by G. K. DeRosa
A wave of warmth rippling over my face drew my thoughts to the angel standing over me. His hand splayed over my head and a brilliant golden light lit up his palm.
The throbbing in my nose waned and then completely disappeared a second later. “Wow, that’s amazing.” I breathed in deeply through my nostrils and felt nothing.
A big smile split his lips, and he helped me up. “And my job here is done.”
“Actually…” Maybe I should spit it out now while Hayden was here as a witness. I doubted Talon would murder me in front of an audience. Even if it was his BAFF—best angel friend forever. “There’s something I have to do and maybe both of you guys could help.”
Talon’s dark glare seared me from across the room. “What?”
“Well, you know how I went to meet with Logan a few days ago?”
They both nodded.
“He’s been doing some digging into Delacroix through his contacts in the Underworld and there’s a warlord, Thax, who’s willing to help me out in exchange for some intel on Delacroix’s dealings in here.”
Talon’s lips thinned and his head whipped back and forth. “Absolutely not. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You’ll be dead before he can help you. Sounds like a win-win for this warlord and a death sentence for you.” His massive arms closed over his chest. “And whoever’s with you.”
Talon was just watching out for his own ass; he didn’t care what happened to me. At least that made sense.
“Yeah, pumpkin, I’m with T on this one.” He reached out and slapped my shoulder. “We’ll handle Delacroix. Don’t get mixed up with those Underworlders. They’re nothing but bad news.”
“Thanks, Hayden. You do realize I’m one of them, right?”
He smirked. “My point exactly.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The two shrill buzzer blasts that signaled the beginning of happy hour had me leaping to my feet. It was time. I grabbed my dingy towel from the hook on the wall and headed to the now unlocked cell door.
“Where are you going?” Talon mumbled, his face buried in the pillow.
Damn. I could’ve sworn he was asleep.
“Shower,” I called out without stopping.
“Azara…” The bunkbed creaked as he hopped down and padded toward me, his bare feet slapping the cement.
“You don’t have to come with me. It’s just a shower.”
“Someone has a short memory,” Hayden deadpanned, glancing up from his girly magazine.
I shot the nosy angel a dark glare. “You guys said you took care of it, right? Dembrat never came to collect on the debt, so I should be in the clear.”
My roommates exchanged a look, and to my surprise, Talon nodded. “Fine. You have five minutes on your own. If you’re not back by then, I’m going in to get you.”
“Sounds fair.” Not. I spun on my heel and darted down the hall toward the communal showers. Pausing at the door, I glanced over my shoulder. Talon stood in the hallway, his laser gaze pinned in my direction.
Ugh. Suffocating dragon.
I pushed through the door to buy myself some time to come up with a plan. The chamber was quiet, no rushing water meant no other inmates. I needed to ditch my bodyguard ASAP. I had less than an hour to sneak over to Block Eight and gather some incriminating evidence to send back to the warlord, Thax, to secure my safety for my extended stay at Darkblood.
After waiting a minute, I returned to the door and opened it a crack. Talon still stood outside our cell but Dallas had joined him, and the pair were having a heated debate. This was my best shot. My pulse kicked up as I crept through the door and darted down the hall in the opposite direction. A few angels lingered in the hallway, and I wound my way past them, hoping they’d provide the cover I needed.
It must have worked because I reached the end of the corridor without an overbearing dragon on my tail. Drawing in a breath, I sped across the packed atrium as a rainbow of jumpsuits loitered around. Searing gazes raked over me as I passed, but I kept my head down and made a beeline toward the looming eight stamped across the arched doorway.
Swiping my cuff across the scanner, I hauled the door open and hurried in. Empty glass enclosures blurred by as I headed toward Delacroix’s wing. Anxiety clawed at my insides the closer I got. Was I making a huge mistake? Pledging myself to the demon and his gang to get close could end up being my downfall. But what other choice did I have? I refused to hide out forever.
