Sabin looked down at her newly acquired tattoo and decided she should cover it, so she summoned a long-sleeve shirt. Last thing she wanted was Lowan seeing it. Of course, if she failed in killing him, it wouldn’t matter, anyway. Her birth date was only hours away. If she could find her way to the child first and get the little girl to her father, then she could concentrate on Cassie. Knowing Lowan, he would have split up mother and child. After all that, she could worry about her brother later. Maybe stall him somehow. She had no real plan, but something had to be done.
Opening her senses, she tested her new powers. Granted, she still wasn’t up to full capacity as she was not a true demigod until the clock struck midnight. But she had her mate’s power and some of the Targral. It would have to suffice. The corridor where she stood was empty, but her senses picked up several hundred demons.
Shit.
She pushed her senses past them and picked up three others. Lowan, a child she prayed had to be Marcus’s daughter and a female she hoped was Cassie.
Holy hell’s bells!
There was no mistaking the signature of a god. His power snapped with a life force of its own. Whoever their betrayer was, he was here right now. She swallowed the rancid taste of fear then nearly threw it back up when someone tapped her shoulder. She spun to face her enemy, ready to battle with everything she had. Expecting a demon, it surprised her to meet a wall of over six feet of muscle. The man was a walking wall of rippling energy and his hazel eyes glowed like pools of melted gold. A dark brow arched high.
“You must be Sabin. Your mate is one pissed-off mess right now. Not a pretty sight.”
She blinked.
“I see I have left you without speech. I tend to have that effect on people.”
“Who are you?” she whispered.
“I am Jax, the best fucking warrior the Draki have ever known.” A grin curled his sexy mouth upward.
“A dragon shifter.” She’d only ever heard of the legendary shifters. Her mother raised her in Hell’s realm where the Draki were only talked about. She had recently met Caleb, their leader, when Lucan had taken her to the guardians’ compound. As she stared at the massive predator in front of her, she held no doubt this man could slay an army of demons all while yawning with boredom.
“What are you doing here?” she asked but more importantly, how had he snuck up on her?
“Well, the plan was to escort you to Lowan. Diego will grab the child while myself and my brethren torch your brother’s demons. The guardians are waiting outside.”
“Oh.” She looked around but didn’t see anyone else.
“They are here but cloaked,” he replied.
Well, that was just creepy knowing people could spy on her and all the while she was clueless. “How many are there?”
His grin was the most wicked thing she’d ever seen, and she’d seen some bad shit.
“Enough. Since you’re here now, we can carry out our plan. Lead the way.” Then he vanished.
“Alrighty.” With her own bodyguards at her back, and the knowledge that they would rescue the child, Sabin grew confident. Latching onto the child’s signature, she walked with her shoulders back and head high. Her brother was about to feel everyone's wrath.
When she closed in on a room and spotted Lowan standing next to a stone altar, she faltered. Seeing her brother sent a torrent of memories racing back at her. Horrible things he had commanded done, done himself and had promised to still perform. Just when she began to feel unsure of herself, a soothing voice forced its way into her head.
I’ve got your back, Sabin. I will kill any who dare touch you.
She gasped and fought tears threatening to obscure her vision. Lucan had not abandoned her. He was here and willing to fight for her safety. Knowing that changed everything, and she marched with purpose into the room and stared at her brother.
“Let the child and her mother go.”
Chapter Seventeen
When Jax informed Lucan that Sabin was inside and the shifter was speaking with her, the anger that had been boiling inside him turned to fear. Fear that Lowan or his minions might get their claws on his mate. No matter what she had done, they were already mated, and that overrode everything else. Later, he would find out why she had not told him what she was and he would deal with it then. Right now––as he connected to her––she needed him. There was no missing her fear and waning confidence.
You have four of the most powerful Draki shadowing you and I will be right behind them.
Lucan, I’m so sorry for leaving you but––
Shhh, we will discuss this later. Right now, we need to kick some ass. Princess.
She gasped. I can do anything if I know you’re near.
That’s my girl.
He didn’t break his connection as he wanted to remain open in case she needed him. He did, however, cloak himself in the shadows and followed behind Diego. The rest of his brethren stayed outside and hopefully out of range of Lowan’s senses. As it was, those who were cloaked were taking a chance. No one knew for certain what powers Lowan held, or what god betrayed them and might be here right now assisting. Lucan picked up the god’s power but didn’t recognize it which was strange.
Sabin’s entire body language changed since their conversation. Her spine straighter and head held high. He also sensed she had some powers. She carried the marking of the Targral princess and he wasn’t sure what she gained from that, but he recognized his own darkness coursing through her. Even though pissed, he had to admit at being rather impressed that she had set his own shadow demons against him. Sabin would become powerful, that he was certain of. What he still questioned in the back of his mind was would she betray him again? He’d always thought that was impossible for mates to do, but she had proved that theory wrong already.
Lucan reached out for Diego. Dragon, are you certain about the plan?
Dude, if you ask me one more time, I will char your sorry ass. Yes! I’ve got this and will save the child. Again.
