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Just then the door opened and in walked someone Zayde had never met. Zayde jumped up, ready to defend Denali.
“Chill, little one,” the redhead said. “I’m not here to hurt your mate.”
“That’s Phoenix,” Denali said before he closed his eyes. “You’re safe with him.”
Zayde waited for Denali to say more, but it was clear he’d passed out. That only showed Zayde that his mate had fought against the excruciating pain to talk to him, to try and comfort him.
“Fix him!” Zayde pointed at his mate but was yelling at Phoenix. “I’m surrounded by people with powers, yet no one can heal his wounds.”
“It’s not that simple,” Phoenix said. “He was wounded by something ancient. Something sinister, made of pure evil. Panahasi has gone to see if he can find a cure. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you have to sit tight until he returns.”
Zayde’s brow furrowed with worry, and his knuckles were white as he tightly clutched the armrest of the couch. The burn of helplessness surged through him as he watched his mate in agony, unable to do anything but wait. All Zayde wanted was for his mate to be whole and healthy, standing on his feet and fighting once more.
Even more, Zayde wanted the ability to take all the pain away from Denali.
Yet he was powerless to do anything but watch his mate sleep.
* * * *
A few hours passed, and Zayde was asleep on the other couch, waiting for Panahasi to return, when the building shook. He jackknifed, unsure what was going on. Was it an earthquake? Were they even on earth anymore? Zayde didn’t know since he hadn’t asked and hadn’t looked out a window.
The front door flew open, and Phoenix returned for the second time.
“What’s happening?” Zayde asked.
“There are about two dozen demons trying to get inside the building,” Phoenix said. “They can’t. There’s no entrance, only an exit.”
That didn’t make any sense, but Zayde ignored that bizarre statement. “It sure feels as if they’re getting inside.”
Phoenix walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “They’re trying, using their powers, but they won’t make it inside. This building is infused with too much magic.”
Zayde looked at Denali, who was still sleeping. He got up and joined Phoenix at the windows. Zayde saw a small crowd gathered down below. He watched as one guy held out his arms, his hands filling with what looked like red lightning. Then he threw the lightning at the building, and the place shook again.
Another tripled in size and then ran, slamming his body into the bricks. Once again, the building shook.
“We won’t have to worry about them getting inside,” Zayde said. “They’re going to bring this place down.”
“Hasn’t happened yet,” Phoenix said, though Zayde didn’t feel as confident as the man sounded.
When Zayde looked over his shoulder and saw Denali trying to get up, he rushed to his mate.
“What’re you doing?” Zayde asked as he tried to force Denali to lie back down.
“We’re under attack,” Denali gritted between his teeth.
Zayde’s heart clenched as he watched his mate struggle to stand up. “Please, Denali, don’t push yourself.”
“I have to,” Denali said with determination in his voice. “It’s my job to protect people. And you… You’re the most important person to me.”
Despite the pain he was in, Denali was stubborn and brave. Zayde couldn’t help but admire him.
“I’ll help you,” Zayde said, knowing he couldn’t stand by and let Denali fight alone. He also wasn’t sure if he could take Denali’s weight, but he would try.
Together, they made their way to the windows where Phoenix still stood. They saw the demons down below, their eyes red with fury, their claws long and sharp. They looked like they were ready to tear down the building brick by brick to get to them.
“What do we do?” Zayde asked, his heart racing.
An alarm sounded. Phoenix looked shocked. “We’ve never had a breach before.” Then he turned to them. “At least, not in a very long time.”
