Cambion Lord

by Brenda Trim

  Chloe downed her drink in a couple gulps. She needed more alcohol. “I didn’t know your kind were given mates. Who did Tori mate? I haven’t seen her in over ten years.”

  Tris nodded her head. “Not many talk about it. We aren’t easy females to be with. We’re dominant and aggressive. But there’s nothing like finding your other half. That person completes you and compliments you like no one else can. Tori mated a Dark Warrior in Seattle. A shifter and I’ve never seen her happier. He’s beyond devoted to her and would do anything for her. Just don’t dismiss Dante before getting to know him. You might find you want to spend your life with him after all.”

  Chloe couldn’t imagine feeling like that. Love brought heartache and disappointment with it. “I’m not guaranteeing anything. Let’s drink. I just want to forget all this for a while. At least until I get back and have to face him again.”

  Tris nodded her head and taped the screen of her phone. “Dance party! That’ll make you feel better.”

  Chloe laughed with her and poured vodka straight into her cup before jumping to her feet and swaying to the song. This is why she came here. She knew Tris would tell her what she thought, but she’d also encourage one of her dance parties. All Chloe wanted to do was forget for a few minutes.

  Life was chaotic and full of surprises. There were far too few moments like this where she didn’t think about anything except music and the movement of her body. Unfortunately, her mind refused to stay away from Dante and his sexy smile.

  Was she wrong about not giving love another chance? Was it possible Dante would remain by her side through thick and thin? Chloe gulped more vodka determined to put it out of her mind for the next hour.

  Chapter 11

  “Where’s the angel?”

  Dante turned when he heard Zander’s voice. A growl left him when his shoulder brushed the back of the chair. “Went to visit a friend.”

  Zander’s Sapphire blue eyes narrowed on him. “Do you think that’s a good idea? She could be meeting up with the archdemon and plotting an attack as we speak. She knows Izzy is here.”

  Dante shook his head and got to his feet. “She isn’t working with the archdemon. She’s been through a lot and needed to escape for a bit.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Zander’s voice was a harsh growl.

  Dante gripped the top of his shoulder. A gasp left him when his hand rubbed over the brand beneath his shirt. “Because she’s my Fated Mate. And she was tortured and beaten by the fucker. No way would she work with him after all he put her through.”

  “What? What did you just say?”

  Dante pulled his top over his head and showed Zander his brand. “Exactly what you’re thinking. We had sex and this appeared. She might not be bound by the same commitment as us, but no mate would betray the other regardless of if she wants to tie herself to me or not.”

  “Well that complicates things. What did she say?” Zander’s gaze burned right through to Dante’s soul. He’d known the male a long time and trusted him implicitly.

  “She doesn’t know how to deal with this, so she’s drinking with a friend. I’m not sure that she will pick me. In fact, there’s every chance she will walk away.”

  Zander ran a hand through his hair. “Shite. I’m verra sorry. My gut says everything will work oot. None of us have had an easy time with mating, but Chloe is different. I’ll be here for you however I can.”

  Dante’s chest constricted. This male had been by his side during his worst moments and never treated him as if he were bad. If not for Zander’s belief in him, Dante wasn’t sure where he would have ended up. “I know you will. I’m relying on it because I will need you to kill me if I lose Chloe.”

  Zander’s eyes flashed black and narrowed. “Why the fuck would you ask me that? I canna hurt you, Dante. You’re one of my oldest friends. We will work this oot withoot it coming to death.”

  Dante shook his head and shut the laptop he’d been surfing on. “You know why I ask this. I can’t be with another person. Ever again. Not after finding Chloe. And I will not become that beast I was when you found me. I can’t stomach the thought. I need you to promise you will make sure that never happens again.”

  Zander sighed and bobbed his head. “I will no’ let your demonic side take over. That doesna mean I will end your life, but I will make sure you canna hurt anyone else. And then I will have a nice chat with Chloe.”

