by G. K. DeRosa
“Well with Azara around, it doesn’t look like we’ll need Ella.”
“Thanks, Hayden.” I threw him an appreciative smile, but a tiny part of me was worried for my cousin. What if one of the demons had gotten her when she tried to get in? I still hadn’t spilled the truth about my family to Talon, but if Ella was missing I might have to.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” interjected Dallas, “and not that I don’t trust Azara’s magical prowess, but we’re two team members short.”
Talon motioned for us to form a circle around him. “How many Underworlders are there?”
“A few dozen by my last count,” Hayden answered. “And T, you can’t exactly unleash the dragon in here. You’ll bring the whole place down on top of us.”
“We’ll come up with a plan of attack and a contingency plan. If things get too hairy, we’ll pull out.”
Dallas smirked, flashing pointy incisors. “Since when have you been a man to pull out?”
My cheeks heated even before my gaze met Talon’s. He shot Dallas a narrowed glare and leaned closer to me. I wasn’t sure if he even realized he’d done it. “Since I have something more important to live for.”
The angel and vampire brothers exchanged a glance, then turned their inquisitive gazes to me. I hoped they couldn’t see my blazing cheeks in the dim room.
Hayden slapped Talon on the shoulder, a grin spreading his lips. “We’ll do it however you want, brother.”
“Good. Now let’s get this over with. I want Azara’s first official mission for the SIA to go as smoothly as possible.”
“No prob, boss.” Dallas winked then shot me a smirk, showcasing pearly-white fangs. Someone was ready to go.
We sat in a huddle for a few more minutes while Talon hatched out the plan. It would be a three-pronged attack, starting with a hell of a lot of dragon fire. If things got out of control, we’d make a run for it and meet at the corner of 90th and Amsterdam, and I’d portal us out of there.
Hayden’s angel sword appeared in the palm of his hand, brilliant blue flames dancing along the blade. “Let’s kick some demon ass.” He tossed me a wry smile. “Present company excepted of course.”
I rolled my eyes at him and conjured up my own weapon—a small dagger imbued with dark magic. I’d infused it myself and according to the spell, it should kill any adversary with one stab.
The three guys formed a circle and placed their hands in the center. Talon grabbed my arm and tugged me into the huddle. “Hand in, one thirty-eight.”
Wow, I really hadn’t missed that nickname. I stretched out my arm anyway as this seemed like some sort of ritual I was being invited in on. I slapped my palm over Talon’s, and three pairs of eyes met mine. “Four in and four out,” said Talon.
“The only way we play.” Dallas bumped Talon’s shoulder.
“See you on the other side, brothers, and sister,” Hayden replied before nudging my shoulder.
Talon took the lead, his wings and claws extended. He tucked me behind his broad back as we crept toward the staircase. He and I were taking the main steps down, while Hayden would come in through the front door and Dallas would attack from the backyard. It sounded like a solid plan to me.
When we reached the second floor, Talon stopped and waited at the foot of the stairs. He leaned around the bannister and focused his reptilian gaze on the first level. He must have liked whatever he’d seen because he motioned for me to follow.
My heart smacked against my ribcage as we reached the last step. The entrance foyer was empty, but muffled voices resonated around the corner.
I’ll go first, hit them with dragon fire, then signal for you to come. Got it?
I nodded quickly. My throat was too dry to argue. I was running on adrenaline when I’d gone in to save Talon and the guys at Thax’s castle. This was totally different. I was purposely going in there to kill these Underworlders. A chill snaked up at my spine despite the beads of sweat accumulating on my brow.
I love you, Azara. I meant to say it earlier on the subway, but somehow you managed to distract me. I could almost hear the smile in his voice as his words boomed across my mind before he disappeared around the corner.
My heart skipped a beat. Literally. Did he just mentally tell me he loved me and then vanish? I drew in a slow breath to still my racing pulse and convinced myself we could talk about the L word when this was over.
