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nbsp; His dark eyes narrowed, and his mouth thinned as he cautiously made his way forward. Noises slid out from the dark, whispers and howls of pain. He ignored them all, his focus concentrated on the room.
Azaiel was inside, as was his father. He could feel it. The fallen might be Julian’s priority, but it wasn’t his. Bill the elf could go screw himself. The driving need to see his father pay for his sins was what had gotten him through his darkest hours in hell.
He’d imagined so many ways. Christ, it was the only bright spot.
His chest burned, and he hissed, as his hand automatically passed over the scarred flesh. It had been killing him for hours, the clean precise lines a constant reminder of the emptiness inside him.
It told him that the end was near. He was cool with that.
He tapped into the well of power that was inside him, the one that had fed from the purest fountain of evil. Lilith. He let it expand and soak into his cells as he moved his hands in the air, weaving an intricate spell as the energy flowed through him.
He would break the protection ward and destroy his father. It was the only reason he’d come back. The only reason he’d danced with Lilith.
You came back for Ana. He pushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter anymore.
Darkness pulled at him hard, and he panted from the force of it. It was a delicate balance, the line between good and evil. He just needed to hold on a bit longer. There was no other option.
Minutes passed as he worked feverishly to break through the wards his father had constructed. The shades disappeared altogether; he felt their presence lessen as he worked and knew they were part of the intricate pattern his father had created.
“Declan.”
He stilled, his gut tightening as his frame tensed. He gave no indication he’d heard anything, though her voice, low and rough, like she’d inhaled a bottle of whiskey, touched a chord inside of him that stretched painfully.
She’d always had that effect on him. From the first moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d been done for.
Ana.
She was the one woman on the planet who could literally have him by the balls and didn’t give a damn either way.
She stepped into his line of sight, and the two of them stared at each other in silence. The world faded into gray swirling mist and white noise. Her long amber waves hung in tangles, dampness curling the ends wildly. Her dress had been ripped off well above the knee, leaving a vast expanse of bare leg, and her eyes shone like round pools of licorice.
He saw the edges of her fangs; they were distended, and he could tell by the way her chest rose and fell rapidly that the vampire was on edge.
She should be. The night was rancid with the scent of evil. He should know. He’d been inhaling a steady diet of it for months.
“Where are the others?” he asked, not pleased to see her. Ana owned the damaged, ripped pieces of his soul, yet she didn’t care. He didn’t have the time or energy to waste worrying about her.
He wanted to deal with Cormac on his own.
“I don’t know where Jaden got to . . . we became separated,” she hissed, and shook her head. “This place is not for the living. It’s haunted.”
Declan arched a brow. “Well, technically you’re already dead, so I suppose you feel right at home then.”
Her face froze, the eyes huge, as her features shifted, and the cold facade he’d come to know so well slid into place, nice and easy. The woman would never change, and he was through playing games.
He started forward as the flame of anger inside him erupted, begging to ignite into an inferno. Ana squared her shoulders and stood her ground, meeting him like the warrior that she was.
He stood within an inch of her, his nostrils flaring as her scent rose in the air, teasing him with its exotic signature. This woman represented everything that he’d ever wanted and a future that he’d never gain.
The fact that finally he didn’t give a damn was liberating.
“The fallen is in there, and so is Cormac. Wait for the others.”
Something inside him broke loose, bringing with it a sense of freedom he’d not felt in ages.
Declan strode past Ana, exhilarated at the thought that his destiny was so close at hand. “Wait for the team, are you crazy?”
