Daemon Deception

by Mariah Ankenman

  “Kill if the need arises, but remember we are not here just to destroy the enemy. The mission is about rescuing one of our own. We need to save Celia; taking out those Kako bastards is simply a bonus.”

  He glanced around at his loyal men and women. Each one had volunteered for this operation the moment they heard Celia had been taken. In such a short time, she had endeared herself to so many. She truly did not knew how special she was. He planned to correct that misassumption first thing after he got her home.

  Well, maybe second thing, he amended, thinking about spending an entire day just holding her, naked, in bed. Yes, second thing.

  “We will get your Tira back, brother,” Kang promised.

  Yes, they would.

  Damien gave the signal. Kang, Ava, and Stephan dropped to the ground and shifted. The process took less than a minute. One moment he stared at two large men and a small, but dangerous, woman. The next, three beasts. Kang changed into a large wolf with gray fur and bright yellow eyes. Stephan into a larger mountain lion, fur golden yellow, tail swishing in anticipation. Last, and largest, a five hundred and seventy pound Kodiak bear. No one would ever guess that five foot three, one hundred and fifteen pound Ava shifted into one of the largest bears in the world.

  Despite their size, the three shifters made their way silently through the trees. Damien turned to Luka and Lela. His wings unfurling from their tucked position on his back.

  “I’ll take a quick sweep overhead to see if we have any surprises waiting for us on the roof. When I give you the signal, teleport up.”

  Lela wrapped an arm around Luka and nodded. Vampires could teleport one person, as long as they touched. The reason he always paired a Witch with a Vamp. Witches were powerful, but their mode of travel was the least efficient in the supernatural world.

  Taking to the sky in one thrust, Damien thanked the gods for the cover of night. If they had arrived during daylight, they would have nowhere to hide. But the trees and darkness masked his presence.

  He flew above the treetops, approaching the rooftop cautiously. Passing over, he saw nothing. No one guarded the roof. He set down silently. Two turrets at the front of the roof were empty. Either the Kakos had no fear of discovery or the roof had no access. He prayed for the first.

  After a quick search of the roof, he determined no one lurked in the shadows waiting to attack. He stepped to the edge of the roof and motioned to Lela. With her enhanced Vampire eyesight, she would see the motion in the dark night. Two seconds later, she and Luka materialized behind him.

  “Did you find a way in?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  “Not yet.” All he saw was stone.

  They heard muffled noises from below. Lela leaned over the edge of the turret. “They got the two guards up front.”

  Good. Now, he just needed to find a way inside. Damn, where the hell was the entrance?

  “Look for a door, a window, something. There has to be a way inside from up here.”

  “It must be hidden, if they didn’t post any guard up here,” Luka said, pushing on individual stones in the wall. “May be a trigger device somewhere.”

  Smart Witch. Damien considered giving him a raise, too.

  The three spread out. Feeling along the floor and turret walls for a hidden latch or knob. His patience hung by a thread. He debated the notion of just saying screw it, and smashing his way inside, when Luka called out.

  “I found it!”

  The Witch pulled a loose stone from the bottom part of the turret wall, revealing a small red button.

  “I sure hope that opens a door and doesn’t blow us to kingdom come.” Lela backed up cautiously.

  Luka ignored her and pushed the button. Thankfully, the man was right. A section of the roof slid away revealing a hidden staircase. Lela placed a hand on Damien’s shoulder.

  “Let’s go get your Tira.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. They found a way in. Now to find Celia and get her out of this hellhole. Then every single person here would pay for what they had taken from him.

  He started down the staircase, Luka and Lela hot on his heels. Pulling his broadsword from its scabbard, he relished the ringing sound the metal made when released. The sound promised pain to all his enemies.

  They would come, but they would not stop him. He would take back what was his. And never leave her side. Ever again.

  Chapter 22

  “Racine?”

