Suddenly, his vision cleared. He gulped in a breath. His ribs, no doubt broken, protested when he jumped up ready to fight. He looked around—confused. The Protectors all stood around swords in hand, relaxed, no longer fighting. Tonia was panting, her short sword in hand, her wide eyes locked with his.
Gerard was nowhere to be seen.
Kieran shoved him aside and grabbed Tonia, looking her over as if checking for injuries. Angry, he pushed the Scot aside. “What the bloody hell is going on?”
He eyed Tonia who looked down to the ground. He followed her line of vision and saw a blue puddle of demon blood.
Could it be? Gerard was finally dead.
“What happened?” he asked with trepidation. “Who killed him?”
His partner’s grin made him want to punch the man. Why didn’t they say something?
“Tonia did.”
“Damn it!” He kicked at Gerard’s sword. “What the fuck is wrong with you guys? How in the bloody hell do you all stand around and put my mate in danger like that!” He bent and picked up the demon’s sword. At noting the silence in the parking lot he turned to see that everyone stared at him.
“Well, I’ll be,” Kieran said and glanced at Cyn who smiled widely. “I think the Brit got his mojo back.”
“What in the bloody hell are you talking about?” Fallon moved to where Tonia stood staring at him, her expression wary. He pulled her into an embrace and hugged her tight.
“Are you all right? Thank you,” he whispered into her ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed, letting go when he tensed at the tenderness of his ribs.
She pulled back and looked up at him, her hand caressing his cheek. “What are you feeling?”
He huffed in exasperation. “Relief, annoyance and if you keep touching me, horny,” he replied. Realizing what he’d said, his eyes widened. “I feel.” He sagged against her in relief realizing his emotions were back. Gerard’s death had released his emotions.
Her lips curved and she grabbed his face and kissed him. “Thank goodness. I didn’t want to be married to a zombie.”
The Protectors’ chuckles didn’t bother him as he lost himself in her green eyes and took her hand. “Let’s go home. Now.”
Kieran glanced toward Inferno’s door. “I’ll go check on Sebastian. He hasn’t come out, which is uncharacteristic. Normally, he’d be out here glowering and telling us to leave since we scare his customers.”
Fallon felt guilty at having forgotten Sebastian. He caressed Tonia face. “I’ll be home later, I better check and see that Sebastian is all right.”
“No way,” she replied. “I’m not leaving your side right now.”
He looked at Kieran and then Cyn for help as both Protectors were married hoping they’d back him up, but they looked as flustered as he felt. He took Tonia by the shoulders. “Wife, you respect my wishes. Now go home.”
Someone behind him coughed, he suspected it was to hide laughter, but he didn’t have a chance to think more on it when Tonia yanked his shirt and pulled his face closer to hers. He grimaced and held his side in pain from the sudden movement.
“I am not leaving, and don’t you ever try to boss me around like that again,” she hissed into his face, her eyes cutting into his. “Now back the fuck up husband.”
She shoved him aside and made her way toward the back door of Inferno, her demeanor all authority. She must have been a kick-ass cop.
He glared at Kieran who sputtered, his lips pressed tight. Logan wasn’t as discreet. “Damn, I ain’t ever getting married.” The cowboy chuckled, shaking his head.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sebastian wasn’t sure how he’d managed to end up in a sword fight in his office, in his own club, with two demons who turned out to be better swordsmen than he’d expected.
He leapt from his desk and landed behind a blonde muscular one, he thrust forward, shoving his sword into the demon’s back. The blond howled in pain, but managed to turn and slice at him, making Sebastian back away. He’d missed the heart, but not by much. The demon swayed trying to recover from the injury.
Gerard’s second guardsman jumped in front of the blond and pointed the sword at Sebastian. Suddenly, he wavered. “Oh no.”
The demons looked at each other with dread, and the darker one turned to Sebastian. “Gerard is dead. Look, we don’t want to fight you. You’re higher-level than us, and we don’t have a death wish.”
