“Damn, should have wiped the drunk’s memories,” Aethan muttered, glancing out the open French doors. “There’s still time to find him before the sun rises.” He pushed to hisfeet.
“One last thing…” Michael straightened, his eerie blues skimming over them. “Someone needs to shadow Shae and guide her into this life and what it means if she does turn out to be psi. As it stands, chances of her going back to her old life don’t lookgood.”
Dagan slid his hands into his pants pockets. No one stirred. The mated warriors wouldn’t. That only left… He met Týr’s impenetrable darkgaze.
“I have to get back to the penthouse. Need to check out a few things before morning.” Dagan stepped outside. Yet he didn’t move. The thought of her with another ignited a raging fire within him. He rubbed his stubbled jaw.Shit.
Without turning, he said, “I found her, I’ll doit.”
He dematerialized to The Tower, taking form in the backstreet. Crouching on the asphalt, he studied the rugged surface where the fight had occurred earlier, allowing the vibes to slide over hispsyche.
Who the hell wantedShae?
At the prickles cascading over him, he eased into the shadows, letting them conceal him. A familiar stench drifted to him, one he’d marked for killing not twelve hoursearlier.
A hefty, dark-haired demon appeared in the alley, shoulders hunched, his gaze darting around the place. Then another, taller, blond male joined him. Dagan frowned. There was something vaguely familiar about thelatter.
“What the hell happened?” he snapped, grabbing the demon by the throat. “A simple job, and you fuck upagain?”
“She was with one of ‘em. The same one who took her lastnight.”
“Youmean—”
The demon nodded. “He killed the first two minions, andshekilled the rest. One minute, she was cowerin’ behind him, and the next, like a cyclone, she killed everyone. I sure wasn’t stickin’around.”
Dagan sauntered over. Both turned. The tall, thin male instantly vanished, and the stockier one’s form wavered. Before he flashed, Dagan grabbed him and slammed him against thewall.
The demon wailed. “What the hell,man?”
“Talk. Why do you want the girl? And who’s theFallen?”
“I-I ain’t speakin’,asshole.”
Obviously, a local demon. “We can do this the easy way, or the hardway.”
“Look, man, I was just mindin’ my own biz, and you come up and scare the shit outtame—”
Dagan smashed the demon’s face into the wall. Bones crunched, a screech of pain echoed. “You do realize I could kill you and none would care? This is the human world. Give me a name. Lie, and I’ll just take what I want from your mind. Trust me, if you want to live a normal life, then you don’t want me inside yourhead.”
He didn’t have Blaéz’s ability, but most of these fucks didn’t know which Guardians possessed said deadlypower.
“You’rebluffing.”
“You’re right.” With his mind, Dagan pinned him to the building wall. The demon’s weapon hidden beneath his coat floated into the air. His eyes widened as the tip of the blade pierced his throat. “But Icankill you without touching you, or…I’ll make you kill yourself. Either way, you’lldie.”
“No-no,” a whimper tore free. He grabbed the hilt and tugged, trying to pull it out of his neck. “I can’t tell you, he’ll k-killme.”
Dagan folded his arms over his chest and stared at the scourge who’d dared to shoot at Shae. At just the thought of her getting hurt, rage tore through him. He let the dagger plunge deeper. An agonized scream ricocheted in thebackstreet.
“Youtook a shot at her last night.” Cold, brutally cold. “Was it on hisorder?”
“No. Not kill. Only wanted to retrieve her. He says she belongs to him,” the demon tripped out in a guttural moan. “He goes by Aza,” he sniffed. “I think there’s something going on with theFallens.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. Now free me,” the demonwhimpered.
“Sure.” Dagan let the blade slide out of the demon’s neck, then whipped it around and sliced clean across, decapitating the fucker. There were no second chances withhim.
