by Gaja J. Kos
He was too busy looking at me.
The urge to break into particles, rush over there, and slit his filthy throat nearly won. One less asshole tainting the world with his presence.
Unfortunately, quick and bloody wasn’t on the menu tonight.
I took another sip of my champagne, locked away the murderous desire, and held the man’s gaze.
Then smiled.
With a little extra sway to my hips, I turned around and strode towards the wide stairwell curving up to the second floor. I didn’t have to glance over my shoulder to confirm Ensar had followed. His presence rubbed against the nape of my neck, my exposed back, every atom of it laced with excitement—but also hunger.
Robert Ensar hadn’t recognized me.
He just saw something he wanted to fuck.
The visual made me shiver, but I forced my demonic affinity for sex to rise to the surface. Unlike incubi and succubi, I couldn’t actually toy with another’s drive. I could, however, drop the walls behind which I normally hid my aura.
The tactic wouldn’t have done shit if he weren’t interested. As it was, Ensar’s lust pulsed vividly enough that he probably didn’t even need the extra incentive.
But I wasn’t about to leave anything to chance.
Four pairs of unsupervised massive white doors led off the gallery, one at each corner. Judging by the moderate calm I sensed coming from beyond the wood, I was willing to bet the corridors behind them led to private rooms. The slightly ajar right wing of the first door I walked by confirmed my suspicion that Lebar didn’t mind if his guests slipped away for a bit of fun.
Perfect.
I moved past two men whose hips brushed against one another as they leaned on the railing and spoke in hushed tones, then found a bit of clear space in the immediate vicinity of the next door. Underneath the chatter and alcohol, a thread of sexual excitement buzzed.
And it wasn’t coming just from Ensar.
I set my purse on the ledge of the nearby pillar. The cool touch of the wall slithered down my bare shoulder blades as I leaned back, and, with the glass of champagne pressed against my lips, scanned my surroundings again.
The first time around, I’d been monitoring for threats, security, and familiar faces. Now with all that information safely stored in my brain, I had the freedom to explore other nuances.
As Ensar’s steps approached, his rhythm unhurried and not unlike that of a predator, I realized nearly every person in the manor was edging for a bit of carnal pleasure. If I weren’t keeping up a facade, I would have laughed out loud.
Money, evidently, wasn’t the only thing that could rope in business associates.
Too bad David Lebar was a rotten sonovabitch, because I couldn’t deny his approach was clever. Though it made me wonder if Sacred Skies’s CEO relied solely on providing a safe, private place for the elite to let loose, or if he monitored everything that went on inside these walls, hoarding the material in case he ever had to resort to blackmail.
Either way, judging by the sheer number of influencers present, it was fucking working.
“Care for some company?” Ensar’s voice brushed against my ears.
An epitome of casualness, he stood a few steps away, blocking me off from the rest of the guests without cornering me outright. Smooth.
I drank the remainder of the champagne, then licked it off my lips. His gaze followed.
“I wouldn’t be averse to some company.” I angled my head to the side in invitation. “I have to be honest with you. My employer sent me here in his stead. He failed to mention there was…fun to be had.”
“First times are always special.” The corners of Ensar’s lips quirked up, and he gently trailed his fingers up my arm. “It would be an honor to give you a proper introduction.”
Below, the party had started in earnest. Lebar’s voice commanded the room, greeting the guests and sending them in a bout of low laughter. Whatever he said was lost on me as Ensar’s knuckles grazed the side of my breast the instant before his body trapped me against the wall. Even with our clothing creating barriers, the strain of his cock was evident.
I had no difficulties bringing a teasing smile to my face.
He wouldn’t be the first person to cop a feel before he died.
I set the glass on the smooth, protruding edge of the pillar next to my purse, then let my hands roam his body. My fingers tangled in his dark hair before I guided them down the column of his spine, all the way to his rock-hard ass. He was built well, honed muscles riddling his athletic body, but they came across more like aesthetics than practicality—vamp descendant or not.
When I squeezed his ass, Ensar broke the last bit of distance that remained between us.
His lips found mine, and after a second passed, I deepened the kiss. I was keenly aware of his body, of his every move—every opening I had to inflict pain with the other guests being none the wiser. I would have preferred it if we took our little tryst into one of the private rooms, but with the way Ensar’s energy spiked whenever the voices around us grew louder, hinting at an audience, I knew he liked the attention. Liked to be seen.
While it wasn’t one of my personal turn-ons, I wasn’t bothered by it, either. Only slightly inconvenienced.
Then again, regardless of the bastard Reiner had turned out to be, he had been right in one regard. I sure as fuck liked a challenge.
Torturing information out of Ensar in full view of all the guests would be divine. With the cherry on top, of course, a killing spree to eliminate all individuals linked to Sacred Skies’s dark side while not giving myself away to those invitees who could be, loosely, deemed innocent.
If they weren’t, I could always come for them later.
The thought alone stirred excitement deep within—something Ensar picked up on at once. He rubbed his groin against me, then kissed his way down my neck, my chest, until he tugged on the plunging neckline of my dress to expose one breast. I tilted my head back as he sucked on a nipple, his technique flawless.
