Dagan? she mind-linked him, her voice faint, but he heard theplea.
“Shae, see me off?” Since he didn’t want to argue with her telepathically either, he ushered her out into the corridor and to the end of the passage slowly clearing of thecrowd.
“Dagan, he needsme.”
Dammit, he didn’t want to leave her here alone. But her pleading tugged at him. He pulled out his cell and shot off a text. Put his phone away. “I’m not happy about this—hell, I just want to cart you back to the castle, but I know how important this is to you. Hedori will be here in a moment or so—go wait with your demon friend. I’ll be back as soon as I can. If anything makes you uneasy, I don’t care how insignificant, you teleport out of here back to the castle and telepathme.”
“Okay, okay, be safe.” Her eyes searched his. “Is everything allright?”
He didn’t want her to worry about the shit happening out there. “The usual crap, but just a little more tonight.” He cupped her face and kissed her, hard. “Be safe for me, Shae-cat.”
“I will, and you be safe, too.” She bunched the fabric of his dress shirt as if to keep him there. Her smile wavered. “I loveyou.”
Dagan stood there like some damn stiff, unable to speak as a rush of emotions crowded his throat at those three simple words. “Now you tell me? When I’m about toleave.”
A smile curved her mouth. A teasing light brightening her beautiful eyes, she whispered, “I’ll tell you again later…in bed, when we’renaked.”
“Fuck, woman, don’t put those thoughts into my head when I’m leaving. Cause right now, all I can think about is dragging you off to the nearest dark corner—” Growling, because talking about it sure wasn’t helping his unruly body when he had to get back on the job, he gave her another hard kiss. “Go back to the office, I’ll see yousoon.”
In the grove of trees, he scanned for trouble. Like pinpoints of icy prickles, it broke over him, abrading his mind. Shit, it wasn’t just one spot but several places throughout thecity.
Hedorimaterialized.
“Good, you’re here. She’s in the office at the back, lastone.”
* * *
Dagan rematerialized in the Bowery.The cacophony of guttural sounds rebounded off the grimy building walls deep in the alley downtown. Damn scourges would turn up now and distract him when he had things to do. Summoning his mystical sword, he dove into thehorde.
With barely a ripple in the air, Týr appeared beside him, his sword blazing a deadly orange gleam, a smirk on hisface.
“Damn fuckers!” Dagan growled, pain searing his right arm from a sword slash. With Shae’s blood in him, he healedfast.
“Hey, fun times,” Týr grinned, ducking a blow that would have severed his head. A flash of his hand, and the demon screamed as a blazing fire consumed him inseconds.
Dagan kicked a sneering demon in the chest, sending him flying. With his mind, he grabbed the lot in front of him and held them immobile. Using their own weapons, he compelled them to slice their own carotids. The bodies crumbled and disappeared. Hell, it felt damn good to have his abilities asbackup.
Inhaling lungfuls of the decaying alley air, he scanned again. Sensing more of them deeper in the shadows, he flashed. In the dead-end, a shimmering portal hovered, and the scourges vanished through it. The gateway hissed shut. “Shit!”
Dagan searched the eerily quiet thoroughfare. Nothing. He dismissed his sword, but the itch bearing down his spine warned him that it wasn’t over. Since he was close to Club Nocte, he’d go get that friend of Shae’s to leave before he wound updead.
“Where’s Shae?” Týr asked, joininghim.
“Waiting to hear her uncle’s speech.” It was strange that he hadn’t laid eyes on Aza there. “I’m heading back as soon as this mess is dealt with. Got Hedori guarding her. And I have to get Shae’s friend to leave the citytonight.”
“Who?”
“A musician fromRockinHell.”
“Yeah. I heard them, they’regood.”
Dagan snorted, then explained about finding Ash tortured in the warehouse and Jenna’s premonition. Týr nodded as he got out a pack of M&M’s from his jacket pocket. He poured the candies onto his palm, and taking his time, he finally selected severalreds.
“Really? Are youfive?”
“Don’t mock my method, you uninformedvampire.”
“There’s insanity to yourmethod.”
