It was less than ten miles but took a good twenty minutes to get to Bell Rock from the resort. By the time Ginny pulled into the parking lot her head ached and she was beginning to feel physically ill from the confusing thoughts bouncing around in her mind.

Eddy and Dax sat together on a red sandstone boulder waiting for her. The first thing she noticed was the fact they were holding hands. How come Eddy hadn’t had any trouble figuring out her feelings for Dax?

Ginny rolled to a stop. Eddy and Dax got in. Eddy took the cramped backseat and Dax filled up the passenger seat beside Ginny. Any other time she would have been laughing hysterically at the sight they made, all of them squished into the little car. At the moment, nothing seemed funny.

“Okay, Ginny. Give. What’s the matter?”

Ginny glanced over her shoulder as she backed out of the parking lot and caught Eddy’s eyes boring into her. “It appears you haven’t lost your touch,” she said. “Later, okay? We’ve got more important things to discuss.”

Eddy nodded, and Ginny filled them in on the upsurge of demons in Sedona and the possessed birds attacking them at the Boynton Canyon vortex. She didn’t mention her fight with Alton. She couldn’t, not if she wanted her eyes clear enough for driving.

 

By the time they got back, the adobe casita already had been opened up to allow access to the second bedroom, where Dax and Eddy dumped their things. Dax grabbed a cold beer out of the refrigerator and met Alton on the front porch, but Eddy cornered Ginny on the small back deck off Ginny and Alton’s bedroom.

Ginny glanced up nervously as Eddy opened the bedroom door and stepped out onto the deck. She flashed Eddy a nervous smile. “Where’s the dog?” she asked. Anything to avoid the inevitable.

Eddy took a seat beside Ginny. “She stayed with Dad. She can sniff out demons really well, and we didn’t want to leave Evergreen totally unprotected. Dad can get in touch with us if there’s any sign of demonkind around town.”

She grabbed Ginny’s hand and squeezed. “Okay, now that we’ve got BumperWillow out of the way, what’s going on? Alton looks terrible and you’re not much better. What’s the matter?”

Ginny opened her mouth, shut it again, and then took a deep breath. “I’m not positive, but I think I’m the matter.”

Eddy frowned. “Oh. Okay. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Explain?”

Well, crap. If she couldn’t even explain it to herself, how was she going to…? Crap, crap, crap. She dove in. “I’m starting to care about him too much. He’s making decisions for me, about me, and I’ve been letting him do it. I can’t stop thinking about him.” She waved her hands helplessly in front of her, realized what she was doing and clasped them firmly together in her lap. “See? Look at me! I’m acting all girly, like a nervous female without a thought of her own. That is not me. I won’t let it be me!”

Eddy’s soft chuckle wasn’t what Ginny wanted to hear. “C’mon, Ginny. Alton’s not the controlling type. I’ve never seen him do or say anything that wasn’t fair. Are you saying he’s pushing you to do things you don’t want to do? Has he been mean or unkind to you?” Eddy leaned forward in her chair and gazed steadily at Ginny.

It was impossible not to meet her serious stare. Ginny shrugged. “It’s not that so much, though he keeps talking about how Lemurian women don’t fight, how their entire goal is to make their homes a calm and peaceful place for their men. Look at me! Can you see me playing the little woman, taking care of hearth and home?”

Eddy laughed. “Not exactly. You can’t cook and you’re certainly not what anyone in their right mind would consider the peaceful type. I’d put you over in the chaos-and-crisis column.”

Ginny leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. “So, do you see my problem?”

Eddy shook her head. “Not really. Alton’s not about to insist you act like a typical Lemurian woman, Ginny. For one thing, he knows you were raised on Earth and think like a human woman. An independent human woman. Besides, you’ve got a sword. The fact you’re carrying DarkFire means you’re destined to be a warrior, not a housewife. Even Alton has to accept that. Is he telling you he doesn’t want you to fight?”

Feeling more like an idiot, Ginny shook her head. “No.”

“Does he try to keep you out of danger? I mean, does he get in the way of you doing what you’re obviously destined to do?”

“No.” Grudgingly, she added, “He said he liked fighting shoulder to shoulder with me. We fought really well together today. The birds I told you about? They really cut him up badly, but he kept them away from me long enough that I was able to close the portal to Abyss.”

