Call of the Siren(60)
Another wicked punch to his jaw knocked Dagan back to the present.
“Like I said,” Thorne smirked. “Worthless.”
The hubrin demon’s words lit a fire in Dagan’s gut. The worst part about growing up with an evil, abusive demon for a father wasn’t the beatings he’d had to contend with, but the fact that he’d allowed Mammon’s viewpoint to color his own thinking about himself. He’d allowed himself to believe Mammon’s words, when the asshole had been full of shit all along.
No more. He wasn’t worthless, not by a long shot.
He caught Thorne’s next punch, squeezing the demon’s fist in his own. “Dude,” he drawled. “You punch like a freaking girl.”
When Thorne’s eyes went wide with surprise, Dagan jerked his arm to the side, throwing Thorne off balance just enough that he was able to knock him off his chest. They rolled around the floor, each struggling for dominance, until Dagan wrapped his hands around Thorne’s neck. The hubrin demon rolled onto him, and something cold and hard stabbed Dagan’s side. Sucking in his breath, he glanced down to see a sharp dagger rammed into his flesh.
“Motherfucker,” he howled.
When Thorne let out an amused chuckle, Dagan reached one hand down to jerk the dagger out of his side. He grunted at the white-hot pain that sliced through his bloodstream and he rolled Thorne over. In one smooth, fluid motion, he slid the dagger through Thorne’s neck, the movement more instinctive than planned.
The hubrin demon shuddered, gargling for breath, but his arms remained locked on Dagan’s neck.
Dagan pressed harder, slicing the knife all the way through the flesh.
Finally, Thorne’s hands dropped limply to the ground.
“Damn.” Dagan rose to his feet and backed away with a frown. He’d wanted to question Thorne about his involvement with the dark fae, to see if he could determine exactly what Belpheg was up to. Looked like that wouldn’t be a possibility now.
On the upside, Thorne’s words indicated he’d been able to sneak inside undetected. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get Lina and be gone before anything happened.
He’d taken no more than three steps toward Lina, who remained unconscious on the window seat, when a shrill alarm sounded.
Damn. Guess that shot his hopes all to hell.
He froze in place for a moment before having the presence of mind to slip to the still-open door. Just as he started to close it, a familiar voice sounded out from down the hall.
“What’s going on?”
Mammon.
His whole body tensed. The fight-or-flight response instinctively activated within him at the sound of the man who’d tormented him throughout his entire childhood. A growl rose in his throat, but he held it back. Much as he might long to kill the bastard, that wasn’t his mission. Not tonight. He needed to get Lina out of here.
He slid the door all but a fraction closed, but that was enough for him to make out the familiar figure of his father as he stalked past Lina’s room.
“What’s going on?” he repeated, speaking to someone out of Dagan’s line of sight.
“The barrier has been breached on the northern part of the property,” a soft, unfamiliar voice replied. “Belpheg is sending out some guards now to retrieve the intruders.”
Mammon let out a dry chuckle. “So predictable they are. That may be their biggest flaw.”
The voices receded as the men continued down the hall.
Dagan took a deep breath, forcing his pulse to resume a near-normal level before he turned and strode toward Lina. When he bent to scoop her into his arms, she let out a moan, and her head nestled into his chest. Sweat coated his body where her flesh met his.
Lina.
His heart broke to see her like this. Unconscious. Totally helpless. Out of control.
“I’m gonna get you out of here,” he murmured.
When she didn’t even twitch a muscle in response, he turned with a heavy heart, nudging both their bodies out the door before closing it shut. With any luck, it would be at least a few minutes before anyone thought to come look for her or Thorne.
The trip back downstairs was harrowing, to say the least. Belpheg had a number of servants, and they all rushed here and there as if the castle was under attack. Which he supposed it was, as far as they were concerned. Thankfully, the massive interior didn’t lack for twisty corridors or dark hallways. Still, it was with some level of surprise that he made it to the doors he’d come in through without being spotted.
His luck didn’t hold.
About halfway down the stairs, a heavily accented voice to his right yelled, “Hey, you. Stop!”
Shit.
He paused only long enough to confirm that it was one of Belpheg’s guards who rushed for him. Taking the rest of the stairs at double speed, he landed on the ground with Lina safely bundled in his arms, and raced toward the lake. But there was no one there to greet him.