Page 5

DANTE

Dante took off from the deck and made his rounds of the shearwater nests. For a species that avoided land most of the year, his birds had taken to Shearwater Landing well.

Some of the birds sat on their perches that afternoon while most were out flying or fishing. Dante ensured they were well-fed in the winter and spring when they’d normally migrate away from this area, but they were generally fine on their own during the summer and autumn.

Onyx once asked why Dante hadn’t enchanted a bird species that didn’t migrate if all he wanted were watchful eyes around the city. But that wasn’t all Dante wanted.

When he, Ash, and Onyx first escaped the Realm of the Damned, Dante couldn’t sit still.

Ash and Onyx settled into human society, learning what had changed since they’d been gone, but Dante was overwhelmed by the world after nearly a thousand years away.

The open air had called to him. He’d needed to fly.

He’d followed a flock of shearwaters across the Pacific without another soul around, except his birds. Dante loved the shearwaters, and they’d seemed to accept him into their flock. Maybe they liked that his wings matched their sooty coloring, or maybe it was Dante’s magic.

Even if he’d wanted to, Dante couldn’t stay away from people entirely. The need for blood had forced him to interact with humans from time to time. He’d slowly adjusted until he found himself spending more time with people than out at sea.

But he’d missed his birds. They lived relatively long lives and Dante was always pleased to recognize individuals after a long time apart.

He’d started keeping track of them with his magic, and when he’d settled on the new city being built on the West Coast of North America—where his soul insisted he’d find his mate—he’d asked some of the birds to stay.

The birds he had now were several generations removed from the original flock. He’d increased his magical connection to them over the past century until they had the almost hive mind they did now.

Dante couldn’t imagine ever leaving his shearwaters. When Ash had suggested they hide after Lucifer followed them to the Human Realm, and complained that Dante’s connection to the birds was giving him away, Dante realized what a poor job he’d done of explaining what the birds meant to him.

He would always have his chosen brothers, but Ash and Onyx couldn’t be all Dante had. He needed connections, tethers to ground him, and while the birds didn’t live as long as humans, the constant nature of his flock gave him a sense of stability human friends couldn’t.

Dante might have befriended a few vampires for long-term companionship, but he could never forgive the originals—witches who slayed the demon Andras and stole the immortal magic from his blood to create their own never-ending lives—it was natural to hold a grudge against the lot of them.

The Eternal Realm had never retaliated against those demon slayers, even though killing an Eternal being was considered the most heinous crime.

Some believed the Eternals and ruling council had completely forsaken the Fallen, not caring if they lived or died.

Others thought it was the council allowing mortals payback since demons and magic were never supposed to exist on Earth and mortals weren’t subject to the council’s judgment.

Either way, Andras’s death was never far from Dante’s mind when it came to vampires, even if the species wasn’t responsible for their forebearers’ sins.

His birds were infinitely better.

Dante reached the final group of nests on the north side of the cliff, outside the nature reserve.

He’d set up the reserve to give his flock a sanctuary unmarred by human development, other than his house.

The large area was completely protected by magic, but he didn’t force the birds to nest there if they preferred to be farther from the city.

Dante flew over empty nests, typical for this time of day, but unease slithered down his spine. He doubled back, cutting lower to get a better look.

Magic buzzed around the nests and on the rocks surrounding them. Dante frowned.

The power was unfamiliar. No way it belonged to Ash, Onyx, or even Lucifer. How was that possible?

The outcropping—halfway down the cliff face—was inaccessible unless you were an expert rock climber. Or had wings. A rock-climbing witch didn’t seem likely, and the longer he looked, the clearer it became that the magic was too strong to belong to a witch.

Dante landed on a large rock beside the nests and pulled out his phone. Ash picked up on the second ring. “We have a problem.”

“Where are you?” Ash asked without hesitation.

Dante relayed his location and hung up. As he waited, he tapped into his flock’s collective mind, scanning quickly through their eyes. Everyone was hunting, flying, sleeping, or playing. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Most of the time, he left the birds to their own devices. Since Luc fled the Human Realm, he hadn’t asked them to monitor the city as closely, so most of the birds had kept to the sea.

Dante delved into their memory, looking for the birds that nested here.

Images of dozens and dozens of other nests flashed through his mind. His heart sank. Where were these birds? Had they been killed?

