Page 95 of The Devil's Waltz

“We told Rachel and Scott that after Phoebe and Grayson’s memorial service, you came to your senses and agreed that Noah would be the best person to keep you safe.”

The heat blossoming in my cheeks makes me want to look away, but Harper knows me better than anyone. Probably better than I know myself in some ways. “Okay,” I say hesitantly.

“We needed to get him here without raising suspicion. And we did.”

“I know, I know.” I remind myself this is about far more than me or my discomfort over my childhood crush and my demon—whatever Xander is now—meeting. Or how Noah seeming to care about what happens to me makes me feel all weird and tingly.

Focus, Cami, I scold myself. Now is not the time to worry about that.

I type a message back to Xander, hitting send before I freeze by overthinking it.

I’m at home with Harper. She’s looping in a group of hunters to help. We all need to meet and finalize the plan for how this is going to work.

We’ll be there in 30 minutes.

Noah’s hunting partner, Elias shows up first. I’ve spent time with him on a few occasions with Harper, and he seems nice enough. I’m prettysure he’s a year younger than us, though the dark brown beard that matches the color of his floppy curls makes him appear older. And he was good enough to be paired with Noah, which says enough—the guy has skills. He must’ve come from a training session, because he’s wearing all black—cargo pants, combat boots, and a rain jacket. His soft green eyes look tired, but I have no doubt he’s taking in his surroundings as sharp as a hawk.

I offer him a smile as Harper walks him inside, closing the door behind him. “Hey, Elias.”

“Camille,” he says in greeting, nodding. “How are you?”

“I could be better, all things considered. Thank you for coming. I’m not sure how much Harper has told you, but we’re glad you’re here.”

“Of course. I think I’m pretty well up to speed, and Noah’s right behind me. He’s just parking the car. And there are a few others coming as well. As much as we need the numbers, as you can imagine, we had to be careful who we told about this.”

“Definitely. I recognize the magnitude of what we’re asking, both the danger of the actual mission and the severity of all the rules it breaks by keeping it from the organization. So thank you again.” I move aside so he and Harper can walk over to the couch, leaving me as the lucky winner to answer the door shortly thereafter.

Noah stands on the other side in a near-identical uniform to Elias. “I knew you didn’t get enough of me in New York.”

I’ve never rolled my eyes so hard. “Thanks for coming, Noah,” I grumble instead of the snippy response Iwantto give, because as much as I hate it and will never admit it out loud, Harper’s right—we need him, and his being here is a big deal.

His lips twitch as he walks past me, nudging my arm with his elbow.

I can’t stop myself from jabbing him in the ribs.

His response is a mix between a grunt and a laugh.

When I turn back to close the door, I suck in a breath when my eyes land on Xander and Blake.

The latter demon looks bored out of his mind as he leans against the doorframe. He’s wearing a forest green Pike Place Market sweater with the hood up and gray joggers with his usual combat boots.

My eyes swing to Xander, and neither of us miss the way my pulse kicks up.

He’s glaring daggers at Noah’s retreating back, and the flicker of darkness in his eyes gives me pause. Is hejealous?

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip at the nerves swirling in my stomach. I’m suddenly thinking I was right to be worried about having Noah and Xander together. Them, together, in the same room could prove to be more dangerous than helpful.

My gaze returns to Xander, allowing myself a moment to take him in. His typically neat hair appears disheveled and his eyes are shadowed with a darkness that makes my chest tighten. Of course, he still looks otherworldly attractive, especially in his ensemble of black jeans and a V-neck under his leather jacket.

Before I can speak, Blake says, “Is this the meeting for the suicide squad?” He smirks, pushing away from the doorway and walking inside.

I bite my tongue, figuring it’s better to save my breath than to try to put Blake in his place.

“Who even invited you?” Harper quips instead, and I should’ve known something like that was coming.

“Please,” Blake drawls, bravely stepping closer to her. “It’s not a party without yours truly, love.”

Harper scowls at him but surprisingly says nothing more before walking away to rejoin Noah and Elias on the couch.

---