Drowning In The Dark: #4 The Veil Series by Pippa DaCosta Read Free Book Online Page A

enough to reach out and touch. My imagination played the scene of me doing just that, and in my head, things quickly escalated to more carnal endeavors. If what he said was true, I might never know him intimately again, and that thought, like so many others while in his presence, added to my burden.
    Stefan could only wonder at the color in my cheeks. If he’d felt anything for me, it was probably buried under his demon’s desires. Demons don’t love. Maybe he never had.
    I smiled despite my broiling emotions. “You know what? Maybe when all this is over, we can go out, grab a bite to eat, maybe catch a movie. Like normal people do.” I watched closely, trying to determine if what I saw was real or just a demon act.
    “Like a date?” A frown touched his face, but didn’t cut deeply. Playful suspicion chased it away. He leaned a hip against the cupboard and crossed his arms. That trademark smile tugged at his lips. When he looked like that, I could forget how he’d changed. That smile reminded me of the old Stefan, living the demon-slayer dream: the wise-ass cocky half blood, with his red coat, flashy guns, and quick wit. So in control. So confident in his half-blood nature. His enthusiasm and lust for life had attracted me like a moth to the flame. But like those moths, we’d both been burned by our attraction. Yet, there I was, like an idiot, attracted to the cool burn of him all over again.
    “Yeah, like a date…” I filed the plates in the dishwasher, keeping him in my peripheral vision.
    “Did you just ask me out?”
    “Yeah.” I gathered various plates, careful not to catch his eye, and loaded the dishwasher. “You got a problem with that?”
    “Will there be ice cream?”
    “Definitely.”
    “Deal.”
    I kicked the door closed on the dishwasher and straightened to face him. “You realize you’ve just made a deal with the Mother of Destruction?”
    His eyes sparkled. “Will I forfeit my soul if I call it off?”
    “Totally. No backing out, or I’ll send in my minion.” Jonesy prrped on cue despite not lifting his head.
    “Hell no. My soul is all the human I have let in me.”

Chapter Five
    L ess than an hour later and back at Stone’s Throw, Ben didn’t hesitate when I ordered whiskey this time. He frowned at the hostile crowd and back at me while he fixed my drink. I wasn’t welcome, but it was a public bar, and unless Ben barred me, I could do whatever the hell I wanted there. Still, having half a dozen enforcers eying my head for a trophy wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling. Ryder had made their thoughts pretty clear. I was the enemy. Adam’s intervention was likely the only thing preventing his elite squads from taking me out. I didn’t want trouble. I needed to get into the base of operations with my hands free and my demon intact. That wasn’t going to happen if I pissed them off. Time to play the good little half-demon consultant.
    “Muse.” Adam acknowledged me with a nod then strode on by and sat at a table with a handful of enforcers. They spoke too quietly for me to listen in. As much as I wanted to overhear their conversation, looming behind Adam wasn’t going to win my any favors. I roamed the bar, checking out the incident wall. After twenty minutes, Adam finally joined me.
    Adam towered over my itty-bitty five-foot nothing, intimidating me just by standing right next to me. Adam had the kind of natural strength you can’t hone at the gym. Good genes. Like his son.
    A headache throbbed up my neck and around my temples. I took a sip of my whiskey and welcomed the burn. “How’s it going with Akil?”
    He folded his arms over his chest and regarded the countless photos and documents pinned to the wall. It took a while for him to reply. So long in fact, I wondered if I was getting the silent treatment. “There was an incident.” The grave timber of his words made it clear things weren’t going well. “Conflicting reports say he wasn’t restrained properly or