Daemon Deception

by Mariah Ankenman

  Luka and Lela rushed after him. Glancing around, he eyed the doorways, checking for the one most likely to lead them to the basement. The place was huge. The door could be anywhere.

  “Damien!”

  He turned at the shout to see Kang and the others. They stood at the opposite end of a massive hallway hidden behind the staircase.

  “Over here.”

  Kang pointed to an open door. Damien prayed it led to the basement. He hurried toward the Shifter group. No need to turn around. He knew the other Enforcers trailed him.

  “We took out the guards in front and back, but there were none inside. I think these stairs lead to the basement.”

  Damien looked past Kang through the open doorway. Sure enough, a set of rough stone steps led down into darkness. Yes! They found it. Now all they had to do was find Celia.

  “Where do you think everyone is?” Stephan asked; the idea of lax guards clearly unnerved the lion shifter.

  The sound of booted feet hitting stone reached their ears. It grew louder by the second. Muffled voices rose from the depths of the stairwell.

  “I think we just found them,” Ava said; the small woman looked even tinier now that she wasn’t in bear form. A mistake to misjudge her, though, she was still just as deadly.

  As the footsteps drew closer so did the voices. Shouts, screams, and the smell of smoke wafted up the dank stairwell. Something happened down there. Something bad.

  Damien growled deep in his throat. If anything happened to Celia, he’d forget his vows of swift justice and slowly torture every last one of these bastards.

  “Ready your weapons.” He kept his gaze on the staircase as he gave the command to his Enforcers. “I’m going down. I’ll find Celia. You guys guard my back.”

  “To the end, brother,” Kang swore, letting his claws and teeth descend.

  Ava and Stephan did partial shifts as well. Claws and teeth the weapons of choice among Shifters. Why carry an extra weapon when they were one already?

  “Let me go ahead of you.” Luka stepped in front of him. “I can clear a path.”

  The Witch raised his hands, revealing a bright ball of fire. Damien wanted to say no. This was his Tira, his battle, but he knew he would get to Celia quicker if the path before him was unobstructed. From the sound of the stampede coming toward them, that wasn’t likely to happen.

  He nodded. “Make a path.”

  “I’ll catch the strays.” Ava stepped up to his side, standing at the entrance of the staircase. Her lips curled back revealing small lethal fangs. They needed at least one person to interrogate later.

  Damien took a moment, realizing how grateful he was to have such devoted men and women working under him. His Enforcers were the best of the best, honest, brave, always fighting for what was important. He was damn lucky.

  The shouts became louder, the horde of fleeing Kakos almost upon them. A smug grin tucked up the corner of his lips. Wouldn’t they get a surprise?

  Damien pulled his broadsword from its scabbard. Gripping it tightly in his fist, he narrowed his eyes, looking down the dark stairwell.

  “Now,” he shouted to Luka.

  The Witch sent forth a blast of fire. Screams, louder and closer, drowned out all other sound as the fireball shot down the stairs, disappearing in the inky blackness. Damien let out a wild roar, charging down into the darkness below.

  Luka ran ahead of him, blasting the confused Kakos with fire. With his superior night vision and the light from Luka’s flames, Damien saw ash and rubble clinging to the fleeing guards’ hair and clothing. An explosion.

  “Celia!” he shouted her name into the chaos. “Celia!”

  Thankfully his enhanced vision made it easy to see even with all the smoke in the air. The pandemonium increased as the Kakos realized they had another attacker in their midst. Some of them turned and ran back the way they had come. Others pulled their weapons out, ready for the fight.

  Damien heard animalistic growls behind him as his Enforcers engaged with the Kakos. Crunching bone and tearing of flesh soon replaced the shouting. Luka continued to blast fire, but the horde no longer rushed them. Looking around, Damien saw half a dozen guards on the ground, dispatched by his Enforcers and fallen rubble. Still four up and fighting.

  He grabbed one of the fallen. The man was still alive, barely. His chest slashed open by a pair of bear claws. Never mess with Ava.

