Blood of the Demon (28 page)

I shouldn’t have said that.
No need to make his little brother worry more. “Kidding, bro. I’m not planning on kicking it anytime soon, okay?”

At Dagan’s terse nod, Taeg turned and spread his arms perpendicular to the ground.

“This is really fucking annoying, you know,” he admitted to Ronin, “to have to be carried around like this.”

Ronin laughed. “Well, that’s just about the only bright spot in my entire day.”

He moved behind Taeg and hooked his arms under and around him, holding on tight as he zoomed up into the air.

“Shit.” Taeg swallowed hard and closed his eyes as they flew over the cliff ledge. He’d almost forgotten what this felt like.

Ronin chuckled into his ear. “This is nothing like riding the fae path, huh?”

Not even close.

They soared over the camp undetected. So far, their plan was working.

“There.” Taeg pointed to one tent, the largest by far. Bigger than many small houses, it had Mammon written all over it.

Ronin changed direction with one practiced flip of his wings. A few seconds later, they touched down next to the large tent. Taeg sighed with relief. Flying was a whole lot scarier when one took off from the ledge of a cliff.

Flipping the earpiece back on, Taeg whispered, “We’re in.”

“Got it,” was Cresso’s terse reply. What he was thinking, but
didn’t
say, was loud and clear—it would be a hell of a lot harder getting out than it was getting in. Taeg clicked the earpiece off. Cresso didn’t have to say it. He already knew.

Ronin motioned to one side of the tent and Taeg toed along the outer wall, keeping as far in the shadows as possible. Not surprisingly, two demons stood side-by-side at the entrance to the tent—boargs, by the looks of them.

Well, Mammon may have personal wards to keep from being charmed, but Taeg was willing to bet that didn’t extend to his minions. For one, fae wards were far too valuable to waste. For another, Mammon was so sure of himself he probably thought there was no way Taeg could break in here.

That was his mistake.

Taeg slid unnoticed, only feet away from the boargs, then flipped around to face them. He gave them a cocky grin. Their eyes widened with alarm one millisecond before he placed his hands on them. His gaze bored into theirs, charming them into submission. Boargs were so easy, probably because there was such little brain to charm. He leaned in close, fighting the urge to gag at the foul stench of rot pouring out of their mouths.

“Relax,” he whispered. “Go to the side of the tent and take a two-hour nap.”

The boargs blindly obeyed, and Ronin stepped up beside Taeg. The entrance to the tent was open but covered by heavy mosquito netting. Taeg shot Ronin a look that warned him to keep an eye out, then carefully lifted the netting and stepped inside.

The inside of the tent, though hard to see in the dim light, was just as luxurious as he’d expected. He was even standing in a small foyer. Off to his right, separated by more netting, was a great room with a seating and dining area. It was empty, but angry voices drifted from further in the back. He crept into the great room.

“… growing impatient,” Mammon said to someone. “Keegan sorely tries me with his antics.”

“We’ll find him, my Lord.”

Taeg gritted his teeth at the sound of Leviathos’s voice. It still burned his ass that his former childhood friend had aligned with his father, after all the stuff Leviathos had seen him do as a child and after all the misery Mammon had put Taeg and his brothers through. One day, Taeg would hold him accountable for his actions.

But today was not that day. He had more important things to do right now. Taeg edged toward the back room where Mammon and Leviathos stood.

“I hold you responsible for this, Leviathos,” Mammon seethed.

“But, Lord—”

“If you had retrieved the heir’s name from the scholar before the Council determined it, we would not be in this situation. I should skin you where you stand.”

“But... but, Lord,” Leviathos blubbered.

You deserve it, asshole
, Taeg thought with satisfaction. Something on the dining table caught his eye and he froze. His heart gave a sick
plop
and then settled into a faster rhythm. It was a thick book, made of some sort of metal with a golden clasp.

The Book of the Dead.
It had to be.

“We
must
find the heir,” Mammon continued from the other room.

Taeg stole across the room with singleminded focus on the
Book
. He was so close to it. So damn close.

He reached for it and ran his fingers along the cool metal.

“You never fail to disappoint,” his father’s smug voice said from behind him.

Taeg whirled around. Mammon and Leviathos stood at the entrance to the back room, staring out at him. Mammon wore a pompous look on his face, but Leviathos’s expression was one of bitter hatred.

Son of a bitch.

Taeg adopted a casual pose and flashed them a cocky grin. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Oh, I knew you’d come,” Mammon said. “I knew as soon as Keegan absconded with the heir that you’d try to steal it out from under me. Your loyalty to your brother makes you weak and predictable.”

Well... fuck.

“Your loyalty to no one but yourself makes you sick and pitiful,” he retorted, feeling smug satisfaction when the smirk faded from Mammon’s face. “Well, it’s been fun catching up, Dad, but I gotta hit the road.”

He swung around and grabbed the
Book
, then ran toward the exit.