A group of black shirts filled the narrow corridor and I slowed my pace, throwing my shoulders back. Show no fear. Two female demons broke away from the pack with their hands firmly entwined, they approached me. Succubi.
I wasn’t sure if my powers were getting stronger from training with Talon or I was just getting more acquainted with the inner workings of this place, but my supe radar was finally kicking in.
The women split up, surrounding me and the noxious fragrance of cheap perfume engulfed me. The blonde tugged on a lock of my hair as she circled, a predatory sneer curling her lip.
Her friend, who was about twice my size, pawed at a tear in my jumpsuit I hadn’t even noticed. “You like it rough, pretty?”
“I don’t like it at all from females.” I trained my expression into a mask of calm, but my insides churned like an angry hornets’ nest.
Some of the guys lingering behind the women let out a whoop and a holler.
“Anyway, if we’re done here, I have somewhere I need to be.” I tried to push past the girl, but she planted her feet and crossed her arms across her chest. She was like the female equivalent of Talon, with a broad back and boobs that looked more like hardened pectorals. Her blonde friend joined her, standing shoulder to shoulder.
“Slummin’ it today, Block One?” the blonde asked. “Word around the yard is that you’re bunking with the Triad.”
“True. An unfortunate mistake when I arrived, but I’m tired of hanging out with those douchey dudes and self-righteous angels. Now I understand where I really belong.”
She snorted while rolling her eyes. “What makes you think we want you?”
“We don’t take sloppy seconds, do we Takezia?” the muscley girl snarled.
“Why don’t you leave that up to Delacroix to decide?” I stood on tiptoes and jabbed my finger into her man chest. “I doubt he’d like you speaking for him.”
“He would not.” The hellus demon’s deep, raspy voice boomed down the corridor. The succubus closest to me jumped back a foot, and the rest of the demon squad tensed. Delacroix surged closer, his heavy footfalls inciting my heart beats into a rapid staccato. He stopped about a foot away from me, his black boots nearly scuffing mine. Tugging at the hair on his chin, he cocked his head at me. “So nice to see you again, little girl. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me, hiding behind the insufferable Triad.”
I shook my head and clenched my jaw to steel my nerves. “I told you I needed time to make an informed decision, and after the boneyard episode, you’d understand why I wasn’t exactly jumping up to take a knee.”
His onyx lips twisted into what I assumed was a smile, but the jagged line of his scar only made him more gruesome. “I respect a woman with balls.”
“Just call me Dick.”
An unexpected chuckle burst from his lips, sending his broad shoulders bouncing up and down. “I liked you from the start, Azara. I’m glad you’ve made the right decision.” He reached for me, coiling his arm around my waist and it was all I could do not to cringe. “Come, let’s have a talk.”
I followed him back to his cell as the rest of the Underworlders closed in around us. This was either going to be the stupidest or greatest idea I’d ever had. Getting into Delacroix’s inner circle should definitely give me access to the intel Thax needed, and not having the hellus demon gunning for me was a huge plus. Win-win, right?
Just like last time, once we reached Delacroix’s plush cell, his entourage dispersed. Only a few of the nastier looking ones remained by the door. I glanced over my shoulder to
assess the two guys loitering in the hall. I could take them if I had to make a quick getaway—or at least I hoped.
“Sit.”
I sank into the chair, hoping he didn’t notice my shaky knees. I had no idea what the initiation process was to get into his crew, but it couldn’t be anything good.
Delacroix sat across from me, his plastic chair covered in a crochet blanket. Who the heck was knitting stuff for this guy? I couldn’t imagine the hellus demon had a little old grandma sending him care packages from the Underworld. Focus, Azara. I tossed the random, nervous thoughts out of my head and met the dark eyes across the table. “So, now what?”
“Now you cut the bullshit and tell me why you’re really here.”
My eyes bugged out, but I somehow managed to control my jaw before it hit the floor. Taking a second to clear my throat, I laced my voice with as much innocence as I could muster. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shrugged and sat back, trying to keep my cool. “You clearly run this prison, and I need to be on the winning side if I want to survive my dime sentence.”
