That’s all Zion needed to hear. He filled his plate again. Eating this fast was going to mess his stomach up, but Zion couldn’t seem to stop until his plate was clean.

  “Sweet,” Kobe said as he tossed a bone onto his plate. “I hate eating with someone who eats like a bird.”

  Zion’s eyes flickered up at Kobe, still thinking him the nicest-looking man he had ever seen. But it wasn’t just his looks. Zion had never met anyone like the Warrior. He seemed so easygoing, as if nothing disquieted him.

  Even when Kobe was in Remtin, beat to hell, and wasn’t sure if he was going to make it out or not, he was still unruffled. If Zion examined Kobe’s reactions a little deeper, he would remember that the only time the Warrior became infuriated was when Zion was in danger.

  Kobe leaned back and patted his flat stomach. “Damn, that hit the spot.”

  Zion’s eyes followed Kobe’s hand, feeling his heart beating a little faster. Dropping his eyes quickly, he began to clear the table. Kobe got up, helping him.

  “You said I had to clean to earn my keep,” Zion reminded the Demon Warrior. He needed some serious space. The man was affecting Zion in ways he never experienced before and his emotions were confusing.

  “I’m liking this deal already,” Kobe said as he set his plate in the sink. “I’m gonna take off. Just call my name if you need me.”

  Zion nodded, busying himself. Once Kobe was gone, he finally took in a deep and shaky breath. Just call my name if you need me. If Kobe only knew what he was offering Zion. He was pretty sure Kobe wasn’t talking about personally, but Zion allowed himself to entertain the thought.

  What would it be like to belong to Kobe? He couldn’t be any worse than the others who had owned Zion. Kobe was a far cry from Compton. He was positive Kobe wouldn’t pass him around.

  After cleaning their lunch up, Zion wandered into the living room. He walked over to the large stand against one wall, seeing a television, a stereo system, and other things he had no clue what they were.

  Glancing around, Zion pressed the power button on the stereo. Music blasted throughout the living room. Zion panicked, pressing button after button, trying to figure out how to turn it down.

  That’s all he needed. If he broke something in Kobe’s apartment, he would be kicked out. He finally found the volume button and turned it down to an acceptable level. As the music played, Zion explored the apartment.

  After a minute, his shoulders began to bob, and then his body. Zion smiled, letting himself have a little fun. It was something very rare for him to indulge in. He started bouncing around, and then felt a little devilish.

  He walked to the beginning of the hallway, glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, and then ran, sliding on the highly polished floor toward Kobe’s bedroom. Zion’s arms went up, flapping around when Kobe appeared in the bedroom doorway. Before he could gain control, Zion landed on his ass.

  Kobe burst out laughing. Zion lay there for a moment, totally confused. The man should have been mad. That’s the reaction Zion was used to dealing with.

  “I forgot my phone,” Kobe said as he reached down and helped Zion to his feet.

  “I…uh…you said to make myself at home.”

  “Don’t let me stop you from having fun.” Kobe walked down the hallway and the next thing Zion knew, the stereo volume was cranked louder. He stood there frozen when Kobe appeared once more, dancing.

  What was the man doing?

  “I love Travis Barker on the drums,” Kobe said, curling his lips in as his hips rocked back and forth, his shoulders swaying back one at a time. Zion was mesmerized. His throat went dry as he watched the Warrior move in such a way that all Zion could do was imagine him making those exact moves in bed.

  “Please don’t tell me you’re a stick in the mud,” Kobe teased. “Music is such a great way to have fun. Dance with me.”

  Zion rubbed his hand across his forehead, feeling a bit awkward. He had never danced in front of anyone in his life. Kobe would probably laugh at him. He took a step back when Kobe danced toward him and grabbed Zion’s hand.

  “Move your hips, short stuff.”

  Fuck it. Zion began dancing, parroting every move Kobe made. It was some kind of rap song he had never heard before. But it had a nice beat to it. The lyrics were graphic, but nothing Zion hadn’t heard before.

  Kobe threw his head back and laughed. “That’s it.”

