by G. K. DeRosa
An earthshaking growl tore from Talon’s lips as he barreled into the male mermaid. The guy hit the frozen ground with a smack, his head bouncing against the snow-blanketed earth. He let out a string of curses as my bodyguard darted back up to walk beside me. “Anyone else got something to say?”
The entire boneyard went silent.
“Good. The next male that looks at Azara won’t have eyes come sun-up. Is that clear?”
A wave of muttered yeses rolled across the yard. Damn, Talon was scary AF when he went all crazy protective. Also, incredibly sexy.
Warm air wafted over us as we walked back into the main building, and my frozen lungs began to work again. “You okay?” I asked. The fury rolling off him was suffocating.
“Yes. Sorry, if my dragon got a little out of hand.”
“It’s okay.” I laced my fingers through his and gave him a quick squeeze before we reached the crowded atrium. “I like your dragon.”
He smirked before donning his hard mask once again. “You don’t have to go tonight,” he said as we weaved between the crowd of inmates lined up at the commissary.
“Yes, I do. I can help with my kickass magic.”
His hard expression slipped for a second, a twinkle lighting up his eyes. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t. I just don’t like the idea of taking you into the mouth of hell.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m an Underworlder, remember?”
I wrapped my coat more tightly around myself as the whirling winds of the portal kicked up the icy breeze along the mountain top.
“Perhaps you should practice one more time,” said Logan, his voice muddled by the roaring gusts.
I’d opened and closed the portal to the Underworld three times already. My nose was iced over, and I could barely feel my cheeks. I understood why speed would be of the essence when opening the portal back home, but as much as I’d improved in spellcraft, my warlock magic was still a bit temperamental. Once my emotions were involved, things got a little dicey and who knew what we’d be facing at Thax’s castle. At this point, more practice would only increase my chances of frostbite. “I think I’ve got it, Logan.”
Talon’s hand wrapped around my shoulder and squeezed. “She’s got this, Warden.”
Warmth seeped through his palm into my skin bypassing the layers of clothing. Logan’s watchful eye caught the movement, but he diverted his gaze before meeting mine. He definitely knew something was going on.
“Let’s get this party started then, huh?” Dallas’s fangs popped out, and a wicked grin flashed across his incisors.
A megawatt smile lit up Hayden’s face as his majestic onyx wings unfurled. “I’m always ready for a good demon thrashing.” He unclenched his fist, and a gleaming sword appeared in his palm. Brilliant azure flames danced along the blade, setting his angelic features aglow.
I turned to Talon, and he nodded. “Ready when you are.”
“Let’s do this.” I gave the signal, and Logan, Dallas, and Hayden leapt into the glowing portal.
Once the guys disappeared, Talon’s fingers curled around my hand, and the monstrous flapping beasts in my gut subsided. A little anyway. He dipped down and his lips brushed mine, catching me completely by surprise. They were warm, despite the chill in the air, and kindled a wave of smoldering embers deep in my belly.
Talon’s other hand dug into my hair, turning my head to deepen the kiss. His dragon lurked just below his fiery surface. I could feel him trying to break through, to reach me. It was bizarre and amazing all at the same time.
He pulled away too quickly, and my body sagged against his. “Just in case,” he muttered, the rough edge to his tone doing nothing to quell the burning need within.
I took a step back and glanced up at the man who’d become my everything in such a short time. His intense silver irises locked on mine, and a swirl of unfamiliar sensations tangled my insides. Our raging emotions twirled and danced around each other until it was too difficult to decipher which belonged to whom.
I suddenly understood why mated dragons were bonded together for life, and why the passing of one was the death sentence for the other. If I lost Talon, would I survive?
“Don’t say that,” I finally mumbled, burying my face in his chest.
His lips brushed my forehead, his breath whirling through my hair. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Azara. I swear my life on it.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” I hugged him closer.
“I told you, I’m a tough bastard to kill.” He pushed me out to arm’s length and fixed me with those mesmerizing orbs. “I promise.”
