Page 69 of Demon Hunger
He looked at me expectantly, almost desperately.
“I…” I shook my head. “I should go.”
I pushed away from him and jumped out of bed, carrying the sheet with me and wrapping it like a toga around my body. Despite my haste, I still registered his disappointment. I felt he knew what I’d been about to say, but I hadn’t been thinking straight.
I couldn’t bare my heart open like that—not when the only thing that lay before us was uncertainty and danger.
“We have to get ready for our trip to Los Angeles.” I went around the bed, picked up my discarded clothes, then quickly rushed into the bathroom. Though I didn’t glance back, I felt Drevan’s longing gaze, nonetheless.
24
Wewereflyingina private jet. I had never experienced such luxury, and despite the fact that Sage, Jenna, and Benjamin all had money, a private jet didn’t seem to be within their budget, either. They had to content themselves with first-class. The poor babies.
“This is what I’m talking about,” Sage said, making himself comfortable on the bucket leather seat.
A flight attendant came around with a tray of champagne flutes. Drevan grabbed two and offered me one. I took it, and as our fingers brushed, a thrill of desire passed between us.
“Excellent,” Jenna said after taking a sip of her champagne.
“Nothing but the best for this team.” Drevan lifted his glass. “To a successful mission.”
“To a successful mission.” We all echoed, lifting our own glasses.
The plane glided easily through clear skies. Drevan wished we could’ve traveled through a portal—it would have saved several hours—but I much preferred the private jet, even if the side effects of demon portals suddenly stopped being an issue. I couldn’t complain about the comfort and luxury, but the best part was that I had time to think and mentally prepare myself for what was ahead.
I was worried about another encounter with Jophiel and LeBeau. What would they do this time? Would Jophiel go back to trying to blow my head off since whatever he’d tried last hadn’t worked?
Witchlights!He scared me so much.
Leaning forward, I reached out blindly and was relieved when my hand touched the Queller and it became visible. It was safely tucked against the front seat, within easy reach.
Drevan was always with me and was swift to protect me, but it was a great relief to have a weapon the angel feared. If the chance presented itself, I would not hesitate to end him. After Kody, there were still four more subjects to redeem, and the thought of fighting Jophiel all the way to the end was unbearable.
What if they send someone worse?The very optimistic side of my brain asked.Shut up!
Another thing that worried me was the crowds that accompanied these events. Jophiel didn’t care if he hurt innocent people. With his dogged persistence and hatred, he would mow down whoever stood in his way in order to stop us.
Drevan covered my hand with his, and I glanced away from the window and the fluffy clouds beyond to look at him.
“It’ll be all right,” he said, leaning in from his seat beside mine.
I nodded and tried to smile, but it felt forced.
He leaned even further, bringing his lips close to my ear. “I love you.” He pulled away a bit, his bright gaze meeting mine.
I smiled again and went back to looking at the passing clouds.
When someone said those words to you, there was an expectation that you should say them back. But how could I ever give myself to Drevan so fully? He was eternal and immensely powerful, and I was what?
A weak blip in time?
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the mission at hand. Kody was flying on some other plane with the tickets we’d provided. He would arrive an hour behind us, so Jenna and I would already be there waiting for him.
So far, we only planned to let things evolve naturally and see if any opportunity arose to show him how fruitless his pursuit was. We all agreed that whenever a large group of people was involved, human nature normally took over. People got angry at little things, were mean for no reason, and got jealous of others’ successes. Moreover, these traits seemed to come forth more easily with online trolls because they could hide behind their anonymity. So we didn’t think it would take Kody long to realize that his desperate need for something as intangible as views and thumbs-up in a social media app was going to bring him happiness.
When ugly issues inevitably arose, our plan was to make him see that a personal connection, rather than a million impersonal ones, was the right way to find what he was looking for. He could start with his mother, who seemed to have created a barrier between them by trying to impose her will on him. A mother-son relationship was worth mending.
The flight was uneventful. Getting out of the airport was a breeze, nothing compared to traveling with a commercial airline. We quickly taxied into a hangar, where a limousine was waiting for us, and in a matter of minutes, we were on our way to the hotel, the same one where Kody would be staying—nothing fancy like Drevan normally liked, but nice enough. We didn’t need our subject to get used to too much comfort and get the impression that becoming a celebrity in this type of competition meant he would be able to enjoy himself in the lap of luxury.
