by G. K. DeRosa
“Most definitely,” said Dallas.
“Which is why I’m certain he knew we were coming,” Delacroix added. “Remy is no fool, and he’s a wizard with that oracle.”
The milky white orbs of Thax’s resident seer flashed across my mind, and a chill scurried up my spine. “Didn’t we plan for this?”
“We waited until the very last moment to make the decision to move,” said Logan. “We were hoping to evade him, but he must have been watching us closely.”
I glanced around the dim chamber, somber expressions carved into each of the males’ faces. “So now what? We’re just going to sit here?”
“Not exactly.” Logan shot me a scathing glare, one that provoked hazy images of my father. “We were merely hiding the bodies, but then a certain stubborn demon showed up and we had to halt our advance.”
Oops. “Well, I’m here now so let’s get this party started.”
Talon grunted, eyeing Logan. Our warden threw his hands up and shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to take her with us.”
“Enough stalling,” Delacroix growled. “The longer we wait, the more time we’re giving Thax to amass his troops against us.”
“I hate to say it, but the demon’s right.” Dallas puckered his lips and moved to the door. “Let’s stick with the original plan and move out.”
Logan reached for me, his hand settling on my shoulder and he steered me toward the exit.
“Azara’s with me.” Talon’s hand wrapped around my bicep and tugged me away from a surprised gargoyle.
Logan’s eyes narrowed as they zoomed in on his possessive grip. “You’re sure?”
His head dipped. “Blood oath is still in effect, despite everything.”
“You don’t have to—”
Talon cut him off. “Yes, I do.”
Our warden slowly nodded. “Fine.” He turned toward the guys and motioned at Dallas and Hayden. “Let’s go.”
That left me with a surly dragon and a demon mob boss I didn’t trust. Great. My inner demon rose to the surface, side-eyeing her competition. Delacroix was no warlord, but he was still daunting.
Talon’s hand locked on mine, and he towed me into the hall with the hellus demon fast on my heels.
“Where would Thax be if he wanted the best vantage point in the castle?” Delacroix’s very strategic question surprised me. I’d expected him to be all about brawn, not brains.
I paused to consider for a moment. “The atrium. There’s a hidden room right off the corner with a high-tech camera system.” The words burst from my lips without thinking. Apparently, my memories of this castle were breaking free.
Talon scoffed. “I never pictured the dark lord to be a techie.”
“He likes to combine the best of both worlds—magic and technology. He makes Remy hang out in there to test his visions. He runs the playback, pauses it and asks him to guess what happens next. The old seer is crazy accurate.” I gulped right after I said the words. I never believed the prophecy, but after the past few weeks, I felt the truth in my bones. I would kill Thax, but first I’d dethrone the bastard and make him suffer.
“To the atrium, then.” Delacroix snatched the map from Talon’s hand and took the lead.
My dragon bodyguard snarled, and a low rumble vibrated his chest as he followed close behind. We ascended the main staircase to the second floor and crossed the rotunda that led to the atrium. The platform jutted over the two levels below, allowing a bird’s eye view of the central portion of the castle.
The closer we crept, the harder my heart pounded. Where were Lumi and the other lesser demons that always accompanied the dark lord in his travels? Not only were most of the narkins gone, but not a single servant remained. A swirl of unease filled my insides, and my demon rushed to the surface. I tightened my grasp on Talon’s hand, hoping his presence would anchor me.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“My demon’s coming, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop her.”
“Good.” Delacroix craned his head back and smiled. “We’ll need her.”
Talon stopped and dragged me to a halt beside him. “Try to keep her back, Azara. I know you can do it. We’ve spent hours training to keep her at bay and before you disappeared you were in control. Not her. You don’t have to lose yourself to use your powers. Learn to work together.”
Sure, easy-peasy.
