by Katie Reus
“Do you agree to the rules of the fight?” Ian tensed, ready for another battle.
“We do.” The male’s expression was grim. “You have free passage to leave. If you return, any agreement is null. This is only in accordance with the rules of the fight.”
“We could just end this right now,” Finn said quietly. His blue eyes blazed his wolf nature, his rage clear. “Kill every single one of you for all the humans you killed.”
“It wasn’t by choice.” He gritted his teeth even as truth rolled off him. “The dragons had a partner and they overtook our realm. We’ve harmed nobody here until recently. And we’ve had no choice but to follow orders.”
“Partner?”
The half-demon nodded, looked around. “Where’s Javier?”
“Don’t know, don’t care.” Ian wanted to get the hell out of here now. “You want him, you better find him. We’re leaving now.”
The male’s jaw tightened, but he nodded even as he called out an order to “Find Javier.”
“If you truly had no choice, why do you want the half-demon now?” Finn asked.
The male’s pale-green face went ashen. “We still don’t have a choice. If we let him escape, we all die.”
Ian wasn’t particularly concerned if these half-demons died, but the fear on the male’s face was real. Even so, he dismissed it. If Finn wanted to worry about what was going on here, then he could. He wrapped an arm around Fiona’s shoulders and shot Finn a hard look. “I’m leaving.”
The Alpha nodded, and for that, Ian was grateful. He had no doubt the Alpha would return and likely kill every living being here involved with kidnapping and killing humans, but for now they could get Fiona to Ophelia.
“And you all better back the fuck off right now. If I see one of you draw a weapon or make a move I don’t like toward one of my wolves, you’re all dead.” There was no give in Finn’s voice as he stared down the half-demon.
The male nodded and stepped back, giving them a wide berth. Finn turned to his pack as Ian turned to his brothers. He wanted to ask them what the hell they were doing there, especially since Bo was supposed to be on his honeymoon. He actually couldn’t believe that Nyx wasn’t here. Which likely meant his brother was going to get his ass chewed out when they returned home. And Ian would make damn sure his brothers and sister made it home.
“Where’s Nyx?” he murmured to his brother.
Bo just bared his teeth at Ian.
Surprised by his brother’s show of anger, Ian blinked. “What the hell is that for?”
“You go off to some Hell realm and your female is poisoned and you don’t let me know?” His brother’s amber eyes had gone nuclear.
“You were on your honeymoon—”
“I don’t want to hear it! We’re family.” His voice was a savage snarl.
Before Ian could respond, the earth rumbled, similar to when the trees decided to say “fuck you” to science, before the earth rose up around them in a wall of terror, rocks, and deafening noise. Ian threw himself over Fiona, shielding her body with his as the sun of this realm was blocked out and—
“What the fuckety fuck is this?” Cynara’s shocked voice made Ian raise his head to see that they were in a…dome?
A dome made of what appeared to be glass or something similar encapsulated them. His heart raced out of control as he glanced around, saw all of his siblings except Javier. It was him, Bo, Rory, Cynara, and of course Fiona who looked as shocked as he felt.
“What the fuckety fuck indeed,” Fiona murmured, pushing to her feet.
He could see the wolves and half-demons past the glass of the dome but from the way the others were looking around in confusion—he didn’t think they could see inside.
As another rumble started, the ground about fifty yards in front of them split open and blue, sparking electricity poured out in waves of energy.
Oh, no. This wasn’t good at all.
Chapter 22
Fiona stared in horror as a huge demon climbed out of a hole that shouldn’t be there. It closed with an ominous rumble after he’d stepped onto the hard surface of the ground, as if it had never been there at all.
Demons weren’t supposed to have access to Hell realms or earth. Not without a crap ton of blood sacrifice. Yet this… Holy shit.
At least twelve feet tall with horns, the male was the same pale blue as Ian and his brothers and sisters, but the difference between half-demons and a full-blooded one were crystal clear as she stared at his massive body and horns. And as far as she knew, demons didn’t have human forms. They could glamour themselves but they never actually changed forms. Not like half-demons.
“Ian,” Fiona whispered, drawing two blades out of their sheaths. “Is that your father?”
“Yes.” The word was a savage growl, more animal than anything else. He made a move to step in front of her, but froze.
Looking around, she realized that the others seemed stuck in place as well. Their faces were set in tense lines but no one was moving. “Can you move?”
His foot slid forward a fraction, but it was very clearly forced. “No.”
Frowning, she shifted her own body and realized she could move just fine.
The huge demon stretched to his full height and rolled his shoulders, looking around at everyone in the dome. He frowned once as his gaze passed over Fiona but he barely acknowledged her as he looked at the others.
“My children.” His voice echoed in the dome, deep and as creepy as his bright red eyes.
A shiver of terror twined through her.
“What did you do to us?” Ian snarled. All his muscles were tense as he fought the invisible hold that his father clearly had on him.
“I’m just holding you in place for the time being. Where is my other son?” He let out an angry snarl as he scanned the dome again, as if he thought Javier would appear from nowhere.
“He escaped!” This time Bo shouted it.
