For simple flames, that was all he would need to do. For something that was borderline actual lava, it was only a matter of time before it started cooking its way all the way out of his chest. It would be nothing short of a miracle if it did nothing more than graze the edge of his heart.

I immediately drew up my wounded leg, yanking the weapon free before he had the chance to recover his weapon. While the demon scrambled back until he was pressed against the wall, swearing in our native tongue, I contemplated flicking the weapon in between those eyes. The only thing that spared his immediate death was the heavy thudding coming in my direction. As he rounded the corner with Quinn writhing on his shoulder, I flung the dagger.

Kotto’s hold on her loosened the second Malakai’s weapon sank into his eye and pierced his brain. While she slid off with a gasp, his lips parted to release a pained cry. The connection between his mind and body had already been severed, leaving him to stumble forward until he simply came crashing down.

Quinn was quick to scurry back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, those gray eyes wide with terror. It didn’t even matter to her that she had gone straight over the trail of glass left behind by Archer. She simply kept going until she was against the opposite wall. That still didn’t appear to be enough distance between her and the fallen brute. “W-What the fuck just happened?” she breathed.

Curling my upper lip, I shifted on the floor so that I could tuck my injured leg beneath me and just use my knee so that I could rise. It didn’t matter how tenderly I was trying to treat the wound, getting off the ground still hurt like hell. I tightened my grip on the chair, the wood groaning beneath the intense pressure. “I’m going to send your heads to Lazarus in a fucking gift basket,” I snarled.

Malakai continued to thrash against the wall as my magic worked its way through his body. He bared his clenched teeth at me. “Go ahead, then. Do it. He’ll replace us with more demons who want nothing more than to see you fall!”

I stalked toward him with a low growl that rumbled from within my chest. If he wanted a brutal death where I would rip his head off of his shoulders, then I would give him it. His brain would keep functioning long enough to process what was going on before the life finally seeped from his eyes.

“Asher!”

The panic woven within my pet’s voice was enough to drive away the overwhelming thirst for Malakai’s blood on my hands. My head whipped toward her just as a wooden plank came into my peripheral view seconds before it slammed into me. The entire room grew hazy around me as I went down. What…? Who the fuck snuck up on me?

“I should have known better than to send you two in to do the work for me,” Sol snarled, tossing the plank down beside me. “Did I not specify that you had to bring both of them down if you had any hopes of grabbing the girl?”

Shock tore through my veins when my uncle’s voice finally registered. With Malakai essentially out of commission and the time he had left trimming down rapidly with each passing second, there was no ounce of concern on my part to roll over and put my back to him. My upper lip curled as my movement attracted Sol’s narrowed gaze toward me. “I suppose the advice you gave Quinn and I didn’t mean a goddamn thing, did it?” I snarled at him.

“Oh no, I was serious when I told you not to snuff out the life within the other.” Sol rested hand on his chest with a slight smirk. “I just…left out the part where your time together was shorter than you anticipated.” He casually drifted toward Quinn, that grin growing on his face when the movements squeezed a whimper from her.

I slammed a hand down, the frightened sounds from my beloved pet sending a surge of agonizing heat down my spine. Hearing it once was painful enough. The noise being forced out of her yet again was already bringing the red dots back to my vision. If it wasn’t for the nasty concussion that my own flesh and blood had delivered, I would have planted myself in between them.

My uncle’s eyes flickered toward me. A sigh blew from his lips. “You just don’t know when to stay down, do you, boy? You’re more like your father than you’re willing to accept. The old fucker didn’t know when to bow down, either.” He reached out to grab a piece of the broken coffee table. Cocking his head to the side, he snapped it in half to create a sharpened end. He tossed the other piece aside before he turned on his heel. “I lost count of how many years we waited for him to finally leave Italy. I’ll give him this much… He knew we would bring him down as soon as he did. Poor bastard probably realized he was going to die.”

A low growl erupted from my chest. Despite the way the room was still spinning around me, I was desperate to get back on my feet. I didn’t care how much damage I did to my own body by forcing a rapid response as long as it meant my pet would be safe.

