“You trapped them without even changing their hair color. Now that’s a little boring,” he teased, scanning the area again for danger. She laughed. He had a strong inkling that ability of hers would have sliced those demons up into chunks, but he refrained from saying so.
“So, you’re pyrokinetic?” She grasped his back pocket, keeping hold and following him down the darkened passage.
“Yeah. But this ability isn’t one I can freely use on the mortal realm.”
Piles of ash lined the dingy corridor. Voices reached them.
Stealing along the shadowy wall, Kira behind him, Týr dispatched more demons unfortunate enough to step into his path, until they finally neared the last door.
It was too damn silent.
He probed with his psychic senses and picked up several pounding heartbeats.
Riley was already working the locks, which were probably spelled. Týr stood aside and kept guard. A hint of ancient power, much like Kira’s sire’s, slithered to the surface and then suddenly vanished again.
Shit. The older demons would probably sense that influence. They had to move fast.
Riley booted the cell door open but grabbed the thing before it hit the wall. They hurried along to the silent cells.
Even without lights, Týr could clearly see the human children huddled on the grimy floor in both cells. Their hair lank, clothes torn and dirty, tears staining their grimy faces. A blond boy of about five hung onto a younger kid, dull eyes watching them.
Assholes probably had them under a spell or something. They would all need their memories scrubbed of this horror.
Kira was already examining them, checking for injuries.
Another boy in the shadowy corner, curled against the wall with his knees drawn up, snagged Týr’s attention. The faint scent of candy drifted to him. Tomas? He strode over, hunkered down, and gently touched the lad’s thin, brown cheek, his skin sporting an ashy tinge. Dark, dull eyes lifted to stare blankly at him, but the boy’s terror abraded Týr’s psyche like a fist in his chest. There, on the side of Tomas’s neck were twin puncture wounds. Blood oozed down his throat. The bastards were already feeding. Týr eased Tomas up, and he wavered on his feet. Damn, he was too weak.
“Tomas!” Kira rushed to his side. “Oh, sweetie!”
The moment Týr picked him up, he started fighting and kicking in sheer terror.
“Tomas, stop, it’s me, Kira,” she whispered, stroking his hair. “We’ll get you out of here, we promise.” He dove from Týr’s arms into hers, wrapping his thin limbs around her, holding on tight. Despite him being quite small in build, Kira couldn’t carry him for long or move fast. Týr tried again, but Tomas refused to let go of her. Dammit.
“Let me,” Riley cut in.
“Tomas, this is my brother, Riley,” Kira said, worry darkening her eyes. “He’ll take you out of here. I can’t carry you, sweetie, you’re getting too big.”
A shaky smile lit Tomas’s pallid features. “See? I’m growing.”
“Yes, you are.” She rubbed his shoulders affectionately. “But we need to get out of this place, okay?”
Riley stroked the boy’s head, and suddenly, as docile as a tame cat, he let Riley take him. The other kids, equally quietly followed him out.
“That boy’s gonna make my life hell back on Earth,” Týr muttered, grasping Kira’s hand and making tracks down the corridor to the front room.
Her soft laughter wrapped around him like a wave of light. She wheeled around and slipped both of her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “You don’t know how happy I am that we found Tomas, or how glad I am to hear your droll—”
A deafening ruckus exploded and all hell broke loose. Demons appeared in a shuddering grayish flash, slitted ruby eyes fixed on them, blocking their exit.
“Riley!” Týr roared, heart thumping in fear as he thrust Kira behind him to evade a sizzling firebolt. “Get Kira and the kids outta here.”
“Can’t flash,” Riley snarled. “Warded against it!”
Fuck, fuck, fuck! “Stay behind me!” Týr yelled at Kira. A bolt struck him in the chest. He stumbled back, unable to breathe, his lungs were probably wrapped around his spine. Flames from the hit rolled off him harmlessly.
The demon screeched. Assholes here would know better than to attack him with fire now.
