Page 23 of Wicked (Dark Delights #5)

Shadrach

Shadrach knew the others—namely, Talon—would lose their shit if they knew Isaac had told Sloan about the Rink, so he did them all a favor and kept the information to himself.

No one was making a move on the Sentinels right now, anyway.

The last they’d heard was that Sloan couldn’t get council approval to attack, and he doubted that would change any time soon.

Still, he lingered there, just in case. Luke and Alex had gone out on patrol for the night, and the rest of them were milling about the Rink as usual.

The air smelled like the tacos they’d had for dinner.

Zachary and Angela, the teens they’d all but adopted, were halfheartedly practicing with wooden swords out in the training area.

Shadrach watched them absentmindedly, lost in the memory of a cemetery with a pretty ginger pressed up against a blurry headstone.

A large presence leaned against the half-wall beside him. “You’ve been here a lot,” Wolf said, tapping his beer bottle to Shadrach’s .

He shrugged one shoulder. “Where else am I going to go?”

Wolf’s pale brows rose slightly, and his blond braid fell to dangle over his shoulder. “Hell if I know. You always seem to be off doing something , though.”

He couldn’t explain without sounding like a jackass.

Nothing else matters now , he wanted to say, and he was angry with himself that it was both pathetically melodramatic and yet true .

Meeting Isaac had rearranged his entire world.

If all he had was fleeting moments in Isaac’s dreams from now on, he would take it, but it would never be enough to satisfy him.

He wanted to own the man. Wrap his fingers around his throat and sink his teeth beneath his skin.

It would never fucking be enough, but if he said any of it aloud he’d sound unhinged.

He braced his hands on the wall and shook his head.

Wolf clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ve all been there, y’know.”

“Been where?” He couldn’t hide the exasperation in his tone. He was getting a little tired of everyone here assuming they knew exactly what he was going through. None of their humans had run away from them.

“That frantic ‘can’t get enough of them’ feeling you’re going through. We’ve all been there.”

A low growl tripped out of him. “Really? You know what it feels like to have your human run away from you?”

Wolf smiled patiently. “Me, no. Ira knew before me that we belonged together. But he was taken from me, remember? You’re the one who helped bring him back to me.”

“Mine almost died,” Malachi said, strolling over to join them. “The paladins tried to kill him. I didn’t even know my blood could heal him until Talon told me. Luke probably wouldn’t have made it if he hadn’t.”

“You’re welcome,” Talon called from the snack bar, where he was mixing himself a drink.

Shadrach carded one hand roughly through his hair.

“He’s just… He’s too far . I need to see him.

I need to…” He stopped. He needed to touch him.

Smell him. Taste him. With a growl, he exclaimed, “Why is it like this ? Why do we feel this way? I’ve been with countless humans.

None of them have ever mattered. Why is this one different? ”

Wolf shook his head, as zen as ever. “We don’t know. But I promise, you’ll be glad for it eventually.”

“I’ll be glad that I feel so—so—” He couldn’t even think of the right word for it.

“In love?” Wolf suggested.

“Enchanted?” Malachi offered, pulling himself up to sit on the wall.

Shadrach glared at them. “Stupid,” he decided. “It makes me feel stupid.”

Wolf gestured at the Rink around them. “Look at us, Shadrach. Look at what we’re building here. All of us have found our humans and wound up with them here. And before you ask, no, Ira hasn’t told me anything about your future with him. But there’s a pattern taking place here. Can’t you see it?”

Shadrach sighed. He was right. Four times now, a demon had found his human and wound up working here. It would be just his luck that he would be the odd one out, though.

“The difference,” he said, “is that your humans wanted to be with you, too.”

Malachi chuckled. “Not at first. ”

“Hell no,” Storm agreed from beside the air hockey table. “Nate put up a huge fight.”

“He wore me down eventually,” Nathan said, casting Storm a fond smile. “And they’re right. It’s a good thing he did. I wouldn’t change a thing that led me here. This is where I’m meant to be.”

“Ugh.” Shadrach turned away. They were always so mushy with each other.

A shout from outside caught the demons’ attention.

Shadrach turned as Talon set his glass down hard and rushed toward the door as it swung open.

Alex and Luke stumbled inside, and Luke doubled over, breathing hard.

Malachi leaped off the wall and ran to his side, tugging him up and cradling his face to peer at him.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Alex, right beside the door, had collapsed to the floor, leaning back against the wall. Talon knelt beside him, brushing his sweat-damp hair back from his forehead.

“We’re okay,” Alex said. “We were attacked by halflings. Some of Lilith’s people.”

“ What ?” Talon snarled. He tried to stand, but Alex snagged his hand and pulled him back down.

“Chill out. We killed them. And we’re already healing.”

“What do you mean already healing?” Malachi asked. Softer, he asked Luke, “You were hurt?”

“Maybe a broken rib or two,” Luke said, putting his hands on his head to ease his breathing. “It’s better now. One of them had a baseball bat.”

“They what ?” Malachi’s red eyes blazed with fury.

“What about you?” Talon asked Alex. “Are you hurt?”

“My leg. They dislocated my knee. It’s okay. I can tell the swelling’s going down, because my jeans aren’t so tight around it anymore, and it’s not hurting as badly.”

