That couldn’t be true. Could it? Though it would explain why she agreed to see him, but still refused to take their relationship a step further and sleep with him. He stopped short. Had he just used the “relationship” word? Since when was this a relationship? It was supposed to be him getting close to a woman in order to find out what she knew. And sex. Instead, it was no sex and a relationship?
He ran a hand through his hair. No, she liked him—didn’t she?
“Ash?” Piers prompted.
“I don’t know.”
Piers stared at him, eyes narrowed. Then he laughed. “That hadn’t occurred to you, had it? That a mere woman might be using you, the great Demon of Lust.”
Ash scowled. He knew Piers hated him, but there was no need to sound so amused. “Piss off.”
“Could she be playing you?”
He decided to ignore the question. In some ways, he could sympathize with Piers. If he thought Ryan had had an affair with Faith, he’d probably hate him as well. Again, the thought shocked him. Since when had Faith mattered to him?
Probably since the night he’d watched her sleeping. Ever since then he’d had to fight a weird urge to protect her. To ask how she was.
But could she really be playing him, pretending the attraction? He felt slightly panicked at the idea.
“Maybe it’s time for me to give her a call,” Tara said. “I can say Ryan asked me to talk to her. Give her the rundown on the job. She might open up more to someone a little less intimidating.”
“I’ll come along as well,” Roz said. “Everything has been quiet on the angel front.”
Piers didn’t appear too happy about that, but he’d no doubt learned by now that it did no good to tell Roz outright no—because it would just piss her off. Of course, Ash had been able to, because she’d worn his sigil and so she’d had to do as he ordered. That’s probably why she hated being ordered around so much now. He rubbed the sigil on his own arm. He couldn’t blame her.
“Do you think it’s safe?” Piers asked him.
“There have been no other sightings of Raphael, they’ll have their security detail with them, and Tara’s talisman will glow if there’s an angel anywhere near. That will give them enough time to get back here.”
“I still don’t get this,” Ryan said. “Aren’t angels the good guys? Can’t we talk to them—explain that Roz isn’t evil or something?”
Ash smiled at the pitying glances cast Ryan’s way.
Ryan saw them as well. “What?” he snarled. “You’re telling me they’re not good?”
He sounded like Faith. They’d had a few discussions on good and evil. She was so set in her ways.
“Sort of good,” Piers said.
“Some of the time,” Christian added.
“Great, just great,” Ryan muttered.
“So that’s settled,” Piers said. “Tara and Roz will contact your friend Faith and see if they can get anything useful. At the least, she might get the lowdown on what Faith really thinks about you.”
“Ha-ha.”
“I’m sure they’ll let you know,” Piers said. “So how are your meetings going so far?”
“The pair of you look pretty nifty,” Roz said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ryan in a suit. Or you.”
“The meetings are going fine,” Ash said, trying to focus his mind on business instead of Faith. “The first one was pointless—the guy was an asshole. Yesterday’s was an idiot, but the meeting today went well. I think we might have a candidate.”
They were searching for potential people to invite to a meeting where they would reveal themselves to the select few. First though, they needed to make sure the select few were the right people for the job.
“You agree?” Piers asked Ryan.
“Yeah, the first guy was an asshole, the second lacked a brain cell. But we met a woman today. She seemed…open-minded.”
“Useful?”
“She’s near the top of Christian’s list. High up in the civil service.”
“Well, that’s not bad. One out of three. Keep going.”
“We will.”
Ash was actually enjoying himself. While he’d never considered them as equals, he’d always found humans fascinating, and in the dim past, a good portion of his time had been spent on Earth. These days, under the Shadow Accords, their contact was limited. While the occasional seduction was ignored, anything more was frowned upon. And after the periodic wars between the demons and fae, the portals were locked. Of course they opened again eventually, nothing would keep them closed permanently.
Now, if this came to fruition, then for the first time, humans would know the truth of their existence. Some of them might even visit the Abyss.
Maybe he’d take Faith to his home. He had an image of her sprawled on the black fur covers in his huge bedroom at his castle in the Abyss.
He had an idea that Faith wasn’t going to take the news that the ghosties and ghoolies—as she referred to them—really existed with a smile. She was so emphatic.
He couldn’t wait.
…
Faith drummed her fingers on her desk and stared at the computer in disgust. She was beginning to hate this place. She glanced at the clock. Another hour until lunch.