The injured one was quick to agree. “Please remove the lifeline we have to Gerard and tie us to you.” Both men looked to him and Sebastian felt their emotions. The guards’ desperation was overwhelming. The last thing he wanted was the two tied to him, but at the same time, when Gerard died, they’d die within minutes. He had to do something.
“Fine, come here,” Sebastian, told them. Both dropped their swords. The darker demon held up the injured blond and they stood before him. He cast a ward spell around them, and then slashed his palm. Both demons held out their hands and he cut their palms as well. All three joined hands and Sebastian pulled their life forces together. “It’s done.” The blond collapsed, his partner went to pull him up.
“Lay him on the couch and stay here with him. I have to go check on the activity outside.” He watched them move to the couch, the demon would recover in a few hours. They both looked up at him with wary anticipation. The last thing they wanted was to be tied to an incubus. He cocked a brow at them. “As soon as he recovers you are free to go, I don’t want you two following me around like some sort of strange entourage.”
The dark one frowned. “What do you mean to do with us?”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Nothing. I don’t want you guys tied to me at all. As a matter of fact, you’re not tied to me. You are, however, tied to each other. Good luck with that.”
Both men eyed each other realizing they were bound. “Oh shit,” the blond said, only to have the dark one jump to his feet. “This is totally not cool.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?”
“I’m not gay, I mean I prefer women, what happened the other night was a one time thing, I got carried away.” the blond informed the dark-haired one with a shove.
“Oh, kiss my ass,” the dark-haired guard replied. “I don’t need you anyway. You’re a bad fuck.”
“I am not.”
Sebastian shook his head and left the office heading for the back of Inferno. They were going to have an interesting future.
He walked to the bar area and opened the door only to practically collide with Tonia who rushed in from outside. Fallon was close behind her. Behind them he spotted the Protector brothers and Logan. Would the evening ever end? He stood aside and the Protectors stepped inside. Two young demon females saw them and broke out running into the club screaming. “Slayers!”
The music stopped instantly, replaced by screams of panic and the sounds of people fighting to leave the club. A woman ran to him and grabbed him around the waist. “Help, please, my girlfriend and I need to get out of here without getting trampled.”
Sebastian pulled the women toward his office. He shoved them inside and stuck his head in to eye the two demons that were still arguing. “Escort these ladies to their car on your way out. Ensure no harm comes to them.” Without waiting for a response, he went to see about the rest of his clientele.
An hour later, he sat at the bar. Hank, the bartender, the only staff member remaining in the club, poured him a drink.
“Sorry,” Cyn told Sebastian, looking anything but. The large Protector motioned for Hank to refill his soda.
Kieran shook his head when Hank offered to pour him a soft drink. “I need some coffee, you have any coffee?” The bartender bent and pulled a coffeemaker from under the counter.
“Why are you still here?” Sebastian asked Kieran. “Don’t you guys have streets to patrol or something?”
“Julian told us to wait here for him,” Logan told him and drained the bottle of beer.
“Should you be
drinking alcohol on duty?” Tonia asked the cowboy eyeing the beverage in his hand. She stood by the chair in which Fallon sat. The Brit still looked to be in pain.
“Alcohol doesn’t affect us,” Logan replied, and then picked up another beer to drink from it. “I like the flavor.”
Sebastian frowned at Fallon and asked again. “So Gerard is dead?”
Fallon’s gaze flickered to Tonia. “Yes, she killed him when he tried to possess me. Did his guards die?”
Not wanting to bring more attention to the two, he didn’t reply. “I can understand why Julian is on his way here. The death of a Master demon does not come without repercussions. If demons kill each other, nobody seems to care, but if anyone else kills a Master, they declare war. Many saw you here, so they will assume a Protector killed him.”
“I hope we’re not getting quarantined again,” Cyn said frowning at his empty glass. “That would really suck.”
“I was prepared for Gerard’s death, but not in such a public fashion.” Julian walked in, behind him two Protectors.
