Page 28

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ASH

Ash paced back and forth along Dante’s balcony, taking a brief break from tracking Arthur Nightingale. He scowled. The witch proved elusive. Of course he’d be easier to track if Ash had a sense of his magic firsthand rather than through his similarity to Harper, but there wasn’t anything Ash could do about that.

Nearby, Dante leaned against the railing, his eyes clouded a milky white as he connected with his flock. He blinked, his gaze clearing. “Everything at the complex is quiet and no one at the port or library is doing much.”

“Good.” Ash scrubbed his stubble-lined chin. “I’m grateful your birds can keep watch for us.” Without the shearwaters, Ash wouldn’t be able to keep tabs on every witch, especially while searching for Arthur.

“Wow, you’re finally acknowledging their merit,” Dante teased before saying more seriously, “Anytime you need my birds, let me know. I want Harper to be safe as much as you do.”

“Thank you, Dante.” Ash clasped his shoulder, their folded wings brushing. “We need to figure out what’s been killing your shearwaters. I wonder—” Ash’s throat tightened, and he choked on a cough.

Dante’s brows knitted together. “Are you all right?”

Ash nodded—it was nothing—but he coughed again. He pulled in a deep lungful of air, and it burned all the way down. “What in damnation?”

Dante gripped Ash by the shoulders. “What’s going on?”

“My throat. Fuck, it hurts.” Ash gasped and coughed.

“Could it be Luc?” Dante’s gaze turned assessing and his magic washed over Ash. “Could he be cursing you from afar?”

Ash’s head spun, and he couldn’t speak. His vision flickered. Fuck. He grasped the railing, doubling over, coughing.

“I can’t detect anything.” Dante hauled Ash up. “I’d sense a powerful spell if Luc were attacking you.”

“Then w-what is t-this?” Ash sputtered.

Dante’s face paled. “You haven’t mated with Harper, right?”

Ash shook his head. “Not yet. He wanted to, but we d-decided to wait. I need him to understand—” He choked and couldn’t continue.

Dante’s eyes widened as they darted over Ash. “When we mate, we’re completely connected. You’d feel his pain, but if you haven’t mated…”

Ash’s chest tightened, and he pressed his palm over his heart. “We haven’t mated, but we intend to. Making the promise seemed to strengthen our connection. What if—” His words cut off as he took a wheezing breath.

Dante nodded in understanding. “What if the mating bond isn’t all or nothing. The ritual completes it, but your bond has already started knitting you and Harper together.”

“ Harper ,” Ash gasped, ice racing through his veins.

The full bond would allow them to share subtle emotions as well as physical sensations like pain or pleasure, but at this stage, was it possible for serious pain to travel down the partially formed connection?

It was the only thing that made sense. Harper must be in grave danger.

Ash cast out for the tracking spell he’d placed on Harper, only to find it completely severed. “I can’t find him. Someone broke my spell.”

Ash’s pulse raced. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Dante’s eyes clouded over. “No one from the coven has moved, and there’s nothing around Harper’s apartment.” His white eyes darted back and forth, seeing through his birds. “I can’t see Harper through his window, but I wasn’t watching his building before.”

Ash gripped Dante’s forearms, sweat breaking out on his brow. “I fucked up. Harper’s coven can’t have gotten to him. Not at home. What if it’s Luc?”

“How? Luc can’t be here. We wouldn’t miss him. You’d be able to tell if he broke your spell protecting Harper’s building.”

Pain seared through Ash’s throat. He gritted his teeth, breathing ragged, and dug deep into his magic, searching the city for any sign of Luc’s magic.

Power flared like a beacon.

“He’s here,” Ash growled, his demon fire flaring and vaporizing the sweat clinging to his skin.

Dante’s white eyes cleared, his black fire burning. “How the Hell did he get past us?”

“We can figure it out later. We have to go.”

They launched into the sky, wings pumping at full speed.

“I’ll send my birds ahead. Where is he?” Dante called.

“The Docks. Near the river.” Ash could feel the location of Luc’s magic but couldn’t see exactly where it was. “It’s dark. He must be in a building. ”

“Got it,” Dante called in triumph. “The flock found his magic. He’s in an abandoned warehouse.”

