Page 45 of Between Bloode and Death (Between the Shadows #5)

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

Khent arrived at a nasty scene in Capitol Hill, away from the bazaar, with Duncan at his back. As they landed, they immediately shifted shape to intercept a small group of dead upir attacking MEC agents.

“What the hell is this?” Duncan roared. “No one fucks with upir but us!”

Understanding and even agreeing with the sentiment, Khent and Duncan made quick work of the upir before working to maneuver most of the monsters attacking humans toward Volunteer Park, away from residences, while Macy and her group chanted spells to contain the threat.

Despite the late evening, plenty of humans were out and about, now running for their lives. With all the cell phones out there, Khent knew they wouldn’t be able to control the spread of information about some odd activities in the city unless MEC did something extraordinary.

But he didn’t really care. He had never minded if the world realized magir existed. How much better would it be if humans understood they had something real to fear, more than taxes and mundane problems?

He enjoyed himself as he tore through the dead, searching for Vladimir.

“I don’t like this.” Duncan frowned, his fingers bloody.

“Really?”

With a sheepish grin, the revenant corrected himself.

“Oh, I love the killing. I just meant this doesn’t make sense.

Activity at the bazaar. This mess here. It’s disorganized.

Yet Spectre has been smart enough not to get caught for years.

And you said he’s working with Nergal. That bastard has a lot of friends in low places. Like the song.”

“What?”

“You know. That singer, Garth something? Low places?” Duncan hummed a few bars.

Khent frowned.

Duncan sighed. “Never mind. Macy’s unit at MEC has been after Spectre for some time. But they were operating under the assumption he’s a sorcerer. That he’s a necromancer puts a different spin on it.”

“I agree. He’s a powerful necromancer.” Khent thought about it, stuck out an arm to impale a dead lycan and ripped its spine free then tossed it aside.

“He took the Staff of Blight for Nergal. But I wonder if he handed it over. Vladimir’s been searching for Valentine for a long time. He wants the same stone Nergal does.”

Duncan nodded. “He’s probably working the god until he gets what he wants.”

“He’s already been getting power from Nergal. And power from something else. Something primordial.”

“That sounds bad.” Duncan grinned. “And fun.”

Khent grinned with him, in a decent mood since he knew his Valentine would be having her own fun, extra protected by his energy. “Yes, it does.”

“Stop screwing around, Duncan,” Macy yelled as she battled two demons while Cho blasted one coming at her back. “Us mere mortals are overwhelmed!”

“Gotta go save some weak magir.” Duncan shrugged. “What can you do?”

“Hey.” Cho glared. “I’m not weak.”

“Says the weak demon,” Duncan murmured and in a louder voice called out, “Demons, I invite you to a real fight. Come and get it.”

They flocked to him while Khent stood back to think and clean his dirty nails, not pleased that demon blood dried so fast, leaving a stain.

Vladimir wanted them here, away from the bazaar. Away from Nergal, perhaps.

He centered himself and felt Valentine’s heart still beating, her pulse rate up but not racing. The sense of her, alive and well, pleased him. As did the knowledge that she could command so many dead and still function well enough.

He thought she might care for him, and that pleased him as well. Though Khent had never been overeager for companionship, he enjoyed spending time with her. And he wanted her again.

Then he’d share his experiences and questions about his processes so she could share hers. They would dissect their efforts and find new ways to grow more powerful. Just as they’d study the dead in his lab. No, their lab.

He nodded, content with his plans for the future.

Once he got rid of this new threat, he could make Valentine comfortable with him at the house. For better or worse, the Night Bloode were his kin. His sire had accepted it. He would finally accept it too. Besides, he loved his lab. And Rolf had grown on him. Mostly.

Which reminded him. He pulled out a phone and dialed.

“Yo.”

“Rolf, it’s Khent.” Behind him, someone screamed, and hellish laughter filled his ears. “Sorry. We’re having fun near Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill.”

“Was that a demon?” Rolf sounded piqued. “Wait. Are you having fun without me? Again?”

“Duncan and Macy distracted me, or I would have called you sooner.” Then, to get the draugr off his back, he lied. “I told them to call you. They didn’t?”

“Those assholes! I’ll be there in a few.” He disconnected.

Rolf must have meant a few seconds, because a circle of darkness appeared right near Khent. Overhead, runes sparked, and a fiery burst of energy created a portal.

Rolf stepped through, his eyes red. The portal vanished.

Enraged, the draugr let loose his famous battle cry, which stopped everyone around them. Then he grinned like a demon himself. “Who’s ready to have some fun?”

From some distance away, Khent heard Duncan groan. “Hell. Rolf’s here. Macy, Cho, stay close to me in case he forgets you’re both friend and not foe.”

Rolf exploded into action, a whirling dervish of death as he used fangs, claws, and magic to tear through the demons and dead now streaming toward him.

Leaving Khent to search for Vladimir.

