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“Rylan—” I don’t know what I’m going to say, because I never get a chance to finish that sentence.
There’s a burst of power in the room and all the shadows seem to surge forth to a center point. One moment, there’s the four of us. The next, Azazel stands in our midst. He slides his hands into his pockets and gives the room a long look. “Interesting.”
As one, the vampires explode into motion. Malachi grabs me and shoves me between him and the wall, his big body blocking out the rest of the room. I hear Rylan curse and a scuffle. Peering around Malachi’s arm finds Wolf pinning Rylan to the counter.
He gives the other vampire a shake. “Focus. He’s a demon. If you attack him, he’ll slice you to pieces.”
Azazel examines his fingertips. Are they sharper than they appeared at first glance? I can’t tell from this angle. The shadows move around him almost as if alive. For a moment I get the impression of a hulking beast with giant horns curving from its head. In the next breath, it’s gone, and there’s only the handsome dark-haired man who seems to carry an aura of danger on a level I’ve never experienced before meeting him. Even having been in the same room as he was yesterday isn’t enough to make me used to the sensation.
The demon shifts, and the three vampires tense in response. His slow grin says he did it on purpose. “What a charming little nest you’ve created, seraph. Have you considered my deal?”
“She’s not making any deal.”
Azazel cuts a look at Malachi. “I didn’t ask you.” He narrows dark eyes. “Fire-bringer. I’d like to see how you do in my realm, vampire. We demons can show you what true fire means.”
“Now, now, Azazel.” Wolf lets loose his high, mad laugh. “There’s no need to prove you’re the baddest motherfucker in this room. We’re all convinced.” Rylan opens his mouth, but Wolf slams his hand over it before the other vampire can speak. “Answer the nice demon, love.”
Right. Okay. I take in a slow breath. “I’ve decided not to make a deal with you.” There’s only the slightest tremor in my voice to indicate how stressful this situation is.
“Pity.” Azazel examines his fingertips again. This time, I’m certain they’re sharper than they were. They haven’t shifted the way Rylan’s—and now mine—do. The fingers are exactly the same. Just…sharper. “Ah well. Since we’re such good friends, Wolf, I suppose I should tell you that there’s a group of six vampires heading up the mountain in this direction. Good luck.” He disappears as suddenly as he arrived.
For one breathless moment, we’re all perfectly still.
As if on cue, there’s a niggling feeling at the very edge of my mind. I didn’t notice it with Azazel’s presence masking everything, but now there’s no denying the fact. It’s identical to what I felt last time. I swallow past my suddenly dry throat. “He’s right. They’re here.”
Then Malachi surges forward. “Wolf, with me. Rylan, protect Mina.”
“Of course.” He sweeps me off my feet before I can take a single step. The house passes in a rush, Rylan sprinting down a hall I haven’t had a chance to explore. He ducks into a room filled with monitors and slams the door shut.
I watch him pull down a heavy steel beam to drop into the crossbar over it. “That seems excessive.”
“If I were your father, I would send a team from the front and a second, smaller, team from the back.” Rylan drops into the chairs in front of the monitors and starts clicking buttons.
I concentrate, but I can only feel the irritation in one direction. “Is there a back to this place?”
“Of course.” He frowns at the monitors and keeps clicking, flicking through the pictures so fast it makes me dizzy. “Only a fool wouldn’t leave a back door to escape from.”
Of course. How silly of me not to realize that was the case. “Who is this person?”
Rylan’s fingers pause over the keyboard. “He was a…friend.”
“Was?”
“He died some time ago. His granddaughter owns this house now, and she’s responsible for most of the upgrades. For reasons I’m not prepared to get into, she was willing to offer it as a place to stay.”
I have more questions, but they’ll have to wait. Rylan’s stopped on two screens. One depicts the road we drove in on. A single vehicle works its way up. It almost looks like a tank, armored plating beefing up the sides and roof and small windows not offering much in the way of weak points. I’ve seen that vehicle before. My father owns three of them. He uses one every time he has to leave the compound.
Surely he didn’t come here himself?
“It’s not him.” Rylan shakes his head. “As I said, it’s a good decoy, but this is the true strike team.” He motions to the second monitor.