  “Where is she?” he demanded. “Where is Celia?”

  The Kako’s face twisted with hate. “Fuck you!”

  “Wrong answer.” He slammed his head into the man’s nose. The satisfying sound of bone crunching filled his ears.

  “Son of a bitch!” the Kako swore as blood gushed from his nose.

  “Where is she?”

  “If I tell you, the High Master will kill me.”

  The High Master? Was that bastard behind Celia’s kidnapping?

  He eyed the man’s wounds. Blood poured out of his chest. His breath coming in short, fast gasps. The Kako was on the cusp of death and he still feared this High Master character? Who was this guy?

  “You’re dead anyway. Now, where is she?”

  The Kako chuckled, coughing as he choked on his own blood. When the bastard caught his breath, he sneered.

  “You want to know where she is? Last cell on the left.” The Kako’s eyes shone bright with gleeful madness. “The one that just exploded.”

  No!

  He threw the Kako to the ground and raced down hallway toward the end. The smoke got thicker as he went. Chunks of stone wall and ceiling littered his path. He called out, coughing as dust and debris filled his lungs. Horrible images, of Celia trapped under layers of massive stone, swarmed his mind. She could not be dead. He couldn’t live with himself if she was gone.

  “Celia,” he screamed her name, but no reply.

  He reached the end. The damage was greatest here. Looking up, he saw a gaping hole in the ceiling. Massive pieces of stone covered the dirt floor. Iron bars, blasted from cell doors, littered the pathway. Damien climbed over the rubble, tripping on the loose stone, to reach the last cell on the left.

  “Celia?” His voice echoed in the eerie stillness.

  No guards, no fighting. Nothing. The cell was empty. Bits of stone had fallen in the room. The damage contained mostly to the front. Near the back, only a small mattress blown against the wall in the explosion. She wasn’t here.

  “Oh, gods no!”

  If she wasn’t here, that meant one of two things. She had been taken, again. Or she was buried somewhere, under a pile of stone. Broken, bleeding, and lost.

  He turned toward the pile of wreckage. He planned to lift every damned piece of stone in this horrible dungeon until he found her. Literally, no stone left unturned. He would—

  “Damien?”

  The soft-spoken voice caused his heart to stop. He spun around to see Celia peeking out from behind the mattress.

  “Tira!” He rushed to her, enveloping her in his arms. Tears pricked the backs of his eyes. He’d found her. She was alive. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  She clung to him, shaking her head against his chest. “I’m fine, but how did you find me?”

  “Not now, love. We have to get out of here. Explanations come later.” Because he sure as hell wanted to know what went down here.

  She pulled away from his chest, biting her lip, and nodded. She wouldn’t look him in the eye, and he wondered about that. But at the moment, he needed to get her to safety. They could deal with everything else later.

  “Stay behind me,” he ordered her. Grabbing her hand, he started forward, back into the passageway.

  The sounds of fighting ended. Moans of pain now filled the air, but none of them sounded like his Enforcers. He kept his sword out just in case. Soon, he realized it was unnecessary. His people were good. As he approached the base of the stairs, he saw all the Kakos down. Most dead, a few quickly on their way.

  “You found her.” Kang smiled, teeth still d
escended.

  “I did.” He pulled Celia forward and wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s go home.”

  “Lela grabbed a Kako trying to flee,” Ava said, her claws and teeth returned to human size. “She teleported him back to headquarters for questioning.”

  “Good.” He wanted answers and by the gods he was going to get them.

  He marched up the stairs, holding Celia close. The main floor still as empty as before. Damien didn’t care why. He just wanted to get out of there and get Celia back to the safety of his home.

  Once outside, he told his Enforcers to meet him back at headquarters. Lela stood waiting outside to teleport Luka while the others shifted for the run back.

  Damien sheathed his sword. His wings expanded from his back. He looped Celia’s arms around his neck. “Come, Tira.”

  “We’re going to fly?” Her voice hitched.

  “I won’t drop you.”

