Demon Angel

manipulative as a demon when she thought he hadn't eaten enough.
    Not that it was a hardship; a man could fall prey to gluttony rather easily when a meal tasted as good as—
    "Savi." A whisper, a warning. No mistaking the ecstasy on the vampire's face as he leaned toward her arched neck and inhaled deeply. She didn't hear Hugh, but Colin did. A cruel, predatory expression flashed over his features before it changed to a look almost comical in its surprise. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses, but Hugh felt the quick survey the vampire took of him before murmuring something to Savi that made her dissolve into giggles.
    His tension subsiding, he finally noticed the silence that had fallen over the gaming table.
    Taylor and Preston sat with them. The group had tripled in size, and the greetings from the boys held a note of guilt and unease. Preston rose to his feet, extended his hand.
    "Didn't think you'd mind if we talked with these guys, Castleford."
    Hugh stepped forward, shook it, not bothering to keep the wry smile from his face. The detectives hadn't been so friendly that afternoon, but they likely didn't want to raise any protective instincts in the group that would make them less open to discussing Ian, Javier or their professor. "Of course not."
    Taylor gave Hugh a cursory glance, then looked past him toward Colin and Savi. Had she seen the fleeting exchange between the two men when he'd opened the door?
    If she had, she kept her curiosity well contained, nodding toward her plate. "Excellent selection here."
    "I'll convey your compliments to Auntie," he said. "Agent Milton couldn't join you?"
    "No," Taylor said, not quite hiding the dislike beneath the flat tones.
    Hugh's lips twitched. Lilith had that effect.
    Another burst of laughter from Savi, this time with a deeper, throaty edge to it. He clenched his fingers in the napkin. "I don't know if you've had an opportunity to speak with Savitri Murray," he said. She'd been interviewed by uniformed officers and confirmed Hugh's story about the night before he'd found Ian, but as far as Hugh knew, hadn't talked to the two detectives. "But she created DemonSlayer. Any questions you have about the game, she could answer them; and she knew both Javier and Ian."
    Preston and Taylor looked from him to Savi. The question on Preston's face was clear. " Just housemates," Hugh clarified.
    "We had hoped to interview her today, before—" Preston stopped, but Hugh imagined he knew what had happened. Before Lilith had shown up with the symbols and the story that had led them to his office. "We intended to speak with her tomorrow."
    Hugh smiled thinly. "I'm glad to speed things up, then."
    A burning frustration stalked with him to Colin's table. The vampire looked up at his approach, but with a studied lack of focus in his expression. Hugh frowned; then he saw the dog on the floor, the harness, and understood why Savi was reading aloud a description of bhindi masala.
    The hellhound grinned up at him.
    "Savi," he said, his gaze never straying from Colin's face. "I believe the detectives would like to speak with you."
    "Oh, but—" As if his words finally registered, the dismay left her voice and her tone hardened. "What detectives?"
    He glanced away from Colin, found her staring over his shoulder at Taylor and Preston. "They just want to ask a few questions."
    She straightened. "What should I tell them?"
    She sounded as if she wanted to tell them to go to Hell and quickly. He noted Colin's sudden grin and had to smile, too. "The truth."
    "AH right." A little deflated, she sucked her upper lip between her teeth, the lower pushed out into a pout. It was a gesture she often made when she was torn between doing the correct thing and doing the thing she considered more exciting.
    "The truth," Hugh repeated. Seeing how Colin was suddenly entranced by her mouth, he gave her a push.
    "Oh! Will you, uh—" She gestured to the menu, to Colin's sunglasses. Then she slapped the laminated menu into his hand. "Take over? I was on forty-two."
    Colin watched her walk away with a heavy sigh.
    "No," Hugh said and took the seat opposite the vampire. The hellhound scrabbled to his feet, pushing his cold nose into Hugh's lap. After a brief, frozen moment, Hugh began scratching its ears. "She's my sister."
    "Oh, come now—" Cutting himself off mid-protest, the vampire exhaled sharply. "Very well. If you call her sister, I'll not pursue her."
    "I do." That relationship wouldn't have mattered