Chapter 13

I turned in bed,hugged the pillow, and tried going back to my dream. I didn't remember the details, but this time, it had been a nice one. I didn't want to wake up and face the reality of my life, which was definitely not that nice.

But I couldn't force myself to fall asleep again. With a groan, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and turned on the screen.

"What?" I sat up, startled it was already nine thirty in the morning.

I was on a freaking mission, not on vacation. I got up, used the restroom, washed my face with soap, brushed my teeth, and got dressed in black faux-leather leggings, a white tank top, and my combat boots.

I found Lacey in the kitchen, with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a teal apron. She looked from the range to me and smiled. "Good morning!"

"Morning." I walked up to the middle of the kitchen and saw she had breakfast well underway and the table was set for four. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

She shrugged and flipped a pancake in the frying pan. "You were sleeping so peacefully, and I knew the potion wouldn't be ready yet, so why not? Did you sleep well?"

"Ye—"

I heard a murmur and glanced out the bay window. Levi paced on the porch, his phone pressed against his ear.

Had he been up for long? Was he already working? Getting some innocent tangled up in his wishes? It was better if I imagined him to be an evil demon, this way I could protect myself.

Protect my heart.

"Ariella?"

I snapped my head back at Lacey, who had a smile on her lips. Shit.

"Hm, yes, I slept great. How about you?"

"Me too." She put two pancakes in a pile. "Can you get the others, please? Breakfast will be ready in two minutes."

I glanced around. "Where's Heidi?"

"In the shed," Lacey said.

I looked at the shed through the window. The door was wide open and I could see movement on the inside, even though I couldn't distinguish what was happening exactly.

I started for the door, but it opened and Levi stepped in. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I've got Heidi."

"Morning to you too," I muttered.

He walked past me and got some of the plates from Lacey. "Good news. I talked to Burgin, one of my men. He found out who the mansion belongs to." He brought the plates to the table. "It's not Molraz."

My stomach dropped. "It's not?"

"No." He slipped on to the bench and started piling his plate with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. "It's another demon who supposedly buys extremely rare supernatural items on the black market. His human name is Duncan Kensington and his house has a state-of-the-art security system, plus a dozen guards and dogs trained to attack."

"Paranoid much?" Lacey turned off the stove and joined us at the table.

Levi shrugged. "I would be too if the contents of my mansion were estimated at over seven billion dollars."

"Wait." I raised a finger. "Are you saying my wings have a price tag?"

"From what I heard, he bought them on the black market, sweetheart."

My stomach turned and I almost snapped at him, but I knew it wasn't his fault. I was the one who had lost them and now I was paying for it.

"What's the plan? We'll raid his house?"

"Actually, Burgin already contacted his guy. He won't meet with us, but his secretary, Lars, will."

"What do you mean? How did you do that?"

"I told him I have a rare item his boss will want to acquire, and I would love to discuss the details." He winked at me. "I'm full of tricks, sweetheart."

"Oh, I know."

My cheeks flamed after I said that. He had probably been tricking me last night when he almost kissed me, and I would have fallen for it.

Lacey glanced from him to me, and back at him.

"Anyway, sweetheart, we leave as soon as we eat and get the potion from Heidi."

"It should be ready soon," Lacey said. "Then you two can go."

"You two? You're not going?"

She shook her head, her expression dejected. "I'll stay with Heidi for a few days. She needs my help."

I opened my mouth to protest. She was stepping away to let her brother throw his charms at me, and I would fall, I knew I would. I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be. It might be a great one-night stand, but damn, I didn't have time for that.

Before I could say anything, the door opened and Heidi entered the kitchen. She dragged her feet to the table and stared at us with a smile.

"It's so good to see my house so lively," she said, her voice frail.

My heart gave a little squeeze. The old witch looked a lot older today. Her hair needed a good brush, her clothes were rumpled, and there were heavy bags under her eyes. Even her movements were slower than before, as if it was hard to move.

I glanced at Lacey and her eyes told me everything. That was why she was staying, because from last evening to now something had drained Heidi's energy … and that something was me. Or rather, the potion she had made for me.

The hand around my heart clutched harder.

Still smiling, Heidi slipped onto the seat beside Lacey and handed me what looked like a glorified shoebox. "The potions."

I opened the lid and gawked at it. There were so many … I did a quick estimate, and if I was right, there was enough to last me two months. "This is amazing." I closed the lid. "But this is too much. These potions cost a lot, I know that. It can't be a gift and?—"

"Pfft, that's nonsense." Heidi waved a hand at me. "It wasn't expensive at all." Her gaze flicked to Levi, who continued eating as if nothing was happening.

What was that?

"I insist."

"It's a gift to my favorite angel," she said.

A small smile tugged at my lips. "I'm probably the only angel you know."

She winked at me. "Exactly."

"Seriously, though, I can't?—"

The smile was gone. "Ariella, I'm an old and powerful witch and I'm telling you this is a gift. Now take them and be happy before I turn you into a toad!"

For a second, the entire table was quiet and tense.

Then Lacey let out a howler of a laugh, Heidi's laughter sounded more like hiccups, and even Levi's shoulder shook as he tried to hide he was laughing.

I smiled at her. "Thank you. Really. You might not want money, but I'll repay you for your kindness someday."

She finally cut a piece of her pancake, put it in her mouth, and said before she started chewing, "That I wouldn't mind."

* * *

When Levi drove awayfrom Durango, his hands on the wheel, and me in the passenger seat beside him, I finally asked him.

"What did you do?"

"You have to be more specific, sweetheart, because I do a lot of things." His tone was flirty, casual, but I was sure he knew what I was talking about.

"You paid for the potions."

"Nah—" He glanced at me and probably saw the teasing was over. At least for now. "Whatever you're thinking, that's not it, sweetheart. I'm doing this for selfish reasons. If you get caught, you'll get hurt, and if you get hurt, I'll get hurt."

"How much was it?"

"It doesn't matter. Like Heidi said, it's a gift."

"It matters to me." I wanted to take note of it so one day I could repay him. I really didn't want to owe money to a demon. Even if he said it was a gift now, he could use that against me in the future. I would repay him with money and Heidi with kindness or help. She had done a lot for me. "All right, don't tell me. I can use the price I paid for them in Houston and make my own calculations."

"Sweetheart, just?—"

I glared at him and he shut up.

Another ten minutes of tense silence went by before I worked up the courage to ask. "What happened to Heidi? She seemed well yesterday, and today, it was like she had only twenty percent of her energy left." It couldn't be the potions, could it?

"Heidi is a lot older than you think, and she has been dealing with arthritis. Every time she uses her magic, it flares up."

"What? But that's a human disease."

"Tell that to her body. Lacey is a great healer and she can't get rid of it. She can make Heidi feel better, though."

"That's why she stayed."

Levi nodded, his eyes on the road. "With the proper rest and Lacey's magic, Heidi will be like new in no time."

I could see he really cared for Heidi, like he cared for Lacey. And the women cared for him too.

I reached up and touched the necklace around my neck. When I tried giving it back, Heidi told me to keep it. "It belonged to a good friend. It has been sitting in a drawer for far too long. I would be glad if you kept it."

That had melted my heart. How could I say no to that?

I pushed those thoughts away before they even started and reached for something else. "Hm, are my clothes good enough for a meeting with the secretary of a billionaire demon?"

That half grin was back. "I have a plan for that."