  “I know. I’m not worried. I’ve always wanted to fly.”

  Such faith his Tira had in him. It humbled him. His forehead pressed against her. “I was afraid I’d lost you.”

  Scary to admit, but the truth.

  Celia stroked his jaw. “So was I.”

  He took her lips. He kept the kiss light and short. He wanted nothing more than to strip them both naked and bury himself inside her. Remind them both they were alive and safe. But this was neither the time nor the place. Lovemaking had to wait.

  “Hold on tight.” He tucked an arm under her knees, holding her close to his chest.

  Celia turned her face into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Damien launched himself into the night sky, his wings pumping them higher and higher into the air. The moon waned, but still bright in the darkness surrounding them. Clouds provided them cover from any upward gazes. Calm and peaceful solitude surrounded them up in the air. As he headed back home, he heard Celia’s soft voice.

  “Wow, this is amazing.”

  No, she was amazing. The woman in his arms was the most amazing, beautiful, smartest, strongest person he had ever met. He vowed then and there to spend the rest of his life making sure she realized that, every day.

  Chapter 24

  Damien didn’t release her until safely locked in his room. Celia didn’t mind. She’d been so afraid she would never see him again. It felt right being in his arms. She felt safe and cherished. No matter their argument the day before, she knew Damien cared for her and would never hurt her.

  Guilt wormed its way into her happy reunion. She would never willingly betray Damien, but thanks to the truth potion, she had done just that. Her thoughts turned inward, listening for that inner voice to tell her the right thing to do, but it was silent. The potion’s effects had worn off.

  A little too late, in her opinion.

  “You are sure you’re okay?” Damien asked for the fifth time. “You don’t need a doctor or—”

  She stopped his concerned ramblings, placing a hand over his lips.

  “I’m fine, Damien. I told you.”

  He gently took her hand away, kissing the tips of her fingers. “You were captured by the Kakos, shoved into a dirty cell, and survived an explosion. I have a right to worry about you after a day like that.”

  She smiled, thinking how nice it felt for a man like him, so strong and wonderful, to worry about her. Not many people worried about her over her lifetime. A nice feeling.

  “I will admit being locked up was…” she paused. “Difficult for me to deal with.”

  He stroked her cheek and she saw fire in his gray eyes, a promise of retribution on her behalf. So sweet her Tira, ready to take down the people who hurt her. Gods, she loved this man. No more denying it. She loved Damien. Never had she imagined her life with someone else. Before Damien, she could barely let anyone touch her. Now, she couldn’t be in the same room with him and not ache for his hands on her.

  “I would kill them all again if I could.”

  A ruthless statement, but she saw the emotions behind it. His gaze filled with fear of losing her, pain.

  “How many did you…how many were there?” She asked, needing to know if anyone survived.

  “Seven guards stationed outside. We took out over half a dozen Kakos inside, but I think a few got away.”

  She was sure some did. In fact, she knew of one in particular. She’d waited until the right moment to use her explosion spells. At least one person was not in the basement at the time of the explosions and her rescue. A very important someone.

  “Damien, it wasn’t just a band of Kakos that kidnapped me. It was the High Master.”

  His face pinched in worry. “The High Master? You’re sure?”

  She nodded. “I saw him myself. Talked to him.” She took a deep breath. Confession time. “Damien, I’m so sorry, but my old assistant Cory was there.”

  “Ah, Tira. I’m sorry.” He wrapped her in his arms and she went willingly.

  This was why she loved him so much. He knew without her even saying, how hard it had been for her to see the person she had once trusted standing beside her kidnapper. Damien knew her better than anyone ever had. Scary and wonderful at the same time.

  “She and Ian, the Sorcerer who created the Kako language and spell, kidnapped me. They found me in the glen. I think they hit me over the head or something because I blacked out and I came to in that dungeon.” She shuddered remembering. “They knew I broke the spell and they forced me to take a truth potion.”

  His arms tightened around her. In support or dread, she didn’t know. Her gut clenched at the memory of what the potion forced her to reveal.