I nodded quickly, snagging my lower lip between my teeth to keep the tears at bay. Get a hold of yourself, Azara. This was not the time to break down.
“Come on, we better go before the guys get worried.” He took my hand and pivoted me toward the spiraling winds.
Chapter Seventeen
The churning gusts of the portal spat us out a few seconds later. I landed in a crouch, tucking into a forward roll to keep from falling on my face in the pitch black. Talon alighted beside me, the whir of his flapping wings annoying the crap out of me. Of course, he nailed a perfect landing.
A light flickered on and illuminated three familiar faces. “What the hell happened to you guys?” Logan whisper-hissed.
“I had to piss,” Talon answered.
I suppressed the smile that threatened to explode across my face and hid behind my curtain of dark hair. Dallas snorted on a laugh and Hayden chuckled, but I ignored them both as I checked out our shadowed surroundings.
Sultry heat and the pungent scent of sulfur filled the tunnel, tightening my lungs. I peeled off my heavy winter coat and dropped it on the floor, whispering a quick incantation to conceal it. Hopefully, I’d remember to grab it on the way out.
Logan grabbed a torch from the wall and placed it in front of Talon’s face. “A little fire, please?”
He blew out a breath, and a flame jumped from his lips to the ancient lantern.
Our warden glanced at his wristwatch then at the blueprint clenched in his fist. “It’s almost time.”
We all nodded, the thick silence stifling. My pulse roared through my eardrums but on the outside, I was perfectly still.
“Everyone knows what they’re doing, right? Should we go over it one more time?” We’d already been over the plan while I practiced portal-opening on the mountaintop, but I knew Logan would want to go over it again now that we were here.
Hayden reached for Logan’s shoulder and gave it a manly pat. “We’ve got it, Warden. Talon and Azara rescue Vander, while the rest of us take on Thax.”
It wasn’t exactly what Delacroix had required of the deal, but I hoped what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him—or more importantly, us. Besides, there was no way we were leaving the Underworld without Vander. I could feel that certainty through every inch of me, it resonated so deeply within Talon.
Logan ticked his head at us. “We’ll give you a seven-minute head start, that should give you enough time to reach Vander so that we strike at the same moment. The last thing we need are the guards showing up before we reach Thax’s chamber.”
“Right,” said Talon. “Once we’ve got Vander, we’ll double back and meet you here so Azara can portal us out.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “If you guys don’t show by twelve forty-five, we’ll come in for you.”
“Don’t worry, T, we’ve got this.” Dallas shot his friend a wink.
“I hope so,” I muttered. After the last time, I’d seen more than enough of those narkin demon guards. I had no desire to face them or worse, the dark lord himself. I only hoped the paralyzing potion the guys at the SIA had whipped up would be strong enough to incapacitate Thax.
Since this was an unsanctioned SIA op, Talon had to enlist the help of some friends to acquire it under the table. I’d almost offered GG’s assistance but decided to leave my grandpa out of this one. If everything went according to plan, Thax would eventually be trans
ported to SIA holding once we figured out exactly what he wanted with me.
Easy peasy.
“Let’s go.” Talon tugged on my arm, jerking me back to the present.
“Talon,” Logan called out before we’d taken a step. “I don’t have to remind you of your responsibility to Azara, do I?”
He shook his head, his jaw clenched tight.
“I know Vander is your best friend, but your duty is to keep her alive. You took the blood oath—”
Talon raised his hand and cut him off. “I know, Logan. I know all of it. If it comes down to Vander or Azara, I know what I have to do.”
His words were like a punch to the gut, siphoning all the air from my lungs. How could he be forced to choose me over his brother? It wasn’t fair. Especially since it was my fault Thax had captured him in the first place.
I resolved to tell Talon he could screw his vow as soon as we were alone. This time he had to choose his brother.
