Free Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love Page B

fright?
    “
Evil?
Interesting name. You sound like my kind of woman.”
    She rolled her eyes. “E-vahl. Not evil … unless the situation calls for it.”
    He laughed a warm, rich sound that resonated from deep inside his body. “Nice meeting you, E-valle.” His tone deepened, as if he savored the cadence of her name on his tongue. “Guess you
can
take care of yourself.” He lifted her fingers before shecould stop him and kissed her scraped knuckles. “I always say beauty is best when it comes mixed with danger.”
    This time there was no mistaking her attraction to him.
Oh, yeah, I’m definitely high on demon fumes.
She pulled her hand away. “On that note, General Bison, I really need to go before I turn into a pumpkin.”
    He inclined his head to her. “Head out. I’m right behind you.”
    She wanted desperately to argue with him about following her down through the building. He had a team out there, and for all she knew, one of them might tail her back. And that she couldn’t have. She needed to find Tzader or Grady before daylight, someone who could help her figure out what was going on.
    She glanced over her shoulder to find Isak had his monocular back in place. He’d have no problem following her down this dark hole.
    On the ground floor, she paused at the door and cautiously cracked it open to make sure no one was there. The reception area was on her right, two long strides away. Bright blue lights flashed through windows that faced the street, letting her know that even more police had been called.
    What? Had they found drugs in the building? Surely her little demon pile hadn’t caused all that.
    Evalle turned to Isak, who was touching his ear where a wire curled from his earbud and down the back of his shirt.
    He lifted his hand and pressed the tiny throat mic. “Everyone clear?”
    So he hadn’t been kidding about his team. Just what had she walked into? And how much of her interaction with Isak had they been privy to?
    She didn’t like being spied upon.
    Isak held up a finger, silently asking her to sit tight as he rattled off his location to whoever was on the other side of that system. “Report on all perimeters.” He paused again, nodding. “Affirmative. Need a diversion on the west side. Target located and neutralized, but doesn’t matter. We know the source. DHQ located. Mission accomplished.”
    Evalle scowled. DHQ? What the devil was that? Demon headquarters?
    Was it possible that Isak might actually know where the Birrn had come from and what it was doing in Atlanta?
    More to the point, did he know anything about Alterants and why the Birrn had been seeking her?
    He turned to her. “You set?”
    She gestured to his mic. “Can they hear us?”
    “No. The mic sensor only picks up my vocal cord vibrations.” A slow smile curved his lips. “What you got in mind?”
    She didn’t trust him one bit, but he was the closest thing to a lead she had since he’d turned her demon into roadkill. “You have a card or a number?”
    Interest glowed in his gaze. “Not one I can share, sugar.
You
got a phone number?”
    Yeah, right … “Don’t normally give my digits out to demon-blasting strangers who call me ‘sugar.’”
    He laughed. “Tell you what. I’ve got to pick up something, then I’m free for a bit. Want to meet somewhere in a half hour?”
    She had maybe an hour before daylight, and then her activity would be severely limited. She could ride in daylight, but it had to be fast and furious in full gear that would boil her in this heat. Which meant meeting close to her home. “You familiar with downtown?”
    He gave her a droll stare. “No, the demons only hunt in the burbs.”
    She ignored his sarcasm. “Meet me at the Varsity. I’ll be in the drive-in on my bike.” Yeah, it would be open to daylight, but she didn’t plan to stay long enough to get caught. The Varsity was two minutes from her apartment, and she’d stay on her bike. And it was a public place.
    If he tried