It sprang sideways, trying to slip around me. I swiped again, lunging for the creature’s arm. I crunched bone and gagged as vile rot hit my tongue.
What even was this thing? It tasted like a corpse.
The damn thing blasted me with hellfire in its effort to escape my teeth. The scent of scorched flesh momentarily distracted me from the nasty taste in my mouth.Fuck my life.Hellfire burns hurt.
Zane’s sword hacked through the hellhound’s neck until its ugly fucking head hit the tiled floor with a thump. More blood sprayed allover me and the incubus before he turned his attention to the horned demon and removed its head too.
I gagged all over again. Demon blood tasted even worse than demon flesh.
After spitting out a chunk of gristle, I shifted back, grimacing at the mess.
“We need to find Raven and the vamp and get the fuck out of here before more demons arrive. The mages can deal with them.”
“Yeah. I bet this shitshow is all over social media by now.” Zane wiped his sword on his pants. “The humans will be shitting themselves at the sight of demons running rampant.”
Unwilling to wait a second longer, I clambered over the two decapitated corpses and headed for the staircase with Zane in hot pursuit.
But when we reached the mezzanine floor, Raven and the storm mage had disappeared, and there was no sign of the vampire either.
3
Rasmus
Screams and yells echoed in my ears as I reached the mezzanine floor using my vampire strength and speed. While I hadn’t fully recovered from my extended blood fast, I was strong enough to hunt my mate down and kill the mage if he had failed to protect her.
Yes, killing him might be fatal for my sweet, darling mate, but if I turned her before she took her last breath, she’d survive.
Discarded drinks and upended chairs suggested a mass exodus at great speed the moment the demons appeared. Broken glass crunched under my shoes as I crossed the room, searching for the exit.
Candles flickered in wall sconces, creating deep shadows. A soft whimper from a booth to my left told me at least one person hadn’t run, but I ignored it.
From the enraged roars of the hellhound, the bear and the incubus wouldn’t be following me yet. But that was okay. I could track my mate using the ruby necklace I’d gifted her. The ancient magic should pinpoint her exact location.
I focused on it and then frowned in consternation. Even though I sensed her nearby, it was as if a magic spell had cloaked her. Perhaps the mage was trying to keep her hidden from rampaging demons. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.
I shot through a door behind a circular bar littered with half-empty glasses and broken bottles, into a dark corridor, and then down some stairs. The stench of sulfur and brimstone grew thicker when I reached another door. This one remained locked, but beneath the pungent aroma, the subtle scent of cherries and smoke lingered.
My mate had come this way.
I sniffed harder but smelled no blood. Not hers anyway.
A simple ward, probably designed to keep humans out, proved no barrier. The lock shattered with a hard shove and push of magic. It led into a second corridor lined with closed doors.
A familiar male voice ahead echoed through the gloom.The storm mage.Who was he talking to? My mate?
“I have her…yes…come now.”
Rage swept through me. Alaric Vane had betrayed her. Betrayedus. No wonder he hadn’t sealed the bond. The minute he did so, he could no longer hurt her. A soul-bond prevented both parties from acts of aggression.
It didn’t protect him from me, however.
He might be one of my witch’s consorts, but a consort who betrayed his soul-bonded mate did not deserve the privilege of bonding with a perfect female like my queen.
And now he’d lose that privilege because I was about to tear his head from his shoulders.
The storm mage’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me less than a foot away, fangs extended. I lunged, ready to kill the fucker, but hit a magic barrier that sent me flying backward.
He rubbed his chest and then laughed. “You can’t touch me, vampire.”
