Defended by Demons (The Heart of a Monster Book 3) by Eva Chase

Author:Eva Chase [Chase, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ink Spark Press
Published: 2022-06-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Torrent

I peered through the tall window on the Mediterranean-style house into its inner courtyard, where Quinn had stretched out on a lounge chair by the pool. Her toned but slim torso was unencumbered by the layer of metal beads that had weighed it down for so much of the past month. It lifted a weight in my own chest seeing how relaxed she looked without that burden, but a twang of anxiety reverberated through my nerves at the same time.

“Are you sure the protections around this place are enough to ensure her powers aren’t noticed?” I asked Rollick, who was sprawled on the modern sofa perpendicular to the window. “In that cabin in the swamp—”

“I’m well aware of what happened in the swamp,” Rollick interrupted, “seeing as that incident was the start of my plans derailing. I hired some mortals to add to the silver and iron deposits around a few of my properties as soon as Quinn came to the hotel. I wasn’t so naïve as to think I could count on remaining there as long as I’d have liked to.”

I had felt the unnerving prickle of the metals’ effects as we’d cruised up the winding drive to this sprawling estate in the Texas badlands. And we were far enough away from anyplace we’d clashed with our main opponents that it was unlikely they were searching for us too thoroughly anywhere nearby. But hearing Rollick confirm the property’s security measures soothed the worst of my worries.

He’d been confident about his hotel, and no shadowkind had detected Quinn’s presence there… until we’d purposefully tipped our enemies off to her location. Rollick wasn’t the type to cut corners when it came to things he cared about.

And from the atmosphere I’d sensed between him and our mortal since our return, I was starting to suspect his caring had expanded in dimension. It didn’t seem anything overt had actually happened between them, but it was clear he no longer viewed her as simply a tool.

I didn’t know whether to see that change as more comforting or unsettling.

“Sit down,” he added, tipping his head toward the chair across from him. “Rest those legs—there’s no shame in it. She isn’t going to vanish the second you take your eyes off her.”

I grimaced at him, but I sat as he’d requested. We did have business to discuss. “You said there’s something specific you think I can help with. What exactly is that?”

Rollick exhaled in a slow sigh that told me he wasn’t happy about what he was about to say. “I believe one of the fiends we’re dealing with is a—or the—leviathan.”

Whatever I might have anticipated him saying, I hadn’t expected that revelation. I stared at him for a beat in case this was some bizarre prelude to a joke, but he showed no sign of taking back the statement.

“What the fuck would a leviathan want with a bunch of human sorcery?” I asked. “Wouldn’t he have better things to do?”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if that were the case?” the demon muttered.

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