In the span of a heartbeat, Taeg raced over to Leviathos. He pushed Maya to the side, yanking and jamming the dagger farther into Leviathos’ body.
Leviathos screamed, falling to the ground. Taeg followed, keeping a death grip on the dagger.
“Where’s the Book?” He punctuated his question with another turn of the dagger.
Leviathos shrieked. “Stop... stop.” He panted, looking up at Maya. A calculating expression crossed his face. “If you want to know the location of the demons who killed your family, you’ll convince him to let me go.”
Taeg turned toward Maya. “What?”
She ignored him, glaring down at Leviathos with a look of seething hatred. “Screw you, asshole. I’ll find them myself.”
Leviathos sputtered, appearing genuinely surprised. Yeah, definitely unhinged.
Taeg gripped the handle tight and twisted again. “Where’s the Book?” He shouted so Leviathos would be able to hear him over his own pained screams.
“It’s... it’s in the urn,” he cried, lifting a shaking hand toward one of the large, ornamental urns that decorated the bridge. The base of the cast-iron urn was built into the top of the railing, and it extended about three feet up, with several kinds of plants stuffed inside. The perfect place to hide something.
“I’ll go look.” Maya raced over to it.
“Be careful,” Taeg said as she hoisted herself onto the railing.
“I am.” She stood on her toes so she could dig through the plants. “What does it look like?”
“A book,” Taeg snapped back. When she let out an angry curse, he elaborated. “Two-toned metal.”
One, two, three seconds passed. Finally, he lost his patience. He swiveled his head toward her. “Anything there?”
“No,” she called. “Wait!”
“What?”
“It’s a satchel,” she called out, drawing back with a dark brown bag.
Something punched into his gut with a flash of searing pain. Grunting, he swiveled around to see Leviathos holding onto another knife, this one spearing his stomach. Shit. Where had it come from?
Leviathos laughed and a thin stream of blood dribbled out of his mouth. “Doesn’t feel so good when it’s you, does it?”
Damn straight, it didn’t.
Leviathos jiggled the knife, tearing a jagged gouge in his gut. It felt like his insides were being ripped out. Taeg cried out and doubled over, loosening his hold on the knife in Leviathos’ side.
“No,” Maya screamed. She jumped down off the railing. Her boots pounded hard on the bridge as she ran toward them.
Laughing, Leviathos slid the dagger from his own flesh. “I’m going to kill you now.”
With a shrill cry, Maya was on them. Every inch the warrior, she moved with more speed than he thought possible for a human, closing her hand around the discarded sword and racing toward Leviathos. One long slice and his head detached from his body. It rolled to the ground, the maniacal smile still on his face.
She kicked it away and dropped to her knees beside Taeg, grasping his face in her heads. “Taeg, are you okay?”
He let out a short laugh and agony melted his insides. Damn, that hurt. “Just peachy, sweetheart.”
Tears ran down her face in large drops while she stared down at him. She had never looked more beautiful than she did now. Damn, but he loved her.
“Do me a favor, will you?” he gasped.
“Anything,” she said fervently.
“Pull the knife out.”
Anxiously biting her lip, she obeyed.
He let out a pained cry. “Aw, damn... shit. Shit.”
Where were Keegan and Ronin when you needed them? He’d heal, but not nearly as quickly as he would if one of them worked their mojo on him.
“Jesus, Taeg, are you going to be okay?”
“You know I am, slayer.” When she didn’t look the least bit reassured by his words, he tried for distraction. “Thank the devil you brought that sword with you, huh?”
She laughed through her tears. “It’s not Excalibur, you idiot. I traded the real thing for one of the swords in your brother’s office.”
“Oh.” Oh. He had to hand it to his little slayer, she was full of surprises. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Maya had the grace to look ashamed. “How did you know I was here?”
“Reiver called me as soon as he noticed you left with the sword. He gave me directions while he tracked you here.” He shook his head. “I can’t for the life of me figure out why you left without waking me.”
“He told me that—”
“It’s not important right now.” Nothing mattered more than the fact that Maya and Brynn were both safe. An overwhelming sense of relief made him feel dizzy and high. Or maybe that was the loss of blood. “Help me up, will you? I need to call Keegan and tell him to get his ass over here. My stomach is fucking killing me.”