As much as Khent wanted to kill the necromancer, he knew his mate deserved the man’s death. Revenge could be so satisfying. He didn’t want to rob her of that.

Walking away from the destruction all around, he noticed a few things that stood out. Demons who didn’t look like those he’d seen in Irkalla. These looked more like imps and cambions—combinations of demon and human that stood on bent legs with leathery flesh and human features.

Several horned beasts raced toward a cluster of running humans who didn’t run fast enough. While the beasts dined, a few MEC agents jumped in.

Khent let the action distract the person trailing him. So that when he turned and jacked the individual against the tree behind them, he had a firm hold of someone he hadn’t expected to see again.

“Ah, the reaper,” Sebastian Castle said, dangling from Khent’s hand, his voice mangled.

“Pazuzu, why am I not surprised?” Khent didn’t relax his grip.

The demon god hiding in the body of a deceased sorcerer only smiled and rasped, “What’s up?”

Khent sighed and dropped him.

Pazuzu rubbed his throat. “Still got those reflexes. Nice to see mating hasn’t slowed you down.”

The demon had been spying. Interesting. “Why are you here?”

“Thought I’d lend a hand.”

“By killing humans?”

“By letting a few friends have fun while Nergal gets ready to unleash the apocalypse.” He stared into Khent’s gaze, not at all as intimidated as he should have been. Khent liked him for that, though he’d never admit it.

“I’m surprised that you’d want an end to life when you’re finally able to live it.” Like Nergal, Paz had been trapped in Irkalla for eons, serving in that dull world until a witch had tried to trap him in a deal, which hadn’t worked out so well for her.

Paz sighed. “Don’t get me started. Anyway, I’m here, doing favors for my old friends, keeping you and yours occupied while the real action is going on elsewhere.”

Khent froze. “The bazaar.”

Paz nodded and gave him a wide smile. “What? No way. That’s crazy to think that while you’re here goofing off, Nergal is tempting Vladimir to finally show all his cards and turn over the Staff of Blight.”

“So Nergal will soon have it.”

“My bet is Vladimir plans to keep it until Nergal rips some stone out of some hot young necromancer’s chest. Oh wait, isn’t that sexy little human your Valentine?”

The demon turned to smoke before Khent could grab him and reappeared some distance away.

But Khent had no problem hearing when Pazuzu added, “If I were a betting man, I’d say you’re losing the moonlight.

Better hurry before she’s dead, you’re ash, and that stupid necromancer outplays my mentor. Ciao!”

He vanished.

Khent didn’t bother to say goodbye. He turned into an eagle-owl and flew as fast as he could to the bazaar.

Rolf saw Khent talking to a supposedly dead sorcerer and frowned.

One of the dead upir tried to bite him, so he backhanded him and moved closer to listen to what Paz had to say.

Besides, the fight was boring. MEC kept complaining about being overrun, but Rolf didn’t find many powerful adversaries.

At least, none that kept him entertained.

Learning about exciting shenanigans at the bazaar, and that Khent’s date had a proper date with death, he left the drooling dead to MEC, Duncan, and Macy and hurried to Sebastian Castle.

Who suddenly turned into an adorable kitten.

Before the tiny cat could slink away, Rolf caught him.

Ignoring the hiss and holding the feline by the scruff of its neck, because those tiny claws and fangs hurt, Rolf growled, “I want to know what you know, Pazuzu.” He looked over the gray kitten.

“Tell me or I’ll tell Kaia you watch her get naked on the daily.

And I’ll let Orion declaw you over and over until those claws never grow back. ”

The kitten hissed once more then shifted into the sorcerer’s appealing form.

Rolf still held him by the back of his neck.

“Get off, draugr. You’re my least favorite, you know.”

Despite Pazuzu having a wolfish form when demonic, he seemed feline in his disdain and dainty hiss, showing a forked tongue.

Rolf grinned. “Thanks, buddy.”

Pazuzu rolled his eyes but explained the situation. Quickly and efficiently, Rolf noted.

“Rolf, swear not to narc me out to Hecate or her asshole assistant. I’m trying to live under the radar in this world.” He smiled at a nearby decapitation. “It’s fun here.”

“True. Wait. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of Mormo?”

Paz sniffed. “Not afraid. But he tells Hecate everything.”

“True. He is a dick. Fine. Get lost.” Rolf tossed him, and Pazuzu turned to smoke once more and vanished.

Rolf considered what he’d heard. Before he could shift into his wolf form for speed and run to the bazaar, powerful magic sucked him through a portal and spat him out on the floor of the gym in their Mercer Island lair. Because Mercer Island home didn’t have the same ring to it.

He sprawled on his ass, so undignified, in front of Hecate, Mormo—the dick—Morpheus, and a handsome-as-sin, shifty-looking bastard with eyes that shone like silver ingots.

“What’s he doing here?” he asked at the same time Loki did.

Loki’s smile widened. “Well, now. What a kick. How are you doing…son?”