furniture…or
person. Sofia was up like a shot, though it occurred to her even as her feet hit the
floor that staying in her room might be a better idea. Still, this was
her
home. She refused to hide.

Sofia barely registered that she was still in her scrubs, minus her shoes, before
she was standing in her living room and staring at yet another oversized warrior type,
this one sprawled on her floor and rubbing his head. His back was to her, but she
had an excellent view of Phenex as he loomed over the stranger, brandishing the smaller
of her cast-iron frying pans. For a few seconds, he didn’t seem to notice her. Then
those deep blue eyes lifted, connecting with hers, and she felt something electric
sizzle through her from head to toe.

Only one word formed in her head:
wow
.

It wasn’t right for a man to be so beautiful that the sight of him knocked her on
her ass every single time. He was manipulative and underhanded and incredibly dangerous,
and all she could seem to think about was pawing at him. Normally, in life-or-death
situations, sex was the last thing on her mind. Now, here she was ignoring an assault
in favor of fantasies about getting Phenex’s clothes off.

It didn’t help that she was pretty positive he’d be on board with that.

“Bastard,” the man on the floor growled. Then he stilled, and Sofia had the fleeting
impression of a predator scenting its prey before he turned his head to look at her.
She blinked, thinking she must be imagining him. Her mouth went dry and words evaporated.

There was more than one of them. And this one was a masterpiece.

He could have stepped from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the very image of a
classical angel and twice as stunning for being flesh and blood. His features were
chiseled, though slightly full lips lent a hint of sensual softness to his face. His
wavy hair was a golden crown, begging for fingers to toy with its silken softness.
Eyes the color of emeralds, stunningly clear, watched her with frank assessment. He
was beautiful. Completely, ridiculously beautiful.

And from the way his mouth curved, a motion both slight and seductive, he knew it.

It was only that hint of arrogance that allowed Sofia to quit gawking and pull herself
together. Her cheeks flooded with heat when she saw the look on Phenex’s face. He
knew what she’d been thinking, too. And to say he didn’t seem to like it was an understatement.
Actually, from the way his hand tightened around the handle of the frying pan, it
looked like he wanted to give the new guy another good whack with it.

Desperate to prevent a bloodbath in the middle of her apartment, Sofia jumped in with
the first thing that came to mind.

“Please don’t kill each other. I can’t afford a cleaning crew, and I don’t want to
have to deal with violence before I’ve had my coffee.”

The men were perfectly still for a moment, and then the blond’s face lit with an amused
grin. Sofia felt her jaw threatening to drop, but managed to hold it together. He
was just so
pretty
. And in a completely different way from Phenex, who smoldered rather than sparkled.
Somehow, she had ended up with two candidates for Sexiest Man Alive in her apartment,
one of whom appeared to be cooking her breakfast. And all she’d had to do to get them
there was nearly be killed by vampires.

Her life had gotten very messed up very fast.

“Well, well,” the blond said, his voice almost a purr as he got to his feet. “You’re
Sofia? No wonder Phenex was so eager to volunteer for guard duty.”

Volunteered? That was news. And Phenex’s silent glare said it was also the truth.
Sofia shook off the flattery and tried to focus on the issue at hand. She’d agreed
to one bodyguard, not to running a boarding house for immortals.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but one of you is enough,” Sofia said, crossing
her arms over her chest and looking between them.

“I agree,” the blond said. “
One
of us is more than enough, and sadly for you, it isn’t our resident songbird. I’m
quite willing to switch places with him, though…and I promise, I’m
very
entertaining.”

This time, he was ready for it when Phenex took a swing at him. He caught Phenex’s
wrist in midair, and the two men glared at one another, locked together, teeth bared.
Despite what Phenex had said about not being a vampire, both he and the unwanted company
were sporting long, sharp incisors.

“Hit me again and I start biting.” The blond’s words were a hiss, and something in
his eyes changed, became reptilian just for an instant.

“You even try it and this
songbird
is going to enjoy ripping out your eyes with its talons,” Phenex shot back. “If you’ve
got anything useful to say, Gadreel, then say it and take off. I’m not usually this
far up on your list of people to annoy.”

“Because you’re not usually doing anything interesting. Or any
one
.”

They glared at each other silently, and Sofia’s stomach clenched while she wondered
which one would manage to strike first. But after a minute that seemed to last years,
Phenex snorted, Gadreel gave a wry smile, and they stepped away from each other at
the same time. It was almost…friendly. Not quite, but enough to assure Sofia that
her furniture and walls were safe.

“You’re a lot more fun when you’re not doing all that broody musical moaning,” Gadreel
said. “I suppose I’ll stay for coffee.” He headed into the kitchen without another
word, leaving Phenex staring irritably after him. Sofia moved closer, drawn to him
so strongly that she barely noticed what she’d done until she was standing right in
front of him.

He lowered dark crimson lashes when he looked down at her, and for a few seconds Sofia
could pretend that circumstances were entirely different, that he was just the gorgeous
musician she’d met. That he’d been in her bed all night.

She had to stop herself before she started imagining all the things they might have
been doing, glad that Phenex seemed too preoccupied to look at her as intently as
he usually did. Those eyes seemed to see everything.

“I made breakfast,” he said quietly, jerking his head toward where Gadreel was fiddling
with her coffeemaker. “I didn’t invite him, but he’s got a habit of inviting himself.
Hopefully he’ll take off soon.”

“I heard that,” Gadreel said blandly as he finally figured out how her one-cup machine
worked.