“Catch,” Riley shouted, tossing an iron sword at him. Týr leaped up, snatching the blade midair, and flipped to his feet. More bolts, energy-bolts this time, flew at him, one gouging the skin of his biceps like a freaking meteor. A feminine grunt had his focus snapping over his shoulder—
Motherfucker! He let out a string of vicious expletives at the sight of Kira fighting off a huge, lumbering demon. She ducked the male’s blows, and as he grinned and swooped in, she kneed him in the balls. The demon shrieked and grabbed his nuts, his knees buckling.
Adrenaline pumping, Týr swung his sword, beheading the scourge in front of him. He spun around just as Kira rammed her blade into the demon’s heart. The scum collapsed. Scaly, lizard-like demons with whipping tails fell from the ceiling like roaches and attacked him. Terrified childish screams ricocheted. A bald, humanoid demon dragged the two blond children with him.
Shit. Týr fought through the surging demons. He had to get to the kids, but the horde hemmed him in.
“You’re too late!” Baldie laughed, slapping his palms on both kids’ chests. The luminescent threads of their life force streamed out in tendrils and rushed into him. He groaned in joy, dropping their lifeless bodies.
“No!” Kira sprinted over to the other children huddling against the building. She stood in front of the kids, arms spread out like a fucking shield as the demon strutted to her, powered by the life energy he’d just stolen.
The bastard! Shouting out an age-old warrior cry, Týr swung his sword like lightning, severing limbs and heads. He cannonballed over the others coming at him like a swarm of dung beetles—several blows landed on his face and head. Damn hellscums! He swung his sword in a merciless arc, clearing a way—
“No, you fuckin’ don’t!” Riley snarled. Suddenly, he had Baldie pinned against the wall. He grabbed the demon’s head and twisted, yanking it off as if it were a toy. Blood sprayed.
A shimmer in the air formed, and Dare appeared, grinning. “Tower’s taken care of. Hell—” He blinked at the shuddering, headless body. “That’s a sight sure to traumatize.”
“Riley, get them out of here. Now!” Týr barked. “I’m going to bring this fucking place down!” As Riley rushed Kira and the kids toward the exit, with Dare at their back, Týr took off after the bastards fleeing for freedom. He willed his ability to the forefront. Heat swirled, thundering through his veins and brightening to an orangey-red glow like lava about to blow.
He skidded to a hall in the huge, circular room with a gallery. A slender, youngish demon with dark hair pivoted from the horde to face Týr. Dark, malevolent energy pulsed around him, scraping at his psyche and urging him to haul ass.
“You think saving those few pesky humans important?” the demon rumbled, eyes glowing red in fury. Power slithered over him in gaseous, reddish-black flickers, warning Týr that this one was old. Dangerous. “Our species is superior. Our needs primary.”
“By killing the innocent?”
Where the fuck was Riley? Týr clamped down on his molars, his power lashing beneath his skin, demanding release. Once summoned, if not freed, the damn thing would consume him, stealing his mind and sending him on a mindless rampage.
“They are nothing. Merely another source of food,” the old one snapped, rising several feet above the scuttling demons in a display of power.
“Says the dredge of all species—”
We’re out!
At Riley’s telepathic words, Týr set free the power roiling inside him. It escaped from his body in leaping flames, coalescing into a ball of fire.
The demons laughed. “We enjoy fire, Fallen,” one of them hollered. “This is the Dark
Realm.”
“Then enjoy this, motherfuckers!” Týr flung the orb of fire up, and it mushroomed into a giant globe before exploding like a bomb, destroying the ceiling. Chunks of debris clattered to the ground as more flames raced across what was left of the destroyed roof and walls, spreading into a deadly blaze.
The old demon snarled and flashed, the wards obviously annihilated by the blast of Týr’s power, and disappeared from the cell. The ones who wanted the kids screeched and scurried around, trying to escape with their worthless lives, but the fire singed their bodies, defusing their vanishing abilities. Týr let loose another fiery orb and sent it through the broken wall to the arena. Seconds later, in a thunderous eruption of bricks, metal, and mortar, more buildings collapsed.