With a growl, Talon scooped Alex into his arms and picked him up. “You’re sitting somewhere comfortable until I can be sure you’re well.”

Alex chuckled, curling against Talon’s chest and resting his head on his shoulder. Talon settled him on the sofa, fetched him a bottle of water from the fridge, and when he returned to his side, he knelt at his feet.

“How many were there?” he asked. “Did they say anything?”

Alex and Luke looked at each other, and Alex shook his head minutely. Talon’s eyes narrowed as he glanced between them.

“No, no secrecy,” Talon protested. “What did they say , little bird?”

Alex sighed. “They said… the easiest way to draw you out and get the money was by using me.”

Talon went dangerously still, like a cat about to strike. Shadrach recognized it, but as usual, Alex held no fear toward the frightening leviathan. He reached out, cupping Talon’s face.

“We killed them,” he said. “All of them.”

“How many were there?” Talon asked.

“Five,” Luke said, lowering his arms with a wince. One hand brushed his side, but he gave Malachi a reassuring nod. “We’re probably lucky their goal was capture and not kill. Otherwise they might’ve brought guns.”

It wouldn’t be the first time demons had turned guns on mortals. Shadrach’s gaze slid to Nathan, who’d been shot during the battle at the guild not long ago. Yes, they were lucky the halflings hadn’t thought to employ the possessors’ tactics.

Talon’s fingers curled around Alex’s thighs. “I’m going to find her,” he swore. “And I’ll rip her fucking head off for this.”

Alex smiled, sappy and fond. He pressed a sweet kiss to Talon’s lips. “I know, Tal. And I’ll be cheering you on when you do. Just don’t forget that I’m a fighter.”

“I know you can take care of yourself, but they shouldn’t be coming after you.”

Shadrach spoke without thinking. “Of course they’re coming after him. He’s your weak link.”

Talon shot him a withering glare, to which Shadrach just laughed.

“Give me a break, Talon,” he said. “The best way to hurt any of you is through your humans. They might have your blood, but they’re still human.

They’re weaker and more vulnerable than we are, and they know you all would do anything to protect them.

You have one glaring weakness, and it’s sitting right in front of you. ”

As he spoke, Talon’s expression changed from furious to bleak, and when he turned toward Alex, the human softened, kissing Talon’s forehead.

“For the last time,” Alex said, “we killed them. Our injuries are already healed. We’re fine. Look.” He pulled the hem of his jeans up his leg as far as he could, giving Talon a view of his normal-looking knee, no swelling or discoloration to be found.

Talon curled forward and kissed his knee, and Shadrach turned away, the intimacy of it like a thorn in his side.

“Good,” Talon said. “But they won’t stop until we find Lilith.”

“We’ll find her,” Alex said confidently. “We just have to?—”

“Quiet!” Malachi barked suddenly, and everyone in the room obeyed.

No one moved, their eyes darting from one to the other. And then, somewhere out in the parking lot, gravel crunched quietly. Malachi raised his finger to his ear, and Shadrach caught his eye and nodded. He’d heard it, too.

“What is it?” Luke whispered, staring at Malachi.

“Get weapons,” Malachi said, gesturing to the others. Luke still wore his sword on his back, and he drew it gravely. “Someone’s outside.”

The rest of the demons converged near the door while the humans armed themselves.

“I don’t sense a demonic presence,” Talon said. “They’re not halflings.”

Oh shit, Shadrach thought. If they weren’t demonic, they could be paladins.

It could be Isaac. Maybe he came back.

He took a step toward the door, hope seizing his breath, but the figure that appeared on the other side of the glass wasn’t his elusive human. Wearing black tactical gear, human after human swarmed into the room, each wielding a holy blade.

“Fuck!” Talon snarled. With a wave of his hand, he sent one hurtling into the wall.

Shadrach took aim lower, using his power to sweep two of their legs out from under them.

After that, it was chaos. The Sentinels dove into the fray.

The nearest paladin aimed for Shadrach, and he dodged the arcing sword with smooth movements.

He grabbed the human’s wrist, twisting until he screamed.

Another one turned toward the sound, rushing toward him. Shadrach kicked him away with a snarl.

“Do it!” one of the paladins shouted. “Do it now!”

Near the door, one of the paladins dropped his sword and hastily pulled what looked like two palm-sized stones from a pouch on his pocket.

“The fuck is that?” Storm shouted, with a paladin in a headlock.

The paladin struck the stones together, and Shadrach caught a glimpse of white-gold sigils glowing with ethereal power on the stones’ surface.

Raising his hands out to his sides, the stones began to glow, brighter and brighter.

A high-pitched noise filled the air, like a deafening train whistle.

Shadrach abandoned his grip on the paladin’s wrist to clamp his hands over his ears, and he wasn’t alone.

Around him, the others were doing the same, shrinking away from the light, leaving the humans standing around them, unaffected.

“What is that?” Alex shouted. “It’s hurting them! Stop it!”

He and the others lunged, but there were too many paladins in the way.

Shadrach’s hands did nothing to shield him from the light and the sound. Distantly, he felt someone knock into him, but it barely registered. This was worse than Hell, worse than any pain he’d ever felt. He opened his mouth and screamed .