Unfortunately for him, it wouldn’t be enough to save his life.
I readied my bracelet, palming one of the steel spikes, when the wards around the house pulsed.
Volatile energy exploded through the room.
Ensar tore himself from my breast and twisted around just as shouts erupted throughout the building. But we didn’t have to rush to the railing to glean what was going on.
Dressed to kill and with rage burning in their eyes, they were on our level, too.
A motherfucking shitload of demons.
Chapter 26
Power rippled off the demons’ bodies as they positioned themselves amongst the crowd. Shocked, only a few people moved away, though even with the additional distance, an arc of demon fire could take them out just as easily as their petrified buddies.
While Ensar was busy taking in the new development, I focused on the demons’ individual signatures.
The majority originated from Raya’s court, but there were a few from Yelena’s, too, and a handful with their allegiance sworn to others. A mixed bag rarely seen among our kind. Anger saturated the power, but in some lurked a deep-set hunger for vengeance too.
The clean house hadn’t been so clean after all. Hieraven’s group obviously extended far beyond what me, Sacred Skies, or Reiner—with Ensar in tow—had anticipated. A fact the voice rising from the ground floor confirmed.
“You slaughtered our people,” the demon growled. “Took what should have been ours to wield.”
I craved to see just who it was talking to, but I didn’t dare give up my vantage point behind Ensar. Curiosity would have to wait.
“You lost,” Lebar shot back. “If your men were unable to hold their own, that’s no problem of mine.”
The manor seemed to take a collective inhale at Lebar’s brazen, dismissive tone. If the man was at all worried about the small army of demons manifesting inside his home, he hid it pretty fucking well.
The energy inside the space built
, the small hairs at the nape of my neck rising. Oh, fuck. David Lebar could have all the bravado he wanted, but it wasn’t going to shield him from what was about to come.
Between one heartbeat and the next, the demonic speaker lashed out. The screams that had died down earlier ratcheted again, along with the thud of footsteps and the rapid clicking of heels.
But so did the explosions of power.
A shot rang out.
Then another.
As chaos spread from the main floor and swept through ours, I made my move. I grabbed Ensar by the arm, yanked, and slammed him against the wall. His breath came out with a whoosh.
Before he could register what was going on, the tiny blade from my bracelet bit into his throat.
“What did you do with the amulet?” I snarled. A thin line of blood trickled into the hollow of his neck, staining the white shirt in a miniature Rorschach pattern. “Where’s Lebar keeping it?”
His eyes flashed, a look that would have sent a lesser assassin running, but the man was wise enough to understand I had the upper hand. He refrained from acting out.
“It’s here.” He swallowed. “Haven’t got a fucking clue where, but it’s in the manor.”
Oddly, I believed him.
I stepped back and slashed his throat in a single swipe.
Ensar’s eyes widened as the cut spread, gushing crimson. I was running towards the upper levels before he hit the ground.
A downright mountain of a demon lashed out at me when I reached the bend. I snarled and brought an orb of blue fire to my palm, letting him see I was on his side.
Not that I was really, but if it was demons against Sacred Skies and their cronies, it wasn’t that far from the truth either.
Satisfied, the demon turned and sent his grass-green power barreling into a cluster of people dressed to the nines instead. The overwhelming stench of burnt flesh followed on the wings of their screams.
I swallowed bile and kept running.
As I ascended the gleaming white stairs, I caught a glimpse of the ground floor. The previously immaculate tiles were stained with blood, bodies—demon and non-demon alike—lying in heaps wherever death had met them. Some of the guests were scrambling to escape through the front gate, but much to my surprise, the majority stayed to fight. Even a few humans among them.
Their fucking funeral.
Casting my full attention back to the task at hand, I edged onto the landing and scanned the new area. There was nowhere higher to go, and with the entirety of the lower two floors freely accessible to guests, the amulet had to be up here somewhere.
I dodged a rogue slice of demon fire that ripped through people and glass-encased gemstones alike. I rolled across the floor, then snatched my heels off my feet before I broke into a run.
A rough-around-the-edges guard with an air of magic to him manned one of the doors while two others were spread out before him in a triangular formation. I screamed to get their attention, then feigned helplessness to get as close as I could. With the wide-eyed looks I kept casting over my shoulder towards the demon who’d just twisted a man’s head off with his bare hands, the nearest guard didn’t hesitate to reach out and yank me behind him.
I stabbed my stiletto in his throat the instant he turned away.
Then did the same to his buddy.
The third guard rushed me from behind. I gripped him by the arm and bent over to send him flying to the other side. But the stealthy fuck landed on his feet. He didn’t waste a fucking second before he charged me again—this time with more tact.
I dodged and parried, his warlock’s abilities keeping my magic from touching his skin. Glass casings shattered, scattering the precious stones. A sharp edge of one dug into my heel just as I evaded the blow, but I didn’t have the luxury to tend to the wound.
The warlock was fucking good.