Diego referred to the time when Ariana was only a baby and Lileta had been under her father’s influence and kidnapped the child. Diego had swept in and while Lileta was distracted, took the child back. It had been an epic save but Lowan was now stronger than he was then thanks to some dumbass humans who had given him a virgin. Ranata’s younger sister had willingly offered her virginity to Lowan which apparently provided him even more power in the mortal realm.
Just fucking great.
Finally, they arrived and Sabin marched right up to her brother. Lucan had a difficult time holding back. He wanted to beat that freak to within an inch of his life, have Marcus heal him then start over.
What the hell’s going on in there? Marcus made Lucan’s head pound.
Sabin is speaking with Lowan.
Do you see Ariana?
Not yet, but if you’d shut the fuck up, I might hear what they’re saying.
Marcus growled but didn’t say a word. Lucan knew this had to be difficult for his leader. Hell, it was for all of them including the shifters. Children and mates were sacred, and you didn’t mess. Period.
“Well, sister, I knew you couldn’t stay away. Such a soft heart. It’s a shame I have to shove a dagger in it.” He laughed and Lucan lunged.
Dude, you’re going to give away our location. I know you want to gut the fucker, but let me get the child first.
Diego was right and Lucan was thankful the shifter had grabbed his arm. He needed to regain control of the shadows that surrounded him as well or Lowan would know something was amiss. This moment was a test on Lucan’s patience and the vampire had never been known to have much of it.
“Where is the girl and her mother? I came as you requested, now let them go.”
Lowan only laughed at her like he always did. Sabin had to hold back her anger. It wasn’t time to play her cards and reveal her strengths. Hell, not even she was certain what they were, but she had backup and all that mattered was getting that little girl out of here s
afely and back to her parents.
“Are you not a man of your word, brother?”
He scowled. “Why should I be? Those guardians are nothing but bothersome and they don’t have the numbers to stop me.”
“You have no need for a child. She will take too much of your precious time.” Sabin hoped to appeal to his ego. Lowan would have no room for a crying little girl who needed to be fed and clothed.
“For your information, our uncle has taken the brat so I don’t have to deal with her.”
Her blood ran cold. “Uncle?”
The smile he offered turned her blood to ice. “Sister, the Phoenix has risen, and he has no memory of his previous life or who he is. It has been quite entertaining filling his head full of things like how his mate tried to murder him and his brothers didn’t even see fit to slay her for the deed. There is no love for the gods, their precious little guardians or humanity.” He stepped closer. “I have the power of the Phoenix at my disposal.”
Her blood frosted. Now they knew who the god was that betrayed them.
Lucan? Are the Draki able to locate Ariana?
They are already on it. I’m afraid it’s only you and me right now as they are searching the premises.
Good. At least she could take comfort in something. You need to go with them. Leave me here to deal with my brother.
Not a fucking chance.
And Lucan did the one thing she had feared he would. He stepped from his dark cloak and strode toward her with determination written across his brow. Lowan showed surprise then masked it.
“You are the one who dared take my sister from me?” Lowan raised his hand and Sabin knew he meant to launch a strike against her mate. Crying out, she summoned what power she had, and jumped in front of Lucan. A bolt of energy struck her square in the chest then fanned out into her arms and legs. Millions of needles prickled her skin and muscles. In the distance, she heard a snarl so feral she wondered what kind of creature Lowan was keeping in his palace. As she shook the fog from her head, she realized that painful sound she heard was Lucan.
She got to her feet, a buzzing in her ears caused her to go off balance for a brief moment before it cleared. When she could finally bring her sight back into focus, she bore witness to a frenzy of shadow demons churning the air into a fog so black and thick she couldn’t see a thing. Somewhere in this dense stew of madness came sounds of grunting and swearing.
“Lucan?” He didn’t respond and panic stiffened her muscles.
Pull your shit together. She reminded herself she shared Lucan’s power and maybe she could bring these shadows under control.
A blast followed by a screech burst from the darkness.
“Lucan!” she screamed, but still no response. Even their connection had been severed. Taking in a calming breath, she summoned her father’s DNA. The dark, malevolent side of herself that she always tried to keep at bay. Hopefully, her newfound Targral power would keep her from going full on bat-shit evil.
A ball of murky evil formed in the pit of her stomach and began to grow. She concentrated on the shadows, calling them to her and they came, forming a solid line in front of her.
“Mistress.”
An explosion rocked the building and sent debris to the surrounding floor.
“Go find out what the Draki are doing. Make sure they rescue the child and assist if they need you, but report what’s happening to me.”
The demon hovered off the floor in front of her and blinked its red eyes. “Yes, mistress.” Then he was gone, a flurry of darkness followed behind him.
“The rest of you, we need to locate your master.” Right now, she had no clue if he was even alive. She had lost all connection to him. It was as if the thread that connected them had been severed. None of the torture she had endured frightened her more than the empty feeling she experienced this very moment.