  No, it couldn’t be! She didn’t believe it. The truth rang out inside. The potion forced down her throat boiled in her veins. Not Racine. Celia refused to believe the man who protected so many was in reality the High Master. No one could be that devious.

  Her gaze darted to Cory, standing directly to the left of the Racine look alike. The Witch had fooled everyone with her quiet demeanor back at region seven, but that didn’t mean this man standing before Celia was her boss. No way was this Racine.

  “You’re not Racine.” The words rang with the truth she believed and knew.

  “Correct,” the Racine impersonator replied. He strode into the room with an air of superiority. “But you are not the first to confuse me with my brother, nor I imagine, will you be the last.”

  Brother? Racine had a brother? A twin by the looks of it. Why had he never said anything about him? Not as if she and her boss were particularly close, but surely she would have heard about it from someone at headquarters. The council was a lot like high school in some aspects. Gossip spread like wildfire if it was juicy enough. Why would Racine keep his brother a secret?

  “I infer from your stunned expression my brother has never spoken of me.”

  She shook her head as the High Master snapped his fingers at the guard. Testosterone guard disappeared. Moments later, he returned with a chair for his master. A beautiful polished oak chair, she noticed. No splinters on that thing.

  The High Master sat directly across from her. Ian and Cory came to stand behind him. It might have been intimidating sitting there, helplessly bound to a chair with three very powerful supernaturals bearing down on you. If she didn’t have an ace up her sleeve. Or down her top.

  “Tell me,” the High Master said. “Does my brother still act like he’s everybody’s keeper? Is he still trying to save the world?” He chuckled and a foreboding chill snaked up her spine.

  “Yes.” The word escaped her lips without thought. Shoot! The potion. It forced truth, not only in her mind, but out of her mouth as well. She would tell this monster anything and all he had to do was ask. She was powerless to stop it.

  You have power. The truth whispered in her head. Wait until the timing is right to use it.

  As much as she wanted to reveal her freedom from her bonds now and blast these bastards to kingdom come, her inner voice was right. If she used the explosion spells at this moment, she would kill everyone. Herself included. Since she had no burning desire to die, she had to wait. Until a chance to escape unharmed presented itself. Until then, she just had to watch her words. Tell the truth without revealing the truth.

  Piece of cake, right?

  “My Sorcerer tells me you broke the spell on the Kako language.”

  “Yes.” No harm in revealing that truth. He already knew it.

  “Can you translate it now? Can you understand me?”

  He spoke in the Kako language, but Celia’s mind worked quickly to translate the various bits of languages that made up the new Kako speak. She heard him speak as if it were English.

  “Yes.” Hopefully, she could keep this interrogation to one-word answers.

  The High Master narrowed his eyes. His head turned slightly and he glared at Ian.

  “That is…disappointing.”

  The Sorcerer swallowed hard. She did not envy the punishment the man would no doubt receive for failing his master. Not like the prick didn’t deserve it. Still, it would be brutal, she imagined.

  “Cory, here, has been most helpful in educating me on my brother’s business as head of council for regio
n seven.”

  Cory beamed with pride. The stupid woman didn’t realize that after one mistake, her punishment would equal Ian’s. The fool thought herself invulnerable. No one was safe in this world. No matter how powerful a master one followed. Celia knew that lesson well. Sometimes people who held authority over others could hurt them the most.

  “I also understand you have spent the past few weeks at region eight headquarters.”

  “Yes.”

  The corner of the High Master’s mouth curled up into a wicked smile. He chuckled softly. The sound grated on her raw nerves.

  “Oh, you are a clever Witch. Truth potion running through your veins and yet you still think you can control how this ends? You still think you can save your friends and coworkers by giving me one-word answers? The barest of truths.”

  Dammit!

  “Smart, but I am smarter.”

  He may think so, but the truth inside told her that was his arrogance talking.

  “No more easy questions.” His dark eyes fixed on her, chilling her to the very bone. “You will tell me everything I want to know. You will betray every secret you hold to me. Then I will send your broken, bleeding corpse back to my brother as a warning.”

