Page 62 of The Devil's Waltz
“They were taken becauseXanderknew who they are to you,” she points out. “He must’ve told Lucia.”
All I can say is, “I won’t let them get hurt for being my friends.”
Thinking about Xander being involved with Phoebe and Grayson going missing has my blood pressure skyrocketing. I don’t want to believe it. Lucia could have other demons keeping tabs on me—a thought I don’t let myself get stuck on becausethatis terrifying—but Xander feeding her the information is the most obvious answer.
“Fine,” Harper says in a tight voice, “but don’t go alone. Please.”
I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “I have to. If I bring an entourage of hunters, there’s no way I’ll convince him to let them go.”
“And you think he will if you, what,ask nicely?”
I wince at the harshness of her words. “You didn’t see him the other night. There’s a part of him that doesn’t want to be the monster Lucia is forcing him to be.”
There’s a beat of silence and then, “You really believe that?”
“Yes.”I have to.
There’s a stretch of silence on the line and then, “I don’t like this.”
Turning onto Xander’s street, my pulse ticks faster. “I know.”
“Are you absolutely sure about this?”
No. “Yes.”
“Are you lying to me right now?”
Yes. “No.”
By some stroke of luck, I find a spot on the street outside his building and shift my car into park.
“Keep your phone on. Your location is still shared with me, so if I don’t hear from you within fifteen minutes from right now, I’m sending a team. Got it?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I repeat.
Harper sighs. “Fuck, I really hope you’re right about him.”
“Me too.” I end the call, staring out the windshield as I fight to get a grip on my pounding heartbeat.
Part of me must know this idea is stupid. Even still, here I am, hoping Xander will surprise me. That he’ll care enough about me, about my friends who he’s spent time with on more than one occasion, to help me get them back.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I get out of the car and walk into the building. The concierge glances up when I approach—it’s a different person than the one I spoke with last time I was here, but I still get a polite smile.
“I’m here to see Xander.”
The man nods. “Name?”
“Camille.”
He checks his computer, humming softly before returning his gaze to me. “Go on up, Ms. Morgan.”
“Thanks,” I say, walking to the elevator. I press the button for Xander’s floor and exhale a shaky breath as the door slides shut.
A hand stops it at the last minute, and my back straightens against the mirrored wall as Blake steps inside, blocking the exit until the door slides shut. The corner of his mouth tugs up as he stares at me, his eyes sparkling with delight.
“Hey, hunter girl. Cat got your tongue?”
My eyes narrow. “I’m not a hunter.”
