Devil's Paw (Imp Book 4) by Debra Dunbar Read Free Book Online

one–on–one.”
    “Ask her. She may not want to be alone with me right away, and we can introduce her to television, Chinese take–out, and popcorn.”
    It was a good idea, but I wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be around me, either. I’d originally planned to have her stay with Wyatt, but perhaps we could all stay here and sleep on the couches. I turned to Nyalla and asked her.
    The girl looked back and forth between Wyatt and I, then shot a nervous glance at Dar. “Will he be here too?”
    “Nah, I’m leaving.” Dar grinned. “I want to open up a couple of sinkholes over on South Street and maybe collapse the I–70 bridge before I head home.”
    Great. He was going to get me in so much trouble. Gregory held me accountable for all the actions of my household, and who knows how pissed he’d be over Dar’s “activities”.
    “Just don’t kill anyone,” I warned. “I’ve got enough of those fucking reports to do as it is.”
    Nyalla took a deep breath. “Then I think I would like to participate in the mooo–vie and popcan.”
    I smiled at her awkward pronunciation. “Popcorn.”
    “Popcorn,” she repeated, the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips. It lit up her whole face, and I saw even more resemblance between the thin, pale girl and her gorgeous brother.
    “She’ll stay,” I told Wyatt. “Can you order the food? Just get a selection of everything, that way she can try a bite of it all.”
    Wyatt pulled a phone from his pocket while Nyalla watched, full of curiosity. I walked Dar to the door, again warning him not to kill any humans and to return back to Hel as quickly as possible.
    “Spoilsport,” he teased. “When’s the last time you killed a human?”
    “Today,” I admitted. “But it was sort of self–defense. Two humans, a mage, and an angel attacked me in an alley.”
    Dar stared before he barked out a laugh. “Did they all walk into a bar with a Rabbi?”
    I punched his shoulder. “I’m serious. The mage was worthless. The net he threw over me wouldn’t hold a fucking rabbit, but the angel was a bit of a badass. He flew all over downtown after me, blowing up chunks of pavement along the way.”
    My foster brother laughed again. “Sounds like a fun afternoon to me, besides the angel, that is. Was he part of this Ruling Council? One of their flunkies, maybe?”
    “I don’t know.” I ran a hand through my hair. “He didn’t seem to know I was the Iblis. Maybe he was some kind of fallen angel and the others were his minions.”
    “Yeah, because angels are so weak they need to turn to a really bad mage and two humans for household members?”
    “Choir,” I corrected him. “I know it sounds ridiculous.”
    “Well that’s the least of your problems right now, Mal. There’s a reason I’m here a day early.”
    He pulled a small folded card from his pocket and handed it to me. “Ahriman’s steward delivered this to yours last night. I’m just guessing here, but I’m thinking he’s demanding an answer from you.”
    I grimaced. Killing Haagenti had spurred a whole new batch of breeding petitions from hopeful demon candidates. I hadn’t even responded to the ones I’d received last fall. They were gathering dust on my dining room table. Ahriman’s was on the top.
    “I saw his petition, Mal. It’s flattering; a great opportunity. Why don’t you take it? It would benefit us all. I’d fucking jump for joy if he offered me half what he’s offered you.”
    Bad things happened to demons that got their personal energy, their spirit selves, close to mine. Plus, Gregory had made it quite clear he was vehemently against my having any doings with Ahriman.
    “I’ve been busy. And the terms aren’t all that great. Yeah, the household would profit, but the exclusivity is a concern. One thousand years, Dar.”
    He tilted his head and grinned. “I’ve waited nearly a thousand years for you to accept my petition. I can stand to wait one thousand more.”
    I smiled and