"Nana, get down!" I screamed.
She dropped without hesitation, and I sent a stream of teal fire over her head. The flames caught the Thessmark mid-stride. I made them wrap around its torso. But this one was faster and smarter. It rolled and used its power, extinguishing most of the flames before they could eat through its warding.
Aidon had the first Thessmark contained in his shadows, but I could see the strain on his face. These creatures were strong enough to challenge a Lord of the Underworld. He wouldn’t be able to fight more than that one. The shadows tightened, and I heard something crack. Unfortunately, the Thessmark didn't stop struggling.
Stella tried a different approach. Pulling a vial from her belt, she hurled it at the second Thessmark. The glass shattered, releasing a cloud of something that smelled like sulfur and burned sage. The creature shrieked again as its skin blistered where the potion touched.
"Take that asshole!" Stella yelled as she began backing up. "Shit! They're adapting to everything we throw at them!"
The third Thessmark—the one I'd burned—was recovering. The blackened flesh was already regenerating. New skin was growing over the damaged areas with nauseating speed.
"They heal too fast!" I called out, throwing more fire. I might as well have done it in slow-mo. The thing evaded my blast easily.
We fought for what felt like hours, but it was probably only minutes. Aidon's shadows and our witch fire were the only things truly hurting them. Every time we damaged one, it would fall back and regenerate while the others pressed the attack.
"We need to get through that door!" Aidon growled, his shadows straining to hold two of the creatures now. "We can't win this fight!"
He was right. We were in a hallway with limited room to maneuver, facing creatures that could heal almost as fast as we could hurt them. Our timer was ticking down.
"Stella, the door!" I ordered.
She didn't hesitate, turning her attention to the reinforced entrance while Nana, Aidon, and I tried to keep the Thessmark occupied. I threw everything I had at them. Fire, binding spells, and even a blast of pure magical force that should have knocked them flat.
The largest one caught my wrist mid-spell, catching me off guard. Its grip was like iron. Those black eyes stared into mine. I swear to my father-in-law that it was trying to drain my magic. It was pulling the power right out of my core.
My magic immediately flared and cast a protective barrier. At the same time, the protective stone at my hip flared hot. It began burning my thigh through my pocket. The combination made the Thessmark recoil with a hiss. I used the opening to blast it point-blank with fire, watching its face melt and reform over and over.
"Jean-Marc, we've got a problem," Stella said into her earbud. Her voice was tight with concentration as she worked on the door. "The magical lock is more complex than we thought. I need?—"
"I see it," Jean-Marc interrupted. "Give me a minute. I'm routing through their security protocol."
The Thessmark Aidon had trapped in shadows, finally tore free. His magical bonds shredded like paper, making my mate stagger. It came at him with claws extended. My instinct was to throw a little fire his way, but I would be killed if I did that. Mybreath caught in my throat when he barely dodged a strike that would have opened his throat.
"Faster, Jean-Marc!" I shouted, sending a wall of fire between Aidon and the creature. At the same time, I ducked a swipe from the one I was fighting.
"Okay," Jean-Marc finally said. "On three, Stella, press your palm to the reader and think about... cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Don't ask, just do it."
Stella's expression was incredulous even in the middle of a fight. "You're kidding."
"Dead serious. Their security protocol is keyed to specific thought patterns. Just trust me."
I left Stella to get inside and moved closer to Nana as she fired another round of her special buckshot into the Thessmark. It didn't do much damage, but it kept the creature from being able to rush her.
The lock suddenly disengaged with a series of mechanical clicks, and the reinforced door swung open. The stench hit us like a physical wall. “Shit. That’s death magic,” Aidon hissed.
Oh gods. Something was rotting beneath layers of antiseptic and preservation spells. "Go!" Aidon commanded, his shadows forming a barrier between the Thessmark and us. "I'll hold them!"
"Not without you!" I grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the open door.
We stumbled through together, Stella and Nana right in front of us. The moment we were all inside, Aidon's shadows slammed the door shut, and I threw every locking spell I knew at it.
The Thessmark hit the other side with enough force to make the reinforced metal buckle. The locks wouldn't hold long. Once they got through, we would be sitting ducks. This had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, not so much.
"Jean-Marc, how much time do we have?" Aidon asked, breathing hard.
"Twenty-eight minutes until the security system resets."
Beyond the threshold were stairs plunging into darkness. "Seriously," Nana griped. "Do they all get the same evil lair starter pack? Or is being underground some kind of prerequisite for bad-guy certification? I mean, would it kill them to rent a nice penthouse for once? Evil really needs to up its creative game."
