Eden waited, every muscle in her body now tense.

“We need to get out of here right now,” Darrak said tightly.

“But I thought you said we need to talk to the wizard master’s assistant.” She looked over at him laughing with the three women, oblivious to her. Only ten feet away. They were so close.

“No. This isn’t the right time. Leave, Eden. Now, before I make you.”

“But why are you—?”

The next moment, she found herself forcibly turned around toward the exit. If motivated enough, the demon was able to control her body — or parts of it, anyhow. Since Eden didn’t enjoy losing control of her bodily functions, so to speak, she’d set up rules that prohibited him from ever doing that. At the moment, though, instead of anger she felt panic well inside her at his unexpected reaction.

“Darrak—”

“I’m serious,” Darrak said. “You need to get us the hell out of here right now.”

There was something in his voice that made her decide not to argue any further. Eden began walking toward the door. She exited and put one foot in front of the other on her way to her car.

“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” she asked.

“I saw someone I used to know. Someone I haven’t seen for over three hundred years, since before I was cursed.”

“Who was it?” Her hand shook as she tried to get her key into the lock of her rusted Toyota.

“He’s an archdemon like me.”

Eden inhaled sharply. “Does he know you’re here?”

“I don’t know. But coincidences are usually fate giving us a kick in the ass. All I know is he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t know what happened to me with the curse. And he wouldn’t understand that I’m. . well, I’m different than I used to be.”

This was shorthand for saying Darrak used to be demonically evil and now — thanks to being infused with humanity after possessing humans for hundreds of years — he wasn’t.