Page 63 of The Devil's Waltz
He shrugs. “Hunter adjacent, then. Whatever.” He takes a step closer, and I stiffen on instinct.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt, glancing at the rising floor number on the panel beside him. We’re almost to Xander’s floor, and I’m not sure that will bring any relief to the tightness in my chest, but I also don’t want to be stuck in this elevator with Blake.
He arches a brow, giving me a conspicuous once-over. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? Xander is betraying his mother so we can run away together. Guess you guys aren’t as close as you thought.”
Blake chuckles, leaning against the wall opposite me. “I enjoy your humor, Cami.”
I scowl. “My name is Camille. Only myfriendscall me Cami, and we are not, Blake.”
Before he can respond, the elevator stops and the door slides open. He swings his arm out, gesturing for me to walk ahead, but I offer a humorless laugh, shaking my head. Blake steps off the elevator ahead of me, walking down the hallway as I trail after him, my nerves buzzing with energy. Him being here adds a layer of complication I really don’t need, but I’m not going to let that deter me. Phoebe’s and Grayson’s lives could very well depend on it.
Blake stops at Xander’s door, pulling a key out of his army green joggers and lets himself in. He leaves the door open, so I follow him inside, closing it none too gently.
I’m immediately enveloped in Xander’s scent, and my next breath gets caught in my throat as I push forward and walk into the open concept kitchen and living room space. My eyes land on him immediately where he stands at the kitchen island pouring coffee from a French press. There are two mugs on the counter in front of him. He must’ve been expectingBlake. His eyes shift from his friend to me, and a bit of surprise flickers in them.
“Camille—”
“Where are Phoebe and Grayson?” I demand, not giving him a chance to say more than my name before cutting him off.
Confusion passes over his features, and he shakes his head.
My eyes narrow. “A demon took them,” I clarify in a biting tone, and Blake whistles under his breath, dropping onto the couch in the living room and pulling out his phone. I focus on Xander. “Where. Are. They?”
He sets the French press down. “What makes you think I know where your friends are?”
“Are you telling me you don’t?” I push.
“I’m not telling you anything. I’m asking you a question.”
“And I’m not playing this game, Xander. Tell me where they are.”
He drums his fingers against the counter. “Say I do know where they are, and I even go so far as to tell you where that is. What will you give me in return?”
The blood drains from my face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He shrugs. “Your friends are alive. I’ll even have them brought here.”
“And what is it you want in return?” I ask in a forced level tone.
“I’m gonna give you guys a minute,” Blake chimes in before slipping through a door that appears to lead to a balcony I hadn’t noticed last time I was here.
That feels so long ago.
“Dinner,” Xander says, and my gaze snaps back to him. “Just the two of us.”
I open and close my mouth twice, grappling for a suitable response, but I’ve got nothing. “If my friends are harmed in any way, I will kill whoever took them,” I vow, surprised at how steady my voice comes out.
“Spoken like a true demon hunter,” he says casually.
“Screw you, Xander,” I snap, moving away from him. Harper was right. This was a mistake.
“Wait,” he says, and it sounds much closer than it should.
I turn back and find him standing right there. Pulling in an uneven breath, I mutter, “What?”
A muscle ticks along his jaw. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me to say.”