With a strangled laugh, she helped him to his feet. Her brow creased into a frown. “Leviathos is dead now. We have the Book, and I’m safe. Why don’t you flash over to your brother so he can heal you? I’ll wait right here for you. Promise.”
“Can’t.” He gave her a pained smile. “Long story.”
§
Taeg stood on the balcony of Keegan’s apartment with Ronin. Dagan walked out, clad in nothing more than a T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. “I ran into Reiver on my way to the kitchen, and he told me you found the Book. Is that true?”
“The Book of the Dead was in a satchel hidden in one of the urns on the bridge,” Taeg said. “Can you believe the bastard took it with him?”
“He was probably scared that if he left it at his apartment, we’d steal it back. That was a valid concern, actually.” Dagan laughed and rubbed his eyes. “So fucking glad this is all over.”
“Huge relief,” Ronin said.
“Yeah.”
Brynn didn’t have to live in fear any longer. She and the baby were safe. He should have been bouncing off the walls with excitement, but the tight knot in his gut was still there. He had one more thing to do.
“It’s been a long night. I’m gonna head in.” Clapping Ronin on the back, Taeg went inside and searched Keegan out. He found his big brother in his study, pensively staring at the sword lying across his desk. “S’up, bro?”
“Come in. Have a drink.” Keegan motioned him toward the sidebar he’d set up in a corner of the room.
Taeg poured two glasses of whiskey, then set one on Keegan’s desk, next to the half-filled glass he already sipped from. He took a seat on one of the chairs set up across from the desk. “Where’s the Book?”
Keegan nodded his head toward the floor next to him. Rising, Taeg saw the shattered pieces of two-toned metal all over the floor. “Huh. Well that’s that, I suppose.”
Thank the devil.
“Yeah, no more Book,” Keegan intoned dully.
Taeg surveyed his brother. “Then why the long face, sourpuss?”
Keegan sighed and finished off the liquid in his glass. After setting it down, he picked up the glass Taeg had brought him. “Brynn just confided to me that the words contained in the Book are embedded in her memory.”
Taeg blinked at that surprising bit of news. “That means—”
“Book or no, she still has the ability to call forth the zombies.”
“Wow.” Taeg whistled. “That’s some powerful backup to have on her side.”
“Yeah,” Keegan agreed. “I just... fear for her. If anybody ever discovered what she could do, especially the Council... ”
“Nobody knows but us, right?”
“Right.”
“Then we’re good.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Keegan took a breath and lifted his eyes to Taeg. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d lost your ability to flash?”
Taeg winced. “It wasn’t important.”
“It is important,” Keegan said. “That was a big thing you gave up. Huge.”
“And it
was worth it, one hundred percent.”
Something deep and heavy flashed over Keegan’s face. “Thank you, little brother. Thank you.”
Aw, hell. Taeg blinked past the sudden stinging in his eyes. If they didn’t stop now, things were going to get mushy. He hated mushy. He cleared his throat and nodded toward the sword. “Now that Leviathos is gone, what should we do with it?”
“Take it back,” they said simultaneously.
Taeg laughed. “I’ll make sure it goes back to the right spot. It’s too dangerous.”
“Agreed,” Keegan said. “Taking Maya with you?”
That was a good question. He hadn’t gotten to spend much alone time with her since she killed Leviathos. She’d disappeared with Brynn as soon as they’d gotten back to the apartment. But he needed to find her. There was something he had to tell her, and it couldn’t wait any longer.
“Don’t know,” Taeg said to Keegan. “Have you seen her?”
“In the master bedroom with Brynn, last time I saw her.”
With a nod, he rose to his feet and left the office.
The door to Keegan’s bedroom was open. He poked his head in and saw Maya sitting on one end of the king-size, four-poster bed. She faced Brynn, who lay on her side. The two spoke intently, their voices so hushed he couldn’t hear them.
Damn, but she was breathtaking. Her face was so expressive, so animated. She was just so right for him.
I hope I didn’t fuck it up between us.
Devil, he hoped not. He couldn’t imagine living one more minute of his life without her.
