Page 48

OLLIE

Ollie stirred, darkness all around him. His face was pressed against something cold.

What the hell?

He remembered being in the casino. Pamala! She’d done something to him. Ollie’s eyes flew open. He wasn’t in the casino anymore. He was outside. It was dark, the air foul. He was in the street. No, an alley.

Where had Pamala gone? Ollie reached for his phone. He had to call Harper.

“Don’t,” said a soft voice behind him. Ollie’s arm seized, muscles going rigid. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

“Okay.” The tension fled, and Ollie pushed off the ground, twisting around to face Pamala. “W-what are you?”

She smiled, as lovely and unassuming as she’d been in the salon. “That doesn’t matter.” She stepped closer and grabbed Ollie’s chin.

Ollie’s skin crawled. His gut urged him to run, but it wouldn’t help. She’d catch him. Magic him. Ollie had no hope against her.

With all his energy, he called down the bond. Help !

Pamala’s eyes glowed. “Where did the demons go?”

Ollie was overwhelmed with the urge to answer. He couldn’t fight it. “To the Realm of the Damned.”

Pamala’s eyes widened. “What did the Hounds do with Lillian and Maxwell?”

“Who?” Ollie’s pulse pounded and his whole body went cold and shaky. When Pamala had used this strange power on him before he’d been calm, happily compliant. Not this time. “Somebody help me!”

Pamala’s grip tightened on his chin. “Don’t speak unless I ask you a question. You must tell the truth. What happened to the demons stalking the shearwaters?”

“They were sent back to the Realm of the Damned.”

Pamala hissed and chills ran down Ollie’s spine. “Traitors. They’re as bad as Lucifer, imprisoning everyone like they’re the only ones who deserve to be free. No wonder they’re his dogs.”

It wasn’t true, but Ollie couldn’t speak to object.

How did Pamala know so much? How did she even know he was connected to the demons? She must have followed him from work, but he’d been invisible when flying to Rowan’s club with Dante.

“They obviously care about you, sending the birds to watch over you.” Pamala turned Ollie’s head from side to side like she was inspecting him. “Will they rescue you?”

“Yes,” Ollie said, trying and failing to add a plea not to do this.

“Then be a good little hostage and stay close. No talking, and don’t touch your phone.” She released his chin and strode down the alley. “Hurry, along.”

Ollie caught up against his will. His whole body tingled and his mind fogged as he fought to disobey.

Dante! He pushed jolts of anxiety and fear down the bond. But what if he distracted Dante, and something even worse happened? He tried to rein it in. Ollie couldn’t get a good read on Dante, his own emotions overwhelming everything else.

Commotion came from the street ahead, footsteps hitting the pavement hard. Pamala stopped short, grabbing Ollie by the back of his shirt collar.

Two suited men appeared at the alley entrance. “Stop!” one shouted as they both dropped their fangs.

Pamala dragged Ollie forward, unconcerned, her eyes flaring. “Sleep,” she purred, and both vampires dropped to the alley floor.

Behind Ollie, a door crashed open. He couldn’t turn to see who it was. Light flared around him, and he shuddered, a sensation like cold air passing over him.

He lurched from Pamala’s grasp, suddenly free of her magical hold. “Help! She has mind control.”

Ollie spun away from Pamala, and Harper rushed toward him. Ollie ran and collided with his friend, almost going limp as Harper’s arms wrapped around him.

Nico pushed past, muttering something unintelligible, his hands glowing.

“Nico, wait!” Harper yelled.

Pamala growled. She swiped her arm in front of her, hand flicking in an upward motion, and Nico flew back, sailing past Ollie and Harper and crashing into the back of the alley.

“Don’t look in her eyes.” Harper pulled Ollie against him so his face was buried in his neck. “Fuck, I don’t know what spell Nico used to break her hypnosis.”

“You think you can avoid my stare and that will save you?” Pamala asked. “Like I have no other powers? You can’t stop me from taking Ollie. Two witches are nothing against me, so hand over your friend, and no one has to get hurt. Well, any more hurt.”

No sound came from the back of the alley. Was Nico okay? Ollie was desperate to look but couldn’t risk falling under Pamala’s spell.

Harper’s grip on Ollie tightened. “You’re a demon. What are you doing here?”

Pamala ignored the question. Footsteps sounded on the pavement. She sighed. “Looks like it’s two hostages then.”

Something shifted behind Harper, and Nico launched out of the dark, a broken piece of wood in his hand. There was a squelch and a grunt of exertion. Labored breathing.

Ollie couldn’t take it. He looked.

