We emerged onto the main street and upon seeing a red phone booth, confirmed that we were indeed in London. After that Anton zipped through the side streets so fast that all the non-vampires struggled to keep up. We’d been sprinting for about five minutes straight when I begged him to stop for a moment so I could catch my breath.
And that’s when I saw it, illuminated by a pub’s single outdoor light.
A wisp of black smoke trailing around a corner.
Someone in the group gasped, and I whirled about to see Eva’s hand fly to her scar. My attention dropped to my ankle and through the cold, damp winter chill of the London night, I could feel a slight burning of my demon mark.
Demons were nearby.
“If you have a weapon get it out,” I hissed.
The others, particularly the fae and shifters, looked concerned.
“Here?” Sana squeaked. “In the middle of the city?”
“Yes, I—Ohshit!” I reared back as glimmering black smoke on the wind flew by my face.
A growl quickly followed, and I spun to see a race of demon I didn’t recognize prowling around the corner. He bared twenty sharp rows of teeth, and vicious claws snapped out of his hands.
Ayla, the closest to it, noticed the beast right after me and screeched.
“Spread out and surround it!” I yelled, but as it turned out, I didn’t really need to take the lead.
Luvon, Ayla’s sworn guard, was already in motion to protect the royal fae. His wings snapped out of the jacket he wore, and he soared toward the demon and ripped its head clean off. The second the head and body separated, the demon went up in smoke, leaving not a trace behind.
Bile climbed up my throat, and I twisted away, trying to stop the reaction. Behind me, I heard puke splatter on the ground and gagged.
“Thank you, Luvon,” Ayla said, and a few others echoed her gratitude.
I wiped my mouth, and decided that I needed to toughen up. Decapitation was extreme, but clearly, it got the job done.
Finally composed, I turned back to face the fae guardian. “Yes, thank you. Now does anyone know what the hell that thing was?”
Blank stares met my eyes, and my stomach sank. I’d been holding out hope that someone would be able to identify the race of the demon. That they couldn’t was ominous.
I couldn’t help but think that we might have just encountered a new breed of demon—perhaps offspring of the royals. But since I didn’t know for sure, I didn’t mention it. There was no need to scare anyone. I had a feeling that there would be enough fear and terror tonight without me adding to it.
“Let’s keep moving toward the river.” I nodded at Anton, who once again led the way.
Less than five minutes later, I caught a glimmer of water through the densely-packed buildings, and stopped the team. “We’re almost there. Be careful, and when we get to the waterway, look for a guy with black hair and glasses—that’s Alex.” My heart squeezed hard at the thought of finding him.
Everyone nodded, and we crept closer to the riverwalk. When we reached it, I inched my way to the edge of a building and peeked around the corner.
All the breath flew from my lungs.
We were in so much trouble.
Chapter Forty-Six
“Get your weapons out,” I whispered, taking in the wall of magicals that stood about one hundred yards away.
Even at that distance, I could sense a strong shifter vibe wafting off of the line. The effect was reinforced by their tough-guy stances, arms crossed and scowls on their faces. Not one of them spoke or glanced at the person next to them. It was as if they were on guard.
Or waiting for someone.
I turned to my group. “There’s twenty-plus magicals out there. Judging by the magical energy radiating from them, most are shifters. They’re guarding something on the riverwalk. If anyone wants to back out now, there’s no shame in leaving.”
“Is Alex there?” Hunter craned his neck as if he could see through the brick building.
