Phenex pressed his lips together. “Yeah. Like all of this was nothing more than a distraction.”
Unease sizzled through me. “Fuck. You’re right. It’s the only thing that makes sense. They set fire to the station to drag us out here. So that we wouldn’t know what they were actually doing...”
“The club,” Eva whispered, eyes widening. “They’ve gone to attackInfernalwhile we aren’t there. They want to get to the hellgate.”
Our wings spread behind us in unison. We took to the skies, setting our sights downtown to where we’d left our club behind unprotected. Sure, we had a security system and some wards, but the cult had been working with witches. They knew spells that might get past our defenses.
With a growl, I hurtled forward with Eva by my side. We rushed through the clouds. My heart thundered within me, my eyes locked on the distant buildings. I’d flown these skies often enough to know the roof of our building anywhere. From the distance, everything looked fine. No fires raged through the streets. No screams peppered the night.
Relief charged through me as we thundered down onto the pavement. We were inside the club within seconds, our bodies bursting with pent-up tension and rage. As I gazed around the club, I found nothing of what we expected. Carnage, destruction. The death of this place.
But all was well.
“The club is fine,” I said, heaving out a relieved sigh. “Strangely enough, it looks like the cult didn’t come here.”
Eva’s body still visibly shook. Her face blanched, she gazed up at me. “But if they didn’t come here, then where did they go? They didn’t set up a distraction for no reason.”
“Maybe we were wrong,” Stolas said, striding over to the open door to gaze out at the quiet streets. “Their mission might not be as complicated as we thought. Maybe they just wanted to set fire to that police station.”
“No,” Eva whispered, fisting her hand around the dagger she still clutched. “I felt something bad happen. I’m not making it up.”
“I believe you,” Valac murmured, frowning. He turned to me, his eerie eyes alight with something horribly familiar. The feeling that we were somehow doomed. “She felt something real, Caim. They’ve attacked someone or something. And it’s connected to us somehow.”
“I have another idea,” I said, wincing at my words. Maybe my feeling before had been right. “Maybe it was one ofthem. Eva’s blood could be connected—”
“Shit,” Eva hissed, whirling toward the open door. “Anya. Sarah. Who’s watching them?”
“They’re safe. They went out to have a few drinks while we were hunting, and I’ve got a shifter keeping a close eye on them. The cult would have no idea where they are, and besides, they have no reason to attack your friends.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she whipped toward me. “Yes, they do.To hurt me.” She strode over to me, her entire body trembling. “Which bar did they go to?”
Before I could answer, she’d slammed her cell phone against her ear. She paced as she waited for Sarah and Anya to pick up the call. I watched her, my breath held in my throat. If something had happened to her roommates, I knew she’d never forgive herself for getting them involved in all of this.
“We shouldn’t have let them out of our sight, boss,” Phenex said as he edged in beside me. He spoke in a low voice so that Eva couldn’t hear. “We should have known the cult would target anyone close to us. That includes Eva’s friends.”
Eva roared and threw her phone against the floor. The screen shattered like glass. “There’s no answer. Where the hell are they, Caim?”
“Two blocks south.” I took her hand and led her back out into the streets. The rest of the Legion followed close behind us, reaching for their weapons once again. Anya and Sarah were part of our team now, human or not.
We’d only made it one block before I spotted Sarah hunkering at the mouth of an alley. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her face streaked with mascara-laden tears. She flinched when she caught sight of us, but then shuddered and turned her gaze back onto the grimy sidewalk beneath her feet.
A strangled sound escaped from Eva’s throat. “No. Noooooooooooo.”
She rushed forward. I picked up speed and raced ahead, determined to reach Sarah before she did. Something had happened, and there was no doubt in my mind that Eva would crumple if she saw whatever it was.
Sarah pushed up from the ground on shaky legs. As we approached, her hollow eyes caught mine. She shook her head. A warning. To keep Eva away from this.
“Sarah,” Eva cried, rushing past me toward her friend with a speed and dexterity she’d never shown before. “What’s happened? Is that blood? Are you okay?”
“It’s Anya.” Sarah stumbled forward, her legs twisting beneath her. Eva grabbed her and held her upright, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was just as close to collapse as her friend.
“Where is she?” Eva whispered, her entire body trembling.
Sarah flinched. Valac stepped in beside me, closing his eyes. He grabbed my elbow and tugged me toward the door halfway down the block, one that led into a darkened bar. He’d been able to tell just by looking at her where we could find Anya, and I didn’t want to tell Eva. Not yet. She would follow. She would see for herself. And I couldn’t let that happen. It would break her into a million pieces. She wouldn’t be able to keep the darkness at bay. Hell, knowing how it felt myself, she would welcome the oblivion.
“Is she in the alley?” Eva’s voice trembled as we edged down the block. Sarah pressed her lips together, tears streaking down her face. As Eva darted around her friend to storm into the alley, Valac and I pushed through the door into the bar.
My stomach twisted when I caught sight of Anya. She lay facedown on the floor, shattered wooden chairs scattered around her. Broken fragments. Blood trickled from a wound on the side of her head. At the far end of the room, I spotted another body. Ripped to shreds. The shifter I’d had watching them. My heart twisted in my chest.
