Page 5 of Demonic Affliction

I will protect Willow with my life. I will not let this demon touch her. I will not let him near her.

Beside me, Nyx goes rigid, a low growl building in his chest as he steps forward, putting himself between our mate and the stranger's molten stare. Nyx says nothing. He doesn't need to. His claws and teeth have already extended, gleaming with a silent promise of his own.

“You think you can protect her?” He tilts his head back, letting loose a cruel laugh. “How pathetic. It’s so pitifully sad, it’s funny.”

“You won’t be laughing so loudly when I rip out your windpipe,” Nyx snarls. “That, I promise you.”

“I’d love to see you try.” The demon smirks. “Come on. I’ll even let you get the first blow in.”

Don’t, Nyx, I warn through our bond. He’s goading you. I don’t trust this one at all.

You think I do? Nyx growls. I cannot just stand here and let him attack us, though. I have to do something.

Nyx steps forward, his muscles taut, ready to attack.

Before he can move another inch, a rush of wind sweeps through the tunnel entrance, and two more figures drop into the cave behind the red-eyed male. My stomach twists as I take them in, realizing they are the same two we saw circling in the sky earlier. The ones we thought we had evaded.

One is lean, with black hair falling loose around a pair of glowing golden eyes that sweep the room with an unhurried calm. The other is massive, nearly matching Dravik in sheer size and muscle tone, with thick purple hair tied out of his face and cascading in an elaborate braid down his back. His narrowed eyes glare, their dark hue matching his hair and promising violence.

Three against two.

The realization causes a fist of ice to wrap around my windpipe and squeeze. We cannot win this fight. Not with our numbers and with Willow to protect. My eyes scan the room, looking for an exit—but there’s nowhere left to retreat.

Cin. Dravik. I push the call down the bond as hard as I can, panic and desperation bleeding into my every word. We need you. Now. If you can feel this—if you can hear me at all—please. Hurry.

The purple one doesn't so much as glance at Willow. His gaze is locked on the red demon, eyes blazing with a question. "Where is Slaine?"

The red male tilts his head, unbothered by his friend's tone. "I haven't seen him. I found this lair that reeks of him, and I've been waiting for him to come back." His grin falls slightly. "So far, all I've caught is this human and her two lapdogs."

"If you're looking for Slaine, you're out of luck." Nyx’s voice is flat and hard. "He's dead."

"Liar!" The red one's lip curls back, revealing a flash of pointed teeth. "I've seen him flying near the Welwig forest."

Ice floods my veins. Cin. He’s talking about Cin.

Gray skin. Similar build. From a distance and in bad light, one could easily mistake the two. We’ve often thought Cin looked the most like Slaine out of the four of us. We just never imagined something like this could happen.

These demons aren't hunting Slaine. They're hunting my brother.

I open my mouth to say so, but the rising sounds of an argument swallow my voice.

“No! I’m tired of listening to you and your logic! We need to act!” The red one shoves the gold one back a step, and the latter returns the gesture with a deadly snarl.

Before the two can attack each other, the purple one wedges himself between them, his palms raised and pressing into their chests as he struggles to talk some sense into the red one.

Truly unhinged behavior. I hope we are not like this.

Nyx glances at me from the corner of his eye. No comment.

We stand there for a few moments, assessing the situation. Finally, I can’t take it anymore.

Nyx. I speak his name through our bond, gesturing with my eyes toward the tunnel's mouth. Should we?

He glances toward the exit, noting the clear path that has opened up in the chaos. Lips twitching, he looks back at me. Might as well try.

We move together, slow and silent, toward the exit with Willow’s small body tucked between us. We're a few feet out when one of them breaks off mid-argument.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"