  Not what Dante wanted, but he’d take it. “Don’t ever try and force her to accept me. If she doesn’t want me, I have to live with that. It is her choice. I will never take that away from her and neither will anyone else. Understand?”

  Zander would do almost anything for those he considered his family. Dante was one of those individuals. Zander watched him for several seconds until he finally nodded. “I willna force her, but I will talk to her and help her see who you really are. She won’t be able to help herself once she really knows you.”

  Dante chuckled and headed for the kitchen. “I don’t think that’s quite accurate but thank you. So, how’s Izzy? She seems better than she was when she came home.”

  Zander’s brow furrowed and fine lines appeared around his mouth. “I doona fucking know. There are moments I catch a glimpse of my little girl, but it’s gone too quick. Problem is I canna tell if it’s her maturity or what she’s been through.”

  “And the demons still aren’t able to track her energy signature?”

  Zander cocked an eyebrow. “Can you sense the Goddess when you are around her? Or is her aura different now?”

  Dante hated when Zander turned questions back on him. It highlighted how dumb his question was to begin with. “Good point. She’s definitely changed. And since she’s here with you I know that means she can’t be tracked. What I really want to know is what does this mean for her and for the realm?”

  Zander’s jaw ticked and a vein popped out on his temple. “That’s the question of the fucking century. I doona know. And it pisses me off. I canna stand the thought of my Izzy being harmed or hurt because she lost favor with the Goddess, but I’m glad she isna hunted like before. No way could we have left her on Khoth after what she went through.”

  Dante shuddered thinking about it. He wanted to kill the young dragon shifter. And if Donovan hadn’t already done it, he’d be over there now making the piece of shit pay for hurting the Princess. She was special. And not just because she was the embodiment of the Goddess’s power. There was a light inside Izzy that drew you in and made you feel welcome and accepted. No one deserved to go through what she did, but especially not her.

  “I wish there was some way to help her. I can see her struggling but have no idea what I can do.” It galled Dante to admit that. He felt more like a failure now than he ever had in his life.

  “My Elsie tells me that the best thing I can do is be there for her and show her she’s loved no matter what.” Zander’s pain came through in the tone of his voice. The suffering of his daughter was unbearable for him. It’s another thing Dante would love to help with. There’s nothing he can do about Chloe at the moment. May as well be there for his friends.

  Dante clapped Zander on the shoulder. “I will be there for Izzy. Always. But at the moment, sounds like you could use a distraction. I know I could. How about we hunt down a dirty demon?”

  The corners of Zander’s mouth lift. “Do we have a location?”

  “A location for what?” Izzy’s voice drifted to them as she entered and crossed to Zander’s side. His expression softened when she went to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. The affection between them warmed Dante.

  “The archdemon. I’ve been searching through the chatter but haven’t found anything. Looks like we’re going to have to start at Seven Lively Sinz and see if we can track him that way.” Dante picked up his weapons from the table in the center of the room and put them in the holsters hidden on his body. Two went under his arms and one at his ankle with a fourth at the back of his waistband.

  Jett ente
red the room with a scowl on his face. “We’re ready, Leige.”

  Ty, Lucas and Axel followed and loaded up with knives of their own. Izzy crossed the room and started putting weapons in her pockets. Zander placed a hand on his daughter’s arm, stopping her. “Are you sure you want to go out with us?”

  “I’m not staying here, dad. I’ve trained to fight. I’m ready. I need this. Don’t force me to stay here, please.” The expression on Izzy’s face showed exactly how serious she was about being ready. There wasn’t one ounce of doubt.

  Dante’s phone vibrated in his pocket at the same time Jett’s did. He pulled it out at the same time the sorcerer did. “Change of plans,” Dante announces. “We’re starting in Central Park instead of the bar. Realm police intercepted calls about some guy attacking visitors.”

  Zander pulled Izzy into his arms. “That doesna mean it’s demonic in nature. Could be a human.”

  Dante bobs his head. “True, but we are looking for a Davea. They’re nasty fuckers that thrive on chaos and enjoy inflicting suffering. It’s worth checking on our way to the bar.”