“Wow. Is he okay? I didn’t even notice he was hurt.” She folded her arms across her chest. “But that’s not why you’re upset, is it? Ginny, what the hell is really wrong?”

Ginny grabbed both of Eddy’s hands and squeezed. How the hell could she put her problems into words? All the fears, the way she’d felt when she realized how badly Alton had been hurt while he was keeping her safe. Her eyes burned with incipient tears. Crap. She did not want to cry.

“Everything’s wrong,” she said, and damned if it didn’t sound like she was crying. She sniffed and cleared her throat. “Alton’s wrong. Eddy, can’t you see it? Everything about the man is perfect! He’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s strong and brave and he protected me so I could do my job. He made love to me last night and it was so wonderful. I’ve never felt the way he made me feel, but I don’t want to feel this way!”

Eddy’s soft chuckle grated on her nerves. “Ginny, you are not making one lick of sense. The man is perfect and that’s what’s wrong? Explain. Please. I’m all ears.”

Eddy squeezed her hands and Ginny felt like an even bigger idiot, but she had to make Eddy understand. “I don’t want to care about him. I don’t want him to be perfect. Don’t you see? It’s like I’m getting sucked into a relationship with a man who’s everything I’ve sworn I never wanted but still everything I’ve ever dreamed about. He’s arrogant and self-assured. He’s rich and he wants to support me. He expects me to quit my job and fight demons with him, and I’ve only known him for a few days. I can’t make decisions like that when I don’t even know him. What if he’s not really what he seems like now? What if it’s all a lie and he turns out to be just like every other loser I’ve dated?”

“Alton’s not a loser. He’s everything you think he is and more. Can’t you trust him? Can’t you give the guy a chance?”

“I have to be back at work on Saturday. I’m not ready to quit a job I’ve worked at for seven years after knowing a guy for less than a week. I don’t want to end up being one of those women calling nine-one-one because her life’s turned to shit.”

Eddy sighed. She turned Ginny’s hands loose, stood up, and leaned against the deck railing. “Look…when I met Dax, I didn’t want to believe he was as perfect as he seemed, but we had a pretty big problem that had nothing to do with whether I had time to get over my hang-ups and fall in love. He only had a week before he was supposed to lose his borrowed body and return to the void. In other words, he would be dead.”

She gazed off toward the desert. Shocked, Ginny realized Eddy’s eyes glistened with tears.

“I spent half that week trying to figure out if I really believed what he was telling me, and I almost lost him. By the time I realized I was head over heels in love with the man, that it was worth loving him even though I knew I was going to lose him, our week was almost over.”

She turned toward Ginny. Tears fell. They left silver tracks down her cheeks as she softly added, “Then I did lose him. I saw him die, Ginny. I held his hand. His body grew cold and I knew he was dead. A miracle brought him back, but during those long minutes, when he was dead and I was left alone…”

“So what are you saying?” Ginny crossed her arms tightly, protectively, across her chest.

Eddy brushed the tears away with a swipe of her hand. “I’m saying you’re a fool if you don’t take what Alton’s offering you—a chance to explore a relationship with a perfect man. Don’t waste a minute worrying about what might happen. We’re in a battle that’s so much bigger than any of us. We’re fighting demons, Ginny. Creatures from another dimension hell-bent on destroying not only us but our entire way of life. We could all be dead by the end of the week. Do you want to spend what time you’ve got with Alton debating whether he’s as good as he seems? Good Lord, Ginny. That doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re smarter than this.”

Eddy stared at her for a long, silent moment. “And another thing,” she said. “Alton gave up his home, his family, his friends—he gave up everything to fight a battle that isn’t even his, and you’re worried about a stupid dispatcher’s job?” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe how foolish Ginny was acting. Then, without another word, she shoved herself away from the railing and went inside the casita.

Probably in search of Dax. Ginny watched her walk away with a terrible ache in her heart. She and Eddy had been best friends since they’d been old enough to have friends. They had grown up on the same street. Ginny was two years older and little Eddy had followed her around like a devoted puppy.

Never, not once in all the years they’d known each other, had Eddy ever called her a fool. They’d been through boyfriends and heartache together. Eddy’d been there when Ginny’s parents died—first her dad from a heart attack and then her mom just a couple years later from cancer—just as Ginny’d been there for Eddy when she lost her mom.