  Smiling, Zion pulled his hand away and began to bounce down the hallway, throwing in a few moves he had seen before.

  “All right, short stuff,” Kobe said amusingly.

  Had he ever let loose like this before? Never. Zion was actually having a good time. Kobe danced toward him, but never touched him. They stood side by side, Zion doing everything the Warrior was doing, and soon they were falling into sync with each other.

  Zion couldn’t get the smile off of his face as they danced together. He was disappointed when the song ended.

  “Okay,” Kobe said. “As much fun as I’m having, I need to head out.”

  Zion moved toward the stereo and turned it down. “Don’t the others complain from the noise?”

  Kobe chuckled. “Each unit is soundproof. You can turn that stereo all the way up and no one will hear it but you.”

  Good to know.

  “I have a meeting with Panahasi. I’ll be back when it’s over.”

  Zion nodded, watching the Warrior walk back toward his bedroom. He sighed. God, Kobe was so damn handsome. And his personality! Zion knew he was in trouble. His stomach was doing flips just thinking about that man. No one had ever gotten to him like this.

  Finding the cleaning supplies, Zion began to dust things down, Kobe on his mind the entire time.

  * * * *

  “Do you think I care about that street rat?” Raphael asked as he sat down in a cushioned chair across from Marino Malone. “I could have ten more like him if I wanted to. It’s the principle of what those Demon Warriors have done, not what they took. I used your spell and sent seven of my men in. They were captured.”

  Not that he cared. Raphael had sent in peons, just to test the waters. It seemed he was going to have to find another way of killing Kobe and Hondo. But he had found another way to torture Kobe. Raphael had already set that into motion. Maybe he wouldn’t have to bother with that particular Warrior if all went according to plan.

  “So get even,” Marino said offhandedly as he drank his vodka mixed drink.

  Raphael wasn’t foolish. He knew dealing with Marino was a very precarious thing. The demon had been trying to move in on Raphael’s territory behind his back. If anyone else had done something so ballsy, Raphael would have killed them.

  But Marino was a different breed. He was well funded, underhanded, and played the game better than Raphael. He would rather have Marino as his ally and be able to watch his every move than make him an enemy and guess at what he was doing.

  Raphael had plenty of spies, constantly whispering in his ear about the moves Marino made.

  “You don’t just go into Serenity City and declare war,” Raphael stated as he accepted his drink from the waiter. “Panahasi would wipe my army of men out.”

  Marino scoffed. “You, the powerful leader of Remtin, are afraid of Panahasi? I’m getting tired of hearing that man’s name.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of how he has shut you down more than once.” Raphael didn’t appreciate the jeer, so he struck back. “Wasn’t it the demon leader who destroyed your Liquid Wrath lab?”

  “One of them, yes.”

  “Word on the street is that he is the one who killed your brother.” Raphael hadn’t heard that on the street. He had other sources. Sources no one knew about. “From what I’m told, it was Panahasi who ripped your brother’s heart out.”

  Marino sat forward, his face a mask of rage. “Who told you this information?”

  Maybe if Raphael could get Marino fired up, the mob boss would take care of Panahasi himself, relieving Raphael of the burden. As powerful as he was, Raphael knew he couldn’t defeat the demon leader.

  He wasn’t even foolish enough to try.

  “Just something I heard,” he lied. “What shocks me is that you haven’t sought out your revenge. People are starting to think you are growing soft since losing Constantine.”

  Raphael set his drink down and folded his hands in his lap. He could practically see the wheels turning in Marino’s head. He hadn’t thought about using Marino’s dead brother against the man when he had first walked in here. But now that the ball was rolling, Raphael was going to do whatever he could to incite Marino’s rage at his brother’s death.

  “Then I guess it’s time I came out of hiding,” Marino finally said. “And if I verify that it was indeed Panahasi who killed Constantine, he’ll know the pain of losing someone he loves when I kill his mates.”

  Raphael smiled. Once Marino tore Panahasi’s world apart, it would make it so much easier for Raphael to go in and take over Serenity City.

