“Then you should never have stolen the first one!”
Stone-cold fury swamped Blaéz when he realized what this was, a stall tactic to keep the Guardians busy. The damn fucker!
The demonii broke free and took off in a lurching gait.
Blaéz summoned his mystical sword. As the weapon took form in his hand, he leaped with preternatural speed and swung the blade in a deadly arch, decapitating the demonii.
“I guess that takes care of them,” Dagan said from behind him.
Jaw clenched, he dismissed his weapon, and as the obsidian sword dissipated in a mist and settled back on his biceps, he turned to the vampire Guardian.
Dagan stood, hands on hips, his yellow eyes surveying the area. “Týr told us what happened.”
“You won’t find anything here,” Blaéz said, tone detached. “Since Finnén joined the law-keepers, his psychic vibe is muted.”
“Let me try anyway.”
As the warrior shimmered and vanished, Blaéz’s senses arrowed in on the trees at the far side of the property. In a voice so cold that the shrubs nearby froze, he said, “I want her here,now.”
The Morrigan should know he was going to kill Finnén.
A flutter of wings and a raucous caw, a lone crow took off into the night.
Blaéz hunkered down and touched the cold, dirt-encrusted asphalt, hoping for a flash of precognition, something to aid him…
Nothing. His hand fisted.
Týr took form in front of him. “Darci’s family’s gone home. Managed to calm them down. Hedori’s taken Kira. Anything I can do?”
“Can you track a law-keeper’s psychic energy?”
“Hell…” Týr rubbed the back of his nape in helplessness. “Considering they are the pantheons’ hatchet dickheads, and given what their jobs are, I’m sure the powers that be made them untraceable.”
“Indeed, so it’s easy to assassinate couples like my human mate and me. There’s no chance of retaliation.” Blaéz pushed to his feet. “But that’s not whyhejoined them.”
“Yeah, I’m aware.” Týr’s eyes narrowed. “Your kin probably sent the demoniis here to distract us so he could make off with Darci.”
Blaéz had already figured that out, and Finnén must have used glamour, disguising himself as Blaéz. It was the only way Darci would go with him…and why Aethan had been fooled into leaving the women withhim.
Dagan reappeared and shook his head. “I traced your mate’s energy since it’s a lot like yours, but it fades once out of the parking lot.”
As hard as Blaéz tried to keep his emotions bolted, despair and fear leaked through. He’d never felt this helpless before—no…he had once, when Darci was dying. Christ! Blaéz shoved away the crippling memories before they brought him to his knees.
Hang in there, a leannan,he telepathed her again, not caring that he hit a wall. I’ll find you.
His cell rang. He snatched the device from his pants’ pocket. His heart rate sped like a runaway freight train at the sight of his mate’s name. “Darci—”
Droll laughter. “You want to see her, then find me. I’m closer than you think, and farther than you wish. You have one hour, or I will fuck her and see what all the fuss is about, why you’d mate one from such aweakspecies…before I kill her. And it’s within my rights because she’s still mortal. If I sense any of yourfriendswith you”—he sneered the word like it was filth in the gutter—“I will end her sooner.”
The call dropped.
Metal crunched. Blaéz loosened his grip on his ruined cell. He slipped the damaged phone into his pocket and lifted his gaze to the night sky.
“He gave you an hour.”
Blaéz glanced at Dagan, his fingers finding and grasping the cross in his pocket like a lifeline. “I’m going to take to the air and see if I can pick up anything.”
The usual tug of the part of his soul he shared with Darci remained quiet now because of the distance. He had to be closer to sense her. Where the hell did he even start?
