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The other demon held out a device toward Keir. It was projecting a face he could have gone the rest of his life without never seeing again. Dante.
The Duke of Hell’s skin was pockmarked and scabbed from Quinn and Britt’s combined plasma attack from weeks earlier. Keir hoped the rest of the demon’s body was the same.
Fuck! They’d all hoped Dante would have been incapacitated for much longer.
“Wow, you look like shit, Dante. Couldn’t find a cure for the beating you took, I see.” Keir kept his eyes on the demon holding his mate as he moved stealthily closer. He had very few options and the one he chose would certainly scare Rhia, but it couldn’t be helped.
“I’d like to thank the brethren once again for being so damn full of yourselves that you wouldn’t think twice about putting another one of your mates in my path. I’m only sorry this time I’m not there in person. But this time, you don’t have your brothers with you. So, I’d say I have the upper hand. Just you and your bundled up mate. Alas, she won’t be needing any of that winter wear here in my toasty warm abode.”
Keir wasn’t wasting time on exchanging words or negotiation. He pushed an instruction and warning into Rhia’s mind, then tapped into his connection with his wolf. The change happened with a sharp snap of bones, the expansion of his flesh and lightning quick growth of fur, teeth, and claws.
His wolf was free.
Seeing her follow his instructions, Rhia’s body went limp and the demon holding the device let her go. She dug something from her pocket instead of allowing her body to hit the ground as he’d instructed, then jerked her hand into the air. Liquid splashed on the demon still holding her. Its screams filled the air. Clutching its throat, the demon fell to its knees, then toppled silently onto the hard packed snow.
“Roll to the right.” Keir sent the command to Rhia and as soon as she was clear, his wolf jumped the remaining demon. He clamped his jaws down on its wrist, severing it in one bite. The device, now airborne, emitted Dante’s screams. This second defeat was sweeter than the first.
The Duke of Hell’s desperation rang in his wolf’s ears right before he dipped his head and tore into the jugular of the second demon. Spitting out the gore, his wolf scooped up a snout full of snow, rinsing out the offensive, bitter taste before trotting over to Rhia.
Keir allowed the wolf a short moment with their mate. She ran her hands down the animal’s back, then nuzzled his forehead, whispering words of thanks. The change back into human form came with one drawback. He was naked.
“Rhia, how? What did you throw on that demon? You told me you sucked at spells.” He gathered her in his arms. Shaking from fear, the cold he could tolerate.
“I never used the word sucked. We haven’t been together long, but you don’t think I would leave my apartment without protection, do you? It’s basic Witch Defense 101.”
“That would have been good to know sooner.” Keir glanced over at the rigid body of the very dead demon with its features contorted in agony. “That’s some major Harry Potter shit. What’s in it?”
She began tearing at her jacket. “Never mind that. You realize you're naked, right? Help me get this thing off.”
He stilled her movements, then searched the area for additional threats.
“Maybe you should shift back, and I can hang out with your wolf and so you don’t, uh, get frostbite.” Rhia had stopped, but now she was staring at him funny.
“Keep it on. I can only go through the portal in human form. We’ll have plenty of time in Scotland for you to get to know my wolf. And believe me, he can’t wait to show off for you.”
“Deal. But how come the cold is not affecting you?” His mate's eyes hungrily raked his body, resting on his erection.
“Just one of the benefits of having immortal parents.” He grinned. “Now stop looking at me that way, otherwise my need to have you will put your delicate skin in danger of, and that is something I will not allow.”
Rhia’s face bloomed with a lovely flush even as she boldly continued to look at him. “So, you’re just going to finish the hike like that?”
“I might not have been a boy scout, but that doesn’t mean I’m not always prepared. Let’s find my backpack. As a shifter, you wouldn’t think I’d ever leave home without a second set of clothes, would you?”
Keir ducked in time to avoid taking a snowball to the face. “Nice aim. Let’s go. We have a date with my annoying brother.”
EPILOGUE
The ceremony was perfect, even without Mac and Trace in attendance.
Gavin wrapped their right hands together with simple twine and began chanting in Gaelic. The words were simple and blessedly short.
He didn’t wait for congratulations from his brothers. He swooped Rhia into his arms, and with laughter following in their wake, they spent the rest of the day and into the next locked in his chamber.
After dinner the next day, Britt and Rhia had their heads in the ancient grimoire that had appeared soon after Britt and Quinn had mated. Rhia had been excited to share her knowledge of potions with her new sister-in-law and to add them to the spell book that Britt believed would assist them in the destruction of Dante and his legions.
Keir couldn’t stop staring at Rhia as they all gathered in the great room of the castle that had been male dominated for centuries. Quinn joined him in front of the fire and handed him a glass of their favorite spirit.
Quinn raised his in a toast and announced, “To our mates.”