There! Dante caught a flash of the outcropping from a bird’s point of view. He watched the memory of the bird landing. Others followed suit, and Dante jumped into their minds, seeing their perspectives.

The birds that nested here were all still alive.

He let out a breath, his tail twitching as he relaxed.

Carefully sorting through their memories, he paid close attention to any time the birds were perched at the outcropping. They should have seen whoever left their magic behind. His birds were trained to detect magical power, especially anything this strong.

Nothing jumped out.

The woosh of large wings beating signaled Ash’s arrival. Dante pulled himself from the flock’s memory and his vision cleared.

Ash landed beside him, folding his wings tight against his back, hiding most of the white feathers from view. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the area with his demon sense. “It feels like demon magic,” he said at last.

“But whose could it be?” Dante let his own power sweep over the residual magic. “It’s not Luc, and I can’t sense any cloaking like he used before. Now that we know how he was hiding, we’d be able to break through it if he tried that trick again.”

“I agree. But if it isn’t him…” Ash frowned. “The birds didn’t see anything?”

“No.”

“Whoever it was had to have been here when the nests were empty.”

Dante had considered that. “Possibly. But the birds should have noticed the magic when they returned and told me.”

“Hm. Check the last time they were here.”

Dante slid back into the flock’s mind. He found the right birds and called up memories from this morning, scanning all their senses. “Nothing. The magic wasn’t here when they took off earlier today.” Had another demon really been here a few hours ago, so close to his home?

Refocusing his vision, Dante found Ash scratching his right horn. His curved back along his head while Dante’s curved up, flaring out slightly at the tips.

“I can’t figure out what the spell is meant to do,” Ash muttered, sounding like half his mind was focused on inspecting. “It’s almost like it was wiped away, but not well enough.”

So whoever it was wasn’t good at covering their tracks. “But how can another demon be in this realm?”

“I don’t know.” Ash cut a serious look at Dante. “I’d sense if anyone broke through the spell Luc has trapping everyone in the Realm of the Damned.”

Luc had used magic he’d stolen from Ash, Dante, and Onyx to trap demonkind, linking them to the prison and giving Ash in particular this advantage.

“If you haven’t felt anything, does that mean someone else came through with Luc last month? ”

Ash huffed. “It must. But was it someone he was working with or someone who escaped on his coattails?”

“Someone couldn’t sneak out without Luc knowing. How is that possible?” It had to be someone Lucifer brought on purpose. Having an accomplice was entirely possible since they had no idea what Luc had been up to—sneaking around the city—other than stalking Ash.

“I’m not sure how someone could get through undetected. But if this demon is working with Luc, he wouldn’t have left them here when he fled back to the Realm of the Damned. That would mean giving up control, and we know Luc doesn’t do that.”

“Maybe not, but Luc’s plan didn’t exactly work out.” Dante grinned. “He left in a hurry.”

Ash’s lips twitched. “Yes, but do we really think he’d trust anyone enough to leave them here on their own for weeks?”

“Probably not.” Dante scanned the nests once more, the sea breeze ruffling his feathers. Could they really have a random demon on their hands? “If someone else got free, what are they doing sniffing around my birds if they aren’t working with Luc?”

“I don’t know. If it were me, I’d be as far from Shearwater Landing as possible. Whoever escaped had to know Luc was coming here. It can’t be a coincidence. Why risk getting discovered?”

Exactly. “They must be working together.”

Ash crossed his arms. “Or they’re after us too.”

A heavy feeling settled over Dante’s chest. “Fuck. In that case, we’ll have to find them first. Tracking them shouldn’t be hard now that you’ve sensed their magic.”

“I’ll get on it.” Ash stooped, picked up a small rock buzzing with power, and placed it in his pocket. “See you back at the house. We don’t have long until Onyx’s art thing.” He said art like the concept was ridiculous. “At least we’ll be able to pin Onyx down and update him.”

“I’m sure Onyx will find a way to slip out of dealing with this.” Dante gestured to the nests. “He’s been avoiding me.”

Ash cocked his head. “Haven’t you been seeing a lot of him lately?”

“No, I’ve been out flying with the birds. Onyx keeps brushing me off. That’s why I insisted we go to the show tonight.”