The jolt sent Lucan crashing into a wall. His back breaking concrete and several vertebrae. Maybe even a rib and fuck, that shit hurt, but not as much as the panic he experienced when Sabin jumped in front of him. The sheer terror caused him to unleash everything he had to protect her. He was a jumbled mess of emotions and pain and decided panic did not suit him one damn bit. Lowan had jarred him so hard he lost his connection with Sabin and now was frantic to get it back. So far, he was unsuccessful, hence the panic.
He pushed to his feet, wincing as he rose. He’d heal at some point. It would be nice to have Marcus step in and speed up the process, but that wasn’t happening either. Lucan had lost contact with everyone and only hoped things were moving in the right direction. The explosion that nearly rocked him on his ass again was a good indicator the Draki were hard at work. He was confident Diego would get Ariana to safety.
There was a tug on his power and the shadows that had been swarming him like wasps started to recede. He grinned as this could only mean one thing. Sabin was summoning his power and taking control of the shadows.
Good girl.
Now he needed to get to her and figure out where Lowan had gone. He sent his senses wide but could not detect a thing. What the hell had that piss-ass demigod done to him? He tried to summon a sword, but came up empty handed. It would appear his powers were currently short-circuited.
Fine.
He’d rip Lowan’s head off with his bare hands as soon as he found the bastard. Rolling his shoulders, he moved through the dim light and tried to follow his shadows. At least that should lead him to Sabin and hopefully Lowan. Several more blasts came right before a scream of fury that he recognized as that of his mate.
Chapter Eighteen
Sabin turned to follow the shadow demon, but found her feet glued to the floor. She shoved all power she had down her legs and gave a command to get moving, but nothing happened. Laughter came from behind her and a sickness filled her stomach. She looked back to the shadow that hovered before her.
“Follow my command. Protect your master. Go!” she whispered.
The demon fled and took the last of Lucan’s power with it. All she was left with was what the Targral demons gave her. She looked at her wrist where the bracelet tattoo gave off a soft glow.
She still had some power, but was it enough to hold her brother off until she gained her demigod status? It had to be. Besides, she was no longer a virgin so wouldn’t that mean he could no longer claim her powers?
Lowan appeared. Towered a good foot over her, forcing her to look up into his black eyes. He had no soul left. It had been lost centuries ago. She studied the thick scar that ran from his temple, across his cheek and ended at his mouth. That scar had been her gift to him the first time he had attacked her. The memories rushed forth with a force that nearly sent her to her knees. This was the last of her immediate flesh and blood that stood before her. A brother she had once loved, but soon learned to fear. Had things been different, she wondered how their lives may have been.
“Sister,” he snarled, a pair of thick fangs showed under his curled lip. Fangs that had caused so much pain when he had shredded her neck to feed from her.
“The child born with the light of the guardians. Did you find your darkness yet?” he leaned in closer and stuck his finger on her chest. “Our father lives here. I know the dark courses through your veins. Pity you never learned to embrace it as things may have been so much different for you.”
She stared at him through slits. “I will never be you. You are a cruel bastard who thrives on others’ pain. Our father turned our beautiful mother into a shell of her former self.”
Lowan laughed again. “You think mother turned against her will?” He shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, little sister. She did that of her own free will.”
Something moved in the distance. As it came closer, she realized it glowed. Glancing back at her brother, his grin widened and the feeling in her stomach made her ill.
“Step closer, uncle,” he called out until the form behind Lowan came into view. A tall, broad-shouldered man with flames dancing across every chiseled muscle,
yet never appeared to harm him. As her stomach sank to the floor, the man spoke.
“Nephew, we should leave now. Allow me to transport us to the sacrificial altar.”
“Of course, uncle.”
This could be none other than the missing Phoenix god. The fact he was here and appeared to be helping her brother was disastrous. As they started to fade away, she spotted Lucan running toward them shouting her name. The god turned and launched a ball of fire, knocking Lucan to the ground and then her mate was gone.
“Sabin!” Lucan shouted right before an energy burst sent him flying. As he lay on the hard ground trying to pull in a breath, his shadows swarmed him, again lending their energy. As his power trickled back into him, he pushed himself up and his connection to his brethren returned. Charging to his feet, he met a hard wall of flesh.
“What the fuck is going on? We thought we lost you,” Seth said.
“He has her, Seth, and Lowan has help from a source we can’t fight.”
Seth’s brows slashed down. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Aidyn. It was Aidyn who stopped me from reaching them as he flashed them away. The Phoenix is on the wrong side.”
“Please tell me you have a concussion.”
“What’s going on?” Marcus asked as he strode toward them. It was then Lucan realized it had grown quiet.
“Ariana and Cassie?”
“Thanks to the Draki, we have both of them back and uninjured.”
Relief swept over him but it was fleeting. “Aidyn is on the wrong side.”
“That’s not possible,” Marcus replied.
“I saw the look of hatred he cast at me right before he tried to kill me with one of his fire balls. Had it not been for my shadows intervening and taking the brunt of the blast, there would be nothing left of me.”
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