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"Wow, you clean up nice," I stuttered, holding open the front door like a moron as Emrys grinned confidently. "Lose the grin before I clothesline you, pretty boy," I threatened. I was done with him having the upper hand.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin still in place as he tried to stroll in past me like he owned the place.

Unable to resist, I stuck out my foot and smiled with satisfaction when he stumbled slightly. He looked back surprised and I feigned innocence, even going as far to hold up my hands innocently.

"Walk much," I teased, finally grinning back at him.

"Guess not," he said, laughing. "Maybe you should hold my hand to make sure I don't fall and hurt myself," he said, taking my hand in his before I could object.

"Smooth," I whispered, leading him into the family room.

Haniel had joined Krista and Mark by the time we walked in. All three of them were standing like soldiers. You could see the tension and unease in their posture, except for Haniel, who was as stoic as ever. Emrys, on the other hand, seemed to ooze casualness, standing in the middle of the room next to me like this was his own house. My hunch was dead on—tonight was going to be a bundle of fun.

Before the awkward silence could make things any more uncomfortable, I finally dragged Emrys over to Mark. "Um, Uncle Mark, this is Emrys. Emrys, this is my Uncle Mark," I said as Emrys reached out to shake Mark's hand in a very human way.

It was glaringly obvious that a handshake was a bad idea when both guys decided to test their strength against each other. Next, I guessed they'd whip out their you know whats and have a pissing contest, the way they were acting. I was debating whether to interject by giving them both a punch in the gut to make them stop when Krista stepped in deftly and held out her own hand.

"Emrys, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jordyn's Aunt Krista," Krista said, sticking her hand in front of Emrys's face.

He finally unclenched his hand from Mark's and turned to Krista with an amused look on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, shaking her hand more delicately and flashing her a devastating smile.

"Likewise," she answered, smiling at him as some of the unease disappeared from her face. Even as an Ascended, I guess she wasn't immune to his charm.

"Haniel, it's a treat as always to be in your great presence," Emrys said, turning to Haniel with a mocking smile.

"Soul Trader," Haniel greeted him evenly.

"Emrys," he corrected Haniel before dismissing him by turning back to me. "So, what's for dinner?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Uh," I answered like a complete dip, thrown off by his question.

"I think he's joking," Krista said, sliding an arm around my shoulder.

"Right," I answered, glaring at Emrys. "Don't be a dick," I growled under my breath as I elbowed him in the ribs.

He grunted in pain making Mark laugh out right. "It's nice to see even you're not immune to Jordyn's strength," he said, settling into his chair as some of the tension left him.

"What, that was just a tap," I said sweetly.

"Yeah, you always just tap, uh-huh," Emrys replied, raising his eyebrows at me as he perched on the edge of the sofa, rubbing his abdomen.

"Don't be a sissy," I said, sinking down next to him.

"Sissy?" he asked.

"I wouldn't take it offensively. She calls us all sissies," Mark reassured him. "So, Emrys, what exactly are your intentions with our girl here?" he asked, all humor gone from his voice as he sat forward in his chair.

"Uncle Mark!" I hissed, shooting an apologetic look at Emrys.

"Don't 'Uncle Mark' me. I think we have a right to know exactly what his plans are," Mark said, not bothering to look at me.

"Well, my immediate plans are to get to know her better. She intrigues me, much as I'm sure she intrigues all of you," he answered like I wasn't even there.

"Yes, Jordyn is very special. We don't want her to feel like she is caged in, but we also want to protect her," Mark said. "We are strong believers in freewill, and that everyone should always have control over their thoughts and actions. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he continued with a hard edge in his voice.

I stifled a groan, knowing where the conversation was going, but didn't have a clue on how to stop the runaway train.

"No, sir, I don't," Emrys answered.


Tags: Tiffany King A Daemon Hunter Fantasy