I worked my hands in the shackles until they were slippery, but the metal wouldn’t give. I had to get myself out of here. I was nothing but bait in a trap.
“Come on, you fucking things.” I grit my teeth against the pain as I twisted my hands inside the metal bands, blood flowing fast. “Throw me a fucking bone here.”
I had to get these shackles off, or I was fucking dead. I couldn’t fight, I could hardly walk, but if one of those creatures burst through the door, I’d be godsdamned if I’d sit here like a…
A distant crash had me straining for the next sound. Shouting erupted outside, sharp and panicked, followed by the pounding of feet flying past my door.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.I yanked at my bonds, the chair tipping… tipping…
“Godsdamn it.” I hit the floor hard, the right side of my face taking the brunt of the force, pain radiating up through my already shattered cheekbone.Great. Just fucking great.
From my sideways position, all I could do was watch the door tremble as something—or someone—heavy slammed into the other side, knocking dust loose from the ceiling. Someone whimpered, the sound like an animal dying, and then…
The lock clicked, and there they were.
A mostly naked Dante stood in the doorway, blood splattered across his chest and face, an old blanket wrapped around his waist, a knife gripped in his hand. His bare chest rose and fell in steady, controlled breaths, and his eyes…
His eyes blazed with fire.
Luca—who wassupposedto be safely back on the island—calmly monitored the hall behind him, his gaze sweeping the room behind me, then the outside corridor, calmly assessing for threats.
The kid was splattered in almost as much blood as Dante.
“Having some trouble with your chair?” Dante muttered, tipping me upright so the world wasn’t sideways anymore. I wasn’t sure that was an improvement, given the way my head pounded. “You look like shit, brother.”
I huffed a weak laugh that had me hacking up blood. “You smell like dead fish.”
“We should get moving,” Luca said flatly, nudging a guard’s body with his shoe. “No telling how long a window we have to get out of here. I really don’t want to fight more of those things.”
Dante wrapped his hand around the chains, and the links bent, then fell away.
The moment my arms were free, circulation started, and pain exploded through my shoulders and wrists. I hissed through my teeth, fighting it down as I dragged my hands forward.
“We’ll get those shackles off later. If I try to melt them, I’ll just burn the shit out of you.” Dante crouched down in front of me, gripping my jaw, tilting my face up to inspect the damage.
“Can you even fucking see?” he asked.
“Looking at you, I kind of wish I couldn’t. Did you misplace your clothes?”
“Blame the demon; he seems to have an issue with modesty.”
“We really have to get going.” Luca’s voice didn’t change, but his expression tightened as he stared down the hall. “Fighting’s getting closer. Your brother shouldn’t dematerialize, not with internal injuries.”
“Good call.” A flicker of something—approval, if I wanted to be generous—crossed Dante’s face.
“Dare I ask what the two of you are doing together?” I hissed as Luca hauled me up. My legs nearly buckled, but I forced them to hold my weight long enough for him to slip his arm under my armpits.
“We’re a team,” Luca said, as if that made a fucking bit of sense.
“I’ll clear the way.” Dante cracked his neck. “You keephimupright and moving. Can you manage that?”
Luca nodded, and I wondered if I’d gotten it in the head harder than I thought. In what fucking world would Emberline allow her brother to fight out in the field?None.
“What’s our situation?” I rasped.
Dante handed me a blade without hesitation, and I wrapped my shaking hand around the hilt, trying not to drop the damn thing.
“Not so good. Worse if we waste time talking, but by all means, keep asking questions.”
