Daemon Grudge

by Stacey Brutger

  She opened her mouth to snark at him when he raised his hands to forestall her.

  “—or we will lock you away for your own protection.”

  She snorted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, seething at their attitude. They were behaving like she was a helpless female who needed to be rescued. She was getting tired of it. Maybe she wasn’t in their league, but she wasn’t exactly helpless either.

  “What rules?” she snarled from behind gritted teeth.

  Warrick flashed her a full-out smile that made her breath catch, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You obey us.”

  This time she couldn’t keep herself from rolling her eyes. “Within reason.”

  That wiped the smile off his face, and he glowered at her. “If we give you an order, you will obey, or you don’t come with us.”

  She smashed her lips together against the need to give him a piece of her mind. Pleased he’d gotten his way, he straightened and went to his room to get ready, leaving her alone with Keegan and Nikos.

  The psycho passed close to her, mischief dancing in his eyes. “This is going to be fun.”

  Then he sauntered off with a cheery whistle, flipping his blade with a carelessness that made her wince. When Keegan didn’t move, she glanced up at him, then stilled. “You convinced them to take me.”

  She was positive of it, but she wasn’t sure how when he didn’t say a word.

  He gave a shrug, his smile mysterious as he wandered closer. There was something predatory in his eyes when he gazed at her, something hungry that made her stomach flutter.

  She wanted to curse at him for making her feel this desire. She could fight the guys in battle, but she didn’t know shit about how to guard herself against them getting too close to her heart.

  She shook off her thoughts, planting her feet against the urge to retreat. “Why?”

  Keegan raised a brow, stopping with just inches between them, the scent of warm, baked bread making her hunger sharper, and she craved a taste, just a little nibble. She couldn’t quite remember anymore why it would be so wrong.

  He tucked a finger under her chin, lifting her face to his and her breath caught in her throat.

  “You owe me a kiss at a date and time of my choosing.” He gently rubbed his thumb along her lower lip, and her insides trembled. “That is my payment.”

  When he dropped his hand and calmly strode away, she narrowed her eyes on his back.

  The asshole was playing with her.

  Worse?

  She liked it.

  Growling under her breath, she whirled and stormed toward her room. Just when she was about to enter, Keegan cleared his throat. She glared at him over her shoulder, seething at his edict…or maybe it was because he denied her the kiss he’d all but promised.

  “What?” She barked the one word at him.

  Amusement crinkled at the corners of his eyes before he could repress it. “You’re coming with us because we trust you. You’re coming because you know how to fight. You’re coming because we’re a team.”

  Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs as he disappeared into his room. She remained frozen by her door, his comments totally obliterating her thoughts.

  She’d never been a part of a team before…not really.

  Kronos liked to keep their soldiers from getting attached, actively going as far as to encourage competition between them. Loyalty was to their commanders, not each other.

  This was different.

  They trusted her.

  She nodded to herself…she wouldn’t let them down. She would prove to them that she deserved their trust.

  It didn’t take her long to change into the black uniform she used when she went hunting. She tugged down her vest, ridiculously pleased that they found her worthy enough to join them, and could hardly contain her excitement at the prospect of leaving the compound.

  This place felt suffocating, despite the guys. There was a wrongness to the air, a taint of evil that clung to the walls like shadows. Just the thought of leaving made it easier to breathe, and she got busy tucking her weapons on her person.

  Placing the last knife in her boot, she straightened and sauntered into the main area…then stopped dead, her breath catching to find the men waiting for her, warriors stolen out of time. Their expressions where hard, their bearing daring anyone to fuck with them. While she wasn’t a short woman, she felt petite standing next to them.

  Warrick scanned her, then nodded his approval. As if he’d given some sort of signal, they headed out. Instead of leaving the compound as she expected, they wound their way through the first floor, a few of the trainees giving her jealous glares, while a number of lesser daemons gaped in awe.

  It only took a few minutes to reach their destination. Octavia entered the room last, surprised to find herself in a war room. About a dozen chairs were arranged around a massive oval conference table. Computers lined the far wall with four men commanding the control panels. Pictures of various locations flickered on the screens, some even from inside the compound itself. For some reason, she hadn’t expected to be surrounded by the latest technology.

  The guys halted at the sight of Darren and the team lined against the opposite wall, waiting for them. Both teams froze, eyeing each other warily.

  Warrick was the first one to bend, and nodded to the other man. “Darren.”

  “Warrick.” Darren straightened and nodded toward the chairs. “I take it you were summoned as well.”

  The guys didn’t wait, filling the seats on the opposite side of the table, dividing them into two sides. Atticus held out a chair for her, the one farthest from the other team. She gave him a nod of thanks. Before he could sit next to her, Nikos slipped into the seat and smiled when the big man scowled. Ignoring them, she studied the tension and dynamics of the room from under her lashes. There wasn’t any outright animosity, more like guarded curiosity.

  Before anyone else could say anything, the table lit up, and the giant computer screen beneath the glass flickered to life. Pages of data scrolled on the screen and everyone leaned forward to study the information. A synthetic voice filtered through the room, briefing them on the case.

