Tucking in his wings, he stalked to the Raver. Surprisingly, the thing was still alive—moaning, but breathing.

Not for long.

One quick downward stab later, and the demon was nothing but a pile of glowing crimson ashes that faded quickly.

When Zayne rose, he was facing me, and I could see the glow of his pale blue eyes. “That’s what you should’ve done the moment you got the Raver cornered and down.”

I figured it wouldn’t be in my favor to mention that I’d jumped on the Raver’s back like a rabid cat. “Thanks for the fighting lesson I didn’t need.”

“Apparently you do need it.”

I extended my hand and wiggled my fingers. A few seconds passed, and I exhaled heavily. “Dagger.”

He approached me slowly, shifting into his human form as he did so. The black shirt he wore had ripped along the back and shoulders when he’d shifted and now looked like it had seen better days.

Wardens sure went through a lot of shirts.

His wings folded into the backs of his shoulders, tucking into thin slits that wouldn’t be visible to human eyes, as his horns retracted so fast it was like they’d never parted his shoulder-length blond hair.

God, he was gorgeous.

And that annoyed me—him and his...pretty hair and eyes...and mouth and whatever.

Ugh.

I wiggled my fingers again.

He stopped in front of me, still holding my dagger. “I know you’re not used to patrolling, Trin, so I’m not going to stand here and lecture you.”

“You’re not?” I asked. “It sure sounds like you’re gearing up for a lecture.”

Zayne apparently had selective hearing. “One of the reasons we dispatch demons quickly is so they’re not seen by humans.”

I looked around, seeing nothing but the dark shapes of dumpsters and the lumpy shadows of garbage bags. “No one saw.”

“Someone could have, Trin. We’re near the street. Anyone could’ve come back here.”

“This really sounds like a lecture,” I pointed out, swallowing a groan.

“You need to be careful.” He placed the dagger handle down in my palm. “We need to be careful.”

“Yeah, I know.” I sheathed the dagger, making sure it was hidden once again under the hem of my shirt. “I was being übercareful.”

“You were being übercareful while you were pummeling the Raver into oblivion?”

I nodded as my phone vibrated against my thigh. When I pulled it from the pocket of my jeans, Jada’s face smiled from the screen. My stomach turned over as I quickly slid the phone back into my pocket. For once, I actually had a reason to not answer, because I seriously doubted Zayne would appreciate it if I took a call in the middle of his nonlecture lecture.

Zayne’s head was cocked when I looked back at him again. “Not to point out the obvious—”