Bittersweet Magic (The Order #2)

Jesus, this was making his head hurt.

He had questions to ask Roz, and if she did have this Key, she’d better hand it over. She’d definitely left that part out of her storytelling last night. Why? At a guess, she still planned to hand it over to her demon protector in exchange for her freedom, and he couldn’t really blame her. He’d probably do the same if he’d been indebted to some demon for more than five hundred years. But while he couldn’t blame her, he still wouldn’t let her get away with it. The Key was too powerful. In the wrong hands—and that was probably any demon—it could be a powerful weapon. Also, if the fae caught a whiff of the fact that it still existed, he was going to have to deal with them—and he hated dealing with the fae. He’d no doubt have that bastard the Walker on him again, as though the Order had nothing better to do than babysit a bunch of fairies.

There was only one fae—or half-fae, at any rate—that he wanted anything to do with right now, and that was Roz. He wondered who her father was. She bore no resemblance to any fae he’d ever met, though the majority of them kept to themselves in the Faelands. Then he dismissed the issue —it was unimportant. Her father was hardly likely to come into the picture. No, Roz was nothing to do with the fae; she was his.

The thought surprised him. But he liked her, and not just for the sweetness of her blood.

“You’ve gone very quiet,” Jack said. “What are you thinking about?”

Roz. But perhaps he’d rather not share that with Jack. “That perhaps it’s time we got you off the streets.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just lock me up at our last meeting or…” He trailed off, probably deciding it might be better not to put the options into words.

Piers grinned. “I’m considering the ‘or’ at the moment.”

“Bastard,” Jack muttered. “You’ll have to find me first.” And he hung up.

Straight away, Piers called the crew who were watching Roz. “I need you to up the surveillance. Whatever you do, don’t lose her.”

“Too late, boss. She’s already given us the slip.”

“Shit.”





Chapter Twelve


“We’re being followed.” Roz had known it from the moment they’d stepped outside the building. “Don’t stop,” she muttered as Maria ground to a halt. Maria shuffled forward. “And don’t look back,” Roz added as Maria started to glance behind her. “We don’t want them to know we know.”

She’d spotted them straight away. It was difficult not to—they were really hard to miss. Piers should employ some nice ordinary people if he expected to follow someone without being seen. These guys looked like what they were—badass vampires—or maybe she was just starting to recognize the type. Perhaps she should have gotten Asmodai to meet her during daylight hours, though she was sure the Order must have employees other than vampires. Hadn’t Tara mentioned a werewolf?

Did Piers still suspect her of something, or was he just being cautious? Either way, she had to lose the tail and fast. They were in the business district, and the place was quiet at this time of night, so there weren’t even any crowds to mingle with.

She glanced into a large, dark window as they strolled past, trying to catch a glimpse of her followers. Something moved about two blocks back. Good—they were keeping their distance.

Up ahead she could see the entrance to an underground parking garage. She touched Maria lightly on the arm, and the sister jumped. She’d been calming down, but it was obvious that all it required was a little setback—like being followed by scary badasses—to bring her nerves to the forefront. And who could blame her? This was a big turnaround from living in an enclosed convent. “Just be ready to move when I say,” Roz whispered.

She walked past the entrance, risking a quick glance back—her followers were out of sight. Grasping hold of Maria’s wrist, she tugged her backward onto the ramp that headed underground in a continuous circle. Then she ran, taking them down to the lowest level and into the huge parking area.