Page 93 of Demon's Heart

A buzzing sensation shot through Dante’s temple, sending vibrations up his horns. “Damn it. Onyx, someone’s trying to break one of my protective spells.”

Onyx was at his side in a blur of blue wings. “The one on the reserve or Harper and Ollie’s apartment?”

“The spell around the reserve.”

“It has to be our mystery demon.” Onyx gestured to the north. “Come on.”

Dante shook himself and flew after Onyx, calling the shearwaters with him.

Had his trap been too obvious, leading the demon to believe Dante’s home was exposed while he was busy bating his attacker? He wouldn’t have thought so. Even if a small group of shearwaters was conspicuous after the flock had been so tightly contained, how had the demon found the spells protecting the reserve?

Dante’s protections were cloaked in counterspells to prevent magical beings from realizing they were barred from the clifftop. Every witch, vampire, and demon in the city was under the illusion they were disinterested in the sanctuary, and if they got close to the protected area, they wouldn’t sense even a hint of magic before they were repelled by an illusion.

But the buzzing didn’t stop. Someone was breaking in.

“I’ll call Ash.” Onyx brought his phone to his ear.

Good. He’d meet them there.

As Dante sped up, the urge to check on Ollie reverberated through him. He’d be safe at work, and the demon couldn’t attack Ollie if they were at the reserve, but fear for his mate wasn’t soothed by logic.

Dante swore he felt Ollie’s blood hot on his hands, the smell of copper drowning out the salt air. He clamped his eyes shut.

Could he break Ollie’s trust to check on him through the bond? Would Ollie understand, or would it remind him how much there was to fear in their connection?

Dante’s limbs went cold despite his burning fire. He couldn’t let anything happen to his mate. But he needed to give Ollie the choice of how much to share.

He sent the small flock of shearwaters across the city instead. They’d keep an eye on Ollie, just in case.

Onyx finished his phone call and turned to Dante. “How did they get past your web of illusion? You haven’t had a single trespasser since you set up the reserve.”

“I don’t know. Not even Luc found me.” A twist of unease uncoiled within Dante. His deflections worked against his greatest enemy, but not this random birdkiller?

“Exactly.” Onyx’s expression darkened. “Luc heard of your birds. That’s how he knew to find us in Shearwater Landing. Searching for you around their nests would be step one, but your illusions were strong enough to keep him away.”

“So this demon is more powerful than Luc?”

“That, or they’re working together.”

But Luc couldn’t be back. Ash wouldn’t miss it. “Why wait to attack until now if they’re working together?”

“I don’t know.”

Ash caught up to them over the waterfront. “Good to go?”

“No, we’re hoping for a break first,” Onyx snapped.

“Don’t worry.We’ve got this,” Ash said, for once seeing past Onyx’s attitude to the reason he lashed out.

“Worry? Not likely.” Onyx put on a burst of speed. “Just get your fire ready, big boy.”

Ash cut a glance at Dante. “My fire is always ready.”

Dante scanned the approaching cliff. Nothing looked out of place, which was no surprise. Attacking without an invisibility illusion would be foolish.

He led the way to the top of the cliff. “Revealing spells on three?”

Ash gave an affirmative grunt, positioning himself back to back with Dante, and Onyx fell in line at a right angle.