Page 60 of Demon's Heart

Onyx pointed a slender finger at Dante. “You’re the one who came to see me about Ollie. All I’m saying is he clearlylikesyou. He’s probably hung up on something human and therefore trivial and doesn’t know what he wants.”

Dante’s face heated and he flexed his wings. “Ollie’s concerns aren’t trivial. I’m not going to disregard what he tells me and assume I know better. That’s not the kind of mate I am.”

“Did I say you were? Whatever. I’ll be here saying I told you so in”—Onyx looked at his wrist as if he had a watch—“a month tops.”

“I’ll look forward to it. And since you’re so supportive of Ollie and me, you’ll be happy to help avenge him. Won’t you?”

Onyx opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, eyes narrowing.

Ash stepped up to Onyx’s desk. “We’re hunting Luc down. This time, he’s gone too far. He can’t keep hurting our mates and escaping.”

Onyx’s eyes widened and he leaned forward in his chair, posture no longer relaxed. “What are you planning to do? What do you mean hunt him? You can’t kill him.”

“He almost killed Ollie,” Dante growled.

“But he didn’t.” Onyx leveled a piercing stare in Dante’s direction. “Ollie lived. Killing an Eternal—or demon—is punishable by death.”

Ash huffed. “And who’s going to punish us? The council?”

“Yes, the council. That’s literally the point of their existence. They may have damned us, but they haven’t written us off so far that they’ll let us break the ultimate rule.” Onyx turned from Ash to Dante. “I know what Luc did is unforgivable, so let’s trap him alone in a prison like we planned. Isn’t that worse than death?”

Isolation would be torture, but Dante shook his head. It wasn’t enough. Why not torture, then kill the swine? “Killing an Eternal’s or demon’s mate is also punishable by death. He has to pay.”

“But Ollie didn’t die,” Onyx said as if he were trying to explain something to a small child. “We can’t cross this line. Even after everything, some rules shouldn’t be broken.”

“I know he’s your brother,” Ash began.

“Fuck off, he’s my brother.” Onyx snarled, standing abruptly. “He’s dead to me, but I’m not killing him.”

“Why, so you can see if he’s changed in another thousand years?” Ashscoffed.

Onyx’s cheeks reddened and a hint of smoke tinged the air. In one fluid motion, he grabbed a paperweight from the desk and threw it against the wall, glass shattering.

Dante growled. Fuck, he wanted to throw things too. Trash this pretty office. Tear the building apart until nothing was left. Luc deserved to die. He needed to feel what it was like to be ripped apart.

But Onyx had a point.

Dante wanted righteous anger to blind him. If he’d been able to act the moment Ollie rode away in that car, he’d have killed Luc, consequences be damned, and lost his own life as a result. But he couldn’t go to Hell and back without the others. He’d waited to act because he wanted to come back.

Ash supported him. Luc had almost killed Harper. But fuck, Onyx had logic on his side. Attempted murder wasn’t the same as murder. And just because the council looked the other way at Andras’s death didn’t mean they’d do the same if the Fallen started killing each other.

Dante gripped the desk and shoved it to the side, sending it crashing into the wall. Onyx’s eyes widened, nothing standing between him and Dante.

Dante closed his eyes. “He’s right, Ash. Damn this stupid world. He’s right. If we kill Luc, we’ll be the ones committing the unforgivable offense.”

Ash swore, his spiced smoke mingling with Onyx’s, heating the air.

Dante opened his eyes.

“You can’t take care of your mates if the council kills you,” Onyx said, and the growing tension snapped.

“No,” Dante agreed, bitterness so thick in his veins that his blood probably tasted foul. “But we’re still hunting Luc. We’ll go to the Realm of the Damned and punish him, even if he gets to keep his miserable life.”

Ash rumbled in agreement.

“Nope. I’m not going.” Onyx shook his head. “Next plan.”

Ash stalked forward until he and Onyx were chest to chest. “We can’t keep sitting around, letting Luc’s actions go without response. Who knows what he’ll do when he decides to turn up next. Your mate could be his next victim.”