My breath was fast and I stood. He looked up at me, his face rigid with frustration. “You hurt me,” I said.

A hopeless look flashed across him. He reached for my hands, and I stepped back. “So she’s a vampire,” I said loudly. “I’m a witch! What makes you any safer? What about you, Nick? You call up demons! What did you give that demon for the location of that…thing!”

Shock flashed over him for my having turned this on him. Clearly uncomfortable, he glanced at my bag on the floor and eased away. “Nothing important.”

He wouldn’t look at me, and my predatory instincts stirred. “What did you give the demon?” I prompted. “Jax said you gave him something.”

Nick took a quick breath. His eyes met mine. “Rachel, I thought you were dead.”

A cold feeling of worry slid through me. Jax had said the demon showed up as me. Had the demon known about me, or just plucked my image out of Nick’s head? “What demon was it?” I asked, thinking of Newt, the insane demon who shoved me back into reality last solstice. “Was it Al?” I said softly, seething inside.

“No, it was someone else,” he said, looking sullen. “Al didn’t know where it was.”

Someone else? Okay, Nick knew more than one demon. “What did you give it for the location of the focus?” I asked, trying to at least look calm.

Nick’s eyes lit up and he scooted forward on the cot. “That’s just it, Rachel. Al always wanted useless stuff like what your favorite color was, or if you used lip gloss, but all this one wanted was a kiss.”

The air slipped out of me, and I couldn’t seem to make my lungs move to pull more in. Nick gave Al information about me in return for favors? “All it wanted was a kiss?” I managed, still trying to grasp what Nick had done. I’d feel betrayed later. Right now I only felt sick. Hand on my stomach, I turned sideways. Had the demon looked like me when Nick kissed it? Oh God. I didn’t want to know.

“What…” Somehow I took a breath. “What demon was it?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t be able to tell me without risking his soul.

Sure enough, Nick stood up, his hands spread placatingly. “I don’t know. I went through Al for that one. He took his own cut for brokering my question. But it was worth it.”

I turned, and Nick blinked at the fury creasing my brow. “You son of a bitch,” I whispered. “You’ve been selling me out to demons? You’ve been buying demon favors with information about me? What did you tell them!”

Eyes wide, Nick backed up. “Rachel…”

My breath hissed out. In a quick motion, I leapt at him, pinning him against the door with my arm under his neck. “What did you tell Al about me!”

“It’s not that big of a deal!” His eyes were bright, and what looked like a laugh was quirking his lips. He thought it was funny? He thought I was overreacting, and it was all I could do to not crush his windpipe right there and then.