"What are you doing?"
Aimee jumped at the unexpected sound of Dev's angry tone coming out of the darkness of the hallway while she was trying to slip out without being seen. Why hadn't she just popped outside instead of going to the bathroom like a normal human being?
That'll learn you.
"Damn it, Devereaux Alexander Aubert Peltier, I swear I'm going to put a bell on you if you don't stop sneaking around here without making any noise! What do you do? Wait until I leave my room to pounce on me like a cat with a mouse?"
Narrowing his gaze on her, he crossed his arms over his chest in a tough stance. "You only get angry at me when I've caught you doing something you shouldn't be doing. So what are you up to?"
She tried not to look guilty, but it was hard. "I'm not doing anything."
He raked a look over her that said he knew better. "So why aren't you working tonight?"
"I didn't feel good."
He cast a pointed stare at her white sneakers. "Which is why you're dressed to go out?"
And she would have made it had he not butted in. "I didn't say I was going out."
He snorted. "Don't treat me like an idiot, Aim. I know you better than that. Something's up. It's been up for weeks now with your freaky disappearances. What is it?"
She let out an aggravated breath. He was right. For weeks she'd been searching for the Daimons to no avail. Those little rodents were good at hiding. "You wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain it."
"Try me."
Don't say a word. She saw this train wreck coming and yet there was no way to prevent it. If she didn't answer, he'd nag her until she did.
Or worse, follow her. The bear could be terribly annoying that way.
So with no choice, she opted for the truth. "Fine. I'm heading out to hunt Daimons."
He burst out laughing. "And I'm a flying fat fairy."
"Nice . . . Tinker Bell. Now if you'll excuse me."
He grabbed her arm to keep her by his side. "You're serious?"
"Like Maman about locking the back door."
He shook his head in total disbelief. "Why in the name of Olympus would you go out hunting a Daimon?"
She glanced down to the door where Fang's room was and knew she couldn't disappoint him. "Because if I don't, Fang will die."
He snorted. "Are you high?"
"No."
"C'mon, Aim, admit it. Heavy amounts of drugs are involved here. They have to be."
She shrugged his touch away. "I have to go."
He captured her again. "I don't think so. Last time I checked, we weren't Dark-Hunters and you've got no business going after a Daimon."
And once again, she pulled away from him. "What am I supposed to do, Dev? Vane was thrown out of here this morning and he has his hands full with his pack on his tail and the human he's now protecting. The last thing he needs is to know that Fang is far from safe. That demons are trying to kill him in another realm. It's not exactly something he can focus on right now."
"Aimee-"
"Devereaux," she snapped, mocking his sinister tone. "You know I can't just walk away."
"Why not?"
"Fang saved my life. Now his is threatened and he's asked for my help. You know what will happen if the Daimons keep his soul. Sooner or later, it will die and he will be trapped lifeless and soulless without friend or family-that's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, never mind a wolf who saved my life and yours. I only have a finite time to save him."
Dev growled low in his throat. "We only have a finite time."
"We?"
He gave her a harsh stare. "You didn't really expect me to just stand by and let you endanger your life, did you? If you're in, I'm in."
Aimee hugged him. "You're the best."
"No. I'm the worst. Maman will hand me my ass on a platter if she ever learns about this. I swear to the gods, I have to be the dumbest asshole on the planet to sign on for this."
"No. You're the greatest brother ever born and I will be forever in your debt."
"Oh, goody," he said with exaggerated happiness. "Just what I've always wanted." He let out a tired sigh before he groused, "So what are we doing?"
"Well, the Daimons attacked them in the swamp. That means that they're here in New Orleans . . . somewhere. I say we start hitting their usual haunts until we find them and expire their worthless hides."
"And how will we know when we find them?"
"I'll know. I've seen them."
He made another face of utterly exaggerated thrill. "And how will we know then, Wendy?"
She hated when he referred to her as the Peter Pan character. But she ignored his goad. "Fang showed me. Now let's get started."
He stopped her again. This time his face was dead serious and he was all business. "Showed you how?"
"In a dream."
That went over like a lead balloon. His eyes snapped fire at her. "Should I be banning you from his room?"
She rolled her eyes at his extremely overprotective nature, which was highly misplaced so long as Fang was in a coma. "Don't be ridiculous and we need to get going. Otherwise I'm going alone."
He curled his lip at her in a fierce grimace. "Fine, you pigheaded bear."
Fang hissed as the demon's blade cut through his side and came out his back. Infuriated, he grabbed the spear and held it in his side with one hand while he rebounded with an upward stroke of his sword that opened the demon's chest.
Screaming out, it died at his feet.
His side throbbing, Fang staggered back, panting from the pain as he wrenched the spear through his tissue and threw it to the ground. Sweat and blood covered him as a chill wind froze his skin and that nasty water lapped at his legs. He was so tired of this place. Of fighting every minute for survival. Part of him was ready to lie down and let them have him, but the other . . .
It didn't know how to give up or give in.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he lowered the sword he'd taken off another kill and listened to the howling winds that whipped around him. His entire body shook from the cold and agony of his wounds. The storm made it hard to tell if the Harvesters or demons were near and that was the worst part of all.
Twice Misery had stumbled upon him with her crew in tow and while he'd done his best, he had yet to kill that little bitch.