“Why couldn’t we find him before?” Ash shouted, anger the only thing keeping his fear at bay. He should have sensed Luc approaching well before he got to the city.

“I don’t know.” Dante’s tone was filled with frustration and a hint of uneasiness. “Whatever Luc was doing to hide, he isn’t doing it now.”

“He’ll be expecting us.” Ash flew faster, even though it was likely a trap. His mate was in danger and nothing else mattered.

Ash’s coughing and pain were gone. Was that good or bad? Would he feel if Harper died? He tried to grab hold of the bond and couldn’t.

It didn’t mean anything. Harper was still alive. He had to be.

Without Harper, nothing mattered. Ash would kill Luc. Consequences and countless years of friendship be damned. Luc could do whatever he wanted to Ash—betray him, imprison him, hunt him, torture him—but not Harper.

Ash beat his wings so hard they felt like they were on fire. He had to get to Harper. He had to fix this. He wouldn’t be too late. He couldn’t be.

Dante kept pace with him, and soon, a building swarmed with shearwaters came into view. The birds cried and darted around, making way for the two demons as they sped through the flock and landed behind the warehouse.

Ash ran for the back door and ripped it open, pulling it from its hinges.

He rushed inside, Dante at his back. A wall of fire greeted him, red and deep orange as Lucifer’s flames always were. Ash surrounded himself in his own golden-orange fire, protecting himself as he walked through Luc’s burning barrier.

Lucifer held Harper by the throat, limp and unmoving. No .

The Devil’s glowing eyes fixed on Ash, and he jerked back as if in surprise. He hadn’t expected Ash to come? Was this not a trap?

Fuck, it didn’t matter.

Ash’s fire flared. He charged forward and ripped Harper from Lucifer’s clutches, his fire engulfing his mate in a protective shield.

He cradled Harper to his chest. Was he dead? A cut marred Harper’s cheek. Ash whimpered, fingers trailing over Harper’s blue lips. No. They were supposed to be pink.

“Harper, sweetheart,” he choked. If Harper died, he might die along with him.

The faintest breath caressed Ash’s fingertips, puffing past Harper’s blue lips.

Ash’s world stopped and restarted. Harper wasn’t dead. Color slowly chased away the horrible tinge to his usually rosy cheeks, and Ash’s knees threatened to buckle.

“Lucifer,” he growled, fixing a deadly stare on the demon he’d once called a friend. “I’ll flay you and feast on your fucking heart for this.”

Luc seemed recovered from his momentary surprise, glancing mockingly between Ash and Dante, who’d crossed Luc’s flaming circle behind Ash. “For what? Hurting your fuck toy?”

Ash roared. He’d have ripped Luc’s head off if he hadn’t been consumed by the need to hold Harper close. He’d never let go of his mate again.

Maybe he could chew Lucifer’s head from his shoulders. He wouldn’t need to set Harper down to do that.

Lucifer laughed. “So touchy. What’s happened to you, Ash? Telling little witches lies about mates and obsessing over them. You’ve lost your senses since I last saw you.”

“Harper is my mate.” Ash held his flower tighter against his chest. “You’ll pay for laying a single finger on him. We may not be in the Eternal Realm, but this is still a punishable offense.”

“Then make me pay,” Luc taunted, spreading his arms wide. “What are you going to do about it? Or are your threats nothing but more lies?”

Dante stepped forward, his nostrils flaring. “Ash isn’t lying. Harper is his mate. Luc, what are you playing at? Did Harper tell you he was Ash’s mate? And you hurt him anyway? Mates are sacred. You know that.”

“Give it a rest, Dante,” Luc snapped.

“No,” Dante shouted. “What are you doing? Destroying everything in your path whether you need to or not? I don’t know how you got past us and into the city but come for us if you want. Leave the innocents alone.”

Lucifer chuckled. “Innocents. Your temper’s gotten worse. Did looking for me send you over the edge?”

Dante growled, baring his fangs.

Luc shook his head like a disappointed father. “Calm down, Dante. You’re going to pop a blood vessel.”

