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They don’t have much time together; their respective missions demand much from both of them. There are only a few stolen hours here and there in Cordelia’s apartment. So Jheira knows better than to waste time or spoil the moment by asking questions.

But when Cordelia takes off her sweater, revealing the black bra underneath, Jheira’s curiosity gets the best of her. “Why do you wear a garment riddled with holes? It’s entirely impractical.”

Cordelia laughs. “Like that Boob-Window tank top you wear is the height of practicality.”

That tone, insolence untainted by contempt, is still new and unfamiliar to Jheira. She suspects it’s a large part of what makes Cordelia irresistible, even more than her physical charms.

Cordelia continues, “Lace actually holds things up better than other fabrics. And the more important point is, I look super hot in it.”

Jheira runs her hand over the other woman’s breast, feeling warm, smooth skin through the lace. The sensation is intriguing. And a bit distracting. Heat rushes up through her ko, spreading through her shoulder blades and down her spine.

Suddenly Cordelia’s sly grin disappears, and her jaw tightens as a vision overwhelms her.

Jheira fights off a flicker of annoyance at the timing of the vision. She and Cordelia aren’t like other people. They both serve larger causes. Someone needs Angel right now, and Jheira’s desires can wait. She monitors Cordelia’s breathing (fast but not alarmingly so), and murmurs a prayer to her gods for patience and strength.

Cordelia’s breathing slows, and her eyes focus on Jheira again. “The vision was for you. And we can’t tell Angel about it.”

The vision leads them to a small parking lot near Kaiser Permanente Hospital, and a monk who hands of an enchanted sphere, and a mission: kill a Hellgod.

***

Three weeks of surveillance of the hospital, as often as they can get away from their other duties, and they haven’t come close to finding Glory. Cordelia has, through equal parts charm and flirtation, found a doctor who will keep them updated on unusual occurrences here. But so far the intelligence has not been useful.

Jheira sits inside her car, pretending to read a newspaper, not that the subterfuge feels necessary. All but two of the lights in the parking lot are burned out, and she’s parked far enough away that no one passes by it.

Cordelia returns from her latest foray into the hospital with two cups of coffee. “Ben says they had two more brain-suck victims today.”

Jheira places her coffee on the dashboard to cool. Too much ingested heat can create unpredictable effects on her temperature regulation. “Is that the technical term for it?”

Cordelia laughs. “He had some medical-ese for it, but I could tell what he really meant.” She squints towards towards the hospital entrance. “Speak of the devil. There he is.”

There’s something wrong with his gait. As she watches in fascination, the man slowly morphs into a woman. Otherworldly energy prickles along the ridges of Jheira’s face. She whispers, “It’s Glory!”

Cordelia flashes her a bewildered look. “Wait, where did Ben go?”

Jheira hisses, “He turned into Glory! You just saw it!”

“What does Ben have to do with Glory?” Cordelia’s not nearly a good enough actress to fake the expression of total confusion, and she wouldn’t try in a serious situation like this. This must be one of those enchantments that works only on humans. Jheira’s never cast one herself, but plenty of demons have tried to sell them to her.

This is why the monk tasked her with this mission. She can see the connection between Glory and the human host. And unlike Angel, she has no compunctions about killing human men for the greater good. If this world falls, there will be no escape for the women of her planet. Jheira cannot fail to protect it.

She jumps out of the car, rushing towards Glory/Ben, the Dagon Sphere in her hand. As she grows closer, Glory recedes and the human host appears again.

Jheira lets the heat build under her skin, lifting all of the barriers constructed against it. The heat spreads from her ko outward, all the way to the fingers and toes. When her hands feel like they’ve been set ablaze, and the distinction between herself and the heat begins to blur, she releases it all upon her target.

The world fades out as the heat celebrates its liberation. When the world fades in again, the sickening, but all-too-familiar stench of burned flesh fills her nostrils.

Cordelia is leaning over the car, vomiting on the hood. She pushes herself back up, and stares at Jheira with a look of utter horror. “You--you burned him alive! He was helping us! What’s wrong with you?”

Jheira straightens her spine, holds herself with all of the dignity befitting a princess. “He was harboring Glory. I had no choice.”

“What? You’re saying that there’s a connection between Ben and Glory?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she spies one of hospital security guards rounding the corner of the building. “We have to leave now. There’s no time to argue.”

Cordelia follows along, but the look in her eyes suggests that this conversation isn’t over.

***

About ten minutes into the drive away from the hospital, Cordelia blurts out, “Wait, Ben was Glory? Why didn’t I get that before?”

For the eighth time, Jheira replies, “Glory created an enchantment to hide the connection between them. Humans couldn’t see it.”

The rest of the drive back to the spa is quiet; it seems she may have simultaneously saved the world and lost something precious.

When they reach the spa, Cordelia presses cool lips against her forehead.

Jheira raises her eyebrows in surprise.

Cordelia explains, “I’m not thrilled about what you had to do back there, but I get it now. We’re not like other people. They don’t have to make the choices we do.” She takes Jheira’s hand. “C’mon. You’re burning up. Let’s get you an ice bath.”

“You’re staying the night?”

Cordelia nods. “Someone has to keep you from setting half of LA on fire.”

There are still unresolved issues, like whether Cordelia intends to tell Angel about anything that happened tonight, or about their relationship. But Jheira knows better than to waste time or spoil the moment by asking questions.