“Who is he?” Sofia whispered. “What kind of a name is Gadreel?” It sounded like Gabrielle,
but more exotic, less feminine. Not that she had any intention of making the comparison
to her newest visitor. She figured he probably had some kind of crazy weapon on him
somewhere to go with the fangs. Though the fangs would be enough.

“One of my Fallen brothers,” Phenex whispered back, lowering his head so that his
lips nearly touched her ear. The feel of his breath on her skin made her shiver. “Gadreel
is a snake. Literally. Keep that in mind when you’re dealing with him.”

Fallen
. That word, evocative and mysterious all at once.

“I don’t want a snake in my apartment!”

That seemed to amuse him, and the flash of a grin he gave her made her absurdly glad
that whatever else Phenex was, he didn’t seem to have anything in common with the
distant, shining beings she’d learned about as a child.

“Don’t tell him that. He’ll never leave,” Phenex said, his breath feathering her skin
one last time before he straightened and jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen.
“Grab some food if you want it. Gadreel wouldn’t have come unless he wanted something,
and he’s not going to talk until he eats.” Then he walked away to grab a plate for
himself.

Sofia finally looked down at her rumpled scrubs, lifted a tentative hand to the rat’s
nest currently masquerading as her hair, and sighed. It was a little late for vanity
at this point.

By the time she sat down at the table with her coffee and a slightly obscene amount
of bacon, Phenex and Gadreel had been munching and insulting each other for several
minutes.

She slid into a chair between the two men, tucked one leg beneath her, and looked
from one to the other as she tasted the bacon. It was, as expected, amazing. Her eyes
rolled back in her head. Bacon made everything better. Even this, if not by much.

It took her a minute to notice that Gadreel had stopped eating and was watching her
intently.

“Hungry?” he asked. Somehow, coming from him, that seemed like a loaded question.

“Well…ah…”

“You’ve got a very expressive face, Sofia. Did you know?”

Sofia swallowed, with some effort, and tried to look casual when she smiled. “I don’t
have a poker face. No one in my family does.”

“With a face like yours, that’s forgivable.”

“You’re going to make her puke if you keep it up, Gadreel.” There was a warning in
Phenex’s voice. Gadreel just grinned. He might be beautiful, Sofia decided, but there
was something unnerving about him. Maybe it was just because she’d heard Phenex sing,
but he seemed to have a depth of emotion that wasn’t readily apparent in Gadreel.

“I don’t think you came here to admire my radiant morning beauty,” Sofia said. “So
you should probably just get to the point.”

Gadreel blinked, then chuckled. His laughter, to his credit, was much more genuine
than she’d expected.

“Oh, I
like
you. Are you sure you don’t want me here instead?”

In response, she shifted, ever so slightly, closer to Phenex. “I think I’m good with
the singing chef here, thanks.”

“Your loss.” Gadreel sniffed. There was a flicker of something crestfallen in his
expression that surprised her, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Had she really hurt his feelings? Did he even have feelings to hurt? Part of her doubted
it. But then, there seemed to be a lot more going on beneath the surface than she
would have thought with both Phenex and Gadreel. Even if they were…well, what were
they? Demons, even though they’d left Hell for good? The thought was chilling. Silently,
she cursed Phenex again for putting her to sleep before she’d been able to ask all
the things she needed to.

“So,” Phenex said, “what did you get out of the vamp?”

The memory of the creature that had come after her last night almost ruined Sofia’s
appetite. Almost.

“
You
interrogated him?” she asked Gadreel. It was easy enough to picture, but he shook
his head.

“Not me personally. I was around, but Meresin was the one who had a…discussion…with
him.”

“Meresin?” she asked.

“Another Fallen. He likes to play with electricity,” Phenex said. When she just stared
at him speechlessly, he shrugged. “We all have our talents.”

“I…oh.”

“The good news is that we’re now certain that this is an organized group, and that
they’re definitely targeting Amphora,” Gadreel said, taking a bite from another strip
of bacon and wagging it at Phenex as he spoke. “Not only that, they’re planning to
escalate. It’s going to get a lot bloodier around there. The recent stuff? Just boundary
testing. Couple of dead vamps and a handful of pretty-drained humans. This Sara would
have been the first human fatality. Doubt she’ll be the last, but that’s not the main
goal.”

“What is it, then?” Phenex asked, then waved a hand and sighed. “No, you know what,
it’s never that complicated with these bloodsuckers. I already know. This stuff is
cover. There’ll be something bigger in the works. They want Justin.”

Gadreel took a sip of his coffee. “I’d say you’re astute, but you’re right. They’re
just really, really predictable.”

Phenex shook his head. “Dumbasses. Justin’s been king for what, like two thousand
years? Maybe he’s just lucky and only winds up with stupid enemies, but you’ve got
to wonder whether they take into account the fact that he is what he is because he’s
insanely tough to kill. How many are there this time? How long before we can take
them out?”

Gadreel’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. “That’s the bad news. Sofia’s would-be assassin
seems to be a low-level operative who’s been deliberately kept in the dark about anything
important. Could be just a few. Could be quite a few. This time, my money’s on the
latter. Especially because the one who got at her friend,” he said with a nod in Sofia’s
direction, “was no young thing. A strong, thousand-year-old vampire doesn’t hook up
with a bunch of inept fledglings. Whoever is behind this is coming from a position
of strength. And I’ll be honest, Justin is coming up short on names of possibilities.”