I shrugged. “I guess some people just don’t mesh.”

  Raoul took a long drink of water. “I know it’s not an ideal situation and Hamid can be a little abrasive, but he’s the best at what he does. Do your job and stay out of his way, and he’ll be gone soon enough.”

  A little abrasive? I wanted to laugh at Raoul’s description of Hamid. Instead, I nodded. This investigation was far more important than my bruised ego or Hamid’s overinflated one. I’d take Raoul’s advice and steer clear of our visitor so he could focus solely on his job. The less I saw of Hamid Safir, the happier I would be.

  * * *

  I killed my bike engine outside the garage and pulled off my helmet, grimacing when my hair stuck out in all directions. I could only imagine how bad it looked after the last few hours. I ran my fingers through it and groaned at the tacky wetness clinging to some of the strands. Vampire blood was a bitch to get out once it started to dry.

  Dismounting, I laid the helmet on my seat and walked through the garage toward the door to the kitchen. Normally, the house was quiet at night, except for whomever was manning the control room. I was surprised when I entered the kitchen and saw Vivian sitting at the dining room table, working on a laptop. I hadn’t spent any time with her since Hamid had arrived three days ago. The downside of avoiding him was that he was usually with Vivian, so I didn’t get to see much of her either. He might be a colossal butthead, but I liked Vivian.

  Vivian looked up when I walked in. Her eyes widened, and then she let out a burst of laughter.

  I tossed my keys on the counter. “That bad, huh?”

  “I’d hate to see the other guy,” she said, grinning.

  I smiled back. “The other guy is now a pile of ash, along with his three friends.”

  Male voices drifted from the other side of the house, and I looked in that direction as Raoul entered the living room with Hamid and Orias. They stopped walking when they saw me, all wearing different expressions. Raoul was amused, Orias looked surprised, and Hamid’s forehead was creased. Was that concern in his eyes? Surely not. I blinked, and it was gone.

  Orias hadn’t changed a bit in the three years since I’d last seen him. He wore a dark blue suit, minus the tie, and his long black hair was tied back at his nape. I was pretty sure he was Native American, but we’d never gotten around to discussing our ancestry.

  His dark eyes narrowed on me as recognition set in. “Still wreaking havoc, I see,” he drawled.

  I tipped my chin at the satchel he carried over one shoulder, which contained the demon he used to strengthen his own power. “Still have your little pet, I see.”

  Vivian looked from me to the warlock. “You two know each other?”

  “Orias and I go way back,” I said.

  “Indeed.” He harrumphed and placed a hand protectively over the satchel. “In one visit to my place, you and your friends managed to wreck my reception area, scare away half a dozen clients, and kill another. And then I had to rebuild my home after Price’s followers came for retribution.”

  “We didn’t start that fight,” I argued. But we sure as hell had ended it.

  “Wait.” Vivian stared at me. “You killed Stefan Price?”

  “Regretfully, no. I helped, but Sara did most of the work.”

  Stefan Price was an old vampire, over one hundred and fifty years old, who had been very good at evading our warriors. During our first visit to Orias, Price had shown up and attacked Sara. She and I had faced him down, but she’d been the one to kill him. Someday, I’d encounter another vampire like Price, and that kill would be all mine.

  Vivian nodded appreciatively. “Going up against a vampire that strong is impressive for such a young warrior.”

  “Actually, I was still a trainee then.” I could feel Hamid watching me, and I resisted shooting him a smug look. I made a point of ignoring him as much as I could, not an easy feat with someone whose presence seemed to fill any room he entered.

  “You really are a young Nikolas,” Vivian said, making her my new favorite person.

  Raoul waved at me. “Do I want to know?”

  I glanced down at my clothes, which were covered in blood. “We found four vampires lurking around outside a homeless shelter. Probably thought they’d find an easy meal. As you can see, they didn’t go without a fight.”