Nico had run Pamala through with the wood, lodging it firmly in her chest, below her breasts, blood spreading across her shirt. She snarled and ripped the wood out, tossing it away.

Nico frantically wove his magic, hands flashing.

Something hot flared over Ollie’s skin, and he jolted.

“Sorry,” Harper whispered. “That heat is a shield. I don’t know how it’ll hold up against a demon, but it’s better than nothing.”

Pamala spat blood. “Missed my heart. You could have had me out for a good minute if you had better aim.”

“Run,” Nico called.

Ollie wanted to run, but he couldn’t leave Nico behind, even if he had no magic or hope of fighting a demon.

Harper didn’t flee either. Instead, he raised his arms and water from the gutter flew into the air. He said something too fast for Ollie to make out and the water rushed toward Pamala, transforming with a hiss.

Steam hit her face and she yelped, her yellow magic flaring. Nico hit her with whatever spell he’d been working, but the blow was met with another yellow glow, seeming to deflect whatever Nico was trying to do.

A shout sounded from above. In a rush of air, Dante landed beside Ollie, followed swiftly by Ash, carrying Onyx. Dante’s gaze ran over Ollie, relief written all over his face, but he didn’t linger. In a flash, he had Pamala in a headlock.

“Keep away from my mate,” Dante growled in her ear.

“ Mate? ” Pamala squeaked, sounding scared for the first time.

“Yes, you heard me. Ollie is my bonded mate. Why are you attacking him and his companions?”

“I’m sorry.” Pamala struggled, but Dante didn’t let her up.

Nico retreated, grabbing Ollie and checking him over while Harper rushed to Ash’s side.

Was Onyx unconscious? After what Pamala had endured, that seemed impossible. What had happened? Dante was covered in flecks of blood.

“I didn’t know he was your mate. I swear,” Pamala said desperately, a curtain of hair obscuring her face as it fell out of Ollie’s carefully placed pins.

“You sent the shearwaters to protect him the day Lillian and Maxwell disappeared. I followed the birds and figured he must be important enough for you to make a trade, but I never…”

“A trade for what?” Dante asked, his gaze finding Ollie, eyes burning.

“Your human—your mate—said you banished my friends to the Realm of the Damned. I want them back. We just want to be free. You’ll never hear from us again, I promise.”

To Ollie’s surprise, Dante released Pamala. She straightened, brushing back her hair, but made no other move.

Dante crossed his arms. “You wanted to trade Ollie for your friends’ return?”

“Yes, but I’d never have done so if I’d known he was your mate .

A connection that sacred shouldn’t be exploited.

Even knowing you have a mate is… It’s a miracle.

After so long, it didn’t even cross my mind.

I thought we were doomed.” Pa mala’s whole demeanor seemed to change, looking between Dante and Ollie with frantic awe.

Nico took a bold step toward her. Or at least it was bold to Ollie. Pamala might have had a drastic change of heart, but she was still dangerous.

“How did you get into the casino?” Nico asked.

Pamala blinked, focusing on Nico like he’d pulled her from the depths of her mind. “It wasn’t difficult. I hypnotized the bouncers into believing I was on their approved guest list.”

“But they’re vampires,” Nico argued. “They aren’t susceptible to hypnosis like the rest of us.”

“They aren’t susceptible to other vampire hypnosis,” Pamala corrected. “I’m a demon. The bloodsuckers may have stolen the power from us, but they never could achieve our strength.”

“How did you find me at the casino?” Ollie could see how she’d used the shearwaters to find him at work, but that didn’t help her find him tonight.

Pamala’s gaze flicked to Dante, and she hesitated for the briefest moment.

“I want you to know I have nothing to hide.” She waited for Dante to nod.

“I followed Ollie home from work and waited to see if you’d visit him.

I cast a spell above the building to check for invisibility illusions.

I couldn’t see you, but the spell detected your presence, and I followed the magic here.

” She straightened her shoulders. “I suppose you’re going to send me back now? ”

“No.” Dante ran a hand roughly over his horns.

“We never wanted to trap anyone. I sent Maxwell and Lillian back for killing my birds, but with the knowledge they could return. We were going to free everyone once Lucifer was subdued, but Lucifer beat us to it. You can go find your friends. They’re somewhere in the Human Realm already.

So is everyone else. Even if I wanted to send you back, the gateway is open. ”

“So I can go?” Pamala didn’t sound like she believed her luck.

Dante’s eyes glowed a frightening black. “Yes, if you agree to never conspire against me, Ash, or Onyx, and if I ever see you near my mate or Ash’s, you’ll wish you’d never met me.”