  Zander snarled and turned on his heel. Everyone else fell into step behind him. The street was busy when they left the house. Dante hadn’t gotten used to being so close to humans. How the New York Dark Warriors managed living in the middle of a busy fucking city was beyond him.

  “Central Park is west a few blocks. No blurring,” Dante reminded Zander and Izzy. They both shifted their gazes around and ground their molars. They were so much alike it almost made Dante laugh.

  They made their way through the streets and past humans who went about their business completely clueless. It’s best this way. If they’d known they’d be holed up in their homes in fear. That’s no way to live. Dante was happy to shoulder the burden for a species that wasn’t capable of fighting back. Most didn’t have weapons that would give them an edge when facing demons. It would be wholesale slaughter.

  Dante’s skin prickled with invisible needles the second the trees of the park came into view. He shook his shoulders, making pain lance through from his mating brand. It took his breath and distracted him from the fact that something demonic was in the park at that moment.

  “Looks like the realm police were right.” Izzy tightened her fingers around the hilts of sgian dubh hidden under her sweatshirt. Angus and his Dragon Knights did a great job training her. She didn’t remove them and give herself away while she remained vigilant and aware of her surroundings.

  “Why would he take the chance and expose himself?” Jett stepped in front of the Princess as he spoke.

  Lucas stepped up to Izzy’s side. “You know as well as I do that there are few visitors this late at night. I’m surprised a call was made at all.”

  “Are you thinking this is a trap?” Dante hadn’t considered it until the local warriors brought up good points.

  Zander shook his head. “Doubtful. No one is aware we’re here. I’d bet he’s trying to lure an angel to him. It’s the most likely response to acting out so openly.” Made sense. It was rituals that brought Araton and his brothers to New Orleans not that long ago. But why would they want the attention of beings that could kill them? It didn’t make sense.

  Everyone scanned their surroundings. Dante palmed a weapon and held it down at his side. Zander entered the park first with Dante right behind him. The sharp pain got worse as they went, but there was no hint as to where in the large park the archdemon was located.

  Lucas took center stage and used his sense of smell to locate the demon. All supernaturals had superior senses, but shifters could scent even the smallest item from yards away.

  After several minutes they left the main path and headed through the grass and shrubs. A few minutes later, Lucas held up his hand and they all came to a stop next to him.

  There were half a dozen skirm surrounding the Daeva, along with human cops across the way. “We need to get them out of here.”

  Zander looked his way when he growled the obvious, but before they could come up with a plan, the skirm raced toward the police. Pop. Pop. Pop. Shots rang out as flashes came from the muzzles of the humans’ guns.

  “You two deal with the skirm while we coral the demon.” Zander pointed to Axel and Ty then jerked his head in the direction of the cops.

  Screaming started as skirm flew through the air and knocked several humans over. Fangs flashed and went for throats. Blood spurted, but Dante paid no attention to that because malevolent energy filled the clearing.

  He met Zander’s furious gaze a second before black light flared about twenty feet away from them. “He’s opening a fucking portal to Hell,” Zander growled as he took off for the archdemon.

  Dante was a few steps behind him. When Zander stopped near the circle displaying rage demons, Pus demons and hellhounds, Dante skirted around and headed for the source of the disturbance.

  Dante tossed his blade at the Daeva demon, catching him off guard. His blond head flew to the side. Was this the guy that attacked his Chloe? He’d tear the fucker limb from limb. It was highly satisfying when black blood spurted from the demon’s shoulder where his weapon struck.

  Growls and howls filled the air along with the overwhelming scent of brimstone. It was difficult to ignore the evil pouring through the opening and the human screams. Dante needed to get to the Daeva and get that shit cut off. Not many had come through yet.

  Dante reached the Daeva who unleashed a smile as if he wasn’t under attack at the moment. The dark spark in the demon’s blue eyes wasn’t as powerful as he expected. Perhaps he wasn’t an archdemon. “You don’t belong with those assholes. Join me and you will receive a hero’s welcome in the Underworld.” It was impossible to tell where he stood in the hierarchy of the Underworld. He could be towards the top after all.