  He glanced at his watch. “You’ve had a busy night already, and it’s barely ten o’clock.”

  “Yep. I only came back to clean up because I can’t ride around looking like this. I’m meeting up with Mason and Brock again in an hour.”

  “There are only three of you on your team?” Hamid asked in a disapproving tone.

  Forced to acknowledge him, I met his eyes. “We never patrol in full teams.” As if he didn’t already know that.

  “These are not normal circumstances,” he said. “Young warriors should be on teams with seasoned warriors.”

  “Like you?” I retorted.

  “Yes.”

  His gaze swept over me, taking in my bloody, disheveled appearance. I cursed my traitorous body when warmth unfurled in my stomach despite my dislike for the warrior.

  “Thanks, but we’re good. And Brock has more than enough experience,” I said with a hint of innuendo, enjoying the flash of annoyance in his eyes.

  “Besides,” I continued, “we haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary since you brought in that spider demon.” The one that should have been my kill.

  “Kraas demon,” he corrected me.

  I gave the others a questioning look. “I thought we had no record of it on file.”

  “We don’t,” Raoul said. “Kelvan searched the demon archives and found several entries about the demon based on the description. It’s a lower demon in the same class as a bazerat or Lamprey demon.”

  “Way to go, Kelvan.” Who knew that a reclusive Vrell demon living alone with his cat would become one of our most valuable allies? “Then it’s a species of demon we overlooked?” I exhaled in relief. If the demon archives had a record of the Kraas demon, it hadn’t come through the barrier as we’d feared.

  “The demon archives include species that have never left their dimension,” Raoul said, killing my happy moment. “According to Kelvan, the Kraas demon is one of them.”

  I frowned. “So, aside from knowing what it’s called, we’re back to where we started.”

  Vivian nodded. “Pretty much.”

  “Then I guess I’ll leave you to it.” I turned toward the hallway that led to my room.

  “Did you know you have a big rip in the back of your jeans?” Vivian asked.

  “Yes, and these were my favorite pair. They made my butt look great.” I put my hand over the tear that bared half my ass and looked over my shoulder at her. “This job is hell on the wardrobe.”

  Everyone laughed, everyone except Hamid, that was. I glanced at him, expecting to see his usual glare, but instead I found his gaze fixed squarely on my backside. His eyes lifted to mine, and my breath caught at the heat that flared in his for several seconds.

  What do you know? I’d been starting to wonder if there was actually a robot beneath that handsome exterior. Looked like he was a red-blooded male after all. I lifted one corner of my mouth in a half smile that let him know I’d caught him checking me out. He answered with a scowl.

  I left feeling like I’d finally won a round against him. It was a small victory, but I’d take it.

  Chapter 4

  I stared at the blank report on the monitor with distaste before I began the boring task of recording the incident at the homeless shelter last night. Brock, Mason, and I had drawn straws to see who would get stuck writing up the report today, and I’d lost. I suspected those two had cheated because Brock was good with that sleight of hand stuff. I couldn’t prove it, so here I was.

  The door to Raoul’s office opened, and I heard the rumble of a deep voice.

  “Until we know what we’re dealing with, I think it would be best,” Hamid said as he emerged from the office.

  Raoul walked out behind him. “That might be a bit drastic, and we don’t exactly have a need for a day patrol.”

  Day patrol? I stood so fast I nearly turned my chair over in the process.

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded, even though I had a damn good idea what Hamid was suggesting.

  “It’s nothing,” Raoul said calmly.

  “I heard you mention day patrol. You can’t be serious.” Patrolling during the day would be like going to an amusement park when all the rides are closed. Boring as hell and a waste of time.

  Hamid faced me. “I believe we haven’t seen the last of the demon activity here, and I think it would be safer to keep new warriors off night patrols for now.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said as angry indignation flooded me.

  He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “I plan to make the recommendation to the Council today.”