Like sisters, they’d supported each other, loved each other, argued with each other, but never once had Eddy criticized Ginny’s actions. Not like this. She wasn’t sure how to take it. Wasn’t sure if she should be hurt or thankful that Eddy loved her enough to tell her the truth.

Knowing Eddy, that was the way it was meant. She was so damned honest she didn’t know how to lie, but where did that leave Ginny? She couldn’t just give in to Alton, quit her job, and let him make all the decisions and take over her life, because that’s the way it worked. Once a guy was financially responsible, once he got a woman’s heart, he took everything. She saw it time and time again.

As a 911 dispatcher, she’d seen the result of controlling men who became abusive. Domestic violence accounted for way too many of the calls she handled, and it always seemed to start when a woman turned over her life to some guy.

But Alton’s not abusive or controlling. He’s definitely not just some guy.

“Crap.” He was so much more than that, which was, of course, the reason she was having all this trouble. If he was just any guy she could walk away without a problem, but he was so far beyond any man she’d ever known.

He’d already saved her life at least once, and today he’d ended up slashed to ribbons while he was keeping her safe. She still hadn’t finished bandaging his cuts, and she knew she owed him an apology. But she wasn’t going to quit her job. She was going back to Evergreen on Friday night and she was going to show up for work, as scheduled, on Saturday at three.

She wasn’t ready for more. She wasn’t!

Alton was just going to have to deal with it.

 

He’d felt Ginny’s confusion ever since she’d returned with Dax and Eddy, but he had no idea what to say or do to make things better. Now he sensed her drawing closer, though he couldn’t read the roiling thoughts that were flashing through her mind. He wished he understood her better, but obviously something was getting lost in translation.

He most definitely did not understand women.

Dax gave him an encouraging smile and even Eddy stroked his shoulder as she walked past him and flopped down in Dax’s lap. Alton wished he and Ginny had a relationship as easy and comfortable as Dax and Eddy, but those two had known each other longer.

Almost two weeks, now. Maybe that was the secret. Did he have to be patient and wait for Ginny to fall as hard for him as he’d already fallen for her?

She stepped through the open door and all his patience went the way of demon mist. Nine hells, she was something. Even standing there looking so confused and unsure of herself, she took his breath. He’d never dreamed he’d be attracted to a powerful woman, a warrior as strong and true as any man he’d ever known, but when he saw Ginny now and thought of how she’d looked in battle today, swinging DarkFire with all the grace and skill of a seasoned fighter, he’d wanted to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her off to their bedroom.

Which would probably really make her angry. Dax had tried to explain what it was with human women, how their physical strength might not be equal to a man’s, but their sense of purpose and their desire to control their own destiny was every bit as strong.

If that was what Ginny wanted, he’d do his best to comply, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Alton?”

He nodded, acknowledging her greeting.

“I wanted to apologize.”

Now, this was more like it. He sat up straighter. “Yes, Ginny?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t finish bandaging your injuries. If you’d like, I can do them now.” She stood there with her hands folded in front of her like a rebellious child trying to behave, and then she apologized for not bandaging his wounds?

They were already healing, without the bandages. What about an apology for denying their relationship? For denying him? He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “My injuries are almost healed. There is no need to concern yourself.”

Then he stood up and brushed past her on his way into the house. It took all his strength not to grab her as he walked by, but he decided it was more satisfactory to leave her standing there with a perplexed frown on her face.

He almost laughed when he heard her exhale in frustration as she asked Eddy, “What’d I do?”

He wanted to tell her. Wanted to go back out there and grab her by both hands and say what was in his heart, that he wanted her to care as much for him as he already did for her.

But that wasn’t what Ginny wanted to hear. She’d already made it perfectly clear she didn’t want him. Didn’t want his money, didn’t want his protection, didn’t want a relationship of any kind.

She was right when she said they hardly knew each other, and the few days since he’d first seen her fighting for her life were but a blip along the way for a man who counted his life in thousands of years, but he’d known from the beginning. He’d seen her and he’d known she would be important to him, even before he thought they had any chance at all.

He’d also known she was going to be nothing but trouble.

Even when he was the immortal son of the chancellor of the Council of Nine he’d been fascinated by the human woman who would have been nothing more than a commoner in Lemuria.