  Dante lifted one corner of his upper lip. “No thanks. I’d rather be skinned using a butter knife. Are you the one that attacked the fallen angel last night?”

  The Daeva narrowed his eyes before the long brown curls flew through the air between them. “Is that…? Holy shit!”

  “No, it’s not, dickface. You must be the dumbest demon ever created. Open your senses. You’d know if it was the Vampire Princess. Lots of Dark Warriors are female and vampire.” Dante prayed his bluff fooled the demon.

  The archdemon lunged for Dante and caught his right shoulder. Pain radiated through the limb and Dante’s vision went white. He didn’t hesitate to grab another weapon from the holster under his arms and swing it in a wide arch all while trying to catch his breath.

  When his weapon encountered resistance, he put more force behind the push. Agony still overwhelmed him, but his vision cleared, and he found himself face to face with the Daeva. Dante used the small blade to slice his cheek open while he was distracted with his attempts to throw Dante through the portal.

  The demon’s eyes went wide and the rancid breeze cut off abruptly. He managed to injure him enough that the portal closed. A quick look over his shoulder told Dante half a dozen demons made it through.

  “That was a mistake. I look forward to dragging you back with me. Lucifer won’t be happy you’ve betrayed him.”

  Dante laughed at that as he ducked under the fist heading for his face. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Something hit Dante’s branded shoulder and dropped him to his knees. A massive jaw dripping with saliva gripped the flesh while he screamed. Throwing his arm over his shoulder, Dante stabbed the hellhound in the eye, but it refused to let him go.

  He bucked, trying to dislodge the beast, but it didn’t move. Wrapping his arms around the big body, Dante rolled forward, carrying the hound with him. The Daeva was no longer next to them but heading for Izzy. He opened his mouth to shout a warning when she slashed her blade through a rage demon’s throat and allowed her momentum to carry her in a twirl.

  It was when her body swiveled that she was close enough to the Daeva that she reached out and laid her palm on his face. The demon stiffened and
turned to stone instantly.

  Gasps and whispers echoed around the clearing. Dante swore he heard someone whisper, “Demonator.” It had been a long time since he’d heard Izzy’s nickname. The display before him reminded him how she got it in the first place. That Daeva was as dead as they come. He hoped it was the one that kidnapped Chloe, but had no idea. He was just glad they had one less demon to deal with.

  As the embodiment of the Goddess, Izzy was able to kill demons with a touch. Everyone worried she lost the ability when she returned, and they could no longer sense her power.

  The display got the attention of every being in the area. The remaining demons were in a frenzy, all trying to reach her side. They realized what she was and wanted to capture her.

  Dante sucked in a breath and buried his blade in the beast’s chest. A howl pierced his ear drum with how close he was to the hound. A twist of the blade cut the sound off. Dante jumped to his feet and ran across to the two skirm trying to make their way to Izzy.

  They’d only ever seen her eliminate archdemons like that. It was possible she could destroy lesser demons, but Dante didn’t want to find out. And the skirm trying to get to her were immune from that power of hers.

  They discovered that when she was a few years old and one captured her and carried her to the Underworld. Zander was fifteen feet from Izzy and would never reach her in time. Dante poured all his strength into his legs and ran towards her.

  He had one titanium weapon in his hand and slashed through the shoulder of the closest skirm. The young man stopped and turned a gun on him. He squeezed the trigger at the same time Dante smashed his knife into his chest.

  A slug blew Dante back several feet when it slammed into his stomach. A second later the skirm flashed on fire and turned to ash. Dante rolled with a groan and jumped to his feet. Or tried to. It was more of a slow climb while he tried not to throw up.

  There was another skirm going after Izzy. He needed to help her. The skirm had reached her by the time he was on his feet. He lurched towards her and stopped when the young demonic minion flashed on fire and turned to ash.