Taking advantage of Luc’s distraction, Ash pierced his wrist with his fang. Blood trickled from the wound, and he pressed it to Harper’s lips.

The magic in Ash’s blood would enhance Harper’s healing magic tenfold. Harper seemed to have been strangled, and since he was breathing, Ash’s magic should heal him faster than the injuries could kill him.

Ash got here in time. But only just.

Harper’s breathing was so weak.

A tear ran down Ash’s cheek. Witches were so fragile, not much stronger than humans. If only they’d mated, Harper would have recovered quickly, all on his own. Luc could have killed Harper, and as long as he didn’t drain all of Harper’s blood or cut off his head, Harper would have come back.

“Let me guess.” Luc’s snide voice pulled Ash back into the conversation. “You were searching for me by tracking my magic?”

Dante’s black-flamed eyes narrowed. “Not just your magic.”

“No? I guess I’m just that much more accomplished at illusions than the rest of you. Invisibility is so basic .” Lucifer’s lip curled.

Harper stirred in Ash’s arms. He sucked in a deep breath and his eyes popped open, instantly finding Ash’s.

Ash pressed a finger to Harper’s now-pink lips, and Harper stilled. The cut on his cheek was already gone and the bruise on his neck was fading fast.

“I’ve been wearing an illusion of you three,” Luc continued, glancing around as if looking for Onyx. He didn’t seem bothered not to find his brother. “You couldn’t find me because I cloaked myself in your magic, making mine undetectable and masking me against any tracking. I still have some of your power. I never used all of what I stole. Never realized that, did you? Even your winged pests couldn’t find me, Dante. All they detected when they saw me was your own magic, a complete illusion making them think I was you. It was perfect. However…” His gaze landed on Ash. “I made a mistake.”

A mistake? Dante caught Ash’s eye, brows raised. Luc never admitted mistakes. It was like a punch to the face.

Luc went on as if his admission had been nothing. “I must have broken my illusion by revealing my true self to Harper. He’d seen me before, which was fine because he mistook me for human, but when he realized I was a demon, something must have changed. I suppose my spell was no longer all-encompassing. I should have realized a small crack was as good as shattering the whole thing.”

Harper turned in Ash’s arms and faced Lucifer, who wrinkled his nose at the sight of Harper conscious again. “Seems like you wasted your big advantage,” Harper snarled, almost as growly as a demon.

Ash’s chest swelled. His fierce mate. Fuck, Harper was perfect.

Luc sneered. “Like I’d make a move with only one advantage.”

Ash had enough of talking. He released his hold on Harper even though it was like letting go of a piece of his soul, his body cold and empty without his mate. He stepped in front of Harper, shielding him from Luc’s unworthy gaze and encasing Harper in his protective fire.

“It’s not an advantage to be caught off guard.” Ash bared his fangs and launched into the air.

He came down on Lucifer hard, knocking him onto his back. Ash gripped his throat. Luc raked his claws down Ash’s arms, drawing blood, but Ash felt no pain. He beat his wings, using the force to press Luc into the cement floor.

Dante appeared at his side, pulling a glowing vial from his pocket.

Lucifer shot a bolt of red lightning into the center of Ash’s chest. Ash’s heart stopped and his body jolted, his grip tightening on Lucifer, crushing his throat. He couldn’t move.

His magic raced to repair his heart. Fuck! At least he hadn’t lost consciousness.

Luc pushed Ash off him, sending another bolt of lightning at Ash’s chest and stopping Ash’s heart just as it started to beat again. It wouldn’t kill him permanently, but Ash was completely incapacitated while his heart healed.

Luc turned on Dante, his lip curled back in a snarl as his crushed neck healed itself.

Movement flashed behind Luc. Harper stooped to the ground, blazing bright with Ash’s fire. When had he circled around them all? Ash caught a determined look on his flower’s face.

His unbeating heart swelled with affection.

Harper gathered dust from the floor and threw it at Luc, muttering a spell. The dust sparked, hitting Luc in the back of the head.

Lucifer screamed and whirled around, only for Harper to hit him in the face with more dust. The flesh on Luc’s face burned as if the dust were acid, but his rapid healing closed the wounds quickly.