“Stop.” Leviathos rushed at him, an expression of pure rage on his face. Taeg let him come close, then swung around in a flying kick that brought Leviathos to his knees in front of him. He lifted the book and smashed it over Leviathos’s head. The demon slumped to the ground in a daze.

“
Damn
, that felt good.” He leered at Mammon and whipped toward the exit again, but stopped dead-short when four demons staggered in. They’d imprisoned Ronin. He struggled against them, but stopped when the dagger against his throat cut deep into his flesh, releasing blood down his neck.

“Sorry, Taeg,” Ronin said without emotion. “They snuck up on me.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck.

Taeg lifted his hands. “Take it easy, boys.”

“Drop the book, Taeg,” Mammon said in a bored voice.

Gritting his teeth, Taeg obeyed. As soon as it left his hands, four more demons marched into the tent, snatching Taeg and yanking his arms behind his back. “Easy, pansy-asses,” he ground out.

Mammon laughed, and even after all these years the sound made the hair on the back of Taeg’s neck stand on end. “I was beginning to wonder how I would manage to snag the heir. Thank you, sons, for making it easy.”

“Bite me,” Taeg spat at Mammon.

Mammon approached. The last thing Taeg saw was his evil smile, a second before he lifted his fist and smashed it down on Taeg’s face with enough punishing force to knock him out.

Chapter Twenty-Four

She was so beautiful while she slept, with her hair fanned out to one side and illuminated by soft rays of light from the early morning sun. Like a sea of honey.

He could watch her sleep for hours.

Keegan rolled onto his side and ran his fingers down Brynn’s stomach. What would it be like to wake up next to her every morning? To watch as her stomach swelled with child—his child?

He yearned for that with an intensity that took his breath away. But it would never be. They were from different worlds. Too different. Even if, by some miracle, he managed to defeat his father, he would still have to return to Infernum.

Even if Brynn couldn’t be his, he had to do everything in his power to save her. He needed to go to the mainland and find a phone to call his brothers. Maybe this time they’d be willing to listen, willing to help him concoct a plan. Hell, he’d beg them if he had to. She deserved a good life. A normal life.

A life without him.

Her brows furrowed and she shook her head from side to side, though she was still asleep.

“No,” she whispered.

Keegan’s heart constricted. Was she dreaming? He reached out to shake her, when she awoke by herself. She sat up in the bed, panting for air.

“What’s wrong?” He touched her chin, turning her face to him.

Brynn’s eyes welled with moisture. She swallowed heavily before whispering, “I had a dream about Taeg and Ronin. They were captured by your father. There was someone else there, too. Mammon was... torturing them.”

Keegan stopped breathing. His gut twisted and wrenched as if someone was squeezing his innards and trying to yank them out.

No. It couldn’t be.

“Could that really be happening?” she asked, wearing an expression of horror.

No. Please no.

Keegan carefully schooled his expression into one of reassurance. He spoke the words even while he slid off the bed and searched for his jeans. “If anything, Mammon is likely trying to trick you.”

“Where are you going, then?”

“To the mainland. To call them. It’s past time I did, anyway.”

She bit her lip, looking uncertain, but he couldn’t give her any more reassurance. He didn’t have any more to offer. That sick feeling in his gut told him that, somehow, her dream was all too real. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Brynn nodded. “You’ll be careful?”

“Always.” Keegan bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Then he grabbed his shirt, walked to the French doors, and tossed them open. Sprouting his wings, he took off fast.

Could Mammon have gotten to his brothers? If so, would they even still be alive? Worse, would it be better for them if they weren’t?

After arriving on the mainland, it was easy enough to head to the nearest boardwalk and relieve an unsuspecting passerby of his cell phone. Dread unfurling in his stomach, he dialed Taeg. It rang several times before a gravelly voice answered, “Hello?”

Keegan’s heart squeezed, practically cutting off his air supply. “Mammon,” was all he said.

The voice chuckled. “Well, hello there, son. I was expecting your call.”

“If you’ve hurt them, I swear I’ll—”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to be making idle threats, are you, son?”

Keegan clenched his fist, biting down on his teeth so hard that a molar cracked, and immediately healed.

“Not to worry. Your brothers are still alive, along with that incubus friend of theirs.”

Cresso.

“Though they hardly deserve to be after they tried to steal the
Book
from me in a harebrained attempt to save the heir’s life,” Mammon added.

There was a scraping sound, then a second later, a scream. It sounded like Taeg.

“Don’t,” Keegan said. He instantly cursed himself. His father would get off on him begging. He took a deep breath before continuing in a more even tone. “What do you want?”

Mammon laughed. “You know what I want. The heir.” When Keegan didn’t respond, Mammon added, “I tell you what, son. Though I’m still put out by the way you and your brothers ran away in the middle of the night, if you bring me the heir we’ll let bygones be bygones. Just think—when I am ruler of this world, you will be its princes.”

“No thanks,” Keegan replied caustically.

“So quick to refuse, hmm? You think you are so principled, don’t you? Well, how about this to sweeten the deal? Once I am done with the heir, you can have her to do with as you wish.”

Keegan froze. “What do you want to do with her?”