Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,16
disturbed the eerie silence. Dallas stood and folded his muscled arms over his chest. “Again, Dembrat? I thought we’d already resolved this situation?”
I glanced up at the camera perched on the wall, and the typically blinking red light was off. Dammit. Delacroix had planned this too. How was he getting into the control room to disable the cameras—or rather, which guard was he threatening to do his dirty work?
“Your Triad leader threatening my life if I came near the girl again doesn’t exactly resolve anything, vampire.”
“Well then, aren’t you lucky Talon’s not here.” Dallas’s fangs dropped, and he flashed the elf and the half-dozen other thugs his pointy incisors. “Then again, I’d be happy to make good on my brother’s word for him.”
Dembrat raised a stubby finger and pointed it at my vampire bodyguard. “You know, everyone always questions Delacroix’s methods around here, but no one ever wonders how it’s possible for you and your brothers to access your powers.”
“Family secret,” Dallas snarled.
From the color of the jumpsuits surrounding the elf, in addition to the demon, two shifters and another Fae made up Delacroix’s crew today. I recognized one of the succubi I’d met in Block Eight and the wolf shifter who’d tossed me out in the boneyard a few weeks back. I wondered what our chances were against them. I muttered a curse as I eyed the black cuff on my wrist. I really had to get Logan to upgrade mine to the special type the Triad had.
“What do you want anyway?” I finally blurted. I was getting tired of all this macho posturing.
“You and Delacroix have some unfinished business to discuss. Come with me, and we avoid any bloodshed.”
“You’re out of your tiny mind.” Dallas’s jaw snapped shut, the sharp crack echoing through the room. “She’s not going anywhere near your boss.”
The corner of Dembrat’s lip tilted up. “Even if he’d like to discuss a certain warlord of the Underworld?”
I was barely able to stop my jaw from dropping. Luckily, I managed it in the nick of time and maintained my poker face. Did Delacroix know we’d infiltrated Thax’s castle? A pit of dread took root in my gut, but I fought the intense sensations to keep my mask of calm.
“Whatever Delacroix wants to say to Azara, he can say to me. I’d be happy to meet with your boss.”
Dembrat wagged his stubby little finger. “That’s not the deal, vampire.”
“Then we’re done here.” Dallas’s hand curled around my arm, and he tugged me toward the door. “Kindly get out of the way.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Dembrat shook his head, and the four evil minions closed rank around him.
“Then let’s get on with the bloodshed.” Dallas ran his tongue over the sharp point of his fang. “I don’t prefer supe blood, but I can make an exception.” He turned to me with a smirk. “Stay back, precious, we don’t want to get any nasty demon blood on your clothes.”
“Right,” I muttered as I grabbed the nearest chair and held it out in front of me like a battering ram. I wasn’t some damsel in distress that needed constant protection. Or at least that’s how I hoped it looked.
I blinked, and Dallas lunged. Damn, so much for a little countdown or something.
Dembrat stood back as the vampire sunk his teeth into the Fae male and the other two guys jumped into the tussle. The succubus came straight for me.
“Remember me, pretty?”
“How could I forget a face like that?” I smirked and tightened my grip on the back of the chair. It wasn’t exactly the most nimble weapon, but I’d make it work if necessary.
She circled, a predatory smile curling her pink lips. I thanked the gods her burly female friend hadn’t come instead. Now, she was scary. This demon girl looked like a cracked-out Barbie.
“Are we going to fight or trade beauty advice?” she snarled.
“I’d rather not do either if we’re being honest.”
She unzipped the top of her jumpsuit and reached in, revealing a gleaming blade.
Oh, succubus!
She lunged forward and I jerked my arms out, shoving the metal chair legs at her chest. Not the greatest weapon, but a decent shield as it turned out. She sliced the knife through the air as I ducked and parried with the unwieldy chair.
From the corner of my eye, I could just make out Dallas battling it out with the others. One of the males was on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood, but the other two were