Page 19 of Beauty At Stake
“Could we not talk aboutparenting issueswhile on a mission?”
“We're parents.”
“Kill.”
“Fine. I was just saying that it's good you don't have to go home every night to deal with that. We've got a little more wriggle room.”
“Oh. Yeah, that's helpful.”
“Easier to be an ambassador when you don't have an infant depending on you for sustenance.”
“Miri's only six months old. She's still an infant. She's just past the . . . let's stop.”
“All right. But you need to scry them soon, Twilight. I don't want to get shit from them over this too.”
“Oh, I see how it is. Brotherhood.”
He shrugged. “We have a different type of bond than the one we share with you, but it's still a strong one. I owe them the truth and you're making me feel very dishonest.”
I grimaced to myself. He wasn't the only one.
“Let them know we're here,” Killian called into the back.
“On it,” someone said. Then came a click and, “Arrived.”
“Copy that,” several replies came through a comm device.
Killian pulled over and got out of the van. He pulled his swords out from where he'd stowed them and got them onto his back, in their criss-crossed holder. I got out on the street side and checked things out. We were in a residential area with houses right on the beach. Two other vans pulled in behind us and emptied, Demons and vexes spilling out. Our large group converged behind the vehicles.
“That's it.” Killian pointed out a huge, modern house looming behind a black gate.
“Iron.” Lady Malai shared a look with her team.
“We'll get it open for you.” Nassar winked at Malai.
Malai stared back. “I'm sure we'll be fine.”
“Not a lot of houses with iron gates on this block,” Killian noted.
“Coincidence?” Sal drawled.
“I think we all know the chances of that,” I said. “We go in quietly. That Demon has probably prepared them. And if they're prepared for Fairies, they're prepared for anything.”
“Except you, babe.” Killian smirked at me. “No one's prepared for you.”
I grinned at him. “I'm not going to go in blasting Light.”
“You could always use Darkness.” Star was leaning again, this time against a van. His smirk and stance only added to the sexiness of all that black leather.
I glanced away. “I'll use whatever I deem best. But we want to capture if possible.” I paused to send out my spidey sense, feeling for a Demon further out than those beside me. “I don't sense the Demon. He might still be there, out of range for me, but I doubt it, and he's our main target. We need whoever we find to lead us to him. If we don't get a prisoner, this might be a dead end.”
“Literally.” Killian chuckled. Then he saw everyone's expressions. “Because we would have killed them all. Dead end.”
“Understood,” Team Leader Rex Sullivan said—to me, not Killian—then shot a look at his extinguishers. “No fatalities, if possible.”
“Yes, sir!” the Extinguishers said in unison.
“Hey, where did the Fairies go?” Trez asked.