  “There has been some unusual activity in the third quadrant. The delta team was dispatched more than twenty-four hours ago and failed to return. Your job is to observe and retrieve delta team if possible.”

  There was a click and the system died, leaving them alone in silence.

  She stiffened as the implications slammed into her—unusual activity and disappearing daemons—it sounded all too familiar.

  Kronos.

  The two teams now made sense. She avoided looking at anyone as she began scanning the pages for any clues that might lead her to the truth, but the information was thin. Not finding what she wanted, she glanced at the others around the table. “How is this any different from a normal mission?”

  Nikos reached under the table and gave her knee a warning squeeze. They didn’t want her to attract any attention to herself, but Octavia was afraid it was already much too late. Things had already been set into motion, and she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to stop it.

  She was conscious of Nikos’s hand remaining on her knee. She should brush it away, but she craved the comforting weight of it. She wrenched her mind away from him and concentrated on what was happening around her.

  She glanced between the two teams, still seated on opposite sides of the table, and found all eyes resting on her. Not one to be cowed, she waited expectantly. She’d faced down worse. She was a female, used to being overlooked and dismissed, and she enjoyed proving them wrong.

  “Delta team failed to report in at their last check-in time. Their last contact with us was twelve hours ago.” Darren twisted a pen between his fingers as he studied her. “They simply vanished.”

  When she opened her mouth to ask her next question, Warrick sent her a quelling look and asked one of his own. “Do we know if they’re dead?”

  “Unknow
n.” Darren tossed the pen down on the table. “The pantheon has been quiet.”

  Which meant they’d been taken.

  Kronos was getting bolder.

  Dread pooled in her chest, constricting her lungs—Kronos was making their move.

  Which meant they either found a way to create their super soldiers without her, or they were tired of waiting and were trying to lure her out of hiding so they could get their hands on the final ingredient they needed—her.

  “We suspect they might be the same people who took Eldon.” The man next to Darren spoke, an air of raw energy sizzling and snapping around him, as if he was ready to charge into battle at a moment’s notice.

  Warrick and the team stiffened, the reaction so slight, she didn’t think the others would notice unless they were looking for it. Then Warrick broke the quiet. “Why do you say that?”

  “The disappearances are too similar.” Darren tapped a distracted finger against the table and the computer screen darkened. “They all vanished without a trace. Not even the pantheon can track them.”

  “Your plan?” Warrick cut the discussion short.

  When she leaned forward and opened her mouth to ask another question, Nikos clamped down on her knee so hard, streaks of pain shot down her leg. She gritted her teeth, struggling not to react. When he didn’t relent, she reached under the table and lightly touched the back of his hand…before sinking her nails in deep enough to draw blood.

  His whole body stiffened, but his hold remained firm. Only when she blew out a breath in defeat and leaned back in her seat did he relent. He ran a hand along her leg as if trying to sooth an angry kitten, and she kicked out, slamming her boot into his ankle with enough force that a grunt escaped him, and his hand finally retreated.

  She focused on the conversation around her.

  “No, you take the lead.” Warrick pushed back his chair and stood. “We’ll go as backup.”

  Essentially giving control over to the other team.

  She gave him a sharp look—he was planning something.

  She rose with the others.

  “She’s going with us?” Octavia froze, only halfway out of her seat when Darren spoke.

  Though he was staring at her, the question was directed at Warrick.

  “She needs the training.” No one protested Warrick’s edict, like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but the other team’s interest sharpened.

  Warrick straightened to his full height, distracting them from her, and everyone got to their feet, following his lead as he strode toward the door. Atticus prodded her, and she scrambled after the others. The guys shifted so they stood between her and Darren’s team at all times. Knowing the guys didn’t trust the other team fully, she studied them more closely as they filed past.

  Controlled violence that spoke of military-type training oozed from Darren’s team, quite different from the wildness that clung to her men, but no less potent or deadly. Ruthlessness and cunning gave Warrick a slight edge over all the others, and she pegged him as slightly older and stronger than the rest.

  She waited for the other team to protest her presence, but they blessedly kept their silence as they exited the compound. Bright light from the early afternoon nearly blinded her, and it took her a second to process that it was daylight. Being inside the mostly windowless compound messed with her senses.

  While she slowly adjusted to the freedom of being outdoors, Darren and his men piled in two vehicles and pulled out. She followed the others as they headed toward their vehicle.

  Keegan and Warrick stopped when they reached the doors and stared across the hood at each other. Keegan spoke first. “Trap?”

  Warrick gave a sharp nod. “Trap.”

  She looked back and forth between them, then leaned heavily against the front of the truck, relieved that she wouldn’t have to try and convince them it was an ambush waiting to happen. “What are we going to do?”

  Nikos grabbed her arm and spun her until she fell into his arms, and she struggled to keep up with him while he danced her around the sidewalk. He gave her a cheery smile as he dipped her over his arm and he leaned in close to sniff the base of her throat in a way that made her shiver and yearn to feel his lips on her instead.

  Then he spoke and ruined her fantasy.

