Roaring in anger, he kicked out, catching Moze in the upperthigh with a blow that would have broken a lesser male’s femur.Moze shouted inpain, and then Hawk was the one in agony as Leonas smashed his fist into hisback, right through his ribs.His fingers were like claws as they dug arounduntil they found one of his shadow wings.
No!
Through his panting breaths and the spastic pounding of hispulse in his ears he heard Aurora’s screams for his brothers to stop, but theydidn’t.Blood splashed to the floor as Leonas ripped the wing from its anchorand tossed it into the puddle at Hawk’s feet.Like the shadow it was, itdissipated, leaving no trace at all.
Emerico, he thought, trying to focus on somethingbesides the searing, tearing misery of Leonas’ hand plunging inside him againto fish around for the remaining wing.Emerico was the one who had betrayedhim.He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but it made sense, and honestly, Hawkyndidn’t blame him.Memitim were taught early in their training to put the rulesand their duties ahead of everything else, including family and personalrelationships.
For centuries Hawkyn had obeyed, being a good Memitim nomatter what.He’d always wanted to do the right thing so he could join theCouncil and enforce the Memitim agenda.
Now he just wanted to burn the place down.
As Leonas tore Hawkyn’s remaining wing away, a lightningstorm of pain wracked him, robbing him of his breath, his eyesight, and,mercifully, his consciousness.
ChapterFourteen
“Lilliana!”Maddox’s deep voice rang out from behindher as she sat on a quilt next to a pond that used to be black with bubblingtar.Now it was crystal clear and full of fish, and it was her favorite placeto come with a romance novel and an iced tea once or twice a week.“Lilliana!”
She liked Maddox, even if he was a cocky jerk sometimes, andwhile he was excitable, he wasn’t one to panic, so the alarm in his voiceraised the hair on the back of her neck.Putting down her book, she twistedaround to see him and Rico jogging toward her.Rico hung back a little, whichwas wise.It had been three months since he’d called her “Azagoth’s whore,” andshe was still a bit raw.
But then, his face, where she’d slapped him, probably wastoo.
“What is it?”
Maddox skidded to a halt.“It’s Azagoth.There was a MemitimCouncil member in his office with him.He just left and Azagoth is...nothappy.”
“Dammit,” she breathed.“Okay, thanks.Where is he?Still inhis office?”
“Library.”
Her gut twisted.He loved the library.It was his place ofcomfort and one of twoplaces—including thebedroom—where they had agreed there would be no anger.Sowhy would he go there if he was upset?Something was wrong.Very, very wrong.
“Thank you.”She came to her feet and flashed herself intothe hallway outside the library.
Fully materialized, she coughed at the smoke filling thehalls, streaming in tendrils from the scorched floors and walls.She didn’tneed to follow the blackened trail of Azagoth’s fury to know it led from hisoffice.He’d stormed from there to here, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to seewhat was on the other side of the door.
Just knock.If he doesn’t answer, hey, I tried.
She hated that she was willing to opt for avoidance ratherthan confrontation, but damn, his moods lately had been unlike anything she’dever seen.Always before, she could ease him down off any ledge, but now itseemed like she only made things worse.She didn’t know what to do, or who totalk to.Cat was a wonderful listener, but the fallen angel didn’t have a lotof experience with relationships, and she and Hades had never even had aserious fight.
No, Lilliana was very alone in this.
Inhaling deeply, she rapped softly on the door.
No response.
Whew.
Feeling both guilty and relieved, she turnedaway, butfroze when Azagoth’s voice rumbled through thethick door.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she called out.“I’ll come back later.”
He didn’t say anything.She should walk away, happy toescape, but dammit, his silence stung.Annoyed, she opened the door and steppedinside.
“Azagoth?”He was hovered over the miniature viewing stoneshe’d given him to keep an eye on his adult Memitim children who didn’t live inSheoul-gra.“Is everything okay?What’s going on?”
He made a sound, something she imagined an angry bull mightmake.“They aren’t going to give me my children.”His big body shuddered, andher heart broke for him.