Logan pulled me into a hug, and a swell of unexpected emotion tightened my throat. “Be careful, Azara, please. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“I’ll be fine. Talon will take good care of me.”
His lips contorted into a scowl before he schooled them into a thin line. “Be sure that he does.”
“Enough with the goodbyes,” Dallas interjected, shooing us. “Get going. We’ll see you all in less than twenty minutes, if all goes well.”
I pivoted and followed Talon down the dark tunnel. After a few steps, I muttered, “Lucem venitem.” A glimmering orb of golden light appeared and hovered over our heads.
“Nice trick.” Talon’s hold on my hand tightened as he picked up the pace. We didn’t speak for a while, an ominous drip-drip providing the only noise as we moved silently beneath the earth.
The tunnel came to an abrupt stop, and I nearly barreled into Talon’s broad back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the other copy of the map Delacroix had provided. “This must be the spot.”
I nodded as he handed me the folded-up paper. Holding it up to the light, I whispered the words of the spell. “Apertum nasconda, apertum aprire.”
The ground rumbled beneath my feet, and my hand shot out to grip Talon’s firm shoulder. The rock wall shuddered, and a faint glow appeared through a crevice. The fissure elongated, climbing across the hard-packed earth and cleaved in two. The opening grew larger until it created a doorway in the impenetrable rock.
“Well done,” said Talon, shooting me an indulgent smile.
“Thanks.” I held my hand out. “After you.”
The opening may have been big enough for me, but my massive dragon friend had to duck and sidle in sideways. I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched. “I guess this means Thax isn’t that big?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I doubt the warlord uses these tunnels much, and even if he did, he wasn’t the one that built them. They were here well before his time.”
I followed in behind him as the dark walls of another tunnel coalesced around us. “How do you know so much about Thax’s castle?”
“I do my research. As soon as I found out he wanted something from you, I found out as much as I could. Having power and supernatural abilities is advantageous, but knowledge and determining how to outsmart your opponent, that’s key.”
“Who knew you were more than just a pretty face?” I squeezed his cheek with a playful grin, and he rolled his eyes in return. “Now where to, oh wise one?”
He glanced at the blueprint and pointed to the right. “According to this, Vander should be on the other side of this wall. There should be a doorway further down this corridor.”
“Awesome.”
We crept forward, Talon in the lead. One arm was draped across my chest, keeping me behind him. He didn’t have to worry, I had zero desire to go ahead of him. To be honest, after all the hype, I was terrified of meeting Vander. He’d been dragged to this hell hole because of me after all. If I were him, I’d probably hate me. And now his brother and I had a—thing. How would he feel about that? Then there were Delacroix’s veiled remarks… why did Vander know so much about me?
Talon stopped in front of a door, yanking my attention from my wandering thoughts. He scanned the map, then lifted his gaze to mine. “This is it.”
“Talon, before we go in there, you have to promise me something.”
His brows furrowed as his lips curled into a pout. “Okay… what’s that?”
“Choose Vander. No matter what you promised Logan, if it comes down to it, choose your brother.”
The hard set of his jaw melted away, and a pang of intense emotion smacked me in the chest. His glowing orbs locked on mine, leaving a scorching path in their wake. My insides burned from the intensity of his gaze. I tried to unravel the tangle of emotions in my gut, but they were too overpowering, too all-consuming. “I couldn’t, even if I wanted to,” he finally murmured.
“Because of the bond?” I forced out.
His head dipped. “I love Vander like a brother, more if that’s possible, but you hold a piece of me. I am a part of you. I would choose you every time.”
I gulped down the knot of emotion clogging my throat. “You have to at least try.”
He shook his head. “Can’t.”
I huffed out a breath. The one time I was actually trying to do the right thing, and I couldn’t. Or at least Talon couldn’t. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t do whatever in my power to ensure Vander survived regardless of what happened to me. “Okay,” I murmured. I forced my arms to my sides to keep from wrapping them around Talon’s neck and assaulting him with kisses. Regardless of the origin of his words—blood bond or not—they’d made my heart swell. I swallowed hard and shoved down the emotions. I had to focus now. I could deal with my blossoming feelings for Talon later. “Are you going to knock the door down, or should I try my magic?” I whispered.