The demon king bent down and shoved his hands into the dirt and grass. A ripple went out along the ground, circling out from where he was crouched. After a moment, he stood and gave the most terrifying smile she’d ever seen. His teeth were like blades, and pain and suffering echoed in his eyes. If they ever made it out of here, she’d be having nightmares for sure. This…thing was Ian’s father? It was hard to believe such a vicious-looking creature could have sired someone as sweet and protective as Ian.
“Javier is still here.” His voice echoed, that same low octave sending another shiver through her. It was like multiple voices echoing instead of just one.
“You were the silent partner of the dragons?” Ian demanded, his voice only a fraction calmer than before.
Stepping forward, the demon headed to Rory first, nodded as he spoke. “Yes. They were stupid enough to think I’d keep my word once I had what I wanted.”
“And what is that?” Ian asked.
The male didn’t respond as he moved on from Rory and continued his long strides, walking up to Bo this time. Bo spat on the male. Instead of retaliating, the demon just laughed, the sound echoing all around before he continued to Cynara. Though in her half-demon form, her hair was still the same shocking purple. The way he looked at her made Fiona want to vomit. He didn’t remain long, but continued on to Ian, who had sweat rolling down his face, arms and chest now, mixing in with the drying blood. It was clear he was struggling to fight the invisible hold, because Ian sure as hell wasn’t afraid.
On instinct, Fiona stepped in front of him, wanting to spare him if his father attacked. It appeared as if she was the only one who could move. While she was weakened and might not be able to shift into a dragon, she would still fight.
The demon tilted his head to the side a fraction. “Aren’t you a sweet little treat,” he practically crooned at her.
“And you’re disgusting.” She clutched her weapons tightly, fantasizing about sinking a blade between the creature’s red eyes.
“Fiona,” Ian snarled. “Get away from him
!”
No, she wanted to keep him talking. At least long enough to find out what the hell he was up to. “Why were you working with my brothers?”
His eyes flashed a neon red, and the scent of sulfur rolling off him made her fight back bile. “Some of that should already be obvious.”
She swallowed hard, staring up at him. “I know that my brothers wanted to take over the human realm.”
He snorted, and a puff of smoke escaped from his nose, the sight of it bizarre. “They wanted the human realm and I was more than happy to give it to them. While they go to war with the humans, I plan to take over every single Hell realm—with the help of my children.” His red eyes flashed bright again as he looked past her at Ian. “You weren’t supposed to kill that arrogant dragon just yet.”
“Sorry to have screwed up your plans.” Ian’s voice was icy calm.
“No matter. You moved up my schedule for involving all of you, but now that we have the right formula I’ll find someone else to start killing humans. Someone else can take up that war while we focus on what’s important.”
“We’re never going to help you.” Rory spoke for the first time, his wolf in his gaze instead of his demon as he glared across the dome at his father. “You know we all hate you.”
“Oh, I think you will. You all share my blood, my…appetites.” His voice dropped a few octaves. “You can only fight your nature for so long before it eats you up inside. You think your mates will stay with you? That they’ve changed you? That they love you?” His maniacal laughter echoed off the glass as he swiveled back to face Fiona. “This one would betray you in a heartbeat if I gave her back her dragon. Because she is going to die. I can smell it. Within two days, maybe three, given her bloodline.”
Fiona felt herself pale, even though deep down she’d known the truth. There was no other way to describe how it felt inside, as if she could feel herself shutting down. She wasn’t even in pain, just so damn tired. As if she could sleep for a thousand years. Just fall into a Protective Hibernation and rest. But it wouldn’t be a hibernation; she wouldn’t be waking up from this.
She wanted to know how the demon knew she’d been poisoned in the first place, but couldn’t find her voice as she stared into his red eyes.
“He’s a liar! Don’t believe him,” Ian snarled.
His father looked past her at Ian then with an emotion that might be called pity if it wasn’t so mocking. “If you don’t believe me, just ask her. She’s dying. But I will cure her if you align yourself with me. All you have to do is say yes and your female will be whole again.”
“Lies,” Ian snarled.
A jolt of power surged through Fiona. She stumbled back into Ian’s chest as she felt the first inkling of her dragon blossoming inside her. Oh God. She’d missed her.
“Fiona?” Ian whispered, his breath warm against her. She felt his fingers skate against her arms, but his touch was faint, as if he was using all his strength for that one action.
“I’m okay.” She wouldn’t look at him, kept her focus on the demon a few feet away.
“Tell him,” the demon murmured. “Tell him you have the first hint of power back. That you can feel your dragon again. Here’s a little more,” he murmured, injecting her with even more power.
Her dragon pulsed inside her, growing in strength as it spread through her like kudzu looking for purchase.
“I would rather follow her into the afterlife than ever align myself with you,” Ian snarled.
“But would she rather I cure her? That is the question.” The demon focused on Fiona again, his gaze a bright crimson as another jolt of power swelled through her. “As long as I’m alive and my son works with me, you have your dragon back.”
Her fire tickled the back of her throat. Oh God, he hadn’t been lying. She could feel her dragon again, feel it taking over her in a rush of raw, wild power that was so familiar she wanted to weep. Her beast wanted to be free, to soar, to burn. Which meant she’d only get one chance at this.
