Nik’s fist crashed into his face.
“Aargh!” Bones crunched, and Rough staggered back, blood flowing from his broken nose. “I have demon friends in high places,” he snarled. “Send me to prison, and I’ll be freed in a flash, then I’ll hunt you and the slut down. I’ll hurt her so bad—”
Nik summoned an ice spear and plunged it into the fucker’s belly.
Rough groaned, swiping his gore-smeared face, his broken nose rapidly healing.
“I’m protected, you asshole. No one can touch me.” He glanced down at the spear. “Ice?” He broke off the handle. “What’s it gonna do, give me a bath as it melts?” He grinned. “Guardians of the world, really? I’ve seen demons with more potent abilities.”
Nik strolled closer, letting his deadly power sweep free, and the ice burrowed into the human scum. “I don’t need to physically touch a shit-bag to clean it out.”
Rough’s eyes widened. A gasp, then silence ensued as the ice consumed him.
Nik had to nail down the urge to lash out a flying kick and end the fucker.
“Guess that’s one less asshole after the females,” Aethan murmured from behind him. “But a whole other problem for the cops to deal with. Just as well we have Tagg.”
The half-demon cop usually helped out the Guardians with complications of humans involved in otherworldly problems. “He’ll deal with this. Let’s roll.”
His fury barely doused, Nik dematerialized, heading out of the tiny seam where the stone door jammed, and into the underground labyrinth.
One down and two more fuckers to go. Tolvi and Enzo.
Then his mate would finally have peace.
Chapter 25
Shadow droppedthe thriller she was reading on the nightstand and checked the time on her cell again. 5:09 A.M.
Nik should be back soon, and her heart clopped hard as she curled onto her side, staring out through the undraped windows. The cloud-obscured moonlight cast a pale light, breaking the gloom in the bedroom. The sound of the door opening and shutting reached her, and Nik walked in from the suite’s small entrance hall.
She shot up. “Nik?”
“Yeah.” He closed the bedroom door and crossed to their bed. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I…uh…” At the fatigue in his pale eyes and smears of dried blood marring his arms, worry took hold. He got hurt? “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Can it wait a few minutes? I need a shower.” He strode for the dressing room.
She shot off the bed and rushed after him.
He glanced back at her harried entrance as he removed his boots then pulled off his t-shirt, revealing miles of hard, inked muscled body marred with more dried blood. He scrunched his t-shirt into a ball, still watching her.
Her gaze dropped to his hand, and she found further evidence of his night’s work at the scabs forming on his knuckles. “What happened tonight?”
He tossed his shirt on the chest of drawers. “The usual.”
Her stomach sank. So, he didn’t want to talk about it to her? “I see…” She glanced at the door then back at him. She thought they were okay, but obviously, her hitting out at him earlier had caused a space between them. The words tore free. “I’m so sorry I lashed out at you. I miss you—”
“Theós, Shadow,” he groaned, dragging her into arms and crushing her to his chest. “I missed you, too. Missed us. But I understood you needed time.” His big palm moved up and down her back. “Don’t fret,moró, I can handle it. I’m strong enough for the both of us.”
She lifted her troubled gaze to his, realizing just how much she adored this amazing immortal who took on all her troubles. Any other guy would have sulked or gotten mad at her. “Still, it was wrong of me. It’s just that reliving everything so fast hit me hard.”
“I know. I’ll always be here for you.”
She traced the inked runes and skeletal face on his chest, feeling the scars of his torture beneath his tatts. “I just want my brother away from that man—” Her fingers clenched on his chest. “Is it wrong of me to want to kill him? He hurt her so much, Nik. Even without my memories, I had nightmares of being abused, of being belted, but they were all hers.”
“No…” He kissed her brow then let her go. “But he will pay, Shadow. I failed you once. I won’t do so again.” He undid the button on his leathers. “You asked me what happened tonight? I took care of the person responsible for Eddi’s death.”