It just wasn’t willing to move as quickly as I wanted.

Sol teleported over me, bringing a boot down on my back just like I had with Malakai. “There’s no point in trying, boy. You’re absolutely useless to that girl now. Both you and Archer have taken on too much damage. It’s time for you to accept that I’m taking her and she will become tainted.”

I pushed against the tile, eager to throw his weight off of me.

“I’m sick of this stubbornness in you,” he hissed. “It reminds me a little too much of your weak-willed mother. Always eager to maintain just a small piece of herself while Salvatore slowly rewrote her wiring. I could see where that relationship was heading from the moment he demanded an audience with her. She thought she could change him. So where does that leave you, boy? Do you think you’re going to change the minds of millions of demons with that timid pet of yours?”

“You have no right to speak of her, leech,” I snarled. Despite the pain pulsing from the back of my skull as well as the knife wound to my leg, I threw every ounce of my strength into throwing my body aside. It wouldn’t do much more than make him stumble. Yet I was clinging to the small piece of hope that there was something within reach that I could jam into his Achille’s heel.

I just didn’t anticipate the bastard to bring the sharp wood down into my back. My body seized up immediately upon the intrusion. There was enough force backed behind the blow that the tile couldn’t reflect it. The wooden piece simply buried into it, leaving me pinned against the ground. The air caught in my throat as a burning heat ripped through my veins.

“At least I get the satisfaction of knowing that I am leaving you here to die,” Sol grumbled. He pushed on the wooden piece just a little more until a ragged gasp escaped my lips. Only then did he finally pull away and stalk straight for my pet. “Who knew mixed blood could create such a problem? You really did create waves, pet. The two of you might’ve made one hell of a difference if we’d allowed you to rise to the throne.”

“I will rip your head off of your shoulders if you touch her.” I snarled at his back.

“No, you won’t, boy…” His voice grew soft as he drew closer to my frightened pet. “You’ll be dead by the time I deliver her to Lazarus. It would be best to pray to the gods that your soul doesn’t linger around to watch her own demise. She’ll be nothing more than a hollow shell by the time he’s finished with her.”

I struggled to wiggle the wooden piece from the tile. It didn’t matter to me how much it was tearing up my body when all I could think about was how my own blood was now closing in on my mate like the true predator that he was. His loyalty was to a man that was far more lost to the world and he was eager to collect his own reward. My muscles seized up when Quinn released a panicked shriek.

Sol jerked her against him before he thrust her back, using the force of her head smacking against the wall to knock her out cold. “The human body is so fragile,” he muttered under his breath as he tossed her over his shoulder like a ragdoll. “It’s nice she can endure more than the average mortal. She’ll provide some amusement to him.”

Every ounce of warmth was sapped from my body as her scream was simply cut short, leaving the entire room flooded with a silence that left my soul ready to crumble. Panic tore through my veins, bringing with it a surge of adrenaline that was eager to help me get loose. All I could focus on was prying her loose from Sol’s grip shortly before I delivered on my promise. As much as I was willing to destroy my own body to save her, I couldn’t shake the wooden piece loose from the floor.

My uncle cast a scowl in my direction. “Mates are overrated, Asher. You had a better chance of surviving this war if you hadn’t bought this piece of pussy. Maybe you’ll learn in the next life.” Tucking his hand under her ass to keep her pinned against him, he started for the shattered front door. Those lips parted to let loose an innocent tune as he went.

I thrashed against the wooden piece, both anger and panic surging through me. “Quinn!” I knew better than to succumb to such a useless emotion, especially when it would simply work against me. It didn’t matter how many hours my father had spent, drilling that vital piece of advice into my head. I couldn’t bring myself to calm down long enough to focus. All that circled in my head was that the enemy had still gotten what they had come for.

They had Quinn. My mate and my future queen.

It was my main purpose to protect her…and I had failed.

I am coming for you, Quinn. I will save you from them.

I would die trying.

Source: www.seynovel.com