“Do you think he can do worse to you than I can?” Anger flared, and the need to dominate got the best of me as I leaned down so that we were eye level. I knew I shouldn’t do it. It was wrong for a hundred different reasons, but I let just the tiniest bit of my grace spark. The corners of my vision, which were usually shadowy and dark, flipped bright white. “Because I’m here to tell you that he can’t.”

His eyes widened, and when he spoke, there was a mixture of horror and awe in his voice. “You’re it. You’re the nephilim.”

I reigned the grace back in, and the white light faded. “First off, the term nephilim is so outdated, and second, you have been talking to Bael, because—”

“If it was common knowledge that one of your kind was in the city, you’d already be dead.” His eyes went half-mast, and a lazy smile crossed his swirling orange-and-black face. “Or worse. Right? Is it true? What they say about your kind and mine?”

My lip curled as I stared at him. He looked near orgasmic, and that was more than a little disturbing. “Is what true?”

“That if a demon eats you—”

I shifted, digging my knee into his groin. He shouted in pain, withering under me. “Yeah, I’m just going to stop you right there. Tell me where—”

“It wasn’t Bael that...” He dragged in a deep breath, gasping through the pain. “It wasn’t Bael who told me about you, you stupid cu—”

Punching him again, this time in the jaw, I made sure the dagger handle got in on the action. “That better have been the word cutie that was about to come out of your mouth.”

After spitting out blood and possibly a tooth, the demon straightened his head. “It was him.”

Coldness seeped into me even as I became aware of the increased pulsing warmth in my chest. “Who?”

“The one who sold you out. What was his name?” The demon laughed, spit and blood leaking from the corners of his mouth as his arms fell limp to his sides. “Ah, yeah. Misha. Funny thing is, I haven’t seen him in a couple of days. Wonder what’s going on with him? Other than being dead.”

“You spoke to Misha?” A tremor coursed through me. “What did he say to you? What did you—”

“You killed him. Right? Sent his soul to Hell. That’s where he is now, because he was just as evil as I am.”

A shudder rocked me. “You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie?”

“I can think of a lot of reasons,” I seethed, but even as I said the words, they rang untrue. “Tell me what he said or—”