Was that it? He stopped dead in his tracks. Of course it was! He felt like such a fool. Why hadn’t he considered her feelings since so much had changed? She’d nailed him. He was an arrogant jackass, setting himself above her when he’d first noted the impossibility of any kind of relationship between them. Now she’d discovered she was not only immortal, Ginny was a descendant of Lemurian royalty.

While he, once the son of Lemuria’s ruler, the only child of the chancellor of the Council of Nine, was no one. Lower than the lowest of the common people. Disowned by his own father, an exile from the only home he’d ever known. What could he offer a woman like Ginny? She was a woman of royal blood. An immortal who carried crystal. He couldn’t even offer her his honor. That had been stripped from him as well. He was no one, not even a citizen of the world he loved. Was that it?

She was so far above him now, there was no way in the nine hells he could ever dream of courting her. He’d been so caught up in the passion of the moment, he hadn’t even considered their change in station. He should have known it would affect her feelings for him, as it should. A woman of Ginny’s stature would want an equal as a mate, not a loser like him.

He would have laughed if he hadn’t felt like crying. Instead he continued on through the casita and went out through the back, vaulted the low deck, and took off through the desert. Maybe a good, brisk walk would clear his head. A walk anywhere as long as it took him far from Ginny.

But what about tonight? They’d be sharing a room again. The same room with memories of their lovemaking filling his heart and soul. He walked faster, putting distance between him and an unattainable woman as his long legs carried him out into the Arizona desert.

 

The resort’s version of room service looked better than anything Ginny’d seen in any upscale restaurant. She went in search of Alton while Eddy and Dax set the table for lunch and put the food out.

He wasn’t in the bedroom, though his scabbard with HellFire lay atop one of the beds. She checked the bathroom, but the towels were dry, so he hadn’t been in the shower. She cast her thoughts and searched. There was no sense of him. None at all.

She went back into the kitchen. “I can’t find Alton. He’s not in the casita and I don’t see him outside.”

“He can’t have gone far. He was here just ten minutes ago.” Dax gave the plates of food a longing glance. Then he went toward the back deck and gazed out over the desert. Ginny and Eddy stood beside him. Gray clouds heavy with rain boiled over the horizon and framed the red bluffs in stark relief.

One area seemed to seethe and swirl, rising and falling on the horizon. As Ginny watched, the darkness came together and dove, then swept high into the sky again. She opened her mind and sensed him then. Alton. He was out there, unarmed.

And the birds were back.

“Grab your swords. Follow me!” She snatched her scabbard from the back of the chair where she’d hung it earlier this morning, slipped it over her shoulder, and checked the buckle. Then she raced into the bedroom and grabbed HellFire out of his scabbard.

She slammed one hand on the top rail and vaulted over, hitting the ground beyond the deck with Dax and Eddy right behind her.

“What is it? What do you see?” Eddy caught up and ran beside her.

“That black formation. Those are the birds, the ones possessed by demons that attacked us earlier. I’m not sure, but I think they’re after Alton. Hurry. There’s no place out here for him to take shelter.”

Dax put on an extra burst of speed and quickly outpaced them. As they drew closer, it was obvious the birds had someone or something cornered against a huge saguaro cactus. Dipping and diving, their banshee cries carried on the sharp breeze that whistled through the sagebrush and over the red bluffs.

Finally they could see Alton. He’d grabbed a length of scrap iron and was using it to swing at the birds as they dove at him, attacking in an almost military precision. Dax skidded to a stop, raised his hands, and shot a powerful blast of icy air at the demonic flock.

Hundreds of birds dropped. The rest wheeled away, spinning above the blast of freezing air. Ginny tossed HellFire to Alton. He grabbed the sword without a word and immediately pressed it to the stunned birds littering the ground in front of him. One by one, dark smudges of demon mist escaped from each bird. Ginny and Eddy caught the wraiths with their crystal blades and filled the air with the sulfuric stench of dying demons.

Dax blasted the second wave of birds, dropping hundreds more to the ground. With Alton driving the demons from their feathered hosts and Eddy and Ginny killing each one as it tried to escape, they worked their way through the fallen birds and destroyed each demon before it could go in search of a new avatar.

