Thomas watched her move around the room. He arched a brow at the impressive arsenal. Perhaps that was why she lived in this hovel—she spent all of her money on weaponry. “Not that I can fault you for making sure you are well protected, but if you accessed my accounts you could have had a nice home, as well. In a better neighborhood. Where people don’t break in and destroy your house.”
She flicked her hair out of her face and glared at him. “I live here because I choose to. If I wanted to live somewhere else, I could. Without any help from you.” She picked up a knife and looked it over before tossing it on the bed. “And my house is heavily warded. Nothing should have been able to get in here without my permission.”
“I felt no warding.” He’d have to make sure his personal wardsmiths came over to set new ones once her house was put to rights. Obviously the ones she could afford weren’t up to the task.
“Because it stripped them all.”
Which it wouldn’t have been able to do if the wards were set properly. There was no point in discussing it further with her. He didn’t need her permission to see she was taken care of. He eyed the bed where she was laying out her belongings. “This is where you sleep?”
“Not unless I have to. That’s what the couch is for.”
He clenched his teeth until his jaw ached. Anything to deny him. Her bed in his home was dressed in silks and satin and she would rather sleep on a couch. “And your werewolf? He knows about this room? How to get in?”
She nodded.
Never once did she stop gathering her things. “You can’t stay here.” It was obvious she was planning on going somewhere but he had to say it. Had to be sure she wasn’t that stubborn.
She grabbed a small silver flask from a drawer and proceeded to fill it with a bottle of Irish whiskey sitting along the back edge of the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Blessed flask.”
He blinked at her. “Aren’t those intended for water?”
“Yep.” She grabbed two more flasks from a different drawer, pocketing one and handing him the other.
She snatched a duffel out of the bottom of the closet and loaded the weapons into it. When she finished she tossed fresh clothes from the closet onto the bed. “I need to change.”
He studied her for moment, thought about telling her it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before and wouldn’t see again. But his bride deserved better of him. He faced the wall. “You aren’t going after him tonight. You need rest.”
She stepped past him and out of the room. Black adorned her from head to foot. In one hand she carried her bag and in the other a leather trench coat. It was warm for the duster, but one never knew when a weather mage might conjure up a cold snap.
The wall shut behind them. She dropped her things at the top of the stairs and retrieved a sword from above the door. It was a beautiful piece of weaponry. Thomas couldn’t recall if he’d ever seen its equal.
“I’ve got to call this in. And I am going to look for Nathaniel. You can argue or you can come with me. Your choice.” She grabbed her bag and headed out the back door.
Thomas took a deep breath. His bride was not hunting a demon-ridden werewolf. Especially while she was still recovering from an injury. He was also certain that she hadn’t stopped for a moment to absorb what had happened since she walked in the house. He followed her to the back porch and turned her to face him. He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Breathe, Joya. Just breathe. Calm yourself.”
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. When she opened them, his heart clenched at the plea he saw there. “Please.”
That’s all she said. One word. He didn’t even know what she was asking, but she asked. Unable to deny her, he said, “I’m here. Whatever it is you wish.”
She nodded once then turned her head so he was forced to let go. Stepping away from him, she pulled out her phone. A scowl marred her features and she reached back in the house and flipped the light on. Several dark shapes dotted the lawn. It took him a moment to realize they were pieces of her motorcycle.
“Cursed demon,” she muttered and turned the light back off so she wouldn’t have to look at the destruction any longer. She turned on her gift so she could see if anything tried to sneak up on them. Not that it would be any help with the demon, but it made her feel more secure.
She called Ben’s cell phone. “It trashed my house.”
“Wasn’t it warded?”
“Of course, it was warded. It was warded up the ass. If they went off, they didn’t do anything to deter them. I think the demons shut them down.”
“You better come in. I’ll tell Doc to get a bed ready for you.”
“Find somewhere else.”
“I’m not sure there is anywhere else.” His tone was distracted and she knew he was running through a mental list of all the beds in the Agency.
“It doesn’t matter.” She waved a hand through the air in impatience. “Figure something out. The bike’s in pieces, too. I’ll call when I need a portal.”
“I’ll send one now.”
“Not yet. I’m going after Nathaniel.”
“Damn it, Norris.” Ben paused, probably calming himself so he didn’t scream. “I’ve already got enough people crawling all over me because of you. Come in and get some rest. You said you wouldn’t go after him for twenty-four hours. Actually I believed I ordered you not to.”
All the more reason to do it. “I’m fine. Besides, I’m not alone.” She hung up. The phone began to vibrate. She ignored it and looked at Thomas, daring him to deny her.
He opened the passenger door with a bow. “Your carriage awaits.”
Chapter Eleven
Thomas started the car and looked at Juliana for direction.
“Just drive,” she told him. Since it wouldn’t help her find Nathaniel, she shut down her gift. She’d already used it much more than she should have in the past couple of days.
“Should I assume you have a plan, or is that too much to hope for?” Thomas asked after she directed him to turn for the fourth time.
“We’re driving around hoping to run across a demon. Is that a plan?”
He sighed. “No. That’s more of a vague idea.”
Her phone vibrated again. She pulled it out. Jeremiah. “Talk to me.”
“You promised you wouldn’t go after him alone.” His voice was tired, strained. She didn’t know if that was because Ben woke him up or if dealing with her wore him out.
“I have no idea where he is, Jeremiah. Not a clue. What good would it do to have half the Agency roaming around with me. I was going to call if I found anything. Besides, I’m not alone.”
“Ben said as much, but as I am at home and Nathaniel is...incapacitated, who are you with?”
She glanced at Thomas who tried to look like he wasn’t listening but failed. “My vampire.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile that quickly disappeared.
“Your...you are with Thomas Kendrick?”
“That would be the one, yes.” It wasn’t as if she went around claiming a lot of vampires.
There was a long silence. “Very well. The vampire will suffice. Just be careful. I had another reason for calling. Someone reported a 1062 in Devil’s End.”
That made her pause. “No one ever reports anything in the End.”
Thomas turned around and headed back in the direction they’d come from.
“That’s why I’m passing it along,” Jeremiah said. Devil’s End was the rundown and desperate part of town and it was far closer to her house than she liked to admit. She was going to have to move in a few years if the borders kept creeping out. She’d live near the End, but she wasn’t going to live in it.