  I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. “You can send it to them tied up with a pretty bow for all I care. But the only way you’re keeping me here at night is if you shackle me to my bed.”

  His nostrils flared, but I was fuming too much to care if I pissed him off.

  Mason’s laugh came from the door that led to the garage. “We’ve only been gone a few days, and you guys have resorted to shackles.”

  I turned my glare on him and Brock. “You won’t find it funny when you’re spending your nights in here playing solitaire.”

  His grin faded as he took in our serious faces. “What do you mean?”

  I pointed an accusing finger at Hamid. “He wants to put you and me on day patrol.”

  Mason’s mouth felt open in dismay. “What?”

  Brock shook his head. “That makes no sense. It’s a total waste of manpower.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “Exactly. And I didn’t train for years just to sit around and do nothing when there is work to be done.”

  Hamid maintained his infuriatingly impassive expression. “Most new warriors spend the first few years at a stronghold, or they are given less dangerous field assignments. They rarely work in cities like Los Angeles.”

  “Rarely, but not always,” I countered. “Most new warriors don’t have as much experience as I did by the time I finished training. Plus, Tristan doesn’t have a problem with me being in L.A.”

  “Neither does the leader of Longstone, who sent me here,” Mason added.

  “This is not a normal situation,” Hamid said. “We have no idea what we are up against here or what new dangers we could encounter out there. You are not prepared for this.”

  I breathed deeply through my nose, trying to keep my temper in check. “No warrior knows what they’ll have to deal with from one day to the next. When Nikolas Danshov was captured by a Master, his age and experience didn’t help him. Neither did Desmund Ashworth’s when he got attacked by a Hale witch. And Chris Kent got taken down by a Hale witch…at Westhorne of all places. Last year, we had a Lilin running around California, and you know who killed him? A warrior, two years out of training.”

  Hamid didn’t respond, which was just as well because I wasn’t done.

  “I get that you’ve been around a while and you’re probably a badass like Nikolas. I even respect that. But you don’t know me or what I can and can’t do. You’ve already established I’m not as fast as you, but have you ever seen me fight? No. You don’t like me, fine. I’m not trying to win a Miss Popularity contest. But do not dismiss me because I don’t measure up to your impossible standards.”

  For the first time since I’d met him, Hamid’s expression softened to something that wasn’t quite a scowl. Was that admiration?

  Right. And next he’d go down on one knee to profess his undying love for me.

  I pressed my lips together, done arguing with him about this. Too riled up to sit and work on a report, I turned to Brock and Mason. “You guys up for some sparring?”

  Mason eyed me warily. “I don’t know. How much is it going to hurt?”

  “Wuss,” Brock barked behind a cough.

  “Really?” Mason shoved him. “I don’t hear you offering to go first.”

  Brock chuckled. “That’s because I’m older and smarter than you. And I was her pin cushion the last time she was in a bad mood.”

  “Yeah, but you also heal faster,” Mason said.

  I tapped my foot impatiently. “Are we doing this or not?”

  Vivian entered the control room. “I’ll spar with you.”

  “Okay,” I said eagerly, feeling a rush of adrenaline. Vivian had told me how competitive she and Nikolas were back in their training days, so she would be very skilled with a sword. And I needed a challenge to burn off all the negative energy bouncing around inside of me.

  She smiled. “Give me a minute to change into some workout clothes.”

  “I’ll go warm up,” I called to her back as she left the room.

  “This should be fun,” Mason said to Brock. “Want to place bets?”

  I scoffed at them and headed to the gym. As I passed Raoul, he mouthed, I’ll handle it.

  A tight smile curved my lips. I should have known he’d have my back.

  I ignored Hamid, who hadn’t spoken since my little speech. Good. I had nothing more to say to him. He was too set in his ways to change his mind, and I wasn’t going to back down, ever.

  I’d meant it when I said they’d have to shackle me to keep me from doing my job. Since the day I’d learned what I was, all I’d ever wanted was to be a warrior. No one and nothing was going to take that away from me.