I remained perfectly still staring at the wall around which Talon had disappeared, counting my haggard breaths. Ten. Twenty. Thirty-five. What was taking him so long? I strained to hear over the deafening silence. I couldn’t even make out Talon’s footfalls anymore.
I peered around the wall, but the foyer was still empty. Clenching my fists at my sides, I waited, my pulse hammering out a rapid staccato. Come on. Where are you Talon?
Spine-tingling screeches rang out, shattering the eerie stillness. My heart leapt up my throat. I darted around the corner and sprinted across the foyer as plumes of dark smoke curled in the air. The stench of burning flesh emanated from the adjacent living room. Covering my mouth, I poked my head inside.
Blistering orange flames blanketed the room. Demons ran and screamed and crumbled to the floor, as the fire raced up their bodies.
“Talon!” I called out into the chaos.
Smoke and flames spread across the vast chamber, eating up the remaining oxygen. I drew in a breath and coughed as the toxic air filled my lungs. A demon barreled by me, fire licking up its scaly arms.
I screeched as the flames brushed my forearm and staggered backward, hitting the doorframe. Son of a biscuit! I dropped to the floor and nursed my burnt flesh as the turmoil ensued.
Get a hold of yourself, Azara. Get in there and do something! This time the voice in my head wasn’t Talon’s. It was my own. I forced myself up and crept into the room, dodging fleeing demons engulfed in flames. From across the space, a brilliant blue light caught my eye.
Hayden! His angel sword sliced the air, finishing off the Underworlders that Talon’s dragon fire had missed. And beside him was Dallas. The vampire member of the Triad battled a few of the lesser scorched demons.
Where are you, Talon? I projected my thoughts across the array of brainwaves, hoping it would reach him. When I got no response, I moved through the wreckage and burnt corpses with my dagger clasped tightly in my fist.
“Pumpkin, you okay?” Hayden shouted from across the havoc.
“Yeah, I’m fine! Where’s Talon?”
He shook his head and drove his sword into a tehra demon’s third eye. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since the fire.”
My rapid heartbeats kicked up a notch. This time as I walked through the destruction, I searched the fallen forms. He had to be okay. He just had to be.
With my eyes trained to the floor, I almost missed the claw poised to rake across my neck. I ducked just in time as the demon’s hand swiped right over my head. From my crouching position, I jumped up and sank my dagger into the creature’s gut. His jaw dropped, showcasing rows of sharp yellowing teeth, then his eyes widened and bulged out before he crumpled to the floor.
Woohoo—my spell worked! I held my dagger up triumphantly.
“Azara!” Talon’s voice jerked my gaze back toward the foyer.
“I’m in here!” I raced toward the sound, the knot in my stomach finally loosening. When I reached the archway to the entrance, I stopped and peered around the corner. “Talon?” After the commotion in the other room, the sudden quiet had the tiny hairs on the back of my neck on end. “Where are you?” I took another step and tightened my hold on the dagger.
The smoky scent of magic filled my nose a second before a dark fog descended over me. An arm clamped around my middle, and a familiar voice tickled the shell of my ear. “So nice to see you again, cuz.” Cold metal closed over my wrist, and all the power coursing through my veins vanished. No. No. No. I instantly recognized the magic-siphoning cuffs and groaned.
I squirmed against Thax�
�s steel hold around my torso, shouting curses. “Let go of me!”
“I don’t think so, Azara. Not when you pulled a disappearing act before things got interesting last time.” He dragged me to a door by the entryway and yanked it open. Coats, umbrellas and other miscellaneous items filled the small closet.
“It wasn’t even my fault,” I hissed as he pushed me inside.
“I know it wasn’t. It was those pesky males protecting you. Don’t get me wrong, I get the attraction, I do.” He leaned closer and ran his tongue over my cheek.
“Get off me, you pervert!” I shrieked, trying and failing to break his iron hold. Talon, where are you? I could use a little help!
“I’ll never understand male and female relationships,” he mused. “It’s clear that dragon shifter feels something for you, but that Fae female agent feels something for him. So much so, that she was willing to betray you, her own cousin.”
