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As the guards took the woman down, Xavier grabbed Wynter’s shoulder and said, “Let’s get behind the counter.”
She nodded and slipped behind it, her coven fanning out around her. They could seek refuge inside one of the buildings, but Wynter didn’t want to make herself too difficult a target for fear that Saul would give up and flee.
Thank Christ he’d be unable to seize the minds of her coven—the protective spell Delilah placed on their consciousness to guard them while they slept would also work while they were awake.
The guards were shooing people away, trying to form a barrier between Wynter and the crowd. Two people tried to pass through the line, their gazes intent on her, but were quickly neutralized. A third person all but flew at the stall, struggling to bypass the guards.
“So this is how we die,” said Anabel.
Wynter might have crossed her eyes if she didn’t need to keep them focused on the mayhem that was ensuing. “No, it isn’t. Saul will be taken down soon. We just have to keep his attention on us until then.”
One of her guards whipped out a blade, went utterly still . . . and then turned to face her, his expression vacant.
She stilled. “Oh, fuck.”
He hurled the knife through the air.
She ducked, hearing it hit the wall behind her and then drop to the floor with a clatter. Peeking over the counter, she noticed the other guards restraining him.
Wynter glanced beyond the plaza, scanning their surroundings. “Does anyone see Saul?”
“I don’t,” replied Delilah. “But don’t worry, the Ancients will be hunting him as we speak.”
The struggling guard suddenly dropped to the floor like a sack of spuds. Which was about the same time that a member of the crowd lunged toward the stall, shifting to a wolf in mid-air.
“Goddammit!” Wynter let out a blast of magick that sent him zooming backwards. “The Ancients better find Saul fast.”
*
It didn’t take Cain long to track the Aeon. Not when it was obvious that the bastard would be somewhere directly facing Wynter—Saul would need a perfect view of her in order to seize the minds of random people near her and then sic them on her like dogs. Fucker. He’d pay for that, just as he’d pay for all his other crimes.
Using the cover of the trees, Cain and the other Ancients fanned out behind him. They remained quiet, careful not to give away their position and tip Saul off that he was no longer alone. They would need to strike fast and simultaneously to take him down.
Cain’s creature hissed at the sight of Saul, wanting to strike and bite and obliterate this male who’d killed Wynter. More, it wanted to play with him a while. Torture him. Savage him. Tear him to shreds.
Not here, Cain told it. They could indulge in such play once they had the Aeon contained.
Just then, Saul chuckled at whatever he was seeing. “Yeah, bitch, fucking die.”
Fury bubbled through Cain’s bloodstream. He gave a nod to Ishtar.
She raised her arms palms out, her fingers splayed, and emitted pulses of power that locked on Saul’s shadow. She sharply pulled, yanking the shadow backwards. Saul fell with it, a startled grunt gusting out of him.
The Aeon wasted no time in calling on the wind, but Cain sent out a blast of power that collided with it and twisted the elemental power . . . which swiftly became a swarm of locusts that descended on Saul.
Rolling onto his back, he squirmed and cursed and slapped at the insects, not noticing until it was too late that Dantalion, Azazel, Lilith, and Seth were advancing on him. They each grabbed a limb and pinned him to the floor, preventing him from going anywhere.
He writhed and growled, straining to be free, but his efforts were fruitless.
Cain stalked toward the Aeon. “I wasn’t so sure if the little trap we set would work, but you clumsily tumbled right into it. Lailah would be so disappointed in you right now.”
Saul glared up at him, his face contorted into a mask of manic rage. “Don’t you speak her name.”
Azazel twisted his mouth. “We could refer to her as ‘that heinous bitch’ if you prefer.”
“‘Traitorous whore’ works, too,” sniped Ishtar.
Saul spat at her. A stupid move, since gravity only caused the glob to land on him. Not that he seemed to care. “Bitch.”