An ear-splitting crash resounded ahead as a horde of narkins broke through a wall. “Watch out!” Two hundred pounds of muscle slammed into me, shoving me to the floor. All the air evacuated from my lungs as I hit the cold cement. From the corner of my eye, I caught a wooden beam smash to the ground less than a yard away from us. The massive mahogany rafter divided Talon and me from Delacroix and the attacking narkins.
Talon hoisted me off the floor, and his eyes raked over my body. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, brushing the dirt and kindling off. Tiny cuts crisscrossed my arms, but that was the extent of the damage. I stared at the gigantic beam and shuddered. If Talon hadn’t pushed me out of the way, it would’ve been much worse. “I’m fine,” I managed.
The narkins began scaling the fallen timber, and Talon’s concerned glance morphed into dragon warrior mode. “You ready?”
My head bobbed up and down as my ravenous she-demon swirled to the surface.
“Maintain control,” Talon shouted as his claws extended. The sea of narkins blurred over his shoulder as darkness threatened to eclipse my vision.
I drew in a deep breath and shoved her down. A flicker of purple light caught my eye. My demon’s mark flared to life, and a different kind of power rushed my insides. Maybe it was time to take my magic for a test drive.
Talon leapt into the battle, slicing his razor-sharp claws at the attacking guards. A massive head rolled right off the lead guard’s neck and bumped into my boot. A pair of vacant eyes stared up at me. Bleh.
“So nice of you to return, dear cousin.”
My head whipped up to a smiling figure hanging over the bannister. A wicked grin twisted Thax’s thin lips. “I do hope you’ll stay this time. It was very rude of you to simply disappear after all the fun we’d been having. You truly hurt me.” He lifted the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically.
Remy stood beside him, the shimmering oracle pressed between his long fingers. His alabaster irises sent a wave of goosebumps cascading over my skin. Talon moved next to me, glaring up at the twisted twosome. I steeled my nerve and squeezed my fingers into tight fists. “I know you tortured me for months, stole my memories and used me to bolster your own dwindling power. And now, I’ve come to make you pay.”
“We’ll see about that.” Thax’s voice was calm, but a flash of fear streaked across his profound irises. Whatever Remy had seen was bad, and I was about to bring his premonition to life.
A flash of white zipped by me, and I ducked just in time to avoid being gored by a rogue narkin tusk. Bending down, I unsheathed my dagger and jammed it into its chest. The creature screeched and tumbled to the floor.
I glanced up, but Thax and Remy were gone. Shitzu.
From my peripheral vision, a heavenly glow lit up the dim atrium. Hayden. He cut through the mob with his blazing sword as Logan and Dallas finished off the stragglers.
Another pair of narkins lunged, but I summoned two scorching orbs to my palms. I tossed the witchfire in rapid succession, the magical flames replenishing after each hit. Talon appeared beside me, battling two more narkins. I buried my dagger into one of the beast’s back, and he quickly took down the other.
“Thanks for the assist.” He shot me an elusive smile, and my heart tripped over a beat. I massaged the spot over my chest, tamping down on the wave of giddiness. Not a good time.
“That’s what I do,” I countered. “Save your dragon ass.”
This time a full out chuckle escaped his tense lips. “Right…”
Another squad of narkins leapt over the rafter and headed right for us. Talon t
icked his head at the approaching guards and grinned at me. “Please, by all means, save my ass.”
Without missing a beat, I chucked a dozen fireballs into the horde. Screams filled the atrium as the stench of burnt flesh reached my nostrils.
“Not bad,” he muttered, “but you do remember I’m a dragon, right?” He exhaled a breath, and a puff of smoke swirled in the air. His broad chest inflated, and he released a torrent of red-hot fire into the sea of narkins.
Thick, dark smoke filled the air as their shrieks bounced off the stone walls.
He crossed his arms over his chest and threw me a satisfied grin. “That’s how you do it.”
“I might be impressed if I didn’t think your head would explode at the compliment.”
Again, an elusive chuckle. Who knew a fight was exactly what the surly dragon needed to remove the stick up his perfect ass.