  “You said the High Master was there. You saw him.”

  “Yes.”

  “You spoke to him?”

  Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, forging a cold, wet path down her cheeks. “Yes.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Everything.” Her voice broke, but she continued. She had to. “H-he made me reveal everything I knew about the council. The names of the heads, their locations, the security measures at region seven headquarters a-and here.”

  “He’ll come for us.”

  A statement, but she nodded anyway, shame eating away at her. “I’m so sorry, Damien. I tried to fight it, but truth potions are very strong magic.”

  He pulled her away from his chest to stare down at her. Soft gray eyes held so much understanding, so much warmth; she couldn’t hold back a small sob.

  “Hey,” he said, brushing away her tears with his thumb. “You did amazing. You survived. Nothing here is your fault. Put the blame where it lies. With that High Master bastard and his lackeys. You saw him. You know what he looks like. Maybe you can help us identify him. That would go a long way in the war that’s coming.”

  She saw him all right. Identification not a problem. She had to talk to Racine. Oh gods, Racine. She thought betrayal by her assistant was bad. To be betrayed by your own flesh and blood would be heart wrenching. She really did not want to tell Racine, but she had no choice.

  “We should contact the other heads.” They needed to know everything that happened. The war continued to brew and everyone had to prepare.

  Damien stopped her when she tried to shift out of his embrace. “We will, after.” His smoky eyes burned as they roamed over her. “I thought I had lost you, Tira. I need you. Now.”

  She needed him, too. A few minutes wouldn’t hurt anything. Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips against his, relishing in the warm, firm feel. She felt him growing hard against her. Her body trembled, vibrating with need at the knowledge of what was to come.

  “Then take me,” she told him, pulling him toward the large king-size bed in the middle of the room.

  She didn’t need to tell him twice. Damien scooped her up into his arms once more and carried her to the bed. Gently, he laid her down. Her heart filled to bursting with the love she felt for him. The swirl of silver ringing his irises reminded her fate had determined him as her perfect match. That fic
kle bitch sure knew her stuff.

  His hands roamed over her body. Bits of dirt and stone dust fell onto the bedspread from her clothing.

  “Oh, I’m getting your bed all dirty.” Embarrassment heated her cheeks. She must look like a mess. Her hair tangled, clothing ruined from the explosion. Great seduction attire. “I should take a shower.”

  “After,” he growled, heavy with desire. “You can shower after. We both will.”

  Oooo, that sounded fun. She nodded. “After.”

  Damien took her lips. This kiss differed from the one she had given him earlier. No softness to this kiss. He kissed her like a man starving, demanding she open to him. The Euadaemon invaded her mouth with his tongue, tasting, taking. He kissed her with all the emotions and fears the past day had dumped upon him. This kiss assured they were alive and together.

  She moaned deep in her throat. Damien swallowed the sound. His body came over hers, still fully clothed. They would have to do something about that.

  “Clothes off,” she said, tearing her mouth from his to suck in a breath of air. “Now.”

  His lips closed over hers again. She heard the tearing of fabric and felt the cool air brush over her skin.

  Laughing around his kiss, she admonished. “I meant yours.”

  His head rose and he looked down at her, grinning like a fool. “Ladies first.”

  “Such a gentleman.”

  He winked, his focus moving from her mouth to her bare breasts. She would have lamented the torn clothing, but the explosion had ruined her garments. Hiding behind the mattress in her cell had provided enough cover to save her from sailing rock, but blowback and debris tore holes in her clothing. Even if salvageable, she would just as soon never wear anything that reminded her of this particular day.

  Damien’s lips caressed a path from her jaw down her neck until they reached her breasts. The man had a fixation with those things. She gasped as he drew one tight, hard nipple into his mouth and sucked. She grabbed the back of his head, encouraging him.

  While he paid attention to her breasts, Celia tried in vain to disrobe him. A very hard thing to undress a person on top giving mind-numbing pleasure. Damien chuckled, sending all kinds of pleasant vibrations along her sensitive skin.