Delacroix had said Thax didn’t sleep with guards in his room, but there had to be a whole slew of narkins watching their most-valued prisoner.
“Let’s go with the more discreet approach. The less guards we wake the better,” he replied.
“You see, I told you you’d need me. What would you have done without my magic?”
“I would’ve brought Ella instead.” He tossed me a satisfied smirk as I cursed him in my head, taking back all the warm and fuzzy thoughts I’d had about him a second earlier. I hoped some of my nasty expletives would bleed through the bond.
My magic already skimmed the surface of my skin, and it only took a second to summon my power. Ever since I started studying the mystical arts, it had become much more accessible. It was the warlock powers that were still fickle.
I snapped my fingers, and the iron bolt across the wooden door clanked open. I froze, the blood icing in my veins. So much for being quiet. Next time I’d have to add a silencer to the incantation.
Talon was stiff beside me as we waited for the telling footfalls of approaching guards. Ten seconds. Twenty. A minute. Nothing. He nodded, and I dipped my head in return. Gingerly, his hand came around the rusted door handle. He wiggled it, and the door swung open.
I held my breath.
Talon crept forward, then craned his head back and mouthed, “Wait.” He peeked his head into the dark space. A flash of silver streaked across his irises as his pupils lengthened to reptilian slits. The snap of talons breaking through flesh made my skin crawl. I took a step back because I knew what was coming next. Talon’s leathery wings snapped out, fanning across his back to encompass the doorway. He took a few more steps until he disappeared from view.
My heart smacked against my ribcage as I counted the seconds he was gone. I reached thirty and upped it to sixty. When I reached a minute, I decided to give him one more. If he wasn’t back in two, I’d go in after him.
I counted down the remaining seconds as anxiety ate up my insides.
“All clear.” Talon’s head poked through the doorway, and I nearly jumped out of
my skin.
“Holy hell, Talon! You scared the crap out of me,” I whisper-shouted.
“Sorry.” At least he had the decency to look sheepish as he reached for my hand. “Come on, I think I found the cells.”
I followed him through the narrow opening, walking on the balls of my feet so the heels of my boots wouldn’t smack against the concrete. The glimmering orb floated over our heads, the dim glow lighting the way only a few paces in front of us.
The harsh scent of sulfur wafted to my nose the further we traversed the corridor. From the moss crawling up the rough-hewn walls, musty smell and gigantic cobwebs lining the corners, my guess was we were in some sort of basement—or dungeon more likely. Didn’t all warlords have dungeons to hold prisoners?
Talon pointed around the corner and lifted two fingers. Then he shook his head, and his face went blank. There are two narkin guards asleep in front of a door around the corner. It’s gotta be where they’re keeping Vander. His voice echoed across my mind and again, I wished I could answer him. Instead, I just nodded. I’ll go first and immobilize them. You watch my back, but do not come in until I give you the signal. Got it? I nodded again even though I was dying to go with him. I could totally knock out one of the narkins with my kickass witchfire ball.
Talon lifted his hand in front of my face and mouthed, “Stay.”
What the heck, was I his Goldendoodle?
I leaned against the wall and watched as he tiptoed toward the sleeping guards, their long elephant-like ears flopped over their shoulders. My magical orb hovered over my head, providing just enough light to make out the long tusks protruding from the demons’ foreheads and the glint of sharp teeth hidden behind resting maws.
Talon reached the first one, and I held my breath. His talon swept across the narkin’s neck so quickly, it was nothing but a blur. Blood spurted out, and the creature’s massive head rolled to the floor.
The thunk of its skull against the concrete stopped my heart mid-beat. Talon froze in place, his eyes intent on the other narkin. The guard squirmed, and his gruff snore filled the air.
