Finale

question for the past
hour.
    “Tell you what. Go home. I’ll stay with Vee. When she finally drops, I’ll give her a ride.”
    “I thought you weren’t supposed to get mixed up in my personal life.” I tried to sound surly, but I was exhausted, and the conviction just wasn’t there.
    “Your rule, not mine.”
    I chewed my lip. “Maybe just this once. After all, Vee likes you. And you actually have the stamina to keep dancing with her. I mean, this is a good thing, right?”
    He nudged my leg. “Quit rationalizing and get out of here already.”
    To my surprise, I sighed with relief. “Thanks, Dante. I owe you.”
    “You can pay me back tomorrow. We need to finish our earlier conversation.”
    And just like that, any benevolent feelings washed away. Once again, Dante was the thorn in my foot, relentless in his pestering. “If anything happens to Vee, I’m holding you
personally responsible.”
    “She’ll be fine, and you know it.”
    I might not like Dante, but I did trust he’d do what he said. After all, he reported to me now. He’d sworn allegiance to me. Maybe my role as leader of all Nephilim would have a few
perks after all. On that note, I left.
    It was a cloudless night, the moon a haunting blue against the black of night. As I walked to my car, the music from the Devil’s Handbag echoed like a distant rumble. I inhaled the chilly
October air. Already my headache ebbed.
    The untraceable cell phone Patch had given me rang in my handbag.
    “How was girls’ night out?” Patch asked.
    “If Vee had her way, we’d be here all night.” I stepped out of my shoes and slung them on my finger. “All I can think about is bed.”
    “We’re sharing the same thought.”
    “You’re thinking about bed too?” But Patch had told me that he rarely slept.
    “I’m thinking about
you
in
my
bed.”
    My stomach did one of those flutter things. I’d stayed the night at Patch’s place for the first time last night, and while the attraction and temptation had definitely been there,
we’d managed to sleep in different rooms. I wasn’t sure how far I wanted to take our relationship, but instinct told me Patch wasn’t quite so indecisive.
    “My mom’s waiting up,” I said. “Bad timing.” Speaking of bad timing, I unwillingly recalled my most recent conversation with Dante. I needed to bring Patch up to
speed. “Can we meet tomorrow? We need to talk.”
    “That doesn’t sound good.”
    I smacked a kiss into the phone. “I missed you tonight.”
    “The night’s not over. After I finish up here, I could swing by your place. Leave your bedroom window unlocked.”
    “What are you working on?”
    “Surveillance.”
    I frowned. “Sounds vague.”
    “My target’s on the move. I have to roll,” he said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    And he hung up.
    I padded down the sidewalk, wondering who Patch was keeping an eye on, and why—the whole thing sounded a little ominous—when my car, a white 1984 Volkswagen Cabriolet, came into
view. I threw my shoes into the backseat and dropped behind the wheel. I stuck the key in the ignition, but the engine didn’t roll over. It repeatedly made a strained, chugging sound, and I
took the opportunity to think a few choice and inventive words at the worthless piece of scrap metal.
    The car had fallen into my lap as a donation from Scott, and had given me more hours of grief than actual miles on the road. I hopped out and propped the hood, glaring speculatively at the
greasy labyrinth of hoses and containers. I’d already dealt with the alternator, the carburetor, and the spark plugs. What was left?
    “Car trouble?”
    I flipped around, surprised by the sound of a nasally male voice behind me. I hadn’t heard anyone approach. More perplexing, I hadn’t sensed him.
    “It would appear so,” I said.
    “Need some help?”
    “Pretty much I just need a new car.”
    He had a greasy, nervous smile. “Why don’t I give you a lift? You look like a nice girl. We could have a nice talk while we drive.”
    I kept my distance, my mind spinning wildly as I tried to place him. Instinct told me he wasn’t human. Nor was he Nephilim. Funny thing was, I didn’t think he was a fallen angel,
either. He had a round, cherubic face topped with a thatch of yellow-blond hair, and floppy Dumbo ears. He looked so harmless, in fact, that it made me instantly suspicious. Instantly uneasy.
    “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll catch a ride with my