  She sucked in a breath, trying not to let her fear show. A hard thing to do. Terror held her firmly in its grasp. Her heart raced, palms sweaty. Small tremors wracked her body.

  “The time for hiding in the shadows is over. For too long, the supernaturals of the world have let the humans rule. Staying in the shadows like pathetic rats.” He leaned forward, invading her space, and it took everything she had in her not to shrink back in fear. “But we have the power. We should rule. Humans are nothing more than playthings to amuse us.”

  That, right there, was why the council existed. Yes, the supernaturals had power, but with that power came the duty to use it properly. If one faction of species tried to rule over another, the world would fall into unbalance. The reason they stayed hidden. The driving force behind the Enforcers taking down the bad guys.

  Balance.

  “Humans have a right to live their lives freely. As does everything on this earth.” The truth rang from her lips.

  The High Master shook his head. “It is a shame the council found you first. I could have used a Witch with your drive, your abilities.”

  “I would never work for you.” Another truth.

  He eyed her, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

  “Was it hard? Breaking the spell on the Kako language?”

  “No.”

  Ian made a sound of distress.

  “Is it hard to translate it? Now that the confusion spell is broken?”

  Again, she answered truthfully, “No.”

  “But High Master,” Ian interrupted. “She is a very skilled Witch and highly intelligent. I assure you the Enforcers are not clever enough to decode it as quickly as she can.”

  The Sorcerer sweated profusely. The cell was cold, being so far underground. The stone walls and dirt floor provided no warmth. And yet Ian sweated like a pig on a roast. Because he knew. He knew his punishment was coming. Celia saw it in the High Master’s eyes. She saw the reckoning.

  “Is that true? Will it be hard to teach the language to the Enforcers?”

  Celia held her breath. As a scientist, not an Enforcer, she didn’t kill the bad guys. She made the weapons, but she had never killed another living being, not even a spider. And she hated spiders. She did not want to see Ian die. Even though the man had kidnapped her, created the blood curse that carved up her back, and was an all-around dickhead. That did not mean she wanted him dead and certainly not by her words.

  “Answer me,” the High Master shouted, his voice booming off the stone, deafening all other sound.

  “No.”

  “No what?”

  “No, the language will not be hard for the Enforcers. I can make a translation potion. Anyone who takes it will hear the Kakos speaking as if they spoke in English.”

  She glanced at Ian in apology, even though she had no reason. Ian forced her to take the truth potion. But she was sorry. Because now the Sorcerer would die and it would not be pretty.

  Ian paled, his face losing all color. The man knew what was coming. Would he fight it? The High Master snapped his fingers. The guard outside the cell came in. His beefy arms grabbed Ian, holding the Sorcerer immobile.

  Apparently, he didn’t plan to fight.

  “What are you doing?” Cory asked the guard in confusion.

  Poor, stupid woman. She still didn’t understand what she signed up for when she aligned with the High Master.

  “You have disappointed me, Ian.”

  “Pl-pl-please, High Master. Let me ex-explain.”

  “No!” The High Master still sat across from her. His gaze still bore into hers. When he spoke again, he addressed them both. “I do not tolerate failure. There is no place for it in my rule.”

  With a motion almost too quick to see, the High Master rose from his chair and whirled around to face the Sorcerer. The guard stood, stock still, holding Ian’s hands behind his back. The High Master pulled a long, jagged blade from the inside pocket of his tailored suit jacket. Ian’s eyes widened. Tears streamed down the man’s face as he pleaded with his master to spare his life.

  “You failed me. You are weak and pathetic. I have no use for you anymore.”

  Then the High Master drove the blade into Ian’s chest. A horrifying pain-filled scream ripped thought the air. The High Master dragged the blade, slowly, down. Bones snapped, tissue tore, blood gushed from the ragged wound. Ian started to choke on the blood filling his mouth. Celia sucked in a strangled sob, sick at the sight. The man was still alive. Which meant the High Master missed his heart, on purpose, to drag out the suffering. Sick bastard.

