Page 4 of Baking and Angels

“Yes,” Helena squeaked out.

The other agent’s voice was softer, gentler. Enough to lull her into a false sense of security. “It’s alright. You’re safe now. We can protect you. You just have to tell us what happened. Tell us whatyou saw.”

“What happened to your coworker? Did it involve your boss?” Agent Archon’s tone of voice matched her partner’s. Coaxing andsoothing.

“It wasn’t Scarlet’s fault,” Helena said, “Yosef, he…” Helena’s voice thickened, and she stopped speaking again. She clearly didn’t know what to do.

Rafferty didn’t know what to do either. He had always been instructed by his masters to stay away and keep himself from view whenever anyone other than his summoner appeared. He realized too late he was doing that exact thing without being compelled. He had to get out there and protect her! He knew whattheywere doing. Demons used these same sorts of tricks allthe time.

“Didhesummon the demon?” the agent asked as Rafferty threw thedoor open.

All three women turned to look directly at him.

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble…” Helena shouted, moving to place herself between the agents and him.

Agent Archon furrowed her brows as her attention went back to Helena, her mouth continuing to talk while her brain struggled with his shirtless appearance. “Ms. Rhodes. I don’t think I have to tell you that demon summoning is not only highly illegal but also highly dangerous. We need to know if the demon that killed Mr. Cantor, if it escaped after he summoned it, or did it manage to get sent back.”

“Hi, who are you?” the partner asked, having not looked away from Rafferty as he quickly crossed toward the authorities, stopping when Helena intercepted him.

“Rafferty, don’t—”

“Sir, my partner asked you a question. Who are you?” Agent Archon repeated, her brain finally switching tracks.

Helena spun around. “I think… we need to speak to a lawyer,” her voice stronger but respectful as he placed his hands on her shoulders protectively.

Agent Archon’s whole stance shifted.

Her partnerhmm’d, but nodded. “That’s fine. That’s your right, but I’m going to have to ask you to come into our offices and give a statement then. If that’s okay?”

But Agent Archon wasn’t having it. “Ms. Rhodes, every moment we spend taking you downtown, waiting for your lawyer, and compromising with you to get you to testify is another moment when someone else could be eaten alive by this creature. Or worse. That will be blood onyourhands if youareinvolved,” she growled. “I want to pretend we have all the time in the world to follow procedures, but if you are somehow involved, every one of those victims will be another charge against you if you don’t tell us what you know right now!”

Her partner looked at her alarmed. “Arc, this isn’t how dueprocess—”

Agent Archon took an aggressive step toward Helena, clearly due process be damned. “Where is the demon?!”

“Here!” Rafferty said. Gripping Helena’s shoulders, he stepped around her, this time to shield her behind him. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. “I’m right here.”

He knew what they saw. An ordinary human man, dressed in ordinary jeans and not much else. Agent Archon’s eyes raked up and down, her eyebrows pinching together hard when her gaze rested on his bare feet as though they offended her for not being hooves.

Not that Rafferty had ever had hooves.

Then Agent Archon glanced at her partner before they both examined the device in the partner’s hand.

Her partner shook her head, clearly confused.“Nothing.”

Agent Archon swung her attention back to Rafferty. “Sir…” The words died on her lips as she took in the grave seriousness of his face. It disconcerted her and she had to start again. “Sir, what makes you claim that you area demon?”

Now it was Rafferty’s turn to be confused. “Because I am one,” he said.

In times past, that declaration should have been enough to have him hauled off. The Earthly authorities didn’t mess around with demonic anything, and a confession was usually enough to get one burned or beheaded then burned. Or disemboweled. Or drowned. Whatever the prescribed remedy of the time for disposing of demons was.

It had happened more than afew times.

Helena seized his arm protectively. “No, you’re not!” Then she turned to the agents. “Not anymore. He’s not a demon anymore. He’s a man—”

“I am yours,” he shouted, attempting to drown her words. He pulled his wrist free from her grasp and put his hands before himself toward the agents as he dropped to his knees in submission. “Do with me what you will, but please spare Helena. She has done nothing wrong. She isinnocent.”

“Rafferty!” Helena pleaded. “You have to stop talking. I’m going… I’m gonna get a lawyer, okay? We need a lawyer.A lawyer.”

---