He didn’t only have arcane training to back him up, but physical, too. And with his towering height and muscular frame thrown into the package, the bastard had me at a fucking disadvantage.
For a moment, I considered taking to the air, but as his blow hit me straight in the kidney, my anger flared. I ripped off my necklace and palmed the blade I’d been hiding in plain sight.
With the awkward angle and his more than well-structured defense, I couldn’t hit anything vital, so I gritted my teeth and allowed another one of his punches to sneak past my defense.
The edges of my vision darkened as my breath hitched in my throat. But I had him where I needed him.
When the bastard made his fatal advance, I leaned into him. I thrust the blade between his ribs, angling it up until I felt it lodge in his heart.
Magic seared my skin as the warlock released all his bottled-up reserves.
A guttural scream wrenched free from my throat, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.
The bastard was determined to take me with him.
My vision swam. The copper flavor coating my tongue intensified, warmth trickling from the corners of my lips.
I shoved the blade deeper in the warlock’s chest, but with him cutting off my healing properties, my hands were fucking shaking.
A shot zinged past my ear.
The warlock flinched as plaster exploded.
It was all I needed.
Ignoring the pain, I head-butted the asshole with all I had.
He collapsed.
I spat out a mouthful of blood and sent a bolt of blue fire straight through the warlock’s forehead.
Bracing my hand on one of the cases we hadn’t wrecked, I sucked in a breath as my healing kicked in. Only my reprieve didn’t last long.
Clashing energies thundered up the stairwell leading to my floor.
Time to move.
On weak knees and unsteady feet, I forced myself through the locked doors, then closed them behind me. As the sudden quiet enveloped me, my back slapped against the wood. Empty.
The demons were obviously far more interested in their kills than actually retrieving the amulet.
I really wasn’t complaining.
Clutching my aching ribs, I spat another mouthful of blood on the pristine hardwood floor, then marched on. There were several doors leading off the corridor, but even without using my sensory abilities that still struggled to reboot thanks to the shitload of pain lancing through my flesh, I felt one of the chambers ooze with far more potency than the others.
I hobbled over there.
Palming one of the few remaining miniature daggers I had left, I eased myself through the door. My gaze immediately homed in on the amulet.
Then followed the hand clutching it all the way to the werewolf, staring at me with a lopsided grin on his face—as if all his fucking dreams had just come true.
Chapter 27
“Looking for this, sweetheart?”
Reiner dangled the medallion as if he were baiting a dog with a treat.
Ass.
This time around, his hair shone acidic green under the display lights, his smile razor-sharp and giving off the vibe that he was completely unbothered by my presence. If anything, he looked thrilled to see me.
I bared my teeth and snarled. “Give me the fucking amulet, Reiner.”
Naturally, he did no such thing.
“You’re cute, you know that?” He laughed and palmed the damn necklace. “I didn’t plan to stay at the party. Just long enough to claim my payment then take this beauty”—he opened his fingers to expose the pendant—“back.”
“Double-crossing your employers is bad for business.” I cocked my head to the side, forcing myself to remain calm when all I wanted was to gouge his damn eyes out. “You know how quickly word spreads. You sure that thing is worth risking your reputation for?”
“Ah, Crina.” His eyelids fluttered shut as he inhaled deeply. “You really are an innocent little kitten. Even more so than I thought if you haven’t realized by now that some things are worth risking everything for.”
Clearly, he’d lost it. Reiner had had t
he whole loose cannon tendency going on ever since we’d met, but deep down, he wasn’t reckless. No matter what kind of power he could gain through the amulet, what was the point if he alienated everyone in the process?
“You killed Vuyasin.”
He dipped his head in a little bow. “You’re welcome.”
“Don’t pretend you did it for me.” I stalked towards him. Every time my feet made contact with the cool floor, I brought another wave of power to rest just under the surface of my skin. “Vuyasin was just an obstacle you had to get out of the way.”
“Now that is definitely the truth.”
Reiner stashed the amulet in the pocket of his tux and rolled his neck. Even if it weren’t for the heated look in his eyes, I could tell he was getting aroused by the way his energy spiked, becoming thicker, more vibrant.
Sick fuck.
“As I said,”—his shoes tapped out a smooth, prowling rhythm, the space between us diminishing—“I wanted to leave the party, but once I spotted you, I just couldn’t resist seeing the little kitten show her claws.”
“The claws you tried to take out with a bullet?” I ventured a guess.
Reiner dragged a finger along one of the cases. “A mistake, I admit. I’d much rather sink my teeth into your flesh.”
I snarled just as a low growl rose in his chest.
We clashed.
We wove through the labyrinth of display cases in a blur, blocking and attacking. Perfectly matched.
Spills of shadow and light fucked with my vision, but it wasn’t like Reiner had any tells I had to watch out for. Not visible ones, at least.
After a quick combination of hits, the bastard leaped forward. I blocked his torso and delivered a mean right hook, but my foot paid the price.
Nauseating pain rammed into me as Reiner’s shoe came down hard on my bare toes.
I shoved him back, narrowly missing a glass display case. Pity.