Sebastian forced his expression to remain blank, knowing that as soon as the newcomers noticed him, they’d bristle at his presence.
Julian continued speaking, “I had to turn the airplane around at this development.” His icy stare landed on each person in the room. “Leave it to the Atlanta Protectors to kill a Master with hundreds of witnesses around.”
Tonia wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the fact that she’d killed a Master demon and, therefore, would be hunted by demons or that Fallon seemed to distance himself from her since they’d entered the club. He sat without speaking as she stood behind his chair, too antsy to sit.
Julian’s gaze slid to her, she met his eyes ensuring to maintain her expression flat. The Roman was impeccably dressed as usual, wearing dark jeans, boots and a long sleeve gray and black pin striped shirt. He held a leather journal in his hand, a sword and scabbard slug across his wide back. “You and Fallon should have been on that plane to Rome tonight.”
Fallon stood and addressed Julian. “How much of a reaction do you really think we’ll get? Gerard was weakening he was abusing many of those under him.”
Sebastian agreed, “Carlo Montenegro is chomping at the bit to become the new Master, I think he’s too busy celebrating to want to retaliate.”
Tonia met Julian’s gaze and she didn’t have to be a mind reader to know his thoughts. “As a new leader, he’ll want to prove himself, and how better to do so than with revenge against the Protectors,” she told the group. “Am I correct?” she asked Julian.
“Yes, you are,” Julian replied.
“So what happens now?” Fallon asked eyeing the two Protectors who stood behind Julian and watched Sebastian with narrowed eyes. “What’s with the reinforcements?”
Julian turned to look at the two. He motioned to the first one, a bulky olive-skinned male with long black hair. “This is Maximilian.” He then held his hand up to the next Protector, who sported a red Mohawk. “And this is Aiden Masters. Both will remain here to assist as the situation may escalate and you’ll no doubt require additional hands.”
Maximillian looked to be of ancient tribal background. His olive brown skin and straight hair combined with high, cheekbones, gave him the look of a oversized muscular Aztec.
The other Protector, Aiden, perplexed Tonia. If his red hair was any indication, he was probably Irish.
Both Protectors approached the Atlanta Protectors and did a hand to the shoulder greeting.
Tonia rolled her eyes at Sebastian, who stood back, his dark eyes not missing anything, both of them the outsiders in this case.
Julian turned to her. “Roderick and Cynden’s wives, as well as their children, will be coming to stay at your home. You and Fallon have the only place large enough to house everyone.”
Tonia looked at Fallon who still remained unexpressive. “What’s to keep them from attacking the house? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to leave town for a while?”
“No,” Fallon replied. “None of the Protectors will agree to be separated from their mates. Besides, the security at the house makes it almost impossible for any demon to enter.” He looked at Sebastian. “You’re welcome to join us. I brought this mess to your doorstep.”
Sebastian shrugged. “I’ll be all right.”
The sound of glass shattering got everyone’s attention. Three rock-like items landed in the room. Tonia inspected the one that rolled closest to her. “Grenade!” she yelled and beat feet from the room, the Protectors close behind her.
The explosion rocked the building, Tonia lost her footing upon exiting the back and fell on all fours to the ground. She rolled just in time to avoid the descent of a sword. Demons were waiting for them, the entire building was surrounded in anticipation of them exiting.
Strong arms pulled her from behind, Fallon’s voice in her ear, “Please stay with me.” He released her and she managed to yank her sword out in time to block a demon’s strike.
She’d never seen the Protectors in action. The large males were outnumbered, but were in no way the underdogs. Each Protector fought four or more without seeming to break a sweat. The males’ movements were not only powerful, but graceful and well practiced.
Soon after the fighting began, she could see that some of the demons were reconsidering their choice to fight. A few even remained back, keeping their option of escape accessible.
