Call of the Siren(103)

“Let’s go.” Lina flew toward Belpheg, noting with immense satisfaction that the other members of her party had dispatched their enemies and were also headed toward the dark fae.

Oh, she didn’t kid herself. He was so strong he might be able to kill them all with one simple flick of his wrist. But they weren’t going to abandon anyone who’d helped them.

Not even a brother they hadn’t known existed, or an incubus stranger with questionable ethics.

“Tenos,” Keegan yelled the moment they converged behind Belpheg.

Tenos murmured something incomprehensible, and the air around them hissed with static. Taking note of it, Belpheg abandoned his torture of the two men and turned to face them. Without the slightest bit of concern on his face, he moved his wrist.

A bolt of electricity sizzled from his hand, but it merged with whatever force field Tenos had managed to raise, causing Lina no more than a shuddering twitch when a single bolt of energy ran through her body.

Nice.

She glanced at Tenos with newfound appreciation. That he’d even managed to raise a barrier to hold back a fraction of the dark fae’s power was beyond impressive, especially considering he only had the moon to pull magic from, while in contrast, Belpheg’s entire body reverberated with power.

Frowning, Belpheg focused his attention on the moon elf.

A crackle of lightning burst through the air, rending the force field Tenos had set into place and striking him directly in the chest. Tenos howled and dropped to his knees. His back bowed in agony.

“No!” Keegan lifted his sword and tried to rush Belpheg, but the dark fae waved his hand, and Keegan bounced back as if he’d hit a massive rubber ball.

Lina’s chest wound tight as she watched Tenos’ skin began to sizzle and boil.

Oh gods.

Her stomach threatened to heave at the gruesome sight. Just when she would have turned away, something moved in the corner of her vision.

Rage.

The man had managed to rise to his feet and pick up a dagger from the ground. Though he swayed like he was going to pass out at any moment, and strips of his skin were still flayed from his chest and face, he staggered forward and leaped onto Belpheg’s back. He jabbed the dagger toward Belpheg’s neck.

He missed.

The dagger slid into the area directly above Belpheg’s clavicle, rendering a non-deadly blow.

Belpheg yelled, the sound more enraged than pained. He whirled around, bucking Rage off, and the wounded vampire landed in a limp heap several feet away.

“Solara, now,” Keegan growled.

Solara lifted her hand and a stream of energy shot from it, striking Belpheg square in the back. He bellowed and whirled to face them, but when he raised his arm to whip a crackle of lightning in their direction, Solara’s energy field countered it.

Holy shit, the dark fae was growing weaker before their very eyes! It appeared breaking the circle had done more than save the Council. It had weakened him.

“What—no,” Belpheg gasped, gazing in horror at his twitching fingers.

As one, they rushed toward him.

Lina lifted her daggers, but just as she neared Belpheg, he held up his other hand.

She came to a slamming halt, then flew backward, landing on her back with a flesh-numbing thump.

“Aw, shit,” she groaned as she sat up.

“You okay?” Dagan panted from where he’d landed beside her. Of the two of them, he recovered first, jumping up and holding out his hand.

“Yeah.” Chest heaving, she took Dagan’s hand and scrambled to her feet.

Belpheg erupted into husky laughter. His eyes traveled over each and every one of them. “Did you really think you could rise against me? Make me feel pain? Don’t you know how powerful I am? More powerful than every one of you.”

“Maybe,” Lina replied, unable to help herself. She exchanged a quick glance with Dagan. “But we have one thing you don’t.”

“Oh?” One of his brows lifted imperiously. “And what could that possibly be?”

“Each other,” Dagan said.

That was their silent cue to act.

One of Amara’s succubus friends—Brianna—lifted a hand, and suddenly Belpheg’s veins began to glow a fiery red.

His eyes widened, and he lifted his hands to stare at the swollen blood vessels, murmuring, “Stronger than I expected…”

“That’s right, asshole,” Brianna snarled.

A glimmer of something that almost looked like fear sparked in his eyes, and he flicked his hand in her direction. When a lightning bolt of energy smacked into her, she went flying across the field, landing twenty feet away in a pile of sizzling flesh.

“No,” Amara screamed.

Belpheg let out a hoarse chuckle. “You really think you can stop me? You’re nothing but insects to me.”