Page 54 of White Little Lies

“There aren’t a lot of devils in the city,” I argued. “Let alone female ones.”

Elena’s eyes followed each of us as we spoke. “Isn’t it weird though that Sebastian didn’t already know about her?”

“Unless he was lying.” Gabriel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

I reached for the open box of cold pizza on the coffee table. “He didn’t even have to lie. We didn’t question him directly. When he said nothing, I assumed he didn’t know her.”

“Then we shouldn’t worry about him being gone.”

I looked up at him. “Like it or not, he’s a part of this. I would have never gotten this far without him.”

He glowered, unable to argue.

“Perhaps Fiorus would have further insight,” Crispin suggested.

Elena sat up a little straighter. “Oh, are we going to the nymph realm? Can I come this time?”

“No,” we all said in unison, including Braxton.

She hunched her shoulders and pouted. “Fine. But I did get your boss a date. I should get to have at least a little fun.”

I rolled my eyes. “None of this is fun, but fine. You can come with, but not to the nymph realm.”

“Then where?”

I looked at each of them. “Dawn said Lucas was on a war path because he thought he had been betrayed. And if this female devil was the one who brought my mom’s alleged message, she’ll be the one he’s after.”

“Eva, no—” Gabriel pushed away from the wall.

I stayed seated, cold pizza in hand. “You know it’s our best option.”

“What’s our best option?” Elena was practically bouncing with excitement.

“To go to the Silver Quarter and find Lucas. If he thinks he was betrayed, he’s no longer going to care about me. And if he wants to find the female devil,” I shrugged, “he probably has a much better idea of where she is than any of us do.”

“He tried to kill you,” Gabriel grumbled.

I shrugged again. “Who hasn’t?”

Gabriel gave me a dark look, obviously not seeing the humor.

Only Braxton smirked. When my humor was too dark, he always still laughed.

Because what were best friends for?

20

While I still thought going tothe Silver Quarter was our best bet, Gabriel had convinced me to at least visit a few gargoyles and see if they knew how to reach Lucas first. Then there was also the Circus. That was where I had first met him, and also where he had tried to abduct me. I wasn’t sure what other business an angelic would have at the carnival/casino, but he did seem to frequent the place. We still hadn’t heard from Sebastian, and I had done everything short of setting his card on fire.

Elena looked up at the sign for Lapis Brews, the periwinkle sign with deep blue lettering matching their enchanted cups. “Coffee? There’s nothing exciting about coffee.”

“I beg to differ.” I reached for the door.

Even though we were heading into evening,the place was packed, standing room only. I squeezed into the crowd, looking for the end of the line.

Elena and the guys filtered in after me. Even Braxton had come along, with Ringo riding on his shoulder for a better view than I could afford. The best view would be with Gabriel, but he was waiting out on the street, keeping an eye on things.

I grabbed Elena’s hand so she wouldn’t get lost and pushed a little closer to the counter. A female gargoyle, her skin a stony, dappled charcoal, worked the register, taking orders and flashing smiles. Her bat-like wings were tucked close to her back, protruding above the scoop neck of her blue tank top.