It was. "They're humans, aren't they?"
His nostrils flared. "Smell that way." His gaze trapped hers. "But then, so do you."
There was a definite question there, one she was going to ignore. "I don't think they know exactly who …" What. "They're dealing with."
"I'd say that's shit straight." One brow rose. Those blue eyes were brilliant with intensity. "And I'd say it's a good thing we arrived when we did. Otherwise, I think our torchers would be dust."
It was hard not to flinch at that. No denying that Niol had been enraged, but he'd held on to his control.
She'd seen him fight to hold it.
She'd also seen him walk away from her without a backward glance and that had hurt.
"Why-" Holly stopped and cleared her throat. Because she'd sounded hoarse, from the wind, of course. It had been blowing like a mini-tornado moments before. Had to be from the wind. "Why were you in the area, detective?"
He scratched the bridge of his nose. There was a groan from the man still in the front seat of the van. Holly glanced over at him. Brooks had his index finger in front of the guy's eyes and the cop was getting him to track the movement.
That one seemed to be coming around, finally.
"I was coming to see Niol."
Her attention turned back to Gyth.
"Had a few questions for your lover," he continued in that same near-whisper voice.
"What kind of questions?" Surely he wasn't back to suspecting Niol-
"Questions about Kim Went and about the fact that I'm pretty sure she's a demon."
Her breath came out, fast. "What?"
"Didn't you know?"
She would have been blind and deaf to have missed the suspicion from the good detective. "How do you know?" Holly asked instead. Niol had said he didn't know, how had-
His lip curled. "Sources, Storm. Sources."
Well, well.
"And I have it from one of the best sources in the city that Kim Went is a demon."
"So you came to ask Niol-"
"If he knew she was one of his brethren…and if the attack at News Flash Five was really aimed at you-"
No way to stop the flinch that time.
"Or at her. Because we all know we've got a demon-hunter on the streets."
And a missing demon now. One already weakened, who could so easily stumble into the hunter's grasp.
His heart thudded in his ears. A hard, blasting beat. Niol yanked open the door of Paradise and stormed inside. The stench of burnt wood and plastic had his nose twitching and a snarl rising to his lips.
Should have ripped the fools apart.
But she'd stopped him. She'd-
The floor creaked behind him.
Tired of this shit.
Niol moved in a blur and grabbed the idiot behind him, locking his fingers around a thick neck.
He shoved the guy-yeah, it was a man-up against the closest wall and held him pinned with his steely grip.
"I'm not in the f**king mood for visitors," he snarled. The rage was still too close to the surface.
His control too thin. And this dumbass had just picked the wrong moment to stumble into Paradise-
"G-girl…y-you…w-want…" The man, some guy with a receding hairline and bulging eyes, struggled to speak as his face began to redden. Hazel eyes shot to black.
Demon. He'd known that from the first glance.
But the fellow's words had him pausing and his grip eased, just a bit. "What girl?"
The demon sucked in a sharp pull of air. His feet dangled off the floor by a good ten inches. Niol wasn't even straining.
Sometimes, it was so good to be a level-ten ass-kicker.
Gillian's stark face flashed before his eyes.
His teeth clenched. "What. Girl?"
"H-heard P-Patience talking d-down at th-the Gin-"
Gin Easy. A seedy bar where those Other cast out of Paradise usually wound up.
"S-she was ta-talking about a-a demon m-missing…"
His own patience was just about gone. "What about her?" Were the cops still outside? Was Holly?
"S-saw her…hour ago."
Niol dropped him. The fellow's legs slipped out from under him and he fell to the floor.
The door to Paradise opened with a groan. "Thanks a lot for deserting me out there-" Holly began.
His gaze shot to her.
He saw her take in the fallen man and she stumbled to a halt. "Ah, Niol? What's going on?" Her nose was wrinkled in a little scrunch that shouldn't have been cute.
But it was.
Don't care. He couldn't be weak, not with her.
"This guy," Niol stepped back a foot, two. "Says he knows where Kim is."
"What?" Her jaw dropped.
"He's just about to tell us everything he knows." A threat.
The demon pushed up onto his knees. "Not-not unless you meet my terms." Seemed braver now.
Shit. Why the hell did everyone want to bargain? Did he look like he wanted to make a deal?
Another stupid demon myth and this jerkoff should know that. Demons hated deals. Mostly because no one in demon-kind ever stuck by their word.
But because some jackass long ago had gone around scamming the humans…that myth about making a deal with the devil still circulated.
"I don't make deals."
Holly grunted at that.
His lips twisted. Okay, so she was the exception. And look where that particular exception had gotten him. Tied up in knots and so hard and horny he could barely think half the time.
A slow rise to his feet. The demon lifted his chin. "Then you don't find the g-girl-"
Oh, definitely seemed to be getting his balls back. Really poor timing that. Niol motioned with his hand and one of the charred tables flew across the room and slammed into the demon's chest.
And right back down to the floor he went.
"Dammit, Niol, the cops are right outside!" Holly hurried forward, then stopped, frowning down at the groaning demon. "Ah, sir? What's your name?"
Because acting all sugar-and-sweet nice was going to work with the guy. "Stay away from him, Holly." Not a gentle order. More of a fierce growl.
She shot him a pissed look. So what? He wasn't about to risk her safety again. When the woman didn't move, Niol grabbed her wrist and jerked her to his side.
After a moment, the demon shoved the table off and rose, much slower this time, to his feet. "N-
name's S-Sylas K-King."
"Where. Is. The. Girl?" He'd never met Sylas King before, never so much as even caught a glimpse of him in the city.
Sylas balled his hands into big, hamlike fists. "Need your help."