They didn’t make it far. The first line of attack, men in human form gripping knives and other weapons made entirely of iron, shot forward, going straight toward them. A shriek of surprise rippled through the demons. Some tried to flee, others darted forward on the attack. Unlike last time, though, we were prepared. Within a few minutes, the bodies of imps lay on the ground. Some of the wolves nursed serious injuries, but none of them had died.
“We get them all?” Elias asked. When I nodded, he said, “Good. The less warning the wraith and Azaret get, the better it’s going to be for us.”
Something told me that they might already know we were here. At the very least, they had to know we wouldn’t give up the oasis without a fight. If they weren’t anticipating some sort of ambush, then they were dumber than I would have thought. I didn’t know what sort of alarm system they might have, but I would be shocked if we made it all the way to the spring without them realizing we were there.
We had barely dipped into the tunnel when the sounds of more demons filled the air, the high-pitched cackles all butshattering my eardrums. I snarled, hand wrapping tight around the knife as I waited for the next wave of the attack.
We didn’t have to wait long. A moment later, several demons spilled out of one of the side tunnels. It was too close a space for us to fight properly. That didn’t stop all of us from crouching, preparing to strike.
Liv held out her hand, shoving back several of the demons as if they’d been knocked over by a bowling ball. They flew back into the tunnel, landing on their backs. Within seconds, several shifters were on them. The imps’ startled shrieks died in seconds, cut off by furious snarls as the wolves made quick work of them. Then silence once again.
We kept moving. I stayed next to Liv the entire time. I could smell her anxiety and unease from here as it rippled off her, but she kept her head high as we continued down the tunnels. More imps and other lesser demons attacked two more times. Both times, Liv, Rachel, and Emma fended them off while the wolves made quick work of them.
I couldn’t help but be impressed with Liv. She was quick, and her magic was stronger than she had given herself credit for. More to the point, she kept her composure with each attack, even if I could sense some of her fear flickering along the mating bond. She wasn’t letting that unease stop her from doing her job. I should have trusted her from the beginning.
I tried to send something down the mating bond, trying to show her I was proud of her, that I was impressed by what she had done. I wanted her to know that I cared, that I saw how incredible she was. I wanted her to feel how I felt about her. I saw her stiffen in surprise next to me for the briefest of moments, her foot stumbling slightly. She glanced over at me, her brows knitted together in surprise and confusion, as if shewasn’t sure she had felt it. Her eyes widened when they met mine, her lips parting in surprise. It was so adorable and comical at the same time that I broke into a grin. It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing.
After another moment, Elias held up his hand. Everyone stopped. The vile stench of sulfur clogged my nostrils. Liv recoiled next to me, and others wrinkled their noses. If I hadn’t already known this path as well as I did, I would have known we were nearing our final destination by the stench alone. When Elias was certain everyone was ready, he motioned for us to move forward once more.
There was no pleasant trickling sound echoing around the chamber. The water level of the spring had fallen by several inches and no longer rippled from the pressure of the spring. It was still, its surface an almost perfect mirror reflecting the walls. Two figures stood in the cavern when we entered.
The last time I had seen the wraith, it had lost its arm to Rachel’s attack when she had turned it to glass with her fire magic. Now, the arm had returned, a swirling mass of sand. The wraith itself had the form of a man made of sand, though I knew from experience that he could turn incorporeal at any moment. Granules of sand swirled around him.
The wraith hunched over the spring, glowing eyes glittered with avarice and glee as it gave a wide smile that showed sharp teeth. It hadn’t noticed us yet, too absorbed in gloating over its soon-to-be short-lived victory.
Azaret lounged against the rocky wall of the cavern, examining his nails. He raised his eyes languidly to regard us, as if he had known we were coming. A faint smirk spread across his features as he surveyed us.
“It seems we have company,” he said, his head tilting as he regarded us. “A little earlier than you anticipated, it would seem.”
The wraith whipped around from the spring. It tilted its head as it regarded all of us, those glowing eyes narrowing.
“You assured me your imps would be able to take care of any intruders,” the wraith hissed. I had forgotten the gravelly sound of its voice, and it set my teeth on edge as it reverberated around the cavern.
“It appears they were more coordinated than I anticipated,” Azaret conceded. His eyes locked onto Liv, and his head tilted with interest. “And it appears they have another witch you neglected to inform me of. That does make it more difficult to plan properly.”
The wraith hissed, spinning to look at Emma and Rachel before turning its attention to Liv. It sneered.
“Another one?” it hissed. “No matter. It won’t make any difference. They haven’t been able to beat me yet. Another witch won’t change that.”
My mind thought quickly, a reckless but potentially brilliant idea bursting to life.
“He knew about her the entire time,” I said to Azaret. “He’s lying.”
The wraith hissed at me. “Liar.”
I ignored it, looking at Azaret. “Think about it. He wants the power of the spring for himself. Wouldn’t it be easier for him to deal with you if he didn’t tell you all he knew about her?”
“Don’t trust these wolves,” the wraith sneered. “They’re simply trying to cause dissent between us, to make us turn on one another.”
“You’re one to talk,” I said to the wraith. “You’re putting a lot of trust into a demon. Who do you think all those demons are loyal to? You? Of course not. Azaret was just biding his time until you controlled the spring. Then he was going to use his demons to get rid of you. Think about it—would a demon really share this sort of power with a lowly wraith?”
Azaret chuckled, the sound smooth and sensual and terrifying all at the same time.
“An admirable attempt, really,” he said. “I commend you for trying. However, you had to know it wouldn’t work. As of right now, we are united, and neither of us would jeopardize the spring by turning on the other.” He gave a smile that would have made flowers wilt. “At least not until we’ve gotten rid of your pack.”
The wraith made a sound that might have been a laugh, though it sounded like thousands of rocks grinding against one another.
“Your little ploy failed,” it jeered. “Now, let’s get rid of you wolves and your witches once and for all.”
