Thane’s first thought: not possessed, but influenced.

Demons possessed humans by entering their bodies and controlling their minds from within. A human was influenced if a demon attached itself to his side, whispering into his ear to direct decisions. And right now a demon stood behind Mr. Rathbone’s chair. A demon unlike any Thane had ever seen. Seven feet tall, at least, with skin that rivaled the brilliance of the world’s most perfect diamond. A fall of white hair reached his waist.

Though Thane had never seen such a creature, he knew what it was.

Zacharel, he projected to his leader. I believe we found one of the demons responsible for our king’s death. But there’s a problem. He’s a prince.

Leave. Now, came the immediate, panicked reply. I’m gathering the Elite Seven.

Thane had counted over two hundred demons in the building.

The odds were not in their favor.

Leave? We need answers, Thane said.

We need you alive, Zacharel snapped.

Very well. He would leave...soon.

He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t intimidated. He was eager.

The demon stroked long, lean fingers through the human’s dark hair, and the human smiled slowly, coldly. “Took you long enough to find me. I worried no matter how many clues I left you, you would fail.”

The demon’s mouth never moved, but those had been his words. So. The human wasn’t merely influenced, but controlled. How? When the demon still lived outside his body?

A talent of all princes?

“Don’t pretend you wanted to be found,” Bjorn said, not needing to enter the natural realm to be seen by the demon. “Kind of defeats the purpose of hiding out, don’t you think?”

No reaction from the prince.

But the human said, “I left clues because I was curious to know the warriors who would be sent to capture me. Now I know. I’ve seen. And you’ve seen. A new battle can begin. But, Sent Ones...you are wrong. So very wrong. You think I’ve been hiding, but the truth is, I’ve been amassing an army.”

“Demons lie,” Xerxes snapped.

Sometimes, though, they added a bit of truth to their lies, to make it harder to find the light in the dark.

“Yes,” the human continued. “We do, but even we are capable of the occasional truth.”

“Truth you use to mislead.”

“Believe me...or not. I hardly care.”

“Then why don’t you skip ahead and tell us why you’re here?” Bjorn said.

An easy nod. “Too long you have policed the skies and the land, as if you own them. No longer. My kind is taking back its world, and its people.”

If the demons took over, chaos and death would reign.

“Is that why you killed Germanus?” Thane demanded. “To start a new war? To take what you think is yours?”

This time, the human remained quiet.

This time, the demon smiled slowly. “No. We killed your Germanus for fun.”

The voice was all kinds of evil. Dark and twisted, a thousand screams hidden in the words—in the lie. With demons, there was always a purpose.

Then the prince and human vanished.

The prince had flashed, Thane realized, taking the human with him. An ability he and his boys did not possess.

A second later, the entire building began to shake.

It was the only warning they had—before the entire structure collapsed around them.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ELIN MARVELED. “It’s...it’s...” Almost as cool as finding the chocolates, novels and roses in her room this morning. And Thane’s note...oh, sweet fancy, his note.

Last night, the man had kicked her out of his room. And yet, the very next day he’d sent her a note that said, You are my good. What was up with him? Did he like her or not?

Either way, she wanted it to stop...never stop...but, oh, every time he did something nice for her, she fell a little deeper under his spell...and her fear of discovery intensified.

“Dude,” Bellorie said. “You’re gawking, and it’s taking attention away from me. In case you haven’t figured it out, attention is my crack.”

“News flash. I figured that out at meeting one. But we’re in the clouds, and it’s like Rodeo Drive meets the Middle Ages, and I’m a little overwhelmed.”

The sun shone brightly, but it wasn’t too hot. The sky was a clear baby-blue, such a tranquil shade. Winged men, women and creatures flew this way and that. Along the cobbled streets, immortals of every race manned booths, hawking their wares, while a plethora of potential buyers ambled past.

“Upper Class Immortal 101, by Professor Hotcakes,” Bellorie said. “There are three different levels in the heavens. Thane’s club is perched at the edge of the third, the lowest, which is known for its hedonism. We are now a mile from the Downfall, at an outdoor shopping center with vendors selling everything from waffles-on-a-stick to rides on the backs of enslaved...whatever, take your pick. Clothes optional. You can have anything if the price is right.”

The other girls had shopped yesterday, as planned, but the Harpy had waited for Elin to return from her “errand” for Thane.

Her lips burned as she remembered the kiss. Her breasts ached. Her skin tingled. Carnal heat pooled between her legs.

Even though they’d put an end to things—hadn’t they? That note... She craved him more than ever.

Why hadn’t he sought her out to talk about things?

“So, where do you want to start?” Bellorie asked.

Elin pulled her mind out of the depressing gutter. “Clothes. That’s where I want to start and finish.” No reason to spend her precious money on anything else. Except maybe that door handle. It was shaped and colored like in a human hand. Très cool. The bedroom she shared with the girls could use a little of her personality.

But what if it really was a human hand? Avoid the knob!

“Excellent choice.” Bellorie nodded. “I’m eager to see you out of the classic hobo style you arrived in.” She led Elin down the street, shouldering people out of the way without preamble.

The air thickened with perfumes and desserts and...meat pies? Her mouth watered.

“Changed my mind,” Elin said, clutching her rumbling stomach. “Let’s start and end with food. Clothes can have the middle.”

“Very well. But we gotta get you loaded with cash first.”