“My children, I bring you a present.” Hanbi’s voice echoed all around, and Kraft raced toward Khent’s faint swearing as he called for Kraft to stop dicking around.
With a grin, Kraft shifted into his wolf and ran as if his life depended on it. And when the demons came after him in droves, he knew it did.
* * *
Kaia could feelthe pain coursing through Orion as he let that bastard Pazuzu rip into his very core. It felt as if he were tearing her in half as well, tied as she was to her mate. When he tried to sever their link, to keep her free from his burden of pain, she doubled down, gripping him with all the love she had inside her.
Their bond remained, and she gasped as she felt herself begin to die.
She’d been able to seal her wrists when Orion had come, but now she’d healed around creepy—unsanitary—bones that felt like they’d been dipped in acid.
“Now this is interesting,” came a low voice that would have scared her into a scream if the stranger hadn’t put a hand over her mouth.
She glanced at a tall, dark, and extremely handsome male with red eyes. A vampire, and by the look and feel of his immense power, she sensed he was Orion’s patriarch—Varujan. She had yet to meet him, having been so busy having sex and all.
Greatsex and all.She heard humor amidst the pain radiating from her mate.
Hold on, Orion. I’ll get you out.
Varujan watched her while he broke the bones holding her fast to the altar, as if breaking through dry sticks. Once freed, she tried to sit up but couldn’t, feeling extremely weak.
Varujan helped her, lifting her from the altar.
“You brought friends and haven’t introduced us? Rude.” Pazuzu didn’t seem bothered by her escape. If anything, he looked happy to see Varujan. “The patriarch. Very good. Once I drain your kin, you will make a worthy replacement. And I see you’ve met my new bride.”
Orion’s growl grew louder.
Pazuzu blinked down at him. “Hmm. Something hiding inside you, boy. Is that what gives you such brute strength?” He squinted. “Now isn’t that strange. I feel something of the moon inside you, and the oceans. Many of them.”
Varujan looked from Orion to Kaia.
“Take her away. Now,” Orion managed to get out and stiffened, still on his knees as Pazuzu continued to crush his heart and absorb more of his bloode. The thick red stuff swam from Orion’s chest and up over Pazuzu’s arm, past his shoulder and neck up into his mouth. A horrific vision of sacrifice made even worse by the blood he’d already stolen from Kaia, which she could sense the demon using to power him into killing her mate.
Varujan patted her shoulder. “I have to get back. Orion, remember what Mormo said.”
He vanished, and Kaia stumbled and sank to her knees. She felt so weak, yet a storm within her woke, and the wind around them whipped in a fury.
“That’s what I want,” Pazuzu said with a sigh, his gaze on her. “You’re Becoming, my beauty.”
“Not... yours... ” Orion hissed and put his hands on the arm attached to the hand buried in his chest. “My mate,” he roared and opened himself, was all Kaia could think.
She had no idea why, but she thought he was yelling at her from deep inside himself to grab hold of him. She crawled to him, ignoring the wind and rain, the throbbing agony where her wrists tore open once more, her blood streaming into Pazuzu alongside Orion’s.
“What a lovely pair you make.” The demon laughed, his face morphing into that of dog’s, his skin turning black as his body changed from human-like to a demon’s. “My hunger has awakened,” he said, a deeper voice echoing, a new form taking shape from the shadow behind him.
A monstrous beast rose from Pazuzu’s shadow, clutching two struggling vampires in hands as large as cars, its scaled arms as long as semis. Then a giant wolf ran up its back and sank its teeth into the beast’s neck, and it shuddered and howled.
But not in defeat. In laughter.
“My return has been foretold,” it shrieked with joy.
The fuck it has,she heard in her head.Kaia, hold on.
Lightning spiraled down from the heavens. And then she saw a bright light, felt a burst of heat from within, and knew nothing more.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Orion had never felt such suffering, not even when he’d been a fledgling and watched Spiro die a true death. Kaia was hurting, and something terrible was coming through to this plane.