If only he could reach Vane and let him know what was happening. Vane would be a vital ally, but his brother wouldn't believe him. He kept thinking it was a dream or that he was crazy whenever he heard Fang's voice.
Damn you, Vane.
Only Aimee had responded to his call. Only she had believed that the hell he was locked in was real.
Aimee . . .
He sank down by a black tree to rest as an image of her sweet face hung in his mind. He swore he could still smell her. Feel the softness of her skin. And there in the darkness, he found momentary comfort in those thoughts.
Would he ever be able to hold her again?
Gods, to have five minutes where nothing was hunting him, where he wasn't fighting so that he could just hold her close and let her body soothe him.
A screech sounded over his head.
Fang pressed himself closer to the tree as he recognized the Reaper's call. They were taloned and winged demons who would rip apart any creature they found. There was nowhere safe here in this world. Everything was a predator.
Sometimes even the foliage.
But these spindly black trees had proven safe. They alone gave him shelter here. "At least I'm learning to fight as a human." Sickening though it was, he'd become quite accomplished over the months spent here.
Or was it years?
He was having a hard time judging time. But he could hear things from the other side. He knew Vane was mated and he'd heard the times his brother had cursed him for being selfish by not waking up.
As if he wanted to be here.
Only Aimee had continued to whisper comfort to him. Take your time, Fang. Sleep well. When nothing else could reach him, he'd felt her gentle hands on his skin.
And that kindness had kept him going and made him weak as he longed for a world he wasn't sure he'd ever reach again.
But she wasn't there tonight. He didn't feel or hear her at all. And that emptiness was far worse than the horrors that made up this netherworld.
Fang cocked his head as he heard the Reaper approach. Glancing about, he tried to find a better place to hide.
There. To his left was a cave.
He headed for it, hoping there wasn't something worse inside it, waiting to attack. But as he neared the opening, a sharp white stab hit him straight in his chest. The pain was so severe it sent him skittering to the ground where he tried to rise again.
He couldn't. The agony was paralyzing.
The Reaper honed in on him.
Fang cursed. He reached for his sword, but another stab caught him and pinned him to the ground.
Unable to bear it, he screamed out and as he did so, he felt a jolt inside. Warm and fierce, it spread through him like lava.
It was his powers.
Gasping, he threw his hand out toward the Reaper and sent a blast straight at it. The demon screeched as it was fried on the spot.
Fang let out a victorious cry as he realized what had happened.
Aimee had killed one of the Daimons and freed part of his soul. Though he still wasn't whole, he at least had something better than his own two hands to protect himself with. For that he owed her everything.
"That a girl. Baby, I could kiss you!" He held his hand up and saw the small glow of power emanating from his fingertips. He threw his hand out and blasted the tree where he'd been a few moments before.
It went up in flames.
Clenching his hand into a fist, he had one more thing he was dying to try.
Fang closed his eyes and tried to shift forms so that he could be a wolf again.
Nothing happened.
"Damn it." He was still human.
It was okay. At least he had some of his powers back and right now that was worth everything to him.
"So you have a helper. . . ."
He spun around to find Misery there. How the hell was she able to do that? It was like she had a beacon on him.
On instinct, he shot a blast at her. She rolled away from it and returned it with one of her own.
Fang twisted away before it struck him and bent down to retrieve his sword. He slashed at her feet, but she was as quick as the wind.
Her laughter rang in his ears. "Cey! We have a new victim!" She smiled brightly at Fang. "By her actions tonight, you've opened the door for us. Thank you, wolf."
Fang lunged at her. "Don't you touch her!"
Laughing, she vanished before he could make contact.
He howled in frustration. "You bitch! Come back here." But he knew it was no good. Misery didn't listen to him.
"Aimee," he whispered. "Please guard your back."
Aimee!"
Aimee cursed as Dev snatched her back. "What?"
He pointed to the piece of missing sidewalk at her feet. "You were about to trip."
"Well, you don't have to scream at me. Sheez!" Her heart was pounding from the scare he'd given her. Here they were hunting Daimons and he was afraid she'd trip on a piece of sidewalk?
The bear was out of his mind and had a most screwed-up sense of priorities.
He flashed her a taunting grin. "Yelling at you is what I do second best."
She snorted. "I would ask what your first best is, but I don't think I want to know. Man-whore that you are, I'm sure it involves women somehow."
He laughed as he led her down a side street. "I'm not sure we're going to find any more of your Daimon friends tonight. Looks like they're fat and happy and hiding."
She hated to admit it, but he was probably right. They'd been searching for hours. "We're lucky we got the one. There's no telling where the others are."
"How many are we looking for anyway?"
"Nine. Well, eight now."
He gaped indignantly at the number. "Eight? Are you out of your friggin' mind? Nine? How do you propose we find eight unknown Daimons?"
She shrugged. "We could always invite them to Sanctuary and kill them out back."
He rolled his eyes at her. "You've gone mental, haven't you?"
"Well, I'm out here with you. It kind of says it all."
He let out a long-suffering sigh as if she were torturing him. "And to think I could be at the door right now, checking out long legs and short skirts."
She gestured toward the street. "Don't let me keep you."
Dev's face went pale as he looked past her.
Aimee turned her head to see what he was looking at, then froze as she saw the shadows stepping out of the walls. These weren't Daimons.
They were demons.
And they were coming for them.