“Treasure, you need to breathe,” Malachi murmured, patting his chest. Luke nodded and leaned against him.
Ashmedai watched them, wondering what it would be like to share that kind of easy familiarity with his own human. To touch and be touched. He was familiar with desperate, grasping fingers hooking into his cloak down in the Pit, but soft, intimate touches were a novelty. Even his human had gripped his cloak in desperation. What would his soft hands feel like on Ashmedai’s bare hide? He wanted to see him again, but it was still too early. That other dark-haired man would probably still be there, and his human had made it clear no one could know about their connection.
Shadrach and Isaac appeared by the snack bar. “We’re here. Anything yet?”
“No, not yet,” Talon said. “We’re about to call Zach’s number.”
“Calling now,” Nathan said. “It’s on speaker, but I should probably do the talking.” He shot Talon a pointed look, and the leviathan pursed his lips before relenting with a bob of his head.
Julian and Valac appeared in the empty training area just as the phone began to ring, silently joining the others around the table. The behemoth offered Ashmedai a quick nod of greeting before focusing on the phone in Nathan’s hand.
It rang. And rang. And just when the hope was fading from the group, it clicked. Ashmedai tilted his head, and everyone took a collective breath, waiting.
“Zach?” Nathan asked. “Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you, but this is not the boy,” an unfamiliar voicesaid. Deep and masculine, it sounded older than the young teenager Ashmedai had seen hanging around the Rink.
The reaction in the group was immediate. Tension shifted through the air. Nathan’s jaw clenched, and Luke covered his face with his hands. Malachi’s hands clenched into fists, and Talon hissed, quiet and dangerous. Nathan shot him a warning look.
“Commander Sloan,” Nathan greeted, and Ashmedai understood.
They were right. The guild took their young recruits.
“What have you done? Why do you have Zachary’s phone?” Nathan asked, taking deep breaths as though to keep himself calm.
“He and his spunky little sister are in a safe, secure location until you and the rest of those traitors stop the demon that has been killing my men.”
The group turned toward Ashmedai. Looking right at him, Nathan said, “What demon?”
Ashmedai chuffed in amusement.
“Don’t play coy with me, Accardi. I know you all have something to do with the demon that’s attacking my paladins.”
“How’s that?”
“I’m supposed to believe it was a coincidence the first mummified bodies were Wallace and his squad, left outside our front gate?”
“It sounds like they might’ve been doing something they shouldn’t have been. I don’t see what that has to do with us. And I’d like to remind you that those two are children who have done nothing wrong. You took them from outside their home, Sloan. You kidnapped two children. Their father is distraught.”
“Then I suggest you call off your new attack dog.”
“We can’t control some random demon who’s targeting paladins!” He was a convincing liar. Ashmedai wouldn’t have expected that from someone with a soul so bright. Humans were nuanced creatures, to be sure.
“Then hunt it down and kill it! I don’t care how you stop it, but if you ever want to see these two again, you’ll find a way.”
“Why can’t you hunt it yourself? You have more resources, more manpower. There’s only a handful of us.”
“My men have been trying. You’re expendable to me. They’re not.”
“Bullshit,” Malachi said softly.
“I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not releasing the kids until the demon is gone.”
“You can’t just hold them indefinitely. Their family is looking for them. They have school. Their father will report them missing, and then you’ll have bigger problems than one elusive demon.”
Sloan’s dark chuckle filled the air. “The police would never think to look here, and even if they did, they wouldn’t find them.”
“What… What does that mean?” Nathan asked, sounding wrong-footed for the first time since the conversation began.
