“Not that you could see,” Nico said playfully.
“Good grief,” Maddie muttered. “When did my life get so weird?”
“Just watch yourself around him,” Callon said sharply. “Regardless of where he claims his loyalties lie, he’s still a demon.”
Lola grinned fiercely. Her mate’s possessiveness could be annoying, but also weirdly hot. “Deal. We’ve got this, babe.”
“Maybe Maddie should stay with Lyra at the—” Roan began, but Maddie clicked the end button on the phone.
Lola’s mouth dropped open. “Did you just hang up on him?”
Maddie nodded enthusiastically. “I totally did.”
Lyra laughed, which made Lola laugh.
Taras shook his head and sighed. “I swear you young ones are going to be the death of me.”
“What?” Maddie shrugged. “He’s a bossy, overbearing ass.”
Lola, still laughing, said, “She’s not wrong.”
After they calmed down, Lola met Maddie’s determined gaze. “Let’s go find us a witch and save our girl.”
With the men’s reluctant blessing, the path ahead was clear. Okay, it was murky as hell. But it was more than they had before the demon had dropped in. They’d hear Raphael out about his lead to the bayou plantation. But Lola would be watching the incubus like a hawk. One false move and she’d ask Callon to turnRoan loose on him. The KOC shaman seemed like he could use a good fight. Maybe it would loosen him up a little. Lola shook her head.Nope, the only thing that was going to loosen him up was Maddie. Dude had it bad for her.
Chapter Four
I No Hero, I Just Otto.
“Hell will freeze over before I allow my plans to be stopped. I don’t care who I have to step on, or slither over, to accomplish what I’ve already set in motion.” ~Azure
The deposed king stalked the worn floors of the ramshackle plantation house, too agitated to remain still. The bayou’s humid air pressed in around him, ripe with the scent of algae and secrets. Azure glanced out the grimy window at the foreboding swamp, wondering if he’d made a mistake coming here.
Everything had fallen apart so quickly. One moment, he’d held the key to unlimited power in his grasp. The next, fire and blood had rained down on the Kingdom of Venom as that thrice-damned Dire Wolf tore through his mansion, seeking his mate.
Azure’s hand fisted, and his serpentine eyes narrowed. He should have killed the she-wolf when he had the chance. Though her magic was extraordinary, she wasn’t worththiscatastrophe.
A heavy scent of tobacco and rum announced his host’s arrival. Azure turned with a hiss as the voodoo priestess, Marissa, swept into the cramped parlor. Her voluminous skirts took up what little space remained.
“Such a gloomy face, Your Highness,” Marissa crooned, skeletal hands twining in the beads and charms bedecking her garments. “You should be pleased. The spell succeeded.”
He barely refrained from striking her. “Two out of a dozen ssssurvived your spell,” Azure spat. “The rest turned to ash like all the othersss!”
Marissa clicked her tongue. “Creating life where none exists before takes great sacrifice, Snake. But with time and the she-wolf’s blood, the magic will stabilize.”
Azure resumed pacing. He was so agitated that he was partially shifted, with his tail lashing haphazardly behind him. Marissa spoke as if victory was assured. But she hadn’t seen the unhinged fury in the Dire Wolf’s eyes as he tore through Azure’s kingdom, hunting for his mate. Gage would not stop until the Kingdom of Venom was razed and Azure’s head was parted from his shoulders.
And where was Zeena when the wolves attacked? His mate had vanished, leaving no word of her fate. Unease stirred in Azure’s chest. Surely, she hadn’t abandoned him. Not when they were so close to obtaining freedom.
A commotion outside caught his attention. Marissa turned, and her skirts rustled as she opened the weathered door. Azure went utterly still when two figures entered the parlor.
Some of Marissa’s men had grabbed the captive women who’d survived the fire, and now here they were. They were alive, albeit a little worse for wear.
The women’s wrists were bound. They stared at him with gaunt faces and wild eyes as Marissa’s burly guards led them inside. Despite how badly they looked, they most definitely lived, and that was all that mattered. It meant that the witch’s spell had succeeded in binding their life forces to that of the she-wolf. Elation rose in Azure, chasing away his doubts.
“What have you done to us?” One girl sobbed, her blonde hair tangled around a bruised face.
“I have offered you a gift. Before, you were mere humansss. Now, you will be revered and sought after by malessss who will practically worship the ground you walk on.” Azure looked them up and down. “You’re welcome.”