A chill chased up my spine. “What are you talking about?” I rasped out.
“After your little visit to my castle, I began to do my own research about you and your family. Who knew that cute blonde SIA agent was your cousin? I assume you’re not very close or why else would she have helped me orchestrate this entire event?”
Ella betrayed me? A stab of hurt streaked across my chest. “You’re lying,” I hissed.
He clucked his tongue against my ear, and goose bumps broke out over my arm. “I’m not. Since you rescued my source of information, I had to find a new little birdie.”
“Azara!” Talon’s voice boomed through the old wooden door.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Thax’s hand slapped across my lips. “Shh, cuz. I can’t have your boyfriend ruining my plans again.”
Peeling my lips back, I chomped down on his middle finger. With a curse, he loosened his hold on my mouth and I cried out. “Talon!”
The door whipped open, and Talon’s blazing eyes met mine. My shoulders sagged, my heart leaping for joy. I reached for him, but Thax’s hold tightened around my middle.
“Say goodbye, little demon.” My bastard cousin’s hot breath whirled across my eardrums as panic gripped my insides.
A black cloud blanketed us, blotting out Talon’s form. I reached for him again, but it was useless. My head spun, and darkness descended over my vision. Talon’s frantic shouts echoed across my mind as Thax dragged me into oblivion.
Read on for a special sneak peek of Darkblood Prison: Demon At Large and you can pre-order it now. If you missed the blueprint of Darkblood Prison, you’ll find it right before the first chapter and you’ll find Azara’s Bloodline if you keep flipping!
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Sneak Peek of Darkblood Prison: Demon At Large
Prologue
Talon
“Azara doesn’t want to be found, brother. I know it’s hard for you to hear, but she’s gone.” Hayden’s fingers closed around my shoulder, but I jerked from his grasp. It wasn’t the first time in the last three months that he’d tried to force his angel healing—or pity, on me.
“You’re wrong,” I gritted out and continued to pace the length of the training room annex.
Hayden and Dallas exchanged a quick glance before returning their focused gazes to the blue glow of the computer monitors. “Come see for yourself,” said Dallas. “Video footage doesn’t lie. Her eyes, man… they’re two bottomless pools of black. She’s gone.”
“I don’t need to see it,” I growled. “Thax is manipulating her somehow, just like he did that night at the Fae club. Azara would never do something like that.”
Vander peeled himself off the wall and cleared his throat. He’d been so quiet I’d forgotten he was there at all. “You’re probably right, T. The Azara we knew would never have behaved with such little regard for lives—supernatural or otherwise, but it’s been months. This isn’t the first report we’ve gotten.” He took a step toward me, and I took one back. I didn’t need his coddling right now, what I needed was Azara. Steel bands wrapped around my lungs as her screams echoed in my mind. I rasped out a haggard breath, forcing air inside.
I’d failed her.
The pungent odor of smoke and burnt demon hides filled my nostrils. I squeezed my eyes shut, chasing away the vivid memories, but like every night, I was sucked into visions of the past.
“Azara!” I barreled through a frusta demon as flames licked up its webbed feet. Shoving the creature to the side, the slam of a door in the foyer caught my attention. “Azara!” I sniffed the air, but the scent of charred flesh blotted out her delicate scent, the honey and gardenias were too faint to discern.
I searched my gut for her presence but only a gaping hole remained. Would I ever get used to the emptiness the broken blood bond had left? Tossing the useless thoughts aside, I darted toward the entryway. Azara had to be there. I couldn’t lose her now, not after everything we’d been through. I loved her, and I’d been stupid not to tell her sooner. When we got out of here, I’d spend every day telling—and every night showing her how much she meant to me.
“Talon!”
My heart lurched at the panic in Azara’s voice. “I’m coming!”
Two demons jumped in front of me, blocking my path. My talons lengthened, and I swiped my claw across the first bastard’s neck. Dark blood spewed out as his eyes widened for a second before they completely glassed over. His friend let out a shriek and lowering its horned head, charged.