He raised a dark brow and didn’t speak for the longest moment of my life. Then he stood, walked over to the box of cigars and lit one up. Inhaling deeply, he puffed out a dark cloud of bittersweet smoke. “Fine, but if you want to run with my crew, you have to prove yourself worthy. A lot of the guys are skeptical about you. First, you end up in a cell with the Triad, then you deny me, then you hide out for days. It doesn’t look good.”
“I get that. What do you want me to do?”
He rubbed the pointy end of his horn, and an evil grin contorted his jagged features. Raising his hand, he crooked his index finger at one of the guys at the door. The storek demon lumbered in, his long ape-like arms swinging at his sides. His features were nearly human but with a caveman-like quality, short and stocky.
Delacroix ticked his head at the male. “Bracken, you’re up.”
A toothy grin split the demon’s lips, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth. “My pleasure, sir.”
Ice spilled through my veins as he inched toward me, some sort of black fabric stretched across his clawed hands. I stepped back, but this Bracken guy was fast. He threw the hood over my head, and everything went black.
I screamed, but his big hand clamped over my mouth at the same time his arm wrapped around my waist. He picked me up and held me tight against his body. Panic coiled around my insides. No. No. No. Not again.
A burst of energy sparked in my core, igniting every single nerve-ending like live wire. My muscles twitched, and raw power skimmed across my flesh. A pang of heat seared across my upper arm, and the brilliant light of my tattoo seeped through the dark fabric.
“Argh!” the demon screeched and loosened his hold. I dropped to the ground and ripped the cowl off my head. Angry red scorch marks covered Bracken’s hands and arms.
Delacroix looked down at me with a knowing expression across his scarred face. His gaze darted to the mark on my arm which had lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’re still keeping secrets from me, Azara.” He tsked and wagged his finger at me.
My head whipped back and forth. “I have no idea what that is. It’s never lit up like that until I landed here. It’s just some family mark.”
“And what family is that, exactly?” His bottomless black irises fixed on mine, sucking me into their murky depths.
My head spun for a moment before I chased away the encroaching fog. “Like I’d tell you now,” I spat. “What the hell did you order that demon to do to me?”
“Nothing that every member of my crew hasn’t endured.”
Goose bumps prickled my flesh as a chill crawled up my back. “I’m out of here.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Azara.” He eyed my glowing mark. “How do you, a low-level anima demon, have magic?”
I tried to barrel by him, but the stocky storek demon jumped in the way. Still nursing his burned hands and arms, he shot me a wicked glare.
“You’re not going anywhere until you answer my questions,” Delacroix barked.
That’s what you think, a-hole. I focused on the energy still lingering in my core and drew on its heady sensations. The fire spread until it bubbled to the surface, dancing along my skin. “Fuochem!” The foreign words burst from my mouth as a purple flash exploded from my splayed fingers.
Delacroix leapt out of the way as the fireball slammed into the storek demon and sent him flying across the room.
Holy surprise superpowers! I stared at my fingers in shock for only a second before darting toward the door. Whatever the heck just came out of my palm probably wouldn’t distract Delacroix for long.
I reached the glass door, and my heart plummeted. The second demon guard plodded toward me, his brow raised. Craptabulous. Where were the corrections officers when I needed them?
I shot forward, pumping my arms like mad and hoped this guy was slow. My only chance was to race past him before he realized what had happened.
No such luck.
His hairy arm lunged out as I tried to sneak around him. Clawed fingers sank into my side, forcing a scream from my clenched teeth. Fabric ripped and warm blood spilled down my side. I sank to the floor, clutching the wound.
An earth-shaking growl erupted down the hallway, and I forced my eyes up despite the searing pain in my torso. A pair of molten silver orbs locked on mine, piercing through my core. I blinked, and the partially shifted dragon was on top of the demon hovering over me.
I crab-walked backward until I hit the wall and let out a hiss. Son of a demon! Blood spurted from the five gashes across my torso, blinding pain surging through my lower half. This was not normal. Sure, I hadn’t been clawed too many times in my life, but it should not hurt this bad.
