“Order’s simple,” I whispered. “I’m first. Then Zeth. Conrad. Deslen last. Stay tight. Stay silent.”
Conrad shot Zeth a glare, and the demon’s grin stretched wide. I frowned at them until Zeth leaned in, murmuring against my cheek, “I get the best view.”
I resisted the urge to smack him.
“Listen up.” I tapped the metal rim. “Short drop, then a flat crawl. Go in headfirst. Press your hands and feet against the sides so you don’t slide down like a sack of rocks and give us away. Clear?”
All three nodded. Predators, primed and ready.
The metal groaned softly under my palms as I crawled through the vent, inching forward until the shaft leveled out beneath me. Behind me, the guys followed, controlled, careful, bodies pressing into the sides to keep from dropping too fast.
I slid forward, scanning for my first vantage point. The nearest vent slats opened into a dark office. Empty, still, untouched. I kept going.
The second vent showed a werewolf leaning against a wall below, his thumb lazily flicking across the screen of his phone. Every few seconds, he lifted his head, eyes sweeping the hall before dropping back to the glowing screen.
I kept moving, keeping my breath quiet and even.
The next vent revealed a pink-haired fairy pacing the teller area. She muttered to herself, soft, frantic syllables, wings twitching in restless agitation. Her nerves sparked through the air, and even from up here, I could feel the tension rolling off her. I took extra care not to let the vent creak.
Then, further down, I reached the last grate and froze.
A demon lounged outside a massive vault door, one leg crossed over the other. He tossed knives toward a wall, each blade sinking with casual yet precise flicks. A familiar shimmer rippled along the metal. Fae magic. Enchanted blades. One wrong move, and those things could make us bleed out.
Yeah. He’d be a problem.
The vent looped back around, and when I returned to the drop point, all three of my men were silently waiting, steady, eyes sharp.
I whispered my findings. “Fairy at the front, frantic but alert. Werewolf in the hall, phone scrolling, bored. Demon by the vault with fae blades and ready to use them.” My finger tapped the empty office vent. “Entry point. Quiet and clean.”
They nodded, and we moved as if a single mind guided four bodies. Not a scrape. Not a breath too loud. Down the vent into the darkness, we entered into enemy territory.
It only took a second to get to the right opening. Lifting up the vent grate, we silently dropped onto solid ground inside the empty office. Pride filled my chest as I saw how effortlessly they matched my movements.
Once we were in position, I pointed at Conrad then the hall where the werewolf was patrolling. I mimed sinking my teeth into a person's neck, trying to tell him what I wanted him to do. Conrad’s mouth twitched with a suppressed laugh, but he gave a thumbs-up. Target understood.
Next was Zeth. I wiggled my fingers in a slow swirling motion, then fluttered my hands behind me like wings. He looked confused for a second before a grin split across his lips as he winked at me. Jerk.
Finally, I turned to Deslen. I curved my fingers over my head like horns, then pointed to myself, telling him the demon was mine. His massive jaw dropped open in a silent protest, his head shaking so hard his ears flopped around. Too bad. I was the fucking boss.
I wasn't about to have any of them go up against someone with fae-magicked blades, so they didn't need to know that little detail.
I switched over to miming a giant vault door, using two fingers to show a person walking through it, then pointed at him. His job wasn’t the demon. His job was what laid behind that vault once I created the distraction.
He still shook his head in rigid refusal, so I flicked his nose.
His pale yellow cat eyes went huge, betrayal, outrage, and disbelief filtering through them as he took a startled step back. I just crossed my arms and waited.
Eventually, after he looked to the others for backup, and they gave him none, he dipped his head in surrender.Good boy.
Now that everyone knew their roles, it was time. I pointed to Conrad and mouthed ‘go.’
He silently slipped through the door with a feral smile.
We’d see how good these boys really were at following directions. One wrong move could get us into deep shit.
32
NOVA
