Dante pulled on the deep well of magic inside him, his fire roaring to life. Onyx and Ash flared with heat beside him. “One, two, three.”
Magic surged from the trio, rolling out in all directions.
Over the cliff edge, something sparked and flickered.
“There!” Dante pointed and flew straight for it.
An unseen body collided with his and Dante scrambled for purchase, grabbing until he caught what felt like a neck.
Releasing a second revealing spell, Dante crushed the being into the rocks below. A face appeared and disappeared. Another second later, the illusion shattered.
Dante held a slim demon by the throat, his eyes burning green. Vague recognition tickled at the back of Dante’s mind, but he couldn’t recall this demon’s name.
Fire erupted from the demon, and Dante swore as it kissed his skin. His grip loosened and the demon struggled to get up, but his wings were pinned beneath him.
Dante readjusted his hold and squeezed the demon’s neck, ignoring the pain caused by the demon’s fire. He summoned his own, letting it burn along his skin in a protective shield.
The demon beneath Dante clawed at him with long nails and released a bolt of lightning.
Dante’s fire tempered the lightning strike. He jolted, freezing up, but his heart didn’t stop. He dropped his invisibility illusion to save energy. “Who are you?”
The demon growled, shocking Dante again. “Fuck you.”
Dante’s teeth clenched. The lightning cut through his shield that time, leaving him momentarily exposed. He squeezed the demon tighter. “You’re caught, so you might as well talk. Who are you?”
“Take your hands off him, or I’ll stun you, and he’ll rip your heart out,” a voice called.
Dante whipped his head to the side, finding a white-winged demon hovering nearby. She bared long fangs, lightning crackling at her fingertips.
Two attackers. Was that how they got around his deflections? By combining their power?
Before the newcomer could make a move, blue lightning struck her chest. Eyes popping, she froze and dropped from the sky like a rock.
Ash caught her and Onyx was there in an instant to help.
Dante shot the other rogue with lightning and he went rigid. “Let’s bring them into the trees.”
Ash and Onyx flew off without a word, still invisible to their attackers.
Dante adjusted his grip on his captive. “Come on.”
The demon went limp like the fight had left him. Dante dumped him next to his companion. Neither made a move, seemingly cowed by the invisible threat of Ash and Onyx.
Interesting. They’d given up more easily than Dante had expected.
“You killed my birds.” Dante stood before them and spread his wings imposingly, his eyes glowing with ragingfire.
The two shared a glance. “How many are with you?” the green-eyed man asked.
“It can’t be more than one,” the woman said. “Hitting and then catching me isn’t that hard. We can still take them.”
The man didn’t seem to share her confidence, his eyes darting frantically around. “What if it’s Lucifer?” he whispered.
Lucifer? Dante almost laughed. These demons thoughthewas on Luc’s side?
“What are your aims?” he demanded. “You killed my birds, then attacked the sanctuary. Why?”
“To flush you out,” the man said.