Flying shrapnel pierced his arms and face, and everything around him became consumed by gigantic flames. Another two booming crashes resonated, sending more dust and debris up into the night air.
As flames raged wild and hungry, Týr stood in the dust-choked ruins, breathing hard. A little part of him—a bit of his past—mended at seeing the cells and the arena eviscerated.
We’re on the east side of the walls, Riley telepathed. Away from the fleeing mobs and destruction.
Týr’s relief would have been greater if that depraved damn demon hadn’t flashed out. At least the piss-stains running the arena were in Purgatory now, where they belonged…either that or facing Wrath.
Týr sprinted toward the exit, making sure none of the scourges were still around, and then headed for the gates hanging only by their hinges now. The destroyed buildings emitted an eerie stillness and were nearly empty with just a few injured strays straggling out. He jogged outside and headed east, only to crash into a lone body.
“Týr! Oh, thank God—thank God!!” Kira threw her arms around him, her heart thudding like a runaway train against his chest.
“Dammit, Kira!” Despite his growl, he held her tight, breathing in her natural flowery scent, letting it soothe him.
She pushed away, her eyes darting all over his face and body as if checking for injuries. “I was so afraid…that blaze, it consumed everything.”
“I’m good, elska…” He frowned at the faint coppery odor of blood. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, better now that you’re here.” She gave him a shaky smile. “Let’s get out of this horrible place. God, I’m so glad you burned it to the ground.”
That she still used the human deity expression made him want to smile—if his damn jaw didn’t throb like a bitch. He put his arm around her waist, and she winced, moving his hand to her hips. Instantly, Týr psychically scanned her body and found a seeping wound on her side. “You are hurt.”
She waved him off. “Just a scratch. Let’s go.”
He snagged the hem of her top. She grasped his hand, stopping him. “It can wait until we get back to the citadel.”
At the fortress, Týr left Riley to deal with the kids and followed Kira to her chambers. Without a word, he pulled her top up and examined the gash on the side of her waist. Okay, a flesh wound, not deep, but still it made his stomach heave that she’d gotten hurt at all. He let his healing powers flow and watched the shimmering, blue light coalesce and mend the lesion.
“See, it’s not so bad.”
“How the hell did this happen?” he demanded, hating that she even had a scratch on her.
Her brow furrowed, and she shrugged. “I wasn’t aware of it until now. It’s nothing.”
Picking up the ancient strains of power closing in on them, Týr muttered, “Your sire’s on his way.”
She quickly smoothed down her top and hurried to open the door before a knock announced the Sin’s arrival. Wrath walked inside, his verdant gaze skimming over her. “Your brother filled me in. The human young appear to be fine.”
Wrath glanced at Týr but said nothing about the arena being razed. “I assume you’ll be leaving now?”
Týr nodded.
Wrath’s attention shifted to Kira. “I meant to give this to you earlier, daughter…” Something shimmered in the Sin’s hand. He handed her a pewter jambiya. “This is yours. You can summon me with it anytime. Just say my name.”
As Kira studied the lethally sharp, double-edged, curved blade with a reddish-black stone embedded in the center of the etched hilt, those neon-green eyes came back to Týr. “Guardian, I entrust her to your care.”
Yeah, he got the caveat. No need. He’d let nothing harm her. Ever.
He’d lay down his life for her.
Chapter 24
As they reformed on the castle portico, Týr instinctively sensed that it was the early hours of the morning, despite the darkness.
“Whoa, this sucks. From heat to biting cold,” Kira grumbled, her breath a white fog as she exhaled, clutching the sheathed jambiya in her hand.
Smiling, Týr inhaled a deep, refreshing, icy lungful of air and reluctantly let her step from his arms. She made no move to hurry indoors. Instead, she looked up at the sky. He did, too. The stars appeared like glitter scattered across a navy background, the pale moonlight turning the snowy, winter wonderland into shades of silvery blue…so different from the heat and purple darkness of Wrath’s world.
Kira sighed and shivered, her shoulders sagging, exhaustion almost pulling her to her knees.
