Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Daphne’s lips part, her hands balling into fists at her sides. Shit, is she about to slug the demon king?
Annika grabs her friend’s hand, drawing her back.
“The next time I ask you for a favor,” Daphne hurtles at him. “Will only be if my life depends on it!”
“Sure, darling,” Xavier says, flicking his wrist. A path carves itself into the shadows, still hiding the entirety of the club from our group. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.” He spins around, disappearing into the darkness.
“Meet me at the location he gave us,” Saint says, wending before I can even respond.
I’m stunned for a few seconds. It’s clear Daphne has entirely more sway with Xavier than we knew about, especially if he’s allowing us to wend out of his club. I felt the wards when we entered, but he’s lifted them for Saint and myself.
Fuck. I sure as hell hope Daphne knows the fire she’s playing with.
“Let’s get you two home,” I say, and both of them step toward me, allowing me to wend them back to the residence.
Ten minutes later, me, Ajax, and Lachlan meet Saint at the address Xavier gave us—an abandoned house in a lackluster subdivision. The demon king had said it was his chemical district, and I can smell why. The space reeks of illegal substances. This house must’ve been used as a lab at one point.
“Smart choice,” Saint says as we find him lingering next to a dusty wooden table. “The chemical smell is almost enough to wipe away Samuel’s scent.”
“Almost,” I say. It’s faint, but I know he was here. Recently.
“He’s gone,” Saint says. “I already looked.” He eyes remnants of flowers on the table. “This looks like a new strain of Night Thistle.”
“Shit,” Ajax says.
Lachlan is walking around the place, inhaling deeply. “Kyle Moorhouse was here too,” he says, his tone an angry bite mentioning his mate’s brother.
“So they really are working together,” Ajax says.
I step toward the table, eying the leftover Night Thistle. “Saint?”
“I’m fine.”
He’s really not. I can tell. But I’m not about to push it. If we don’t find Samuel soon, I’m worried about what Saint will turn into.
“Get rid of it,” Saint says, nodding to the Night Thistle before he stomps out of the house.
Ajax and I share a look, and he dips his head, hurrying after him.
“I don’t like this,” Lachlan says. “The quiet. It feels like something bad is brewing.”
“I agree,” I say, snapping my fingers. The Night Thistle incinerates, a small flash of flame consuming all traces of the vicious substance. “But until we find them, there’s nothing we can do.”
And my gut sinks as the truth of those words catches up to me.
CHAPTER 14
Annika
While the nobles were enjoying the annual New Year’s Eve soiree in the Domum, the assassins and hunters and king and queen were having our own celebration in the residence’s ballroom.
The place was packed with food and champagne and music. The king and queen dance alongside Avi and Hawke, with Lachlan and Valor rounding out the dance floor.
Hunters and their mates were scattered about, drinking and chatting, some of them—mostly Talon—laughing.
It had been a debate after last week’s unsuccessful mission to find Samuel whether we should celebrate at all, but we all ultimately concluded that a small night of reprieve had been well earned. Not only was Olivia and her baby, Selene, healthy, but I’d only gotten better at controlling my powers, Daphne had crushed her finals, and our queen was pregnant. There’s more to celebrate than not, and that was a good thing.
Dagon looks annoyingly handsome where he chats with Talon and Cassandra and Ajax and Grace across the ballroom, a drink in one hand, the other casually in his suit pocket. It wasn’t often the hunters wore suits, but they all coordinated tonight. Even Saint, which is a shock. Though, he doesn’t seem too invested in the festivities, content to sit in a high wingback chair near the hearth, nursing a whiskey while he tracks Aurora’s every move.
She looks happier and healthier than I’ve seen her before. The island escape had truly done wonders for her morale. She’d even danced with Ajax and Benedict when they’d asked.
Dagon hadn’t asked me to dance, not that I was waiting for an invitation or anything. He hasn’t touched me since the night Olivia gave birth. I thought our venture into the demon club would’ve prompted a little something from him, especially with the outfit I’d chosen, but…nothing.
I wore this male’s mark on my back and nothing.
Not that either of us had acknowledged it further than that first initial shock. We were both being cowardly. I knew more about mating bonds than most, thanks to all my initial pestering questions to Olivia when she first brought me here. A mating bond could be rejected. It was rare, but possible.