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He turned those glassy eyes on Valentine and Mattias, looking furious, and when he glanced back at me, I shrank away from him. I’d never fought with a demon on my own, and I didn’t know what level this one was at.
I didn’t want to find out when he had his minions with him to back him up.
“Where is he?” he growled.
He was no longer using Antony’s voice, though, and watching someone who looked like my friend hiss with the voice of a demon nearly killed me. So he was no longer hiding. He knew that I’d recognized him, and no longer cared how much I learned.
They were going to kill me.
“We were told not to let him bond with the girl,” Mattias snapped. “We were just doing our job.”
Antony roared with fury. “You are taking orders from me!” he shouted. “You were to capture the man and bring him to me!”
To my surprise, Valentine and Mattias both took steps back, leaving me alone in front of Antony. This didn’t make sense. Since when were demons scared of another demon? They had ranks, but those dictated their powers, not their level of importance. I’d never heard of demons taking orders from anyone else, and I certainly hadn’t heard of demons being intimidated by one of their own.
Unless the demon in front of me was more than a demon.
My gaze shot to Antony’s and I gulped, wondering what the hell was going on here. I’d known Duca was important, but who the hell was he that Hell had sent minions after him? How had they infiltrated our mission? What had they done with my friends?
Where was Duca?
“Montag,” Valentine whispered. “We sent him to Montag.”
“Montag,” Antony snarled. “We were sent here to use him, not kill him! The Angelis are working on an alliance with the Rossis. An alliance that we are to take advantage of. And you grabbed the Rossi messenger and sent him to a butcher?”
I shrank further into the chair, my mind racing. I knew of Montag, but only by reputation. Another demon, and one that specialized in torturing humans for information.
The demons had sent Duca to someone who was going to burn him until he gave up whatever information he had. What the fuck was going on? My mind spun through all the information I had, looking for something that made sense, but none of the pieces fit. If Duca was this important—if the Rossis were this important—why hadn’t Headquarters sent more Angels? Why was I the only one who knew Duca’s name? Why weren’t we given better backup?
How had Antony allowed any of this?
And how was I going to get Duca to safety?
Right. Think, Natasha, I told myself firmly. Antony, Mattias, and Valentine were now arguing amongst themselves, and that meant they weren’t looking at me. I had a moment to try to figure things out. Seconds of precious time to put together a plan. Duca was my priority, and not only because he was the target. I didn’t know how, but the man had wrapped his fingers around my heart and buried his taste under my skin. My body yearned for him, my soul calling out to his.
The man was my mission. But this was also personal. He’d seen me, and still touched me. He’d felt me, tasted me, and had stayed for more. I’d been told again and again that the love of a human could be otherworldly, but the memory of him buried inside me, his gray eyes burning into mine...
I wouldn’t let them have him.
I couldn’t.
I glanced up at the demons and saw that they were still arguing. And that was all the chance I needed.
I shot up from the chair, my feet already moving and my eyes on the door, and flew through the opening before they noticed me escaping. I was faster than demons, I knew that, and with the head start I had, I might be able to get through the party before they could get themselves moving.
I subdued the colors of my body until I was translucent, and rose up into the air. Flying would be quicker than running. It always was.
I needed to get back to the apartment I’d rented in the city—the one no one else knew about. I needed to get a plan in place.
And then I’d go after Duca.
Once I had him safe, I’d figure out what the demons were doing... and what they’d done with my friends.
Chapter 11
duca
I was going to throw up.
