"Don't be surprised if they're not excited by the news," Carmen advised. "They never react well to change."
Maddox sighed. "So I've noticed." He looked at Hector. "We need to step up the security around here for a while—you know what measures to put in place."
"It'll be done," said Hector.
"Warn everyone to be extremely alert. They're already on their guard due to the number of descendant lairs that have been targeted recently, but that's not enough."
"I'll make sure they all understand the need for vigilance," Hector promised.
"Do you think it might be better if you ask Raini not to come here until all this has blown over?" asked Carmen carefully.
Maddox's demon stiffened. "It's not necessary. She'd be safe within these walls. And if any trouble did break out, one of us can teleport her home. Who's on her right now?"
"Duncan and Hoyt," replied Carmen, referring to the two most experienced members of the lair's Force.
"Good," said Maddox. "After tonight, I'll be teleporting her to and from the club on days she's due to come here. If for some reason I can't personally collect her, I'll ask one of you to do so. There's no point in me doing it tonight, because she'll already be on her way here. Hector, I want you to be the one who escorts her from the parking lot to the club and back again tonight. No one from our lair would harm her, but they also wouldn't be mindful of her safety. I would have continued to trust Gunther to escort her if he wasn't … indisposed."
Hector grimaced. "That's the third time this year we've had to put him in the mausoleum. I know it's better that he's there, but still."
Maddox nodded. "But still."
The mausoleum was situated in the cemetery of the private land he owned. There was also an old monastery, which he'd updated and modernized so it looked more like a hotel. The entire lair lived there—it was their idea of a private joke, really, given that they were far from holy. There was also a cathedral, which was where they held lair meetings.
He'd considered taking Raini to his land a time or two. He'd thought of showing her around the monastery, and fucking her in his bed. But he couldn't guard the secrets of his kind if he brought her so fully into his world. That his kind drank blood was only one of those secrets, and it wasn't even the worst.
Well this guy's new, Raini thought as she locked her car with the key fob. Maybe her usual escort had a night off. This descendant was big and broad and carried an air of authority. Probably a sentinel. His eyes scanned the lot, searching the shadows.
"They're in the Charger near the exit," she told him.
He looked at Raini. "Who?"
"My from-afar-guards."
His eyes narrowed. "You made them?"
"I grew up among imps. One of the first lessons my dad taught me is how to know when I'm being followed. He has that down to a science. It's necessary for imps to learn that kind of thing, considering they often end up under police surveillance at some point. We use a lot of 'code' when speaking over the phone, because we don't always know if the lines are being monitored."
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