The truth was, she deserved better than him. Someone who wouldn’t lie to her, who’d move heaven and earth to make her happy. If she let him, he would be that man for her. He couldn’t change the past, but at least he could put things right.
Taeg stepped inside. “Hey, ladies.”
Maya stopped in mid-sentence and both women turned their attention to him.
“I... ” He cleared his throat. “Maya, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”
Brynn sat up. “You know, I’m hungry. Why don’t you guys talk in here? I’m heading to the kitchen.”
With those words she rose and headed toward the door.
“Thanks,” Taeg murmured as she walked by.
She gave him a reassuring pat on the arm and left.
Maya rose and headed toward him, a shuttered expression on her face. “Taeg, I—”
“Wait,” he said before she could say another word. “There’s something I need to say to you. Something I should have said a long time ago.”
She closed her mouth and stared at him expectantly.
He shifted in place. Here goes nothing.
“Maya, I never did anything to find your family’s killers.” When she lifted a brow, he let the rest of his words out in a desperate rush. “I’ll admit it, when I first agreed to our bargain, I was... using you. I told myself my mission was more important than yours. I... I was an asshole. I realize now I was wrong. I know you may never forgive me, but if you do, I swear I’ll do anything in my power to make up for it.”
She was silent for so long he wondered if she’d heard anything past his first few words. Then, when he was just about to ask her, she balled her fist and punched him on the shoulder. Hard.
“Ow.” He rubbed the spot, scowling.
“I know that, you idiot.”
What? “You do?”
She nodded and closed the distance between them. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, his whole body loosened.
“I was mad at first, but I can’t say I don’t understand,” she said. “You were trying to save lives. To save Brynn. My family was already dead. I’m not saying I’m happy about it, but I get it.”
He closed his eyes and crushed her to him. “Thank the devil. I was so worried.” He stepped away from her, still holding her arms as he stared into her eyes. “I love you, Maya. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. You’re strong and bold and stubborn and... and absolutely right for me.”
Her lips curved into a slow grin. “That’s good, because you’re stuck with me now. I’m finding a certain demon has grown on me.”
A low laugh bubbled in his throat. He lifted her into his arms and kissed her senseless. He couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this crappy day. Leviathos was dead and Maya was his. Who could ask for more than that?
She finally broke away for a gasp of air, throwing him a stern look. “You know, just because I forgave you for lying once doesn’t mean you have free rein. Lie to me again and I’ll kick your ass.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else, my little slayer,” he rumbled.
Later—much, much later—when they were back in their own bed, tired and sated, Maya turned to him with a teasing look on her face. “So in the past week we’ve fought demons, left the country, and maybe saved the world. What do we do now?”
“Now?” Taeg ran his hand down the silky expanse of Maya’s naked hip. “I have to bring the sword back to Wales. Want to go with me?”
She grinned. “Hell yeah.”
“Mmm... ” He moved in for a slow, heated kiss. “After that, we go hunting.”
She gave him a confused look. “Hunting?”
“Yup. I know a couple of maliki demons whose days are numbered.”
The crease between her brows flattened and she let out a soft laugh. “Now that sounds just about perfect.”
Acknowledgments
It takes so many people to make a good story shine. Lucky for me, I’ve got an amazing team over at Entangled Publishing. Heather Howland, Libby Murphy, and Suzanne Johnson, thank you for helping me make Taeg’s story into one kickass book. And thanks to my publicist, Cathy Yardley, for working to get my name out there so more people will actually read it!
I hear so many horror stories about terrible in-laws. I’m so glad I don’t know what that’s like. I want to thank my husband’s family for being so freaking cool. If you weren’t around to help with the little tyrant, aka my son, I don’t know how I’d be able to pull this writing thing off. I’m so glad to be a part of this family.
I also want to thank my parents, sisters, nieces, nephews, and everyone else in my wild and crazy family. You’re sometimes crazier than one would hope, but there’s never a dull moment.
About the Author
Rosalie Lario practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night. You can learn more about Rosalie at her website at www.rosalielario.com.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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Mark of the Sylph (Demons of Infernum, #2) Page 26
