Damian's Assassin

"Stay with me," he whispered.

She touched his face, then his hair, her cool power soothing him. He wanted to lose himself in her warmth and liveliness on his last night. Something bad was going to happen when he faced Czerno. Without Damian and Jule and with Darian not yet able to take his place as the Grey God, he wasn't going to walk away from this weekend alive.

*****

She awoke alone. Stretching, she couldn't ever remember feeling so relaxed or deeply sated. Or sore. She grimaced. She wasn't surprised to find him gone. Her skin smelled of their lovemaking, her hair and the sheets of him. She recalled the unforgettable night with a deep flush, still feeling his hot mouth and touch branding her body.

She was in one of the main rooms of the mansion. She looked down at the swing of a necklace grazing her chest. It was too short for her to see clearly, and she crossed to the mirror on the other side of the room.

He'd given her his necklace, as if marking her as his. She fingered it and took in her glowing features. She changed clothes, ravenous. Her phone vibrated as she trotted down the stairs, and she glanced down, smiling to see he'd texted.

Stay inside the gate.

Puzzled, she started to respond when someone rushed down the stairs by her. She recognized the petite blonde, who wrenched open the door and ran.

"Sofi!" Toni bellowed, tearing after her. "Stop, Sofi!"

Stay with Sofi. This text came from the Watcher. Bianca jogged after the two, who raced towards a small crowd at the opened gate of the compound. Her breath caught as she saw Talon leaning against a black car.

The devil was with him.

"Darian!" Sofi cried.

Darian was cowering at the gate-line, his wide shoulders hunched and his frame shaking. Toni snatched Sofi's arm before she could reach him, then grabbed her as she neared.

"He can't enter," he said harshly, angry gaze on the devil. "Dusty's wards keep him out."

"They'll come to me, my friend," the devil replied with a small smile. "Won't you, Darian." The devil's smile grew as his cold eyes took all of them and settled on Bianca's necklace.

Bianca shivered and moved closer to Toni.

"I was a bit pissed this morning to have my condo blown out from under me and quite a few of my vamps vaporized," the devil said, glancing down at clothing displaying signs of burns and plaster. "Thought I'd return the favor."

"Darian, come here," Sofi called.

"Stay where you are, Darian," the devil replied, gazing at the blonde. "It's been awhile, love. Ready to take your place?"