  Racine’s twin pulled the blade from Ian’s stomach where it ended its macabre trail. Ian’s breath shuddered, his eyes rolled back in his head. Then his body slumped in the arms of the guard.

  “Get him out of here,” the High Master demanded.

  The guard complied. Dragging Ian out of the cell. The Sorcerer’s blood streaming onto the dirt floor in their wake. Intestine started to spill from his carved up belly. Celia gagged, trying to hold back the vomit. She had known his end would be ugly.

  A retching sound drew her attention to the corner. Cory lost the contents of her stomach. The other woman now white as a ghost. The realization of what she had done, whom she joined, finally sank in.

  A little too late, Celia thought.

  “Now,” the High Master said, cleaning his blade as if he had just killed a fly and not another supernatural. “Where were we?”

  She took a deep breath, ignoring the scent of lingering death.

  “Oh yes, you were telling me all about the council.”

  He ran the blade over her cheek lightly. She tried to hold back a shudder, but unsuccessful.

  “I want to know everything you know about the heads. Since you have had recent contact with two of them, let’s start with the one I am less familiar with. Region eight’s head of council.”

  “Damien.” The named slipped out. The High Master had not asked her anything and still she had spoken his name. Wishful thinking? Regretful longing?

  “Damien, hmmm. Yes, I believe I have heard that name before. Some of my men have had run-ins with him and his Enforcers. The bastard killed five of my best Kakos last year.”

  “He’s not a bastard. He’s a great man. Better than you could ever hope to be.” Oh no. Why had she said that? The truth, but why had she done it?

  The High Master bared his teeth. Celia was sure she would soon join in Ian’s fate. The jagged blade pressed into her cheek. Her eyes closed. She would not watch as this monster cut her.

  Suddenly, the blade was gone. A chuckle hit her ear. Celia opened her eyes to see the High Master sitting back in his chair, smiling at her. His dark eyes held an evil, knowing glint.

  “Well, well, well. It seems to me like you have
a bit of a thing for this Damien fellow.”

  Oh gods no! She’d revealed too much.

  The High Master glanced over her, focusing on her eyes. Her eyes, the silver rim. It indicated she was—

  “Mated,” the High Master spoke softly, almost to himself. “So Damien is your Tira? That is very interesting indeed.”

  He was smart, smarter than she first anticipated.

  “Here is how this will go.” The High Master fiddled with the deadly blade in his hands. “You will tell me everything about my brother and your lover. Then, perhaps, I will let you live long enough to say goodbye to him before I rip out both of your hearts.”

  Celia let her head fall to her chest. Tears slipped from her eyes. She sent up a silent prayer that everyone would forgive her for what she was about to do. She truly had no choice in the matter.

  Please forgive me, Damien.

  She would tell this man whatever he asked of her. Then, after betraying her friends and loved ones, she would find a way to blast out of this death tomb and warn everyone. Because she knew even if the High Master thought he had all the power, he was wrong.

  You have the power.

  And for once in her life, she would damn well use it.

  Chapter 23

  Damien made his way down the cold stone steps. Lela and Luka followed close behind. They arrived at the top floor of the castle-like mansion. The hallway was quiet and empty. No lights, no sound, no guards of any kind. They hurried through the top floor, checking the rooms before making their way down the large, grand staircase.

  They had yet to run into anyone. This must not be their main base of operations. The dust gathering on the pictures and furniture indicated the Kakos had not been here long. Either that or they did not use the top floor very often.

  As they reached the landing of the main floor, a huge rumble pierced the silence. The entire building shook. Dust particles rose into the air. Pictures fell from the walls. The smell of smoke drifted in the air.

  “Was that an explosion?” Lela asked.

  Celia!

  “Hurry,” he called to his Enforcers, hitting the main floor at a run. “We have to find Celia, now!”