Jolene’s gaze locked on a pale, unconscious Raini. Like that, her expression hardened, and the walls of the building began to tremor.
“She’s okay, Grams,” Harper quickly assured her.
Jolene’s eyes snapped to Maddox. “Her wound?”
“Healed,” Maddox assured her.
The tremors slowly settled. “You’re handy to have around,” Jolene told him. Her mind then touched his. Of course, that won’t stop me from peeling the flesh from your bones if you hurt her.
She will never come to any harm while with me, said Maddox.
Jolene turned to Knox. “I want to know exactly what happened.”
“What happened,” began Knox, “was that Raini got caught in the crossfire. The demon who threw this dagger was aiming for me. He hit her by mistake.”
Taking the blade to examine it, Jolene frowned. “Why throw this at you? It’s not as if a stab wound is likely to kill you. And what the hell are these marks on the steel?”
“Maddox believes they were made by an incantor,” replied Knox. “According to Raini, that dagger stripped her power from her, but she took it back.”
“She did?” asked Jolene, looking appropriately surprised, but Maddox wasn’t buying it. As a very proficient liar, he knew when he was looking at someone just as skilled at it.
“There are demons who make a living stealing abilities from others and selling them on the black market,” Maddox cut in. “Some work alone; some are part of very profitable businesses. It could be that the person who threw that dagger meant to steal and sell your abilities,” he said to Knox.
“I know of someone from another lair who was once targeted in such a way,” said Jolene.
Her sentinel frowned at the blade. “But how can that store power?”
“You would have to ask an incantor how it works,” said Maddox. “Allegedly, such weapons suck in a demon’s concentration of power. Later, the weapon is emptied. Each of the abilities manifest themselves as orbs of glittering dust. Or so I’m told.”
“And how would the orbs be passed onto someone else?” asked Khloë.
“If what I’ve heard is correct, only the dagger can impart a power into a person,” replied Maddox. “The ability is drawn back into the blade, which then pierces the ‘buyer’s’ skin to pass it on. But … an ability won’t integrate itself into a demon’s psyche unless that psyche was built to control it, so the effect is usually only temporary. The power can even corrupt and kill a demon if they’re too weak to hold it.”
Devon’s brow furrowed. “Then why would people bother to buy them? Where’s the sense in taking the risk?”
Tanner looked at her. “People will risk a lot of things for power.” He slid his gaze to Knox. “It’s possible that the demon tried stealing your powers simply because he knows you’re powerful—he might have even done it on the off-chance that the rumors are true and that you can conjure the flames of hell. But there’s also a chance that someone hired him to specifically target you.”
Jolene nodded. “If that’s the case, they might try again, Knox. You should keep your guard up.”
“I always do,” said Knox.
“I’ll show the dagger to Ella,” said Levi. “She may be able to tell us who enchanted it.”
“She’s an incantor?” Maddox asked him.
Levi only nodded.
Turning to Jolene, Knox held out his hand for the dagger.
Jolene closed her hand tight around the hilt. “Raini is one of mine; this injured her.”
“Yes, it did,” Knox allowed. “But it wasn’t meant for her, it was meant for me. And Tanner’s right, whoever used it could make another attempt to target me. I intend to find them before it happens. I don’t want anyone else getting caught in any crossfire. I’m happy for us to work together on this, but I need that dagger or Levi can’t show it to his friend.”
Jolene very reluctantly handed it over, but not before her sentinel took multiple pictures of it with his cell phone. She looked at Maddox. “I suppose you’ll do your own investigation.”
“I suppose I will,” said Maddox. He wasn’t surprised that neither Prime proposed the three of them work together on this. They didn’t entirely trust him. He wouldn’t trust him either. Maddox was loyal to few people. One of them happened to be the woman who was stabbed by that dagger, so he would of course seek to find out who enchanted it.
Knox narrowed his gaze on Maddox. “If you discover who was behind this before we do and you manage to get your hands on them, don’t kill them. I’ll have questions for them.”
“As will I,” said Maddox. But would he let them live a while? Only for the purpose of torturing them. Whether or not he called Knox would really depend on his mood.
After they spoke a little more about the dagger, people made moves to leave.
When Harper asked Levi to carry Raini, Maddox shook his head and said, “I’ll take her home.”
The sphinx’s nostrils flared.
Before she could object, he pointed out, “You don’t know the code for her house alarm anyway.”
“And you do?”
“Yes.”
That didn’t seem to please Harper at all. “Does Raini know that?”
“Of course.”
Harper’s lips thinned. She opened her mouth—no doubt to give him shit—but then her eyes turned inward, and he suspected she was having a telepathic conversation. Harper abruptly snapped her mouth shut and slid her grandmother a put-out look. “Fine,” she finally bit out.
Maddox wondered why Jolene, of all people, would ask Harper to let it go. But he didn’t enquire as to why. He simply stayed where he was.
As the group was too large to fit into the elevator, Hector escorted Knox and his companions out of the office first and then came back for Jolene and her sentinels.
Once the elevator began its descent, Carmen blew out a breath and turned to Maddox. “I think it’s safe to say you haven’t been welcomed into the fold yet. Which pisses me off, because you healed the little imp.”
“But I didn’t do it out of kindness or concern for Khloë, I did it for Raini,” Maddox pointed out. “And I extracted a fee of sorts from her.”
“Do you think they’d prefer to have you out of the picture?”
Maddox shrugged. He really couldn’t care less. “I don’t see how it matters one way or the other. I’m firmly in the picture now. I’m not going anywhere.”
Hector teleported back to the office. “They’re gone.”
Intent on making enquiries about the dagger, Maddox said, “Let’s get her home.” He carefully slid both arms under Raini and cradled her against his chest.
They teleported to her house. All descendants possessed the ability to teleport. He suspected that was due to their angelic blood, since angels were also able to teleport—something they referred to as “wavering,” since the air itself wavered when they appeared or disappeared.
In her bedroom, Maddox flipped back the coverlet and laid her on the mattress. He tugged off her shoes and, knowing she wouldn’t want to wake to find herself still dressed in bloodstained clothes, he took off her tee and jeans. The sight of her in only her underwear went straight to his cock, making it twitch and swell.