Talon scanned the waning battle and let out a whistle. Logan, Hayden and Dallas swiveled to face us. “Anyone got eyes on Thax?”
They all shook their heads.
“What about Delacroix?” I scanned the smoky chamber for the towering demon.
“Damn it,” Talon roared. “Where did he go?”
The boys finished off the remaining demons and searched the wreckage for Delacroix. I didn’t hold my breath. That bastard had taken off after Thax. I was certain because I would’ve done the same.
“What about Remy?”
Blank stares from all the guys. Dammit. How could we have lost all of them?
Chapter Twenty-Four
“How the hell did Thax give us the slip like that?” Talon punched the wall and the obsidian cracked, fissures spiderwebbing across the sleek stone. He growled, spun around and continued his manic pacing of the tight mini SIA command station as Dallas, Hayden and I watched silently.
We’d already been over last night’s events a dozen times. Dallas had even hacked into Thax’s underground security system to discover how exactly we’d lost the dark lord, his seer and our demon fugitive. No matter how many times they’d searched the images, not one of them showed up in the footage.
“Delacroix had to be in on it,” Hayden muttered.
“But how?” I pushed myself off the wall and stared at the video that had been looped on repeat. “He wanted Thax dethroned almost as much as I wanted him dead.”
“We never should’ve trusted him!” Talon growled, tossing a glare in my direction.
I slapped my hands on my hips and matched his dark gaze. “You’re not blaming this on me, are you?”
He closed the space between us, towering over me. “If Vander hadn’t made that deal with him to protect you in the first place, this never would’ve happened. He was clearly thinking with the wrong head.”
I gasped. That was a low blow. “It’s always going to come back to that night with Vander, isn’t it?” I shouted.
Hayden stood and squirmed between us, placing his palm on Talon’s chest. “Take it easy, T. You can’t pretend you wouldn’t have done the same thing for her.”
Talon snarled and tossed his head to the side. “I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to give him carte blanche.”
“You did, like the next day, when we met with him.” I pointed back and forth between us.
“Only because Vander had already started it, and you were so convinced Delacroix had never lied to you.”
“Guys, chill out.” Dallas ticked his head at Hayden. “Can’t you shoot them up with your angel power?”
“Believe me, I would if I thought it would help.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stepped back, needing to put some distance between myself and the infuriating dragon.
“What’s happened is done,” Hayden continued. “Playing the blame game isn’t going to help the situation.”
“Exactly,” added Dallas.
“Let’s regroup and switch our attention to finding Thax and Delacroix. And the good news is since Balthier is a Darkblood inmate, we can involve the SIA and classify it as an official mission.”
“Unless Delacroix rats me out when he gets caught,” I muttered.
Hayden’s lips twisted into an adorable pout. “Your call, T. What do you think? Should we risk it? It would be nice to have SIA resources for the hunt.”
His jaw clenched as the crease between his brows deepened. “I don’t know. Give me a minute to think about it.”
“Logan’s going to have to report Delacroix’s escape soon so no dawdling, big guy.” Dallas smirked.
A quick knock jerked all our gazes to the adjacent training room door. With the four of us in here, it only left two other options. I really hoped it was Logan. I hadn’t seen Vander since I knocked him unconscious and broke out of here.
Nope, not Logan.
Vander strode in with a grinning blonde at his side. A swirl of unexplained animosity filled my chest, tightening my lungs. Who was that girl?
She released Vander and practically pirouetted into Talon’s open arms. “There you are, T. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
He hugged the girl to his chest, but his dark gaze trained over her shoulder at Vander. “You thought bringing your sister would help your cause?”
Sister? A carousel of images rushed across my mind. I knew this girl—Vessa. She was Talon’s stepsister and on and off girlfriend. A twinge of jealousy flared as I caught her stroking his arm from the corner of my eye.
“It wasn’t planned,” Vander growled, snapping me from my memories.
I glanced back and forth between the two males as tension thickened the air. Vessa twirled a lock of golden hair, leaning against her stepbrother, completely oblivious to the rising strain. I actually felt bad for Vander and also slightly guilty for knocking him out. I made a mental note to apologize later.