“C’mon, my deadly rainbow. Let’s get you to bed.” Týr swung her into his arms and willed the huge front door open. With no grumbles that she could walk on her own, she yawned and rested her head on his shoulder, her warm breath coasting his skin in a caress.
He stepped into the quiet foyer, the door shutting softly behind them. After the ruckus of Stygia, the silence resonated real loud. Hopefully, the females didn’t sense them. Kira needed to rest before she faced life again and handle her new reality.
She stirred as he headed up the stairs. “I should call Gran.”
“It’s early hours, let her sleep. I’ll send her a text that we’re back, and we’ll see her later in the day.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. And for coming after me especially to that realm.”
His lips brushed her brow. “You are my heart, elska. I would go to the ends of any world for you.”
“What does that word mean?”
“Love.”
Her eyes misted. And she hugged him tightly as he made his way toward the corridor to their quarters. “I’m glad Tomas agreed to go with Riley. At least I know he’ll be safe and out of the alleys.
“Hell, I’m grateful I don’t have him targeting me with a bullseye every night,” he countered.
“You? A big, bad warrior, afraid of a child?” She huffed out a tired laugh.
“What? You think I shouldn’t be? He warned that he’s all grown up. Hell, he could trip me while on patrol, injure me.”
“You’re hopeless.”
He smiled and kissed her.
“Uh, Týr—” Kira pulled her mouth free, wariness creeping into her expression. “I know you have to report to Michael about the children we rescued. And you can tell him everything else, too—about me. I have nothing to hide. But he may not want me coming here, considering who my father is.”
As if he’d let that happen. “The Sins aren’t demons, Kira. They’re a different entity altogether. Where Wrath resides doesn’t make you one of the dark species. Unlike Riley. His mother was demon, yours human.”
Her lips curved in relief. “Thank God. I wouldn’t want to be away from my friends and Hedori. Oh, your poor face.” She gently stroked his aching jaw.
“Don’t care.” Yeah, the bruises ached like a bitch, but he breathed. And those fuckers were dead, the arena flattened.
Týr willed the door to his quarters open, shutting it behind them, and made his way toward the bed. He kissed her again. At first, it was a need to know that they were finally back home and that he had his mate in his arms.
This new normal would be amazing. Even if his bond with Kira were one forged in the dark and bru
tal world of her sire’s, where he’d bared his soul to her. She’d seen him at his worst and stood by him still. She’d been his anchor in a cruel storm.
Then her tongue touched his, slipping into his mouth in a sensual caress, and his thoughts scattered like smoke. She could do that so easily.
The sheathed jambiya dropped to the floor. He let her slide down his body, every curvy inch pressed against him, and his mind started to spin. Words weren’t necessary. In her eyes, he saw the same need that burned in him.
With frantic movements, he pulled off her clothes and she his, their lips performing a lot of breaking off and resealing. As he straightened from kicking off his pants, her warm body hit his, taking him down to the bed. He wanted his hands, his mouth, his tongue all over her, but right now, it was his desperation to be inside her that won.
He slipped his hands between her thighs and stroked her cleft, flicking her clit. Her breath hitched and she shuddered. He flipped her to her back. Her thighs spread, and he settled between them and braced on his arms to press the head of his cock into her. With another firm push, he penetrated her tight opening.
A soft sigh escaped her. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and he slid deeper into her. A groan of pure, blissful torment tore out of him.
Týr pulled out and drove into her again, pounding harder and faster.
Kira arched up, moving with him. Her warmth seeped into him, her body opened to his as he moved inside her. She consumed his every thought—his heart and soul. She brought him back to life.
As he rocked into her, she moaned, her nails biting into his forearms. Balancing on one forearm, he stroked his thumb over her clit. Her inner muscles clamped harder around his sex, dragging his release down his spine. His balls tightened.
He tugged her tiny nub of pleasure, and she cried out, her back arching up as her orgasm hit, triggering his own release. An iridescent, white light shimmered through him. Heavens. He groaned. His head kicked back at the incredible pleasure sweeping through him, binding them together.
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