Demon Moon

cleaning one can do with a hellhound and his cache,” Castleford observed from behind him. “Lilith does the same thing on her night for dishes, and they reappear when it’s my evening.”
    Not discarded then. Concealed. Yet so much worse: to be close to everything she needed to reflect her, to know where it was but be unable to have it…
    He’d known that ache too well since Caelum. Now she was slipping away from him again. And this time, taking everything with her.
    “Your clothes are by the door,” Lilith said. “The courier delivered them about fifteen minutes ago.”
    His brows drew together as he crossed the room toward the door connecting to Castleford’s house; he immediately recognized the elegant packaging and discreet logo from his preferred clothing store. Oh, sweet Savitri. His throat thickened with an unnamable emotion. Lowering himself to his heels, he slid his fingers beneath the tape on the largest package.
    A card sat on top, with a message scrawled in nearly illegible handwriting. For saving me—three times. And because ripped pants are so 1990s. I hope they all fit; they had your measurements on file but these are off the rack. There wasn’t time to do alterations. The receipt’s in here if you want to return them .
    She hadn’t signed her name, but had drawn a big smiley face. Guarded, even on a note. And prepared for rejection.
    They let me go .
    An ivory cashmere sweater. A pair of charcoal trousers. A jacket. A shirt, gray with green pinstripes. Trousers identical to those he wore now. All replacements for items ruined fighting the wyrmwolves.
    But she’d included more—things he’d need to leave her house without borrowing from Castleford or going without: handmade shoes, silk socks and handkerchiefs, underclothes. Cologne.
    And a finely knit sweater in cerulean blue. No use for it, nor was it a replacement. It was the only item she hadn’t seen him wear before. A personal gift—and he could easily imagine her stopping, her attention arrested by the color, touching it…and choosing it on impulse at the last minute.
    It had to have been at the last moment; if she’d taken time to reflect on how much it revealed, she’d have put it back.
    I’m not attentive to them .
    Was this attention, or simply what she’d learned about him from casual observation? It didn’t matter. It would be wasted on any other man. And if she would only offer it to one, if it had to be a suitor so that she could fulfill her promise to Auntie…then it would be him.
    He needed this. He’d secure her attention for himself if he had to move heaven and earth to do it.
    And there was no way in hell he would let her go.

    Colin’s hair was damp when he went down the stairs to Castleford’s. He glanced at the painting of Caelum, then followed the sound of cursing and found Lilith in the hallway near the garage, shrugging into her jacket and snapping her cell phone closed. The rest of her leather ensemble had been exchanged for loose cotton cargo pants and a T-shirt. Castleford entered from the kitchen moments after, his helmet dangling from his fingers.
    “That bitch Taylor is avoiding me,” Lilith announced, sliding a gun into a holster at the small of her back. Her long black hair concealed the slight bulge it left in the line of her jacket.
    A pair of grooves bracketed Castleford’s mouth, but he refrained from commenting.
    Colin shook his head in disbelief. “Your diplomatic skills are atrocious, Agent Milton.” The last time he’d seen Lilith and Detective Taylor in the same room together, Lilith had been using Sir Pup to frighten the woman and her partner speechless. “I’ll speak with her before you completely destroy all relations with the San Francisco police; it primarily concerns me, anyway.”
    He ignored their surprise and tugged on the cuffs of the blue sweater, made certain they lay perfectly over his wrists.
    He raised a brow at their continued silence. “I’ve a vested interest in routing this demon; it’s not an altruistic offer.”
    “And a vested interest in Savi,” Lilith said flatly. “As he’s been using the vampires to watch her, you have even more reason.”
    “Yes.” He met Castleford’s eyes. “I find I cannot keep my promise to stay away from her. And as I cannot remain in good faith to you, I release you from the vow of protection you gave to me two centuries ago.” His jaw clenched, and he swallowed before adding, “But I would appreciate your help