My wings snapped out and I leapt up, soaring right over the demon’s hairy head. Sucker. I landed in a crouch and took off toward the sound of Azara’s voice. Straining to hear, a faint rustle caught my attention again. I crept closer. It was definitely coming from the entrance closet.
“Talon!” Azara’s muffled cry sent rage coursing through my veins. I was going to rip Thax’s heart out and make his warrior harem eat it.
I rammed the closet door, and splintered wood and rusty hinges scattered across the floor. My eyes met Azara’s frightened ones, and my raging dragon clawed its way to the surface. He would make Thax suffer, and I’d let him. No one took what was ours. And Azara was ours.
Her hand reached out for me. She was inches from my grasp. I could feel her skin against my fingertips, her scent enveloping me as I lurched forward. And grabbed hold of nothing.
A black cloud wrapped around Azara and her bastard cousin, and they vanished.
Thax stole her right out of my fingertips. I failed her. Again.
The memories faded, and I was back in our mini SIA headquarters. Vander stood no more than a foot away from me, his concerned gaze boring into me.
“I’m fine,” I grunted and spun toward the door.
“No, you’re not.” His hand closed around my arm as he tried to stop me.
I shook free of him with ease. Vander may have been strong for a wolf, but he was nothing compared to my dragon.
“T, wait.” Hayden’s chair scraped the floor with an irritating squeal as he jumped up after me. “You know what today is, right?”
A boulder-sized pit of dread sank to the bottom of my gut. Of course I knew. I’d been counting down the days since Azara reappeared on our radar. For over two months, there’d been no sight of her. We’d scoured the Underworld, but both she and Thax had vanished. Then a little over a week ago, one of Logan’s gargoyles stumbled upon a pile of demon carcasses—all devoid of souls. Up until that day, I was certain Thax had been keeping her locked up in a dungeon somewhere. With the warden’s help, I managed to convince Maxim, the director of the SIA, to give me a week to find Azara and bring her in on my terms.
Today was D-day. I hadn’t managed to find her, and the body count was only rising. Worse, the corpses weren’t only demons anymore. A variety of supernaturals had been found soulless, bearing Azara’s signature.
Gods, Azara, where are you? Please, answer me. I don’t care what you
did. We’ll figure it out. Please, come home. For the thousandth time, I searched for her, but she never responded. For a time, the guys wanted me to consider the grim possibility that she was dead, but I never gave up hope. Regardless of the broken bond, somehow, I knew she was alive.
“Talon?” Hayden waved his hand a few inches from my face.
“Of course I know.” Our mission was about to change from a search and rescue to a capture and kill.
“Maxim already contacted Logan this morning. He expects the three of us in the Underworld by mid-day. Our instructions are not to return until we have Azara in our possession—” He cut himself off.
“Dead or alive,” I snapped. “I know the drill, man.”
“How did you even convince Maxim to keep you on the assignment?” Vander asked.
“He owes me.” There was no way in hell I was sitting this one out. Azara was my responsibility. And I didn’t care what the director said, when I found her I’d deal with her my way. I didn’t care what it would cost me.
Dallas pressed the button on his computer screen, and the video of Azara that I refused to watch disappeared. He stood, his expression somber. Seeing my brother without the typical smirk stretched across his face spoke volumes. My brothers had spent almost as many hours as I had scouring the supernatural and human realm for Azara these past months. “T, speaking as a fellow drainer of sorts and your brother, Hayden’s right. Whatever is going on with Azara right now is more powerful than she is. The demon’s taken over and her humanity has been buried far below the surface. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like, and how it changes you. She may not be gone forever, but she’s gone for now. You have to accept the fact that when we find her—which we will, she may not be the same.”
A part of me knew what he was saying was true, but I couldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t. Now that we knew for certain Azara was alive, I’d tear the Underworld apart until I found her and dragged her soul-sucking ass back home.