Demon’s Revenge (High Demon #5)(23)
Author: Connie Suttle

"I don’t know the how, but I may know the why," Rylend’s sigh was heavy. "Darletta has her fingers in Starshine on Surnath, and is one of the owners of Stellar Winds. When she and Tory married, she didn’t have anything – Daddy owned all of it. That has obviously changed through the years. She didn’t want to give Tory any part of that when she sent him packing. And it was her choice, I’d bet on it," Ry’s handsome face held worry.

"She’s already going around with someone else," Ry went on. "Reah and I saw both of them earlier tonight at Starshine. The thing is, the man Darletta was with is the former lover of the woman who shot several of her coworkers at Abinger’s Legal Firm in Quezlos."

"That’s weird," Lissa said. "Are you and Reah working on all that?"

"Yeah. That’s what we’re working on. Bel was doing the investigation, and he disappeared. Lendill asked us to find Bel, so we’re backtracking his last few steps. This is turning into one of your cans of worms, Mom."

"Sounds like it. You really think Darletta and dear old Dad had something to do with Tory’s loss of memory?"

"Yeah. How else can we explain it? How’s Tory doing?"

"Connegar says that they’ve got him to the point where he believes Raedah and Tara are six," Lissa said, standing and pushing her chair in. "If I find out the Schuuls did something to him, I may have a few words to say."

"You can’t interfere, can you?"

"No. Belen and the others say no. They say that this has to play out as it does. It will alter the timeline if I try."

"So, no sense Looking, huh?"

"I haven’t even tried."

"Then Reah and I will do our best to piece this together. Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll get to the bottom of it."

"Please do. Get good, hard evidence for me, honey, and I’ll see that they’re prosecuted."

"We will. I need to get back."

"Let me know if you need anything," Lissa stood on tiptoe to kiss Ry’s cheek.

"Will do." Ry folded away.

"Have fun?" I asked sleepily when Ry appeareorkn Ry apd in the darkness inside our hotel room.

"Went to see Mom for a few minutes," he replied, pulling his shirt off and wandering into the bathroom. "Besides, you’re supposed to be sleeping."

"I need a glass of water," I said, tossing back covers and sliding out of bed. Ry stood beside me in the bathroom, brushing his teeth as I filled a glass with water. If I hadn’t gone to smaller Thifilatha and skipped Ry away when our room exploded, he might have been badly burned at the very least.

Chapter 6

No heat or fire can harm a High Demon’s Thifilathi. Or Thifilatha, if the female can turn. Most didn’t. My daughters hadn’t. At least not yet. I’d wrapped myself around Rylend Morphis and hauled him out of our burning hotel room, skipping to the first place that came to mind—my house on Kifirin. The cottage was empty, thank goodness, else we might have had to explain why I was naked and Ry’s clothing was smoldering.

"Fuck!" Ry shouted, pacing and flinging his arms this way and that. I’d never seen him so angry. I wasn’t arguing with it, though, opting instead for going to the closet in my old bedroom and pulling something out that I could wear. My new clothing had been inside the hotel room, and all of it was now obliterated.

Reah? Lendill’s frightened mindspeech came as I was slipping into an old pair of shoes. We’re on Kifirin, both of us, I reassured him. He appeared, seconds later.

"Reah got us out, I wasn’t expecting anything of the sort and was unprepared." Ry was as angry with himself as he was with whoever had bombed our room.

"This is no coincidence," Lendill muttered, watching Ry pace. "The moment my agents begin to look into this again, someone tries to kill them." I’d been thinking the same thing, and that had me frightened for Bel. Again. I was hugging myself without realizing it.

"Reah, don’t worry, we’ll deal with this," Ry put his arms around me. "Lendill, can you release a statement saying we got killed? And can you salvage anything inside the room and bring it to us at my chalet on Campiaa?"

"Sure. Norian is still in Quezlos and about to pitch the biggest fit, so I’ll go calm him down," Lendill nodded at Ry and me before folding away.

"Ry, what does this mean?" I looked up at him. My back was to his chest and he was squeezing me gently, his chin resting on the top of my head until I moved.

"No idea. Come on, there’s plenty of room at my place." Ry folded me to Campiaa.

"Is this the best you could find?" Zendeval glared at his assistant, who was as efficient as any assistant could be. Zen had just finished interviewing four master cooks and didn’t like any of them. They’d cooked for him, he’d tasted the food and none of it was up to Galedaro’s standards. It would do at a lesser restaurant, and Zen fumed over that.

Zendeval Rjjn oversaw the five most exclusive hotels on Stellar Winds. Galedaro’s was the best of that five. That’s where he had his offices and suite, in the business wing. Jerves, his assistant, kept things running smoothly for the most part, and only brought the most important decisions to Zen for approval.

"Sir, I can only bring you the best of those who apply,&quoe,&:t; Jerves was worried, Zen could tell.

"Did you contact those on Tulgalan, as I asked?"

"I did. They politely turned me down," Jerves was shaking slightly, Zen noticed.

"Jerves, calm yourself. All right? You’re not about to lose your job. Go back to the ones I mentioned and offer more money."

"I will, but I don’t know if that will mean anything. They’re a close-knit family, and quite loyal."

"Then we’ll work on that," Zen sighed. "Go. See what you can do. We need to hire someone in the next two days."

"Of course, sir. I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything."

"See that you do." Zen watched as Jerves hurried out the door to his private office. He had the list of seven visitors in front of him—Nedrizif had finally sent it. The seven official owners’ names were displayed on Zen’s comp-vid. There were two other owners who wouldn’t (and couldn’t) be listed. Nedrizif was one of those. Zen ran fingers through his dark-brown hair and tugged.

Ry has a beautiful chalet, high in the mountains surrounding Campiaa City. I was leaning on his kitchen island, a cup of tea in my hands and staring out a huge window overlooking the mountain and the city below.

"Sleep well?" Ry came in wearing pajama bottoms only and poured tea for himself. If more women could see the body, coupled with the face, they’d have multiple orgasms on the spot. Ry usually worked out with someone; either Drake, Drew or their father or uncle, two or three times a week. Rylend Morphis was a master swordsman, even if he never talked about it.