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A deep chill penetrated my body and I shivered, glancing over at Damian. Ever since he shook CJ’s hand, something in him had changed. I have no idea what happened with the demon either. One minute, I was ripping the throat out of one of them and the next, the house was full of red mist. It was as if the bastards were wired with a ton of C-4, but the blast only affected the demons.
Damian leaned over. “I got a little of their magic,” he whispered in my ear and kissed my cheek before pulling away.
“What does that mean?” I didn’t intend to shout out the question, but he chuckled in response and Steve glanced back at me.
“It means your husband has been touched by more than just angel grace. He’s the one who disintegrated those demons and it was his display of power that made your car blow up like a fireworks disaster,” Steve said. “And if I’m not mistaken, he can read your mind.”
“But he doesn’t have a good handle on controlling it yet,” CJ said from the backseat.
I was getting more irritated by the second. It wasn’t their words, but their tone, like they were handling me with kid gloves, like I wouldn’t understand what they were saying and I turned, meeting Raven’s gaze.
“Do they always talk to women like they’re feeble-minded?”
Raven pressed her lips together but didn’t hide the snort of laughter. “Aye, especially when they talk about their gifts,” she said, her Irish accent coming through with her full-bodied laugh. Tom rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he kept his mouth closed and his hands still. CJ glared at his sister-in-law and then at me.
“We don’t think you’re feeble-minded,” he said. “It’s just...”
“Dude, I was a vampire,” I said, silencing everyone in the car. “When I get pissed, I turn into a fucking tiger. I’ve dealt with angels, killed demons and even danced with the fucking devil, so when you toss out lame descriptions for psychic occurrences, I tend to get irritated.” I glared at the three in the back and turned to the front, leveling the same disgust in the mirror at Steve. “I am a Mohegan warrior princess, and just because I’m a pregnant, hormonal wreck, doesn’t mean you have to treat me like an unstable idiot.”
“Mohegan warrior princess?” Damian chuckled and my glare shot to him. He raised his hands trying to show he meant no harm, but in his gaze, I saw the years of teasing I’d get for that statement.
I looked out the window and a smile found my lips. Chuckles erupted from the front passenger seat along with the row behind me.
“My grandfather used to call me his warrior princess,” I muttered and slid my gaze to Damian. I couldn’t completely suppress my smile. He grinned at me and winked.
“Well, I’m glad you’re my warrior princess,” he teased in that endearing manner that made me alternate between wanting to slap him and kiss him.
“Damn, she’s a pistol,” Steve laughed, glancing at Damian.
He grinned and nodded. “Yes, she is,” he said, oozing with pride.
Laughter filled the car and in the midst of it, Steve’s phone buzzed again. This time, he didn’t ignore the call. He answered and a panicked voice filled the car.
“Steve?”
“Hi, Sarah,” he said and glanced at his wife.
“What the hell?” the woman said and I smiled, picking up the distinct New York City accent.
“Where are you?” he asked, his laughter now fizzling out, replaced by worry lines.
“I’m on my way to your place. The police said it was a mess.”
“Steer clear of there until I call you. It’s not safe for anyone we give a damn about.”
Silence came over the line and the sound of a car slowing to a stop replaced the hum in the background.
“Did you just admit to giving a shit about me?”
I watched the exchange between Jennifer and Steve before he sighed. There was a history there that piqued my curiosity.
“Yeah. I give a shit,” he grumbled.
“Jen?”
“Hi, Sarah,” Jennifer said.
“It’s that fucking bad?”
Another exchange and then Jennifer glanced back at me as she answered. “Worse than you can possibly imagine, but we’re all alive and breathing, so...”
“You know I can’t just make excuses and not show up.”
“If she has to go, tell her to steer clear of anyone she doesn’t know. And don’t say anything about talking to us,” I said, staring at Jennifer. “Otherwise, you’ll never see her again.”
“Who the hell is that?” Sarah barked and after that, she said, “Is that the girl from the hospital? Did you find those two psychos?”
“I found them,” Steve said, giving me the keep-your-mouth-shut glare. “You have to trust me on this one,” he added.
“And who the hell did they kill? There’s blood all over your family room and on the lawn in the back yard, according to the call we got.”
“They didn’t kill anyone.”
I met his gaze in the mirror. He lied better than I expected from a federal agent.
Damian leaned close. “He worked undercover for years,” he whispered, his voice tickling my ear. I glanced at him and then my gaze drifted beyond.
Headlights were too close.
“Watch out!” I screamed just as the Ford truck slammed into the side of the Tahoe and we swerved. The back wheel caught dirt and slid, swinging around and then nothing. No sound at all as the vehicle started the beginning of a death roll.