Page 8 of Fallen

Unamused red eyes flickered toward him. “No one. Nobody here is telling you shit, holy man.”

Fury coiled hot and fast within him, and he forced himself to take a breath. Maybe he should drink the beer after all. It might be the only way he kept his cool.

Something in his expression gave him away. The bartender looked contemplative, as though Alex’s unflattering rush of anger made him more palatable. “Who is it you’re looking for?”

“A demon. A killer.”

Blood on the walls, limp bodies on the floor, their heads making the points of a star.He closed his eyes, scrubbing a hand over them. When he looked back up, the demon’s expression was unchanged.

“Specific,” he drawled.

Alex huffed. “I just need to know if anyone’s heard of any new demons in town making waves.”

“Every new demon who comes to town wants to make waves,” the bartender said. “Not many actually manage it. It’s a big city.”

“So you’re telling me I’m just out of luck and wasting my time?”

He bobbed his head from side to side. “Maybe. You’ve been here thirty seconds. It’s gonna take longer than that for anybody to give a shit about helping you. Prove you’re not just here to kill us first.”

Alex sighed, turning away, and the bartender walked down the bar to attend to another customer. Alex let his gaze drift again. Most everyone was too wrapped up in whatever they were doing to look like they’d be able to answer his questions. A few were furtively eyeing him, but he doubted any of them would open up if he approached them. Maybe he’d made a mistake coming here.

When his gaze raked over a pair of eyes watching him, a jolt went down his spine. At the back of the room, a man sat in a darkened booth. Like a predator, he watched Alex with unblinking focus, one hand idly twirling a dark bottle on the table. He raised his free hand and curled his fingers.

Come here,the gesture said.

The bartender sidled closer, smirking. “You’re done for, now. I wouldn’t keep that one waiting.”

“Why’s that?” Alex asked, unable to tear his eyes from the demon across the room.

“Notice he’s alone.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s because even the other demons are too fucking afraid to go near him.”

Awareness prickled along the back of Alex’s neck. He stood, steeling his spine. He could do this. He had the training and a blade at his back. He wasn’t unprepared or unprotected. He’d been training all his life to fight monsters. These halflings were nothing compared to the teeth and claws he’d fought in the dark.

The crowd parted around him, and he felt scrutinized from all sides.

Demons shouldn’t be attractive, but this one definitely was. His muscular body was shirtless below his leather jacket, muscle and chest hair visible even in the low light. His ink-black hair was artfully mussed, reflecting the multicolored lights like a raven’s feathers. He had high cheekbones and a clean-shaven jaw. A jolt went through Alex when he met black eyes, glittering like starlight.

Black eyes.

Black eyes meant danger. The demon from his childhood had eyes that were entirely black. But this one couldn’t be more different from the one that starred in his nightmares. His smile wasn’t too wide for his face. His teeth weren’t too sharp. Only his irises were black. In fact, the halfling before him looked like he’d been peeled off a magazine cover. He leaned forward as though eager, the muscles of his abdomen rippling with the movement, and Alex felt exposed.

“What brings a holy man like yourself to this fine establishment?” His voice was low and smooth, like honeyed whiskey.

“Fine is… one way of putting it.” Alex glanced away, his eyes finding a couple in another booth nearby, rocking together obscenely. Her dress was pooled around her waist, exposing her upper body to the entire club, but she didn’t seem to care, and neither did anyone else. “I’m looking for someone.”

“There are many someones here,” the demon said, looking amused as he followed Alex’s gaze. “Pick your poison.”

Alex flushed with heat. “No, not—not like that. I’m looking for a demon. One who’s been killing people.”

Thisdemon spread his hands in question. “Many demons kill people. Doesn’t your guild have their own methods for rooting out the worst of us? Why come here?”

Alex’s face twisted. Yes, they did, but it wasn’t like he could go up to a prophet and ask them if they’d seen anything he could use. “They—wedo. But I’m not here on behalf of the guild. This is personal.”

The demon arched an artful brow. “Is it? Why is that?”

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