Even so, she could tell that it bothered him. But then it bothered her too. She'd wanted children so much as a human that it still ached whenever she thought about it.
That was one of the nice things about being nocturnal—she didn't come across children except in movies and on television. And even that hurt.
But not as much as seeing kids playing in real life, hearing their laugher.
What she wouldn't give to hold her own child in her arms, just once. To be in a delivery room with her husband holding her hand as she cursed him for the pain of the life that was struggling to be born.
It really was all she had ever wanted.
She swallowed against the painful lump in her throat. Some things weren't meant to be.
Love. Family…
They were gone from her future. But at least she had some semblance of life. Alexion didn't even have that much. He was denied even more than she was and that made her hurt for him deep down inside her heart.
Danger turned onto her street. She didn't speak as they neared her house, which looked just as it had when they'd fled. She pulled into the garage, but left the door open in case they had to make another hasty exit.
Alexion got out first, then paused. "Xirena?"
The demon snorted, then rolled to her side.
She exchanged an amused look with Alexion before he leaned into the car and gently shook her shoulder. "Xirena?"
"What?" the demon snapped.
"We're here, and if you wish to meet Simi, I need you to come inside to make sure the other demon isn't still here."
She opened her eyes, which were no longer human in appearance. They were again that eerie yellow. "What demon?"
"The one that tried to kill me before you."
She made a strange snorting noise. "He's not here. Why do you think Strykerius sent me? Caradoc is a wuss."
"Caradoc?"
"You know," she said in that singsongy accent. "Big, ugly Charonte who smells bad. He was afraid to kill you because you spoke to him in Charonte. Like Xirena said… wuss demon."
He finally understood her. "Ah, okay. Well, at any rate, we need to get you inside for the time being so that we can hide you."
Huffing in aggravation, she got out of the car and followed him inside.
"So what's our game plan?" Danger asked, as Xirena wandered through her living room.
"I want to find Kyros and talk to him."
That didn't make sense to her. Kyros had made his position more than clear. She shook her head at his suggestion.
Alexion was a serious glutton for punishment.
"Why?"
"I want to know why he called to warn me about Xirena. If he'd really wanted me dead, he wouldn't have bothered."
She saw the hopeful look in his face that said he believed Kyros had somehow been won over. She wasn't so sure about that. "We could just call him back."
"No. I want to see his face. I think he's still salvageable."
For his sake, she hoped so. "All right. What do we do with Xirena in the meantime?"
"Leave her here."
She didn't like the idea of that at all. "But what if another demon comes after you while we're gone? She can't help if she's here."
He took a deep breath as if he were considering it. "I don't think they'd bother. Two have already failed. Why send another?"
"Persistence?"
He laughed at that.
Danger jumped as one of her expensive vases fell to the floor and shattered.
"Uh-oh," Xirena said in a tone that reminded her of a child. "That was breakable too."
"We can't leave her here unattended," she said to Alexion. "She'll destroy my whole house."
Suddenly, her vase reassembled itself and returned to her mantel.
Danger frowned at him.
He offered her a lopsided grin. "Xirena," he said to the demon. "Do you know how to write?"
"Of course I do. I'm not one of them illiterate demons. What kind of Charonte do you think I am?"
"Good." He said, ignoring her tirade. He looked back at Danger. "Could you get me a pad and pen or pencil?"
"Why?" Danger asked.
"Trust me."
Not sure if she should, she went to comply while Alexion turned on her television without touching it.
She came back into the room to find the TV on QVC. The demon was parked in front of the set as if she'd found the Holy Grail. Her beautiful face reflected pure joy. Danger had never seen anything like it.
"What is Diamonique?" Xirena asked Alexion in an awed tone.
"Something I am sure you will love. And according to Simi, it's really good and crunchy, and it'll sharpen your fangs." He took the pad from Danger and handed it to the demon. "Here. Write down anything you see that you want and—"
He broke off as a caller spoke on the television show.
"Hello!" the chipper singsongy voice said.
"Hi, Miss Simi," the announcer said to the caller. "We're so glad to have you back."
"Oh, thank you," Simi said. "I just love them sparklies. I gots to get me lots of them. How many you got this time? Tell them other people they can go buy something else, 'cause the Simi wants all the Diamonique you got. I gots a whole new plastic card just waiting to be used."
Xirena's head came up as pure happiness lightened her face. "My simi? Is that my simi?"