Luc lunged for Harper just as movement returned to Ash’s body. He grabbed Luc by the wing and pulled him to the ground. As he fell, Luc hit Ash with another lightning bolt.

Ash’s teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked. Fuck .

Luc turned on Dante, not bothering to get up, his hands sparking as he prepared another blast. Dante threw the glowing contents of the vial in Luc’s face.

A flash of white light filled the room.

Ash’s retinas burned, and he saw stars. Once his vision cleared, he took a staggering step forward, heart beating slowly.

Luc was frozen, his eyes open and unmoving.

Dante pocketed the empty vial. “It won’t last long.”

“What was that?” Harper asked.

Ash released his protective fire, and Harper rushed into his arms.

“A sedative potion. I’ve been strengthening it with my blood for years.” Dante nudged Luc’s shoulder with his foot. “It won’t work as well as it would have if he’d swallowed it. We have to act fast.”

“I didn’t know demons could brew,” Harper said, words coming out in a rush.

Dante gave him an affectionate grin, temporarily banishing the harsh furrow in his brow. “Witches got their powers from demons. I don’t think there’s anything a witch can do that we can’t. But we can discuss that later.”

“Yes, later.” Ash folded one of Luc’s wings against his body. “He’s going to be a beast to transport in his full form.”

Dante grunted in agreement. “We need to get him to Onyx so we can open the prison.”

They’d crafted a cell for Lucifer weeks ago. The prison wasn’t tied to a location on Earth, so a gateway to the inter-realm cell could be opened anywhere, but they didn’t have enough power to open it without Onyx.

If only the petulant demon hadn’t stormed off.

“What about Harper?” Ash’s gut twisted. “We can’t carry him and Luc all the way to Onyx.” It would take both Ash and Dante to carry a deadweight demon with his full wingspan.

“I’ll be okay.” Harper pulled out his phone. “I’ll book a ride home and stay in the apartment. Unless Lucifer broke your protections? I don’t know how he got onto the roof of my building.”

The roof? What the hell? How had Harper ended up on the roof with Luc? “Lucifer must have been able to get past my protections using his illusion. He wouldn’t have had to break my spell. I set it to allow me, Dante, or Onyx in without trouble.”

“Shit, his disguise was almost foolproof.” Harper looked up from his phone. “The car is two minutes away.”

“Great. We can wait for it to arrive, but then we need to go. I’ll call Onyx.” Dante pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear.

Ash pulled Harper close. “I’m so sorry, sweet. I let you down.”

Harper met his eye. “No, Ash, you saved me.”

Ash’s chest tightened. He’d almost lost his flower. “It was too close a call. Luc broke my tracking spell, and I almost didn’t get here in time. ”

“But you found me. You did get here in time.”

Ash ran a hand through Harper’s hair. “Yes, but if Luc hadn’t broken his own illusion, I wouldn’t have been able to. Here, let me recast the tracking before you go.” He hurried to redo the spell so he wouldn’t lose Harper again.

“The car’s here.” Harper showed Ash the notification on his phone.

He nodded, taking the extra few moments to complete his spell before releasing Harper.

Dante picked up Luc’s legs. “We need to go. Onyx isn’t answering.”

Fucking typical. Ash grunted, clasping Harper’s shoulder. “Go straight home.” Harper nodded, and Ash pulled him into a crushing kiss. “I’ll be there soon.”

“And I’ll be waiting for you.” Harper smiled softly.

Ash’s chest swelled, his feathers ruffling. He was so proud of his mate. Even after facing the Devil, Harper hardly seemed shaken.

Dante blinked, his eyes going white, then clearing. “The coven members haven’t moved. You should be good to go.”

Ash held Harper tight. Not dealing with Luc would be a grave mistake, but how was he supposed to let Harper walk away?

“Go.” Harper pushed Ash toward Dante, extracting himself from Ash’s hold. “I’ll be fine at home. Promise.” With a wave, he rushed out of the building.

Ash grabbed Lucifer’s upper body, getting hold of his wings as best as he could, and together, he and Dante dragged him outside.

With a glance to ensure Harper got into the car, Ash and Dante launched into the air.