  And his first order of business was to kill Zion.

  * * * *

  “The keeper said that some sort of spell was used,” Panahasi said. “He’s counteracted it, so whoever—”

  “It was Raphael,” Kobe stated from the couch. “I recognized one of the men from the warehouse.”

  “Even so,” the leader continued. “He is not versed enough in the black arts to even know about that particular spell.”

  “Someone’s helping him,” Einarr said more to himself than the group of men in Panahasi’s apartment.

  “I only know of one person who would be helping Raphael,” Kane interjected. “Marino.”

  “He seems to be the culprit,” Panahasi replied. “The keeper tells me the spell had Marino’s signature all over it.”

  Kobe knew the ramifications of Raphael and Marino working together. Marino Malone by himself was one nasty demon. The guy was Snooke’s—Kane’s mate—uncle. He had invented Liquid Wrath, had stolen the crystal from Serenity Savings, and was the one responsible for releasing some of the demons from the underworld—including Crypt, one nasty ass piece of work that was still at large somewhere.

  He had committed a multitude of other crimes as well. Marino was the Demon Warriors’ migraine. And now he had hitched his wagon to Raphael? It was more like Raphael hitched himself to Marino. The leader of Remtin wasn’t as powerful as Marino.

  “I’ve had the markers surrounding the city checked. They are all in working order,” Panahasi said. “But to be on the safe side, the keeper strengthened them.”

  That meant Kobe could take Zion on a tour of the city. He smiled to himself when he thought about the fun they had just had. Kobe thought it would take forever for Zion to warm up to him.

  Maybe he had a shot at the man after all.

  “Bring him in,” Panahasi said.

  Kobe turned to see Rainerio open the apartment door. Keegan—a Wood elf who had helped them on occasion—was standing out in the hallway, looking just as confused as Kobe felt.

  “Come in, Keegan.” Panahasi stood, walking over to the fey.

  “I don’t understand why I’m here,” Keegan said, looking like he was ready to bolt.

  “Because, I promised that I would find your brother.”

  Kobe remembered that promise. It was a deal Panahasi had made with the fey. It was around the time they were fighting Crypt, and Kamiko—Takeo’s mate—needed protection. Keegan had kept the human safe, and Panahasi had been looking for Keegan’s brother.

  It seems he found the guy.

  “You know where he is?” Keegan asked, hope in his big blue eyes.

  “He is the leader of the Wood elves now,” Panahasi said. “The war is over and Ahm has been helping your people settle in after Shanta was killed.”

  Keegan’s chest began to rise and fall rapidly. “Ahm helped them?”

  Kobe was lost. He had no clue who they were talking about. He had heard of Ahm only because the Shadow elf was one of the Ultionem.

  “You’d be amazed at all the changes since you last saw your tribe,” Panahasi said. “Marino lied to you. He never had Iam, Keegan.”

  Right there in Panahasi’s apartment, Keegan broke down crying. The men glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. They didn’t know Keegan all that well.

  It was Panahasi’s mates who came from another part of the apartment to soothe Keegan. Casey and Drake took him down the hallway, Keegan’s cries still being heard.

  “Hmm,” Panahasi said as he cleared his throat. “That went well.”

  “Are we done here?” Kobe asked, ready to get back to Zion.

  “He just wants to run back to that little demon,” Hondo teased.

  Kobe flipped Hondo off. It was nobody’s business what interest he had in Zion, even if he and Hondo had been discussing the demon earlier.

  All eyes turned to him.

  “What?” Kobe asked defensively. “Any of you knuckleheads got anything to say?”

  Hondo started making noises that sounded like bedsprings during sex. Kobe picked up the throw pillow next to him and threw it at the asshole.

  “You digging him?” Cadeym asked from across the room, a shit-eating grin on his face. “He is a hot little number, raggedy clothes and all.”

  Kobe was ready to kill both Hondo and Cadeym. He sat there reminding himself that Panahasi would be pissed—along with Chris—if he killed them both. “Let it go,” he said between clenched teeth.

