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Approaching headlights were enough to jolt me out of the haze that had descended upon me, but it wasn’t able to maintain my attention for long. I caught movement from the corner of my eye. My gaze swung toward the street.
Although the first patrol had arrived to start performing their required duties, Timothy didn’t seem to care about the consequences. He’d just witnessed a dozen of his neighbors being baked alive and that made me the ultimate threat. Not even his own wife deserved his undivided attention when his own ass was on the line. He bolted toward the street with the intention of making it across before the soldiers could file out of the jeep.
The demon manning the gun bolted to the roof of the jeep immediately shifted the weapon in his direction. “Halt, mortal, or I will shoot!” he roared.
The others piled out quickly, switching off the safety on their weapons before kneeling. Half of them were trained on Timothy while the rest were focused on the remaining survivors that had managed to avoid my flames.
I released a snarl that attracted the soldier’s attention in my direction. “Do not kill him. I want him alive.”
A brief nod on his part was all I needed for acknowledgement. He immediately shifted the weapon lower with the intention of taking out a less critical body part — but one that would still maim the bastard long enough for him to end up in my custody.
The beast within me yearned for his blood. I longed to see it spilling out onto the street, staining it for weeks to come. This was a man that had turned Quinn into her own mother, causing the nightmare that would haunt her for years. Any fool could see the poor girl was starving and simply look the other way. Which could only bring me to wonder what Anita had offered in return. My upper lip curled.
I’d be damned if I didn’t find out what the reward had been by the time he took that last breath.
Timothy skidded to a halt. It was no secret that humans couldn’t move with the same blinding speed that my kind could, leaving him to fall short of his goal. The second line of soldiers lurked just ahead of him, leaving him to stare down into six gun barrels. He flexed his fingers, shifting those dark eyes from them to the one soldier still stationed at the back of the jeep. His forehead was already layered with sweat as he fumbled with what fate he wanted.
Death lurked at the end with every single one of them, leaving him with the agonizing choice of how he wanted to die.
I flexed my jaw as his head shifted in my direction. Fear started leaking into his aura until it threatened to saturate the air around him. Normally, the smell would be enough to tame the rage within me long enough for me to enjoy a few minutes of amusement. Not tonight. Its presence was enough for me to snarl in his direction with my demonic fangs exposed. The call for his blood was beginning to become too strong to ignore.
The mortal seemed to sense it, the decision made for him. He was desperate for a quick death and he knew I wouldn’t be the one to give it to him.
The seventh soldier jerked his weapon slightly, using the noise to attract Timothy’s attention. “Kneel before I fire! We will not tolerate your disobedience.”
Timothy paled. “I will not be taken alive,” he rasped. “I refuse to accept a prolonged death!”
Because I had issued the order to the soldiers in our native tongue, the poor bastard didn’t realize they had no intention of letting him force their hand. As soon as Timothy charged for the street with a strangled noise, the soldier fired off a single round that tore through his lower leg. The angle was enough for the bullet to pass through his leg before tearing into his foot.
The double wound was enough to bring him down.
The six soldiers lined up on the ground pounced as soon as he face planted, their cue to move also setting off the others. Every single survivor was carrolled in seconds, their backs tucked against the very flames that still raged on.
A low snarl escaped from me as I watched one of the men secure Timothy by throwing on some plastic handcuffs. My eyes didn’t stray until more headlights fell upon me, the other patrols arriving with a transport vehicle. Every single part of my body was restless. None of these men were dragging their heels in any way, yet they couldn’t move fast enough for my satisfaction.
None of the soldiers were willing to approach me until the rest of the neighbors were piled into the transport van. Once Timothy was the only one left, the demon manning the gun on the jeep hopped down and came in my direction. He offered a quick bow of his head before he murmured, “What would you like to do with the final mortal, sire?”
“Patch him up and toss him into the back of my SUV.” I gritted my teeth, snarling out the order through clenched teeth. “I don’t want him bleeding out before I get him to his final destination.”
He dipped his head again. “Yes, sire.” Turning on his heel, he fired off the orders to his fellow soldiers and several lunged to heed the command.
Pained noises were squeezed from Timothy's lips as the soldiers stopped the blood loss pulsing from his leg wound. He didn’t have the strength within him to fight against their iron grip as they shifted gears and dragged him toward my waiting vehicle. The trunk popped open, allowing them to toss him inside.
The gunman ventured in my direction. “Is there anything else before we continue our patrol, sire?”
I jammed my hands into my pants pockets. “Let the fire spread until it reaches city limits and ensure the rest of the neighborhood remains in their homes. I don’t want a single one of them leaving.”
“As you wish.”
The restlessness within me only grew now that the humans had been dealt with and the soldiers had carried out their final immediate task from me. I flexed my jaw and reluctantly made my way back toward the SUV. It took everything I had not to yank the door open. I could sense Quinn still slumbering away within and I had no desire to wake her until it was necessary. I eased down onto the seat beside her.
The driver threw a quick peek in the rearview mirror. “Home, sire?”
“No.” I gently pulled the door shut before relaxing. “Take me to Nico’s. We have a guest for him to enjoy.” As the car pulled away from the sidewalk and started moving out of the neighborhood, I reached into my jacket to pull out my cell phone. I fired off a quick text to Nico.
The demon lord returned with a short text, no doubt anticipating I would be visiting tonight.
I returned the phone to my pocket and shifted my gaze down toward my slumbering pet. It was comforting to see nothing but a relaxed energy hovering over her skin. Taking her to her childhood home to destroy it with her own hands — as well as tweaking some painful memories with one that couldn’t be ignored — had been a long shot. Yet, it had worked and she appeared free of that torment.
