Page 42

DECLAN

Something didn’t feel right. Aziel never missed a night here. He said it made him feel better to watch over us himself. He was so determined to protect us. And his family didn’t meet until tomorrow night. It made no sense. I left Ollie in the living room, moving to my room so I could make a call without him eavesdropping. Callum answered on the second ring, his voice gruff.

“I know. I’m on my way. I’m going to move you and Ollie to Hendrix’s home. Stay put.”

“Okay. We’ll be ready.”

I considered calling my parents to come get Ollie when Aziel told me the truth. The only reason I didn’t was because I was worried it’d only make more targets for Aziel’s family to go after. They were safe on a cruise somewhere. Protecting two people was easier than protecting four.

Coming back to the living room, I tossed Ollie’s shoes onto the couch. “Shoes on. We’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safer than here. Callum will be here in a minute. I need you to do everything I say, alright?”

His brows drew together tightly, worry and confusion overtaking his features, but he knew better than to argue. He tugged his shoes on, and when Callum and Felix teleported into our living room, we were both ready. There were no words exchanged. They each put a hand on our shoulders and in a blink, we were somewhere new. New and crowded. Aziel told me a little about his friends and their mates, but this was significantly more than I expected.

“What’s going on?” Tyler, Felix’s mate, queried once they ushered Ollie and me onto the couches.

“This is a precaution. Aziel and Dante were summoned home, unprompted. He’s worried about what this might mean. The Shadowwalker family is famous for the pain and violence they cause, especially against humans. Aziel has always been on the outs with them, but–”

“But then he met me,” I murmured. “They found out about us, didn’t they?”

Callum shook his head. “There’s no way to know that. All we know isthat it's safer to keep you here. If he needs us, we’ll be ready, and the rest of you will be protected. I’d rather be overcautious than under prepared.”

There wasn’t much else we could do but wait. Ollie found a friend of his, apparently the daughter of Hendrix’s mate, so they sat together and played. I didn’t have the emotional capacity to be introduced to all the people here. I paced by the big window that overlooked the city, my phone in my hand as I waited for word from Aziel. My gut churned uncomfortably and the longer we went with no news, the more uncomfortable I got.

“He’ll call. We’re always worried when he goes to family meetings, but he always calls afterward. It’ll be okay,” Felix offered, but he looked just as worried as I was.

“How long does it normally take?”

He grimaced, shaking his head. “There’s not a specific timeline. It can take hours or even days before we hear from him again. But–”

“Fuck!” someone shouted.

Whipping my head around, my mouth fell open as black smoke filled the room. I darted for Ollie, putting him behind me, but nothing appeared in the smoke. Everyone seemed to know what that meant but me, and Callum gave a knowing look to his friends before he disappeared.

“Wait–”

“Stay here!” Malakai barked, disappearing like Callum. The rest of the demons were gone in a blink. Fear coursed through my veins like ice and I stared at the spot where they disappeared from while the rest of the room burst into action. Three women and one man, including the woman who put wards on my shop, started murmuring, moving to four points in the room with their hands raised towards the walls. Another few started circling us like moving protectors, their stances low and ready. It left only the humans in the middle of the room. Tension shot through the ceiling and even though it felt like hours, only minutes passed before the demons reappeared. Malakai and Hendrix had two unconscious people in their arms, the bodies unmoving, with ropes around them. Callum held Athena’s hand. And a sobbing Dante was fighting against Felix. But no Aziel. Where the hell was he?

“No! No! They took him! We have to get him!”

My heart stuttered in my chest. I moved without forethought, pulling Dante out of Felix’s hold and setting him on his feet with my hands on hisshoulders. He stared at me, pale and terrified, with a heavy dose of guilt in his gaze.

“Who took him? Where did they go?”

“M-My brothers. I don’t know where they took him, but they’re gonna hurt him. We have to get him back. He realm hopped with us. That’s too many people. It’s hard with just one. He won’t be able to protect himself.”

Cupping his cheeks, I brushed the tears away with my thumbs. “Okay. We’ll get him back. I promise.”

He sucked in a hiccuping breath before throwing himself into my arms. I hugged him tightly, looking up at the demons behind him with determination in my gaze.

“Where is he?”

“Declan, I know you want to help him, but–”

“No. I’m going with. I told him we’d do this together. I’m not arguing about this. Where the hell is he?”