She wasn’t sure how he was holding his children immobile or how much power he was extending, but if she could attack him maybe it would weaken him or break his hold on them. There was no way for her to know unless she tried. And she was damn sure going to try. Even if she died in the process. Saving Ian and his family would be worth it. Saving Ian was worth everything.
“If I can’t convince you to work with me by curing your sweet little dragon, maybe…” He swiveled his head to look at Cynara, who was still glaring daggers at him. “Maybe if I hurt your little sister enough you’ll realize there is no other option than to work with me.” His head snapped back to face Ian. “I’ve spent over a century building an army of children and you ungrateful shits will do what I say. You’ll be gods in these realms!”
Slaves, he meant.
“Never,” Bo snarled again.
The demon simply shook his head. “You’ll all give in eventually. It took enough planning simply to get Javier here. Another ungrateful child.”
“You got Javier here?” Ian asked.
“I orchestrated it. Why do you think the dragons had their people kidnapping humans from areas where my children live? I knew eventually one of you would nose around and manage to end up here. Javier is the only one not aligned with anyone powerful and he didn’t know about you all. He was the easiest target. I wasn’t sure his blood would work, but I should have known. His mother was such a delicious treat.” He absently rubbed a hand over his growing erection.
Revolting.
Fiona curled her lip up in disgust but froze as another thought occurred to her. “Your blood has other capabilities, doesn’t it?” It was almost impossible for his kind to make it to the human realm, but demon blood was incredibly powerful. “Was that how my brother and the others were able to disappear into thin air in the human realm? They used your blood somehow?”
The demon simply smiled, showing razor-sharp teeth. “It’s likely they did, yes. Now enough questions! I’m going to let this dome down and we’re going to destroy everyone out there who opposes us. This will be our main base of operations and I’m no longer waiting in the shadows.” A low rumble filled the dome, the ground shaking beneath them. “If you make this hard for me, I’ll rape your sister and make all of you watch. Then I’ll toss her to—”
Fiona’s dragon shoved to the surface in a sharp burst of power. This was it. Her only chance. Though still in human form, fire exploded from her in a rush of rage and heat. She screamed out her anger and fire, directing it all at the huge demon only a few feet away.
His own scream ripped through the air as she coated him in blue flames. As he stumbled back she dove at him, blades in hand. She slammed them into his stomach as she continued burning him, her flames licking along her skin without harming her, but destroying him.
He lashed out, his claws slashing against her chest as he writhed in agony. She stumbled back under the impact but breathed out another stream of fire—a bright wintery blue. It began to eat away at his face, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. She vaguely heard Ian screaming at her, but all her focus was on taking this monster down and freeing Ian and the others.
The demon’s claws extended but suddenly Ian and the others seemed to snap free from their invisible chains.
They rushed at him like a pack of wild animals, falling on him, tearing him limb from limb as he screamed and tried to fight back. Fiona had never seen anything so brutal, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the carnage.
The four of them ripped into him, savaging him with a righteous fury. They seemed immune to any of his blows, immune to everything he tried to throw their way.
Body parts were tossed to the side as they continued ripping, ripping, ripping. With each killing blow they delivered Fiona weakened, her body losing all of her dragon strength, her beautiful inner beast pulling away from her.
When Cynara lifted his head high like a trophy a moment later, Fiona felt the last of her dragon’s power fade from her. H
e hadn’t been lying when he’d said that her power only lasted as long as he was alive.
“This is for my mother!” Cynara screamed, throwing the severed head against the nearest dome wall.
The horns pierced the glass and Fiona shuddered as cracks started to form into a spiral, circling out from the head in an unnatural coil.
Craaaaccckkkkk.
This place was coming down around them! Before she’d taken two steps toward Ian he sprang at her, shifting midair into his dragon form.
House-sized, Ian’s wings snapped out, glittering like precious jewels as the glass shattered all around them into…ash. It dusted her skin, cascading all around them and the others in the near vicinity, but all she could focus on was the beautiful dragon of gold, violet and lavender who moved over her, his body appearing to be liquid or smoke.
He snarled loudly, keeping her trapped under him as he surveyed their surroundings. The Stavros pack and the half-demons watched Ian carefully. She didn’t blame them. His body was coiled tight, the aggression rolling off him palpable.
“The demon is dead,” Bo announced to everyone, coming to stand next to Ian, his other siblings right with him. Cynara looked as if she was in shock, but Rory had his arm around her shoulders. “And we’re all leaving right now. I miss my mate,” he muttered more to himself before he started to climb up Ian.
Fiona just blinked in surprise, then sagged against Ian’s leg. He was still in his sentry position, not budging as the wolves moved into action.
The enemy half-demons who’d been working with her brother set their weapons down in unison, as if it had been choreographed.
“You want to carry me in your paw or do you want me to ride with your siblings?” she asked quietly, knowing he’d hear her regardless. Her energy was fading, her chest was still bleeding, and she needed to sit, to sleep. She’d just used up the last of her energy and knew they only had a couple days left.
