Page 167
Ash’s laughter died when the front door opened and his body stiffened.
“What’s the matter?” I couldn’t see anything from my position. “Put me down.”
Ash set me down without a word.
I turned to see Ezra looming in the entryway behind my boss. My boss… standing in my living room. “What are you doing in my house?”
Zeke tilted his head. “Who’s that?”
“My boss. Shane Chasteen.”
Zeke grabbed my forearm, pulling me back when I tried to leave the kitchen to confront Shane. “That’s your boss?”
Ash moved to my side. “Why didn’t you say something, Cyn?”
“I didn’t know,” he muttered, a low growl building in his chest like an animal ready to strike.
I looked at them, noting their strange reactions before meeting Ezra’s icy stare. “What’s going on?”
“Cyn isn’t to blame,” Ezra said, eyes never leaving mine. “He used a glamor spell to hide his true identity. He may have something to do with our predicament, which is why I made him come here.”
Dread tightened my gut as I took in Shane’s face in a horrifying new light.
I’d chalked up all the times I noticed the air around him distorting and a strange smell to poor food choices…
“He’s an infernal,” I whispered.
Ezra crossed his arms.
Ash stepped forward, placing his body in front of mine. “What are you doing here? Who sanctioned your visit?”
“Visit?” Shane’s laugh came out cruel and distorted, sending shivers down my spine. “I’ve lived on this pathetic planet for a year now, Prince Cyriac,” he sneered at Ash, the title dripping with contempt. “As for how I got here? Made a deal with a guy in the Jinphni District.” He shrugged.
“Who? How did you cross?”
Shane looked over his shoulder at Ezra. “I don’t know his name. People aren’t exactly on a first-name basis down there. He offered something to the slipstream, and here I am. Again, I don’t know or care. I wanted out, and he got me out.”
Ezra’s lips thinned. “What is your purpose for coming to the human plane?”
“Got sick of Elyrdin.” He shrugged. “Humans are more interesting.” His eyes met mine when I stepped beside Ash to see better. “So much more interesting.”
Cyn stepped forward and seized my wrist with a clawed hand. I knew he’d shifted at the threat. “I’ll do more than break your fucking arm if you come near her.”
Shane scoffed and looked down at his sling. “A shame I can’t heal like royalty. You certainly surprised me.”
Cyn broke Shane’s arm? Why hadn’t he said anything? While I didn’t get along with Cyn, I wasn’t above allowing him to protect me. I couldn’t fend off an infernal.
“Why did you target me?”
Zeke laced his warm fingers through mine on my other side, his touch reassuring. I wondered why he never transformed.
Shane licked his lips. His behavior and speech didn’t match the uptight boss I knew. “Coincidence, really.” His gaze raked over me in a way that made my skin crawl and Ash snarl.
The way his eyes lingered on my thighs at the hem of my skirt made me thankful for the opaque tights I’d chosen.
“I saw you when Diane brought me to the store to see if I liked the place. After seeing you smile at a customer, I knew I needed to take the position. I wanted you to smile at me like that.”
I shuddered at the hungry expression on his face.