Ginny lost track of the number of times she swung DarkFire through demon mist. Each one showed its true demon self, flashing fangs and claws in the seconds before it died, but they all died—just as all their avian hosts survived.

By the time the birds were gone and the demons destroyed, Ginny’s arm felt like a lead weight. She glanced at Alton. He leaned on HellFire and stared at her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “Other than feeling pretty stupid. I can’t believe I came out here without HellFire. They were on me within minutes, almost as if they were lying in wait.”

Ginny took a deep breath and willed her heart to stop pounding. “They might have been.” In fact, they probably were, but she didn’t want to think about that.

“Let’s go back and eat.” Dax slapped Alton on the arm. “C’mon. We left a lot of really good food on the kitchen table.”

“Is it as good as Ed’s cooking?” Alton sheathed HellFire and followed Dax. Eddy and Ginny walked beside them.

“Nothing is as good as Dad’s cooking.” Eddy flashed him a grin. “But this looks like a close second.”

They laughed and teased one another all the way back to the casita. Ginny did her best to take part, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Alton. About what Eddy had said about the dangers facing them.

There’d been a moment, that very brief moment when she’d realized Alton was alone in the desert, unarmed and under attack, that she’d known she would risk anything—anything—to keep him safe.

Including her freedom?

Yes, she admitted. Even that.

But what about her heart? Ginny Jones was never going to fall in love. She flat out refused to make herself that vulnerable to any man.

But then she glanced at him, walking beside her with that sexy, long-limbed stride of his and the cocky smile on his perfect lips, and she wanted him. Wanted him so badly she felt like screaming.

No, damn it. She refused to allow it. She was not going to fall in love. Not as long as she had anything to say about it.

 

The four of them stood beside the little blue Ford Focus and stared at the car. Ginny cocked an eyebrow at Eddy, who was obviously having a hard time fighting a case of the giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Ginny bit the inside of her cheek.

“It’s awfully small,” Dax said, bending over to peer through the open window on the driver’s side. “The three of us barely fit. How are four…?”

Eddy snorted. “Reminds me of the circus where about ten big clowns all climb out of an itsy-bitsy car after it pulls into the ring.”

Alton shook his head. “I’m not sure how big a clown is, but I have a feeling the four of us won’t fit in this.”

“If you guys knew how to drive, Eddy and I might fit in back, but there’s no way I’m turning either of you loose with any car I’m responsible for.” Ginny reached for the door. “Alton, you’re taller than Dax, so you take the passenger seat. Dax and Eddy will have to squeeze into the back. It’s less than ten miles to the car rental place. I saw it when we drove through town.”

Ginny waited to get into the car until the others had managed to squeeze into their seats. There was much shuffling and good-natured cursing as they rearranged long legs as well as scabbards and swords. Ginny maintained until the other three were situated, but as she buckled herself in, she made the mistake of glancing up and catching Alton’s twinkling green eyes staring directly into hers.

The humor in his gaze did it. She’d been so tense all through lunch, so unwilling to let down her guard. He’d moved his seat as far forward as he could to make room for Dax and Eddy in the backseat, but now, seeing him squished into the small front seat with his long legs folded tightly and his jeans-clad knees poking up in front of the dashboard was just too much. Laughter bubbled up out of her chest and exploded in a burst of giggles.

She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and let the laughter flow. Alton’s deep chuckle was quickly joined by Dax’s and Eddy’s unrestrained laughter and the tension melted away. Finally Ginny raised her head, turned toward Alton, and caught him smiling at her, laughing with her, and she knew.

Whatever happened, she and Alton would figure it out. If they could laugh at the stupid stuff and deal with the tough issues, they’d get through whatever came their way.

Even the convoluted feelings that seemed to affect every thought Ginny had, every move she made?

Even those. They could be friends. They could care about each other without falling head over heels in love. Without all the issues that went along with a deeper, more emotional relationship. All it meant was keeping things on an even keel. Remembering that she was an independent woman who had done well without a man in her life for the past thirty-one years, who could continue to succeed with a man as a friend, not the other half she’d need to complete her whole.

She was already whole. A woman complete unto herself.

And don’t you forget it.

With that admonition planted firmly in mind, Ginny got her giggles under control, wiped the tears from her eyes with both hands, and then started the car. First things first.

They definitely needed a bigger car.