The pain was so sharp the growling beasts battling it out beside me took second chair to the gut-wrenching sensations unfurling through my body. Sweltering heat coursed through my veins, fire licking at every inch of me.
I gritted my teeth, my jaw clenched so tight I was certain I’d crack a few molars. Talon pummeled the demon on the ground, the smack of flesh against bone filling the hallway. Where was everyone anyway? Someone had to hear this.
Another blast of pain shot through my insides. “Talon!” I shrieked when darkness clouded my vision.
He sprang up, leaving the unmoving figure splayed across the floor. He knelt down in front of me, darkness and unbridled fury carved into his features. He unzipped my jumpsuit, pulling it down past my waist and hissed through clenched teeth. “Shit, Azara. You let the draconis demon’s claws touch you?”
“Let? I didn’t really have a say in the matter,” I choked out.
He scooped me up, beads of sweat and blood glistening on his forehead. “You know it’s poison, right?”
I shook my head. “That would explain the skull-numbing pain.”
“We have to get out of here.” His leathery wings snapped out, spreading nearly the entire width of the corridor. He cradled me against his chest, and my stomach dropped as he lurched forward.
The scene blurred around me, and I clutched onto the undershirt peeking through Talon’s jumpsuit. His wild mountain scent was the only thing keeping me conscious. “Hayden,” I muttered.
“He’s not here.” He spoke the words like a curse. “He and Logan…” He shook his head, his jaw clenching. “It doesn’t matter, I’ve got you.”
My lids drooped no matter how hard I tried to keep them open. My lungs burned, each breath I pulled in a struggle. It felt like a pygmy giant was sitting on my chest. My eyes closed, and my mind drifted as I began to lose the battle.
“No! Azara, wake up!” A harsh sting streaked across my cheek, snapping my eyes open. “You have to stay awake.”
My flitting consciousness receded once again despite my best efforts. The next thing I remembered, a sharp odor wafted up my nose. Muffled voices swam around my head, but they sounded far away.
“This should help with the pain.” A female voice spo
ke near my ear.
I strained to place the semi-familiar lilt, but the stabbing pain drowned everything else out. Something sharp pricked my arm, and my lids jolted open.
A heart-shaped face surrounded by shiny auburn hair hovered over me. “Come on back to us, Azara.” The woman sat back, and my eyes focused on her pristine white uniform which was an exact match to the walls of the small room. A familiar dark shadow blotted out the sterile white.
Talon stomped over, a raging storm streaking across those enigmatic silver irises. After raking over me, his scathing gaze flickered to the healer. “Any improvement?”
She placed her fingertips on the inside of my wrist and frowned. They felt like ice against my heated skin. “Slight, but not significant.”
He muttered another string of curses and jabbed his fingers through his hair.
“I told you it was a long shot.” She shrugged, and her lips screwed into a pout. “There’s not a single full-blooded angel in Block One?”
“Not a one. And by the time Hayden and Logan get back…” His words trailed off as his eyes met mine.
I tried to follow their conversation as best I could, but a heavy fog weighed me down. On the bright side, the pain had almost vanished—or was that bad?
Talon grabbed a chair from the opposite side of the room and dragged it beside the bed. The harsh screech reverberated across my mind, sharpening my dulled senses. He sank into the seat and stretched out his arm. “Just do it, Fiona.”
“Are you sure? You know what could happen—”
He cut her off with a growl. “I said do it.”
The healer moved fast, too fast for my tired eyes to follow. The glint of a blade caught my attention, but I was too dazed to be afraid. When she slid the dagger across Talon’s arm, the breath caught in my throat. I tried to scream, to say something, but my lips were numb or maybe my entire body was.
Fiona’s lips began to move quickly as she muttered words in an oddly familiar language. Thoughts of my grandpa, Garrix, flitted to the surface before vanishing in the murkiness. Her tempo increased and the smoky, charred scent of magic filled the air.