  * * *

  “I swear to God I’m going to end up strangling him if he stays here much longer,” I ranted into my phone as I paced around the edge of the pool. “It’ll be justifiable homicide. No one who knows him could blame me.”

  Laughter came from the phone, and I stopped walking to glare at it. “This is not funny, you guys.”

  “It so is,” Beth said before dissolving into giggles.

  Sara made a sound that was between a laugh and a cry. “Oh, God. I think I just peed myself.”

  That sent the two of them into another fit of laughter, and I had to wait a full minute for them to stop.

  “Beth, you’re now on my shit list,” I grumbled.

  “Me?” Beth choked out. “What about Sara?”

  I sat on one of the loungers and scowled at the evening sky. “She gets a pass this time because she’s preggers and she’s susceptible to bouts of insanity.”

  Sara sniffled. “Being pregnant doesn’t make you crazy.”

  “I don’t know,” Beth said. “Only a crazy person would eat that nasty moulis.”

  “Moulis?” I asked.

  “It’s a Fae water plant,” Sara explained. “Eldeorin gave me some to help with morning sickness.”

  I put an arm behind my head. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “What’s wrong is it looks like slimy seaweed and smells like dirty socks.” Beth made a gagging sound.

  “If you ever carry a Fae baby, we’ll talk food choices.” Sara groaned softly. “I can’t believe Faerie pregnancies last a whole year. I already look like I have a soccer ball under my clothes.”

  Beth laughed. “She does not. She looks adorable.”

  “You’re feeling okay, though?” My own woes suddenly seemed insignificant. “No problems with the baby?”

  “The baby and I are great,” Sara rushed to reassure me. “Eldeorin said she’s strong and healthy.”

  I exhaled in relief. “Good.”

  “So, back to your hot Egyptian warrior,” Beth drawled. “I want to hear more about him.”

  I let out a humorless laugh. “He’s not my warrior.”

  Sara snickered. “I remember when all you could talk about was his big sword.”

  “That was before he showed up here and decided to ruin my life.”

  It had been two days since our argument about patrols, and thankfully, the subject hadn’t come up again. That didn’t stop Hamid from annoying the hell out of me in other ways.

  I ground my teeth together when I remembered my sparring session with Vivian. I had been doing great and feeling pretty good about it until Hamid had come to stand in the doorway and watch. His glowering presence had unnerved me, and I’d messed up several times. After our match, Hamid had the nerve to point out my mistakes and to offer to help me with my technique. As if I needed him to show me how to properly use a sword.

  “I guess this means there will be no future hookup for you and him,” Beth said.

  I snorted. “Are you kidding me? He’d probably criticize my performance, and then I’d be looking for a place to hide the body.”

  The two of them started laughing again, and this time, I joined in.

  “Man, I miss you girls,” I said when we were laughed out.

  “We miss you, too,” Sara replied. “When are you coming for a visit?”

  “Yeah, like a permanent one,” Beth chimed in. She’d been trying to get me to go work with them ever since they left Los Angeles.

  “I might do a short visit.” The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I’d get to hang out with my BFFs and put a lot of miles between Hamid and me. I could work just as easily in Chicago as I could here, and by the time I came back, the Council’s investigators should be gone. Perfect.

  “When?” Sara and Beth asked in unison.

  “Soon. I need to run it by Raoul, but I don’t think he’ll have any problem with me leaving.”

  Through the French doors, I saw Raoul approaching. Speak of the devil.

  He opened the door and came outside. “Going on a call. Want to ride with me?”

  “Sure. Give me one minute.” I put the phone to my ear again. “Duty calls, girls. Talk to you soon.”

  “Bye,” they called together.

  Standing, I stuck my phone in my back pocket. “What’s up?”

  “We got a call from a night janitor at Fisher Middle School in Compton. He said he heard suspicious noises coming from the gymnasium.”