Despite his anxiety over Lina, Dagan’s throat constricted with the acknowledgement that his brother was putting so much trust in him. After all they’d gone through, the fact that Ronin was trusting him to save Lina could only mean one thing: he really did believe in him.
And I won’t let you down.
With a flick of his shoulders, Ronin grew his full, white wings. They extended from the long, jagged slits that had rent his dark, fitted shirt the first time he’d grown his wings upon landing in this dimension. One powerful stroke was all it took to propel him toward Dagan. He snatched him up, and they soared toward the edge of the lake.
The wind whipped through Dagan’s hair, carrying with it a bite of chill. Demons didn’t feel heat and cold in the same way humans did, and that was a good thing, because when Ronin touched them down at the edge of the water the air grew measurably cooler.
Dagan dropped to the ground to remove his boots, then rose and slipped his T-shirt over his head. After a moment’s hesitation, he cast his jeans off too, leaving him clad in nothing more than a pair of tight black boxer briefs. Any more clothing would only interfere with his swimming, and he’d have to worry about leaving a dripping trail of evidence inside the castle if—no, once—he made it inside.
When Ronin bent to snatch up the items, Dagan stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.
“Wait.”
Ronin stilled. The guarded look in his eyes suggested he wasn’t in the mood for idle chit-chat, but Dagan had something that need to be said.
“Just in case, I want you to know…”
Hell, why was it so freaking hard to share his feelings? Probably yet one more thing he could thank that heartless bastard Mammon for.
Dagan took a breath, not quite meeting Ronin’s gaze before continuing. “The way I acted with women in the past, it was never about them. I guess it in a way it was a method of protecting myself. But Lina…with her, things are different. She’s not a one-night-stand. She’d never be that… I—”
“Dagan.” Ronin lay his hands atop Dagan’s bare shoulders, his voice soft when he said, “We can talk about this later. Go get her. Please. Make sure she’s safe.”
His tone communicated everything he didn’t say. Ronin was trusting him. Forgiving him. Letting him know that no matter their argument, they were still blood.
“I won’t let you down,” Dagan said.
Ronin squeezed his shoulders, a shadow of a smile crossing his lips. “I know.”
He let go, and Dagan turned to wade into the cool water. Although enough moonlight shimmered down to create silver scales along the rippling waves, he couldn’t see more than a few inches into the water. Good thing the castle was a straight-shot ahead. Besides, he’d seen conditions worse than this before. Going into that Welsh lake to retrieve Excalibur—twice—had been no picnic.
After several feet, in about waist-high water, he encountered the invisible barrier Ronin had mentioned. It bounced him back like a rubber ball.
Backing up, he dove to the bottom and kicked forward. The cool water cascaded over his flesh, tickling his bare chest and breathing vitality into his pores. The smooth liquid filtered through his skin, giving his body the oxygen it needed and sparking a chord of sweet harmony in his mind. This was where he felt most at home. In his element. The cool, fresh flow of water had always energized his body and cleared his mind.
This was also where he found it hardest to refrain from giving voice to the song that swirled through his brain. A full-blooded siren would find it impossible not to sing, and that beautiful, rich voice would carry through the waters for miles, luring in anyone who heard it with its beauty.
He often wondered if that was how his father had found his mother and captured her. If only he’d even known her name…
The water, which had grown deeper and cooler with every stroke, began to grow shallow again. He was getting closer.
After a few more minutes of sure, steady strokes, he broke through the surface, not less than a couple hundred feet from the castle. Good, the barrier was gone. Part of him had feared it would continue on right until the edge of the castle.
Swan diving back to the bottom, he rode the water in until the very last moment, just in case there were any enemy eyes out there. During their visual scan of the castle and surrounding grounds they hadn’t spotted a single spy anywhere, as if Belpheg was certain he wouldn’t be invaded. Truthfully, what they were attempting was probably crazy, given this fae’s level of power. But sometimes those who thought highly of themselves made foolish mistakes.
Another valuable Mammon lesson.
Once there was no longer enough water to keep him hidden, Dagan stood and made for land with sure, steady steps. Nothing. Not a soul to be seen.