“Noware you done?” Star asked.
“Yes, Mr. Impatient Pants,” I said. “We'll leave in—”
Before I could finish, Star's eyes went black. Black as they'd been the day he became King of Hell. He grabbed the human around the throat and growled, “I'll be seeing you soon.”
The human went from solid to a statue of ash in seconds. He simply burned too quickly to catch the process. The only hint of what had happened was the crackles of fire that webbed through the ashes. Then Star let go, and the ashes burst apart, falling to the wood floor in a dark rain.
Everyone went silent, gaping at Star.
“Aren't you glad you have hardwood floors?” Killian asked the extinguishers.
Chapter Forty-Two
We had aerial shots of Dae-hyun's house. They showed a main house surrounded by greenery and a high brick wall enclosing the whole thing. The house was built in the traditional Korean style, with a sloped tile roof, and the gardens were done to match, boasting several of the Korean red pine trees that looked like overgrown bonsai. The streets were narrow and the one outside Dae-hyun's house was also on a slight incline. Despite it being a wealthy neighborhood, the neighbors were closer than I would have liked. It reminded me a little of Hawaii where the land was at such a premium that multi-million dollar homes often stood on less than an acre.
But most of this didn't matter to us. Because with the overhead images, we had a way to lalek and laruk directly into the compound. To assist with this, Star brought in the rest of his King's Guard, leaving only Sallales behind to watch over Hell. We could have managed without them, but I think he wanted extra Demon muscle on the mission. Maybe his near-death experience made him wary.
We were separating into groups, everyone suited up for war, when it occurred to me. “Why Sever and Star?”
“What's that, babe?” Killian asked.
“Why did he target Sever and Star?” I repeated. Then I blinked, a memory surfacing. “He knew about our bonds.” I looked at the men. “When you came to get me. He asked me how you had found us. And then he looked at you two and answered his own question. He knew about the bonds.”
“So if he wants you, he has to take us out first,” Star said, a twitch forming under his left eye.
“Yes, I believe so,” I said.
“That changes nothing,” Sever said. “We go in and kill him.”
Killian grinned. “Game over.”
Star scowled, then he looked over at his guards. He said something in a language I assumed was Demon. They responded in kind and unison.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Star looked at Sever.
Sever nodded crisply, evidently approving of what was said, then went to his team, tossing a, “Let's go,” over his shoulder.
I had my team form a circle and clasp hands. All the teams would be leaving at the same time. Not just so that we arrived en masse, but also so we didn't arrive in the same spot.
Team Leader Teagan counted down for us, “Three, two, one, go!”
And then we were shooting across South Korea in a wave of magic. We reformed on a hilly lawn, amid spiky, twisted trees.
Apitron cursed as he waded out of a little pond. Then steam rose from his feet. No, he wasn't so angry he literally steamed. He was using his Fire Magic to dry himself. Nice trick, but I didn't have the time to appreciate it. Not that we attacked instantly. Instead, those of us who could go invisible did while the rest went to stand against a wall and wait. For what?
Ainsley.
In a few seconds, a commotion drew men from all over the property to the backyard. Then a herd of humans came stumbling around the side of the house. They went for the front gate. Men called to them, but the calls quickly ended.
A few minutes later, Ainsley whispered, “All taken care of, Your Highness. There's a group of humans streaming through the streets, on their way to the closest police station. That should keep law enforcement busy for a while.”
“Well done,” I said. “But what about—”
Before I could finish, more soldiers came rushing out of the house, automatic rifles in their hands. They split up and started to search the property, but then Ainsley got them too. Before he could finish confusing all of them, I grabbed one and star-crossed him.
Whispering in his ear, I said, “Take us to Lee Dae-hyun.”
