“No, but a part of the tunnels were exposed.”
“And?”
“And it happened to be the part where the Jinn had stored his treasure.”
“And?”
Levet impatiently waved his stubby arms. “And I might have taken something he considered of value,” he grudgingly admitted.
Ah. They at last were coming to the truth of the matter.
“Then why do you not simply return it?”
He turned into yet another tunnel. “I lost it trying to escape.”
Juliet’s stomach clenched with dread. She knew very little about the Jinn, but she did know a great deal about demons in general and there was not one species that did not consider the theft of its treasure a suitable reason to maim, torture, and kill.
“Maybe we should hurry,” she suggested.
“My thoughts precisely,” Levet agreed, his remaining wing fluttering and his tiny legs churning.
They rushed through the darkness in silence, both acutely aware of the heavy sense of dread that was beginning to crawl through the air. The Jinn was near.
Too near.
Intent on keeping pace with the gargoyle, Juliet nearly tumbled over the top of him when he came to an abrupt halt.
“Mon Dieu. I smell it.”
Juliet regained her balance and glared at her companion. “What is it?”
“Continue north, ma belle. There is an opening less than a mile away.”
“Levet?”
She watched in disbelief as the miniature demon scrambled up the side of the wall, pushing his small body through a crack that hardly appeared large enough for a bat.
Well.
She did not expect Levet to grovel at her feet with gratitude at her heroic rescue, but to actually abandon her?
She had thought they were friends.
Thoroughly vexed by the unexpected betrayal, Juliet stomped down the tunnel, dangerously distracted by her flare of anger.
Not that being on guard would have prevented the wall of the passageway from suddenly exploding inward as a body was thrown through it. Or her scream of fear as she recognized her mate lying in a pool of blood at her feet.
Falling to her knees, she reached to brush the raven hair from Victor’s face, her heart contracting at the deep gash that marred the ivory skin of his forehead.
“Victor?”
His lashes slowly lifted to reveal remarkably clear silver eyes, his wounds already healing. She shook her head. Only a vampire could be shoved through four feet of pure rock and appear barely worse for the wear.
“I thought I told you to rescue the gargoyle and leave,” he growled, flowing to his feet.
She straightened, glancing toward the gaping hole in the wall. “And I thought you intended to rid us of the Jinn.”
There was a cloud of foreboding, then the booming voice of the Jinn echoed through the tunnel.