  “Go.” Panahasi waved a hand toward the door. “We’re done here. But I want everyone to keep their eyes open. I’m not sure if Marino and Raphael are done sending men into Serenity City.”

  Kobe stood, glaring at Cadeym before exiting the apartment. He jogged down to the second floor and walked in, stopping midstride when he saw Zion’s backside bouncing from side to side as he cleaned.

  Now that was a sight he wouldn’t mind coming home to every damn time.

  Chapter Five

  Zion walked around Devil Mart in a daze. He’d never been in a store like this before. At first he thought the place to be a grocery store, but soon found out that Devil Mart only carried a small selection of food. As he ventured further in, it turned into a large department store. There were clothes, household stuff, knickknacks, and everything else one would need to furnish a home. Well, there wasn’t any furniture here, but the place had him turning his head every few seconds.

  “How about a small television for your room?” Kobe asked. “Or some books?”

  Zion was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. He liked his bedroom just the way it was. He didn’t need anything expensive to put in it. But he didn’t say that to Kobe because he didn’t want to offend the guy.

  He picked up a candle, sniffing it. The label said Fresh Linen. He liked the way it smelled. “How about this?”

  “You want a candle?” Kobe asked, looking at Zion strangely.

  Zion nodded his head. “I like it.”

  “Then it’s yours.” They continued to walk around the store, Zion holding the candle close to his chest. He politely turned the Warrior down when he tried to pick out more expensive things. All Zion wanted was the candle.

  “Damn,” Kobe said as they approached the register. “You are way too easy to shop for.”

  Zion was handed the small brown bag with thick string handles. He knew it was only a candle, but he felt like he had a treasure inside the bag. He couldn’t wait to get back to Kobe’s and light it.

  “Where to next?” Kobe asked as he shoved his wallet into his back pocket.

  Zion strangled the handles of his bag as they exited Devil Mart. He was so terrified that someone was going to come by and snatch it away from him. Sadly, that was the kind of neighborhood he had lived in.

  The more he thought about how someone could take away the precious candle Kobe had given him, Zion decided to clutch the bag to his chest.

  His apartment had been broken into so many times that he had stopped putting things in the place. All he had lived with was the bare necessities. Zion didn’t think anyone would be breaking into Kobe’s apartment. If they did, they got what they deserved.

  “You hungry?” Kobe asked as he pointed to a building next door. “The Pancake House is pretty good.”

  Zion smiled. He was quickly finding out that Kobe loved to eat. If he stuck around this man, soon he would be twice his size. “I could use a bite.”

  “I love that you can keep up with me.”

  Not really. Zion didn’t eat half as much as the Warrior did. Kobe had finished off everything he had ordered from King Wings and had commented that he was still hungry. Zion wasn’t sure where he put it all.

  Just as they began to walk next door, Zion noticed Kobe slowing down. All day he had been having a hard time keeping up with the Warrior’s pace, but all of a sudden, he was finding it easy. “What’s wrong?”

  Instead of answering him, Kobe began to slowly insert himself in front of Zion. It was very strange behavior and making him nervous. Serenity City was supposed to be safe. This wasn’t Remtin.

  Kobe suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled Zion down another block, away from the Pancake House. The Warrior was walking too fast, and Zion was panting to keep up. He gripped his bag tightly as Kobe glanced around and then pulled him in another direction.

  “Why in the fuck is this all lit up,” Kobe snapped.

  Zion had a feeling the man wasn’t talking to him. He knew Demon Warriors used shadows to travel through and he assumed that was what Kobe was looking for. “Are we in some sort of trouble?”

  “You could say that,” Kobe said in a way of answering him, but that wasn’t an answer at all. Zion snapped his head around, trying to see what they were running from. The street was empty.

  “Kobe, what’s going on?”

  The demon cut his eyes over at Zion and he could tell that Kobe didn’t want to tell him. But Zion didn’t need to be coddled and protected. He wanted to know what he was facing. “Tell me.”

  “I don’t—” Kobe shook his head and Zion could see the confusion in the man’s pale-brown eyes. “I could have sworn I just saw my father.”