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Elias was already at the fallen assassin’s side. She wasn’t moving anymore.
Tears welled up in my eyes.What had I done? Yes, she was a threat and I wanted her gone. But I’d never done something like this before. I lost control. Used magic in public without the protection of my guild.
“Are you alright?” Xander wrapped his arms around me.
I was shaking and I felt unworthy of his affection. Something in me had snapped and I’d become the monster humans thought we were. The monster I thought all demons were.
Elias stood, the assassin in his arms. “She’s badly hurt and she’ll need medical attention.”
I looked up, afraid I’d see a red, bloody skin and burn damage. Instead, she looked like she’d been rolling around near a campfire. Her clothes were singed and full of holes, but her skin was only covered in soot.
“She’s not burned,” I said, relief flooding me despite what she’d done.
“She had some kind of enchantment,” Elias said. He shifted his weight and turned the unconscious woman’s head. A low growl rose from him. It was angry and dangerous. The kind of sound a predator made to let you know they were coming for you.
“What is it?” The hair on my arms stood on edge.
“She’s got the mark of the queen,” Elias said. “Apparently, she wants me dead. I knew Cain was in on it, but now we know how far this goes.”
“Fuck,” I said.
“The only good news is that Skylar doesn’t seem to be the target,” Xander said.
“She has the stone,” Elias said as he walked toward us. “It’s always been about the stone. Even when I was taken down. I think she was behind your sister’s murder.”
“How fortified is her palace?” Xander asked with a growl.
“We can’t go after the queen right now. She wants the stone. The best way to get our revenge is to get rid of it before she can get her hands on it.”
“When this is over, she’s going to pay,” Xander said.
“She will,” Elias promised.
“What now?” I asked.
“We can’t take her with us,” Xander said, inclining his head toward the unconscious woman.
“Shelly,” I said.
“You sure? She’s tried to kill us,” Elias said. “Nobody would blame you if we left her here for the birds.”
“She’s human,” I said. “Which means we don’t know if she chose this life. She deserves a chance.”
“Alright.” Elias started walking.
Xander and I followed behind in silence. This assassin was likely going to be down for a while. So at least that was one less person after us for a little while. It didn’t stop the hunters or the vampires or the queen herself from chasing us down.
By the time we reached the hearse, I was feeling defeated. We were so certain we could destroy the stone and put an end to this. Now, I was starting to wonder what else I was missing. The stone was a piece of this, but would the threats stop if it was gone?
I climbed into the driver seat and waited a moment while my mates joined me in the vehicle. The assassin was in the back, crammed in next to Xander. It was odd that she was in the space usually reserved for coffins. If we left her in the park, she’d be dead. Shelly was her only hope.
“What next?” I asked. “We drop her at Shelly’s, but then what?”
“We need another demon,” Elias said. “We have to put an end to this.”
“Will it, though?” I asked. “You know the queen better than any of us. If she’s involved, how does that change things? This is so much harder now. We might not have time to hunt down your sister. If she’s even alive.”
“I guess we know who hired those hunters,” Xander said.