“Maybe you should take Vessa and head home for a beat until your position on the team is re-evaluated.” Talon ticked his head at the door, a scowl hardening his handsome features.
“You’re not serious?”
His face was like stone. “I’m dead serious.”
“Just because I made a move on Azara?”
The entire room went silent. Heat rushed up my neck and I stepped back, hoping to melt into the dark wall. Vessa’s scathing glare raked over me, but I kept my eyes to the floor. I did not need her crap.
“No!” Talon roared. “Because you failed to protect your mark on two different occasions.” He jabbed a finger in my direction as fury stained his cheeks. “You put her life at risk unnecessarily and your competence must be re-evaluated before you resume your duties.”
Dallas and Hayden shifted uncomfortably on the opposite side of the small room. I wished I could disappear. Vessa’s perfectly manicured brows were raised as her gaze bounced between the two arguing males.
Hayden finally cleared his throat and nudged Dallas forward. “Perhaps you should be having this discussion in private.”
“Yes!” I squeaked, darting after the pair as they crept toward the door.
“You too, Vessa.” Hayden grabbed the stupid girl as she continued to stare between her two brothers.
As soon as the door closed behind us, I released the breath I’d been holding. Damn lusty she-demon ruined everything. I hitched my thumb over my shoulder at the training room exit. “I’m going to grab some lunch.”
Vessa shot after me. “Oh, I’ll go with you so we can catch up.”
My brow arched incredulously. My memory might still have been spotty, but I was fairly certain we’d never been friends. Quite the contrary in fact.
“Come on, pumpkin, take her with you,” said Hayden as he tugged his shirt over his head. “Dallas and I need to catch up on some hand-to-hand combat.” The vampire peeled his tee off next, and I was useless to argue. My tongue stuck to my throat at their carved abs, one a milky white and the other a delicious dark chocolate.
“Fine,” I muttered, licking my lips. Holding the door open, I ushered Vessa out to the hallway.
Logan a
ppeared from the stairwell, a grim expression tightening his jaw. “Hello, ladies.”
“What are you doing down here?” I asked. He’d left our debrief a few hours ago to deal with his warden duties.
“Talon just called me on the com. He said you needed an escort for the next hour.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Just because Thax is on the run, doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. He still has men inside this prison, and they likely have their eye on you. Not to mention Delacroix’s crew.”
“Ugh.” And here I was thinking I’d finally get an ounce of freedom.
Vessa eyed me with a skeptical arch of her brow. “They do fuss over you a lot, don’t they?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered.
“Come on, you ladies can eat in my office.”
I followed behind the warden, grumbling. First, I had to deal with a macho standoff and now I had to babysit Vessa. And I’d thought losing Thax had been bad.
I took a big bite of the meatball sub and the zesty flavors exploded in my mouth. I had to restrain the moan of pleasure from escaping between bites. Okay so maybe I’d been too hasty to balk at Logan’s offer of lunch in his office. It was ten times better than the slop we got in the mess hall.
“This is ah-mazing,” I mumbled around another mouthful.
Logan looked up at me over the computer screen and smiled. “I’m glad you approve.”
Vessa picked at her salad, chattering away about some feud between two of the great wolf packs in Marlwoods. Every once in a while, I’d lift my head and nod or mumble an “Oh, no.” How the irritable Talon had dated her was beyond me.
Logan pressed the button on his com and rose with a sigh. “I have to take care of a brawl in block eight. Apparently, the demon in cell twenty-one thought it would be okay to wear his cellmate’s severed head as a hat.”
Vessa’s pink lips contorted into a grimace. “Oh, gross.” She dropped her fork and batted her thick lashes at Logan. “I don’t know how you deal with these monsters.”
I snorted on a laugh. She didn’t know the half of it.
Logan marched to the door then spun back. “I’ll lock up so no one can come in. Stay put until I return.”