A demon rushed her, seeing her as the weakest amongst the group. She blocked his attempt to stab her and sliced at him, satisfied to get his arm. The demon’s red eyes flashed angrily, but his ire took away his discernment, as he was sloppy in his next thrust of his sword leaning too far to one side. Seeing her opening, Tonia stabbed him in the heart. He evaporated.
The fighting ended a few moments later, most of the Protectors barely winded, the demons either dead or gone. Tonia, however, was out of breath—her hair plastered to her face and neck, which dripped with sweat. She held her side as she tried to work out a stitch. Fallon took her hand and pulled her toward his car. “Let’s go, we have a lot to do at the house,” he told her looking at the other Protectors. “They’ve got it if anything else comes up.”
She waited until they got in the car, needing to know what he was thinking. He started the car without speaking.
“Are there enough bedrooms in the house?” she asked him, breaking the ice.
His violet eyes met hers for a moment. “Yes, there are eight bedrooms and the guest cottages have two each. Obviously, Wendy and Kieran already have a bedroom and Logan is established. That leaves six bedrooms, Roderick and Rachel can have Kieran’s old room, Brock and Blue use the bedrooms across the hall. Cyn and Emma can use the guest cottage since they have a baby.a” He tilted his head. “With the two new guys each getting a room, which means we’ll maintain our space on the third floor.”
She went over the logistics of what needed to be done. “You must be used to housing people, you seem to be taking the house invasion very well. How do you feel about it?” Tonia turned to him, studying his face for an expression of emotion.
His eyes flickered to her, then to the rear view mirror. “We’ve got a bloody caravan to the house,” he muttered, and then turned to her with a smile on his lips. “It reminds me of my younger days, in England. Large groups would come to our estate and spend the season. It’s really not a bad thing to have many people under one roof.”
Hearing him talk, seeming to be relaxed, she wanted to hug him. The only thing missing, the one sore spot to her moving on was dealing with Alex’s killer.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hector hurried up to Fallon when he entered. “Lord, how many should I prepare for?” The older man’s frown made him suppress a smile, as he didn’t know how Hector would react to humor at a time like this. The male took his position very seriously. “Let me see, two in the cottage…”
“The cottage, it hasn’t been prepared!” Hector interrupted, then recovered. “Sorry My L
ord, please continue.”
“Roderick, Rachel and Brock, as well as Blue and two new Protectors, in addition to our current house guests, hmm let’s see that’s how many Tonia?
Tonia snapped up, her eyes wide as she began to add up the guests in her head. Fallon poured the now hot water into his cup and added cream. Not listening as Tonia and Hector now joined by an excited Wendy began counting people and figuring out who went where.
“Oh God, are you all right?” Tonia exclaimed at Sebastian’s appearance in the kitchen. The incubus gave Fallon a questioning look.
“Does the offer still stand? My club is a pile of ash. The hotels are booked with some kind of Dragon conference event going on.”
Fallon went to Sebastian. “Of course the offer stands, please be our guest. I apologize, I know I brought this to your club.” He looked at Tonia, Wendy and Hector who watched them and then glanced to their piece of paper where they’d begun to write names down. “Brock and Blue won’t mind bunking together, they are always sharing each other’s room.”
The three began scribbling notes again as Fallon lead Sebastian to the stairs. “You can stay in the first room on the left on the second floor. I’m surprised the police let you go so soon. I’m sure they had lots of questions.”
The incubus sighed, dark circles under his eyes and pale skin, he seemed exhausted. “I told them I’d be back after I got some sleep. There isn’t anything I can really say that will satisfy them.”
“How long since you’ve fed?” Fallon asked noticing the male’s pallor. “You don’t look too good.”
Sebastian didn’t reply right away. “I fed earlier today, but after all the fighting and energy needed to deal with so many humans, the two women were barely enough. I’ll feel better after I sleep. Thanks.”
The incubus headed up the stairs and Fallon went to his library suddenly feeling exhausted as well. A quick check of his ribs confirmed the healing was beginning. The soreness, however, remained strong.
Immortal Lord (Immortal Protectors Book 4) Page 16