A tic worked Týr’s clenched jaw, fury still roiling in his gut. “Confine him. He’s going to that meeting tomorrow. With us.”
As Dagan hauled the demon to his feet and vanished with him, Týr scanned the cemetery and the numerous tombstones erected there. Yeah, the asshole’s execution amidst where the dead were buried was fitting. Who knew how many of these humans they’d killed. And some so young.
Toby Machen,five years old. Olivia Montgomery, twenty…Týr glanced at Nik hunkered quietly near the headstone, blocking the rest of the words. With his buzzed hair and ice-green eyes, the Greek appeared as cold as the power of cryokinesis he controlled. And the damn snake head tattooed on his neck stared right back at Týr. Each to his own weirdness, he supposed.
A faint, familiar scent wafted to him…candy and innocence edged with fear. Týr rapidly scanned the cemetery again, but all remained still. He pivoted to Nik. “The kid?”
“He took off. Fought like a little terror. Lit outta here the moment I took care of those two.” Nik pushed to his feet, his eyes as pale as the winter moon. “That was quite brutal.” He nodded to where the demon had been.
“They know the rules of this world and still violated them. There’s no such thing as an innocent demon. The fuckers are all tainted with evil.”
Nik slid his hands into his pants’ pockets, his gaze a chasm of nothing.
Týr narrowed his eyes. “You pity them?”
A shrug. “There’s good and bad in everyone.”
“You forget Tartarus.” Týr impaled Nik with a lethal stare. “You turn to the dark side—”
“Yeah, I’ll meet my maker early. Good to know.”
Týr inhaled harshly, pinching the bridge of his nose, rage like a living entity pumping in his veins.
Heads lowered, they headed toward the cathedral, their boots crunching through the thin layer of snow on the ground, the sounds an eerie echo in dead-still cemetery.
Dammit. If he told Kira he’d lost Tomas, she’d either skewer him or leave the safety of the castle and take off on her own to search for the boy. After tonight, Týr realized he couldn’t take her out with him tomorrow. With that malevolent fucker on his ass, hunting him, it was too damn risky.
“Nik?”
“Yeah?”
“I need a favor…”
The Greek snorted. “What?”
* * *
Back at the castle, Týr headed straight for his quarters. In his darkened room, he yanked off his jacket, hurled it aside, and fell flat on the mattress, his gaze bouncing around the gloomy, vaulted ceiling like a ping-pong ball.
The past shadowed him hard after the torture of the demon, the clamor inside his head escalating in a rush of fluttering black wings. Eons-old cries echoed.Kill him! Blood…we want blood!
Týr shot up from the bed and prowled the length of the enormous bedroom to the arched entryway of the living room. He shoved his fingers through his hair, struggling to shut off the yells. With his mind, he switched on the music. Heavy rock vibrated off the walls as he paced, but it did little to clear his mind. The fury within him roiled faster, as did his powers. Fuck! He had to get outta here!
He flashed to the dressing room, hauled on his workout clothes, and headed for the safest place for him right now, the basement of the castle. Arcane magic protected the massive training arena there and trapped their destructive powers that sometimes slipped free during an intensive fight.
Týr grabbed a sword off the shelf at the far side of the place, his fiery ability instantly extending to the inanimate object, turning it a searing orange. Heated power roiled beneath his skin, looking for escape—
“Fight me.”
Týr wheeled around. Nik strode to him, clad in sweats and a tee.
Hell, yeah. His thoughts turned into a miasma of white-hot anger. Who better than this demon sympathizer to work out his rage. Disregarding his irrational ruminations, he flew at Nik. Swords clashed with a furious clang.
“Whoa—what the hell, Norse?” Nik leaped back, eyes narrowing. “Are you outta your freakin’ mind?”
But the rushing inside Týr’s head grew, wiping out every lucid thought, hauling him into a past he could barely shut out. Flames exploded, searing his mind. Jeering laughter echoed in his skull. Snarls ricocheted. A firestorm took hold, consuming him. Yells started. Something cold slide over him, holding him down—
No!