 

“Okay.” Ginny handed her cell phone to Alton. He tucked it into her bag as she smiled at Eddy in the rearview mirror. “Watch for Airport Road. The same company where I got this car has an office at the Sedona airport. The guy I just talked to says he’s got a Yukon. It’s a big four-wheel-drive SUV that should be perfect for us.”

Eddy leaned forward. “How are we going to pay for it? You can’t keep sticking things on your charge card, Ginny. That place we’re staying in must be costing you a fortune.”

Alton interrupted. “That would be my department. I grabbed a handful of diamonds when we were in Lemuria and we sold a couple to a jeweler.”

Eddy’s mouth fell open and she grabbed his shoulder. “You mean he didn’t ask you where they came from?”

Alton shrugged. “He was more interested in paying us a fraction of their actual value and getting us out of his shop.”

“There’s our turn.” Ginny flashed a glance at Eddy as she made a right onto a side road. “No thanks to my navigators.”

“Sorry about that, but I’m still trying to figure out how you were able to sell loose diamonds and not get arrested.” Eddy laughed and sat back in her seat.

“There was a little Lemurian compulsion involved.” Ginny flashed a quick glance at Alton, but Eddy didn’t seem appeased.

“Alton? Didn’t it bother you to know he’d cheated you?”

Alton thought about that a moment. He knew enough about human currency to recognize the value of the perfect stones and the fact the jeweler had definitely made out better on the deal, but Alton and Ginny had still gotten more money than they needed. And he had played what Ginny referred to as his Lemurian mind games on the man.

Alton turned toward Eddy and shrugged. “He gave us enough to pay for the room and to rent the car. Enough that we won’t need to sell more diamonds for many months. My compulsion helped him accept our explanation, and the deal worked for us as well as it worked for him. Plus, I still have many more stones.”

“And here I’m totally frantic, wondering how I’ll pay bills if I’m not writing for the Record. I gave notice this morning before we left for Sedona.”

Ginny parked the car in front of a small building. “You quit your job?” She frowned at Eddy and then shot a quick glance toward Alton.

He kept his features as expressionless as possible. The decision whether to leave her job was one Ginny needed to reach on her own.

“I did,” Eddy said. “And Harlan was less than pleased, but I really didn’t have a choice. It’s not like you can ignore a demon invasion, but at the same time, I’m totally freaking out about what I’m going to live on.”

Ginny nodded. “So true, Eddy. No one ever explains how superheroes pay the bills, but that’s not going to be a problem for us. For one thing, I’m not quitting my job.”

Alton held back a frustrated sigh and turned back to Eddy. “I’ve put more than enough money in Ginny’s account for all of us.” He glanced at Ginny and wondered what she would think of his offer. “If Ginny doesn’t mind, we can take some of those funds and transfer whatever you need to your account.”

Ginny frowned at him. “Why would I mind? It’s your money. Do whatever you want with it. I think it’s a great idea, Alton.”

He merely nodded.

“Really?” Eddy flashed him a big grin. “Wow. That would definitely make a difference. Thanks. And Ginny, good luck on the job. I couldn’t do it, not with all the interdimensional running around we’ve been doing.”

“You say that like you’re just hopping a Greyhound from one town to the next.” Ginny slowly shook her head.

Alton picked up a few scattered thoughts, mostly about all the changes in her life, how unbelievable everything seemed. Maybe, once it felt real to her, she’d understand she couldn’t go back to the life she’d once had. It was gone. Forever gone.

Just as his had forever changed. Had Ginny even once considered how much he’d given up?

Ginny climbed out of the car and held the door for Dax. Alton did the same for Eddy. Ginny’s thoughts filtered into his head as Eddy slid out of the small backseat.

Thank you, Alton. I hadn’t realized what a huge favor you’d done all of us. The money from the diamonds really does make this a lot less stressful.

He wanted to laugh, but he merely nodded. The money was nothing—merely one more weapon in their battle against demonkind, and there was no way anyone could take the stress out of hunting demons. Still, he couldn’t hide the pleasure her telepathic message gave him. She’d been blocking him since earlier today. Hiding her thoughts so successfully, he’d not had any idea at all what she was thinking.

