The demon dropped his head and submissively bowed. “I apologize, my lord. I did not check my voice mail. I was merely attempting to clean the kitchen and to see if there was any way possible I could help the lovely female you brought home to mate with last night.”
I choked on my drink as the laughter bubbled up, but Gray didn’t see the comedy.
“You will keep your mouth shut about her, Syl,” Gray ordered, his face hard as granite as he bore down on the servant. “Now go. You can stay in the guesthouse or…wherever. I don’t care, but I don’t want you around her, do you understand? You tell the rest of them to stay away from her, too.”
The demon refused to look Gray in the eyes as he slid by and slunk toward the door leading to the patio. There was a pool in the backyard and a small structure that must be the guesthouse Gray was talking about.
Syl stopped at the door, though he didn’t turn around. “I apologize if I offended you with my presence, miss.”
“I wasn’t upset at all.” I felt sorry for the little guy. He slunk away quietly and I turned to Gray.
“Don’t, Kelsey,” Gray said immediately. “Don’t you let him in an inch. That’s what they do. He’s a demon, a full blood.”
“He seemed perfectly nice.” I finished off my juice. He made a mean fresh-squeezed juice, but Gray didn’t seem to want to hear praise for his staff.
“That’s how they trap you. Do you think they’d ever get anyone to sign a contract if they came at you with fangs bared? They come off as charming and quirky and then, when you think they couldn’t possibly be so bad, that’s when they get you.”
I was a little offended that he seemed to think I couldn’t handle one small demon. He’d been the one who couldn’t see through an illusion. I’d known right away there was something wrong with Syl. He hadn’t fooled me. “I’ll try not to let him get me, then. He wasn’t trying to get me to sign a contract, Gray. He was offended at the thought that you brought a hooker back to the place where you should only enjoy marital bliss.”
I was rewarded with Gray’s mouth hanging open in complete shock. He stared at me for a moment before giving in to the urge and laughing until the force of it shook his whole body.
“He thought you were a hooker?” Gray managed to wheeze. “Why the hell would he think you were a hooker? I’ve never been to a hooker in my life.”
“He did seem surprised.” I had to fess up. “I might have mentioned you were a great tipper.” Gray shook his head and I felt compelled to explain. “He told me you never spent more than one night with any female.”
“That’s bullshit, Kelsey,” Gray said, sitting on the barstool beside me. “I’ve had girlfriends before. They were never serious, but then I’m only thirty and I’ve been looking for you for the last several years, so I think I can be forgiven for not settling down.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Syl…he’s a constant reminder of a life I’ve tried to leave behind. I’ve tried to get rid of him on many occasions. When I fire him and refuse to let him work he causes trouble. Lots of trouble. It’s better that I let him do a little work and ignore him for the most part.”
“You said something about the rest of them?” I asked, remembering that he’d told Syl to tell the rest of them to stay away from me. I wondered if there was an army of neat-freak demons waiting to dust Gray’s bookshelves.
His thumb rubbed across my palm as though he deeply enjoyed the contact. “My father is insistent. He sends messengers and servants. They’re really spies. He tries to keep tabs on me. He’ll know about you. Syl tells him everything. I would have preferred to keep you off his radar.”
I laced my fingers with his. “Gray, I don’t think that’s going to be possible unless you plan on a short or very private relationship. Were you planning on keeping me hidden?”
“No, I’m not. I’ve already announced my intentions to your brother. I don’t intend to hide them. We’ll deal with my father.” He sighed and smiled. “Now, how about I turn your attention away from my truly awful family with something even more awful?”
“If you’re ready to explain the case to me, then I’m beyond ready to listen,” I said, steeling myself to get down to work.
Gray gracefully stepped down from the barstool and helped me down as well. “All right, but don’t forget I warned you. I would rather keep you out of this, but…damn it, I need your help. I’m at a loss. I’ve never dealt with anything like this.”