  “We’re going to do what everyone does when they find a trap—we’re going to spring it.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “You can’t be serious?!” Octavia sputtered, pulling away from Nikos to plant her fists on her hips.

  He frowned, pouting like someone just took away his favorite toy. He gave a negligent shrug and headed toward the truck, then opened the door and bowed to her with a flourish. “After you, mademoiselle.”

  The rest of the guys ignored his antics as they climbed into the vehicle.

  With a snort of frustration, she stomped after them. Instead of crawling inside, she shoved him in first before following. Slamming the door did little to ease her frustration. As they pulled out, she couldn’t hold back her annoyance. “Why?”

  “The right answer would be because it’s the job.” Warrick didn’t bother looking at her as he drove.

  But she had a feeling it wasn’t the only answer.

  She leaned forward and looked up at Keegan. “What’s the rest of the answer?”

  Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes. “We set a trap of our own.”

  She leaned back against her seat, nearly head-butting Nikos with the back of her skull. Had he been leaning closer to…sniff her hair? She narrowed her eyes at him, then brushed away her aggravation and deflated a little in her seat.

  She should be thrilled to know they had a way to get her out of this mess, but she couldn’t help but worry that they were underestimating the enemy. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Kronos was dangerous, it was just that they believed they were better, but she was still wary.

  A lot of people who believed the same thing ultimately ended up in cages, waiting to be the next test subject. Unfortunately, telling them wouldn’t change anything, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of a noose tightening around her neck. “Why bring me if you know it’s a trap?”

  “It’s at the discretion of the trainers.” Atticus leaned forward, then scowled at Nikos, as if annoyed at finding the man sitting between them.

  “You’re one of the team.” Nikos glared daggers at Atticus when the fucker kept crowding closer, until he felt like a piece of meat squished in a sandwich. He wasn’t the meat, he fucking brought the meat, dammit. Now, Octavia would make a tasty sandwich, nice and delicious.

  His fantasies dissolved when Atticus nudged forward again. Nikos crossed his arms, jamming his elbow into the other man’s ribs, doing his best to shove the brute back, and scowled when he couldn’t move his bulk even an inch.

  “We can keep you safer when you’re with us.” Keegan went right for the jugular, not denying his motives.

  “So it has nothing to do with using me as bait?” Octavia studied Keegan more closely, quietly releasing a relieved sigh when his face hardened in outrage, and he slowly turned to face Warrick.

  The rest of the cab fell eerily silent as they wound through the city, heading lower and lower into the valley.

  When Warrick didn’t deny it, she knew she was right. Betrayal twisted through her, leaving her feeling gutted. She held still in fear that she would shatter, her joy at being included turning to ash.

  It didn’t hurt this much when Kronos turned their backs on her and her pseudo-friends began hunting her. And it was all her fault. She’d been a fool. She’d allowed herself to believe these men were different.

  A chill entered the cab of the SUV, the silence making her ears pop, and she shook away her self-pity to see the rest of the guys glaring at Warrick.

  Octavia released a sigh and let go of her emotions. “In his place, I would do the same.”

  This time, everyone turned to gape at her, including Warrick.

  She shrugged, the
hollow feeling in her chest spreading. “It’s a solid plan. Only I would make sure the bait knows the truth. It gives those of us who are to be bait the upper hand. You’re still underestimating the enemy. Kronos might be dodgy as fuck, but someone on the inside is working with them. Without finding them first, it’s going to come back and bite us on the ass.”

  “We take down one, we take down them both.” Warrick turned on the blinker, and she saw Darren’s group up ahead turn the corner. “Problem solved.”

  “They’ll go into hiding like cockroaches, and turn up again with another plan, one that might work next time.” No one said anything as Warrick parked the truck behind the others.

  While Warrick turned off the engine, the doors of the two vehicles in front of them popped open and the guys spilled out, pulling on their tactical vests as they prepared to go to war. Warrick removed the keys and pocketed them. “Your safety is a priority. Nikos and Atticus will shadow your every move.”

  Octavia stared at them in complete bafflement. Protecting her would only hamper them. “Why?”

  Warrick grabbed the door handle, then paused to look at her over his shoulder. “Because the others aren’t wrong—you’re one of us. That you allowed yourself to believe otherwise means you don’t completely trust us yet.”

  Before she had a chance to say anything, he opened the door and vanished. The rest of the guys finally came unstuck.

  “He may be an ass, but he’s not wrong.” Keegan carefully removed his glasses and set them in the center console. His movements were precise, his emotions hidden, and she realized her lack of faith hurt him, and she suddenly felt ashamed.

  “If it matters, I have more confidence in you guys than anyone else.” She felt exposed by her confession, the inside of the SUV suffocating. “It’s hard to trust when you’ve never had someone worthy of trusting.”

  From her experience, trusting others usually led to betrayal or death.

  She yanked open the door and bailed. Before she could slam it shut, Nikos caught it and followed her out. For once, there was no humor in his expression. “Warrick has a habit of taking in damaged people and showing them a different way to live…if you let him.”