For that matter, he still didn’t, but at least she’d reached out, if only to be polite. That had to be an improvement. As Ginny led them into the car rental agency, he opened his mind to her, searching for more of her thoughts.

He slammed into a seething wall of fury.

There was no sign of Ginny. No, what he found was pure evil. The demon king was back, and he was very, very close.

Alton reached for Dax, linking their thoughts as gently as he could. He didn’t want the demon to know he was aware of his presence.

Dax? Do you feel it?

He’s nearby, isn’t he?

He is. Tell Eddy to be alert and I’ll warn Ginny. We need to find out where he is, what avatar he’s taken.

Dax nodded and slipped an arm around Eddy’s waist. Alton stepped up close beside Ginny. I sense demonkind nearby, possibly the demon king. Dax and I are going to search for him. Rent the vehicle. Don’t worry about us. If we have to, I’ll use a compulsion to hide our activities.

Ginny nodded, turned, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Be careful.” Then she walked away from him.

Alton stood there, bemused by the soft kiss that seemed to shimmer over his cheek, and wondering why she confused him so. Then Dax lightly punched his shoulder.

“Don’t even try and figure them out.” He nodded toward the women and then turned back to the door they’d just entered. “Demons are a lot less complicated. Let’s go.”

Alton followed. “You’re telling me you don’t understand Eddy? Even now?”

“Not a bit.” Dax grinned at Alton and stepped out into the bright sunshine.

“But, how…?”

“I follow her lead. I listen to her heart. I love her.” He stopped and stared directly into Alton’s eyes. “Do you love Ginny?”

His question brought Alton to an immediate stop. “Love?” He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He glanced back toward the small office building shimmering in the afternoon glare. “At first I was concerned because I was Lemurian, an immortal, and she was…” He shrugged. “Nine hells, who am I kidding? I saw her and I was drawn to her. She’s brave and beautiful and smart and funny, but she was human and I thought maybe we could spend time together, though not anything serious or truly important.”

“And now?” Dax had turned and continued walking, heading quickly down the road they’d driven in on.

Alton followed. “Now I know Ginny is not only Lemurian and immortal, she’s also of royal blood.” He laughed, aware of the bitterness in the sound. “I thought her a lesser person and I find now that I’m the lesser one. I am an outcast, an exile from the only world I’ve ever known. Even if I were to love her, she would not want one such as me. So, whether I love her or not can’t really matter one way or the other.”

“You’re thinking like the spoiled son of the Lemurian chancellor. Think like a man interested in a woman, if you are. Because you once put yourself above Ginny and believed she was not worthy of you, now you think she’d do the same.” Dax sent him a look that was much too perceptive.

“I don’t understand. Social standing is an important part of relationships.” Alton paused again as the sense of demon grew stronger.

“Think of what you’re saying, my friend. I’m an ex-demon. Eddy was a newspaper reporter. We didn’t ask to be thrown together, but we were. We didn’t expect to fall in love, but we did. Do you think she questioned my origin or I questioned hers? We were both too busy trying to stay alive, hoping to enjoy the one week we thought was all we had together.”

Dax turned and gazed toward a small saddle in the nearby hill. “When you love, it is the object of your love who matters. Not where they came from or even what they are. It’s who they are. Ginny is a brave and giving soul, an independent young woman who has been thrown into a battle without any warning at all. Remember, you chose to join this fight. Ginny didn’t. Don’t push her, but don’t underestimate her, either.”

Alton rested his hand on Dax’s broad shoulder. “How, my friend, did you grow so wise so quickly? You’ve been human for less than two weeks.”

Dax gazed at him with eyes that had seen too much. “In my short span on Earth, I’ve fallen in love, I’ve watched those I love fight to the death. I’ve died and been reborn.” He laughed, but there was very little humor in the rough sound.

“All of those things tend to force you to focus on what counts. I learned that love is what counts. Only love.” Dax blinked, tilted his head, and turned away. Walking quickly, he headed across a small parking lot toward the saddle. “It’s up here,” he said, increasing his pace to a jog.

Alton had no choice but to follow. His mind seemed to spin with what Dax had said, but he’d have to study those ideas later. The sense of demon was growing stronger, as was the pulse of energy—a powerful masculine energy emanating from the nearby rise.

Ginny’d said there was a vortex near the airport. This must be it, but it appeared the demon king had found it first.