Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)(23)
Author: Gena Showalter

“How?”

“I’m not yet certain.”

Still, an interesting bit of knowledge Thane stored away. When he finished with Kendra, he wanted to ensure she was unable to regenerate, as well.

“William’s daughter, White…” Zacharel sighed.

She was the embodiment of subjection, and upon her death her spirit broke into millions of pieces, each like a bug, spreading throughout New York, infecting the humans unfortunate enough to be in the way. Their leader pushed the words inside their heads, perhaps not wanting the information floating away on the breeze to panic those who didn’t yet know. Demons used that subjection to their advantage and more easily possessed human bodies. Crime is now at an all-time high, and I have since learned from the Most High that one of the demons responsible for killing Germanus is using the violence as a cover, attempting to shield his whereabouts.

What do you want us to do? Bjorn asked.

All members of an army could communicate this way. Meaning, all members of an army were bonded through mental highways. Thane had never liked it, had only ever wanted such a connection with Bjorn and Xerxes. Because if voice could travel those roadways, so could thoughts. Memories. No one had a right to his secrets.

Go to New York and hunt the demon, Zacharel said.

And we’re, what? Xerxes replied. Supposed to bust into random homes and businesses, and hope we get lucky?

Thane scrubbed a hand down his face. Did the Most High offer any specifics?

A shake of Zacharel’s dark head. “I can tell you that evil always leaves a trail. Find the start of it, follow it, and then you will find the end of it.”

He made it sound easy. Thane knew it wouldn’t be. It never was. But he and his boys would persevere. They always did.

“Koldo, Axel, Malcolm, Magnus and Jamilla are already there, waiting for you.”

Thane arched a brow. “Waiting?” The most impatient warriors of all time? “Rather than hunting?”

“I realized I made a mistake, sending my people to different locations. It thinned our efforts. So, from this moment forward, we will work together. We will concentrate on catching only one of the six demons responsible for killing Germanus. Once that’s done, we will turn our efforts to a second, and so on.”

The snowball effect. One victory would prime everyone for the next.

Wise.

Frowning, Zacharel tilted his head to the side. “Go. Go now. The others have been ambushed, and a battle is in progress.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

METAL WHISTLED THROUGH the night-damp air. Determined footsteps from one, two…five different individuals echoed. Warrior footsteps, not the clacking of demon hooves. A hiss of pain sounded, followed by a grunt of satisfaction.

Thane dive-bombed the dark alley, straightening at the last moment to land on his feet in the middle of the violent battle. As he palmed a sword of fire, he snapped his wings into his sides, making room for Bjorn and Xerxes.

A quick glance revealed writhing shadows that cringed from the swords of fire the Sent Ones brandished. But the moment the Sent Ones became preoccupied with another opponent, those shadows struck, swiping out blackened claws.

Koldo fought with the cold calculation of a robot.

Axel fought as if he had no concern for his own life, leaving himself wide-open to counterattack, just to make a single kill.

Twins Magnus and Malcolm stood back-to-back. After Magnus injured the prey, Malcolm finished it off.

Jamilla was the wild card, unpredictable in her strikes, as if she strove to kill everything in her path.

Rage set a collision course with Thane. Detonation imminent. He’d encountered the shadows once before, a different sort of demon than the mundane type they usually battled—it had happened the night Kendra died with his dagger in her gut, which had strengthened the slave bond…the night Bjorn vanished. A single scratch could have devastating consequences.

Thane stepped forward, intending to help. His back burned; the wounds hadn’t had time to heal.

Do not join the fray, and do not move from this point, Bjorn said inside his head.

Though it was an odd request, Thane acquiesced without hesitation. He trusted his friend with his life, every part of his life, whatever the circumstances.

Bjorn swept into the heart of the battle, only, instead of producing a sword, he spread his arms. The action said, Look at me. You know who I am and what I can do. Obey me or suffer. “Enough!”

The shadows reacted instantly and violently, shrieking and darting out of the way, out of Bjorn’s reach, before disappearing altogether.

Last time, the creatures hadn’t feared the warrior. What had changed? Why had it changed?

I shall return, Bjorn said, his tone tight with…something. Worry not. And then he, too, was gone.

Thane shared a look of concern and frustration with Xerxes. They wanted to act. They needed to act. Their best friend could be in serious trouble. But what could they do? So far, Thane had been unable to dig up any information about what had happened to Bjorn when he’d disappeared, what his current situation was, or even the creatures. What were they, exactly?

Even as he raged against the circumstances, he released his sword. The flames faded. “Was anyone injured?”

A chorus of “no” rang out.

“Dude! We’ve been fighting those shadows for, like, ever.”

“More like five minutes,” Thane interjected.

“Some of us a little more skillfully than others, but whatever,” Axel continued, unaffected, his baby blues sparkling as he actually patted himself on the back. “Then Sgt. Buzzkill shows up, and it’s over? What’s up with that?”

Lips curling in a scowl, Thane approached the warrior with menace in every step. “Say that again. I dare you.”

“Then Sgt. Buzzkill shows up—”

“No,” Koldo said, cutting him off as Thane lunged. The warrior moved in front of Axel, acting as a living shield. “No.”

Thane planted his feet and forced himself to remain in place. The two had been partnered on a few missions, and Axel had even saved Koldo’s life, but that did not mean they were now as close as brothers. Why would Koldo do this?

A grinning Axel reached around the big guy’s shoulder and flipped Thane off.

Koldo sighed.

Perhaps they were as close as brothers. An unlikely pairing, the usually silent, always withdrawn Koldo and the irritating, irreverent Axel, but not as unlikely as, say, a Sent One and a fragile human.

“I’m now heading this mission,” Thane said. As Zacharel’s second-in-command, it was only right. “Tell me everything I’ve missed.”