Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,46
the tears at bay. Get a hold of yourself, Azara. This was not the time to break down.
“Come on, we better go before the guys get worried.” He took my hand and pivoted me toward the spiraling winds.
Chapter Seventeen
The churning gusts of the portal spat us out a few seconds later. I landed in a crouch, tucking into a forward roll to keep from falling on my face in the pitch black. Talon alighted beside me, the whir of his flapping wings annoying the crap out of me. Of course, he nailed a perfect landing.
A light flickered on and illuminated three familiar faces. “What the hell happened to you guys?” Logan whisper-hissed.
“I had to piss,” Talon answered.
I suppressed the smile that threatened to explode across my face and hid behind my curtain of dark hair. Dallas snorted on a laugh and Hayden chuckled, but I ignored them both as I checked out our shadowed surroundings.
Sultry heat and the pungent scent of sulfur filled the tunnel, tightening my lungs. I peeled off my heavy winter coat and dropped it on the floor, whispering a quick incantation to conceal it. Hopefully, I’d remember to grab it on the way out.
Logan grabbed a torch from the wall and placed it in front of Talon’s face. “A little fire, please?”
He blew out a breath, and a flame jumped from his lips to the ancient lantern.
Our warden glanced at his wristwatch then at the blueprint clenched in his fist. “It’s almost time.”
We all nodded, the thick silence stifling. My pulse roared through my eardrums but on the outside, I was perfectly still.
“Everyone knows what they’re doing, right? Should we go over it one more time?” We’d already been over the plan while I practiced portal-opening on the mountaintop, but I knew Logan would want to go over it again now that we were here.
Hayden reached for Logan’s shoulder and gave it a manly pat. “We’ve got it, Warden. Talon and Azara rescue Vander, while the rest of us take on Thax.”
It wasn’t exactly what Delacroix had required of the deal, but I hoped what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him—or more importantly, us. Besides, there was no way we were leaving the Underworld without Vander. I could feel that certainty through every inch of me, it resonated so deeply within Talon.
Logan ticked his head at us. “We’ll give you a seven-minute head start, that should give you enough time to reach Vander so that we strike at the same moment. The last thing we need are the guards showing up before we reach Thax’s chamber.”
“Right,” said Talon. “Once we’ve got Vander, we’ll double back and meet you here so Azara can portal us out.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “If you guys don’t show by twelve forty-five, we’ll come in for you.”
“Don’t worry, T, we’ve got this.” Dallas shot his friend a wink.
“I hope so,” I muttered. After the last time, I’d seen more than enough of those narkin demon guards. I had no desire to face them or worse, the dark lord himself. I only hoped the paralyzing potion the guys at the SIA had whipped up would be strong enough to incapacitate Thax.
Since this was an unsanctioned SIA op, Talon had to enlist the help of some friends to acquire it under the table. I’d almost offered GG’s assistance but decided to leave my grandpa out of this one. If everything went according to plan, Thax would eventually be transported to SIA holding once we figured out exactly what he wanted with me.
Easy peasy.
“Let’s go.” Talon tugged on my arm, jerking me back to the present.
“Talon,” Logan called out before we’d taken a step. “I don’t have to remind you of your responsibility to Azara, do I?”
He shook his head, his jaw clenched tight.
“I know Vander is your best friend, but your duty is to keep her alive. You took the blood oath—”
Talon raised his hand and cut him off. “I know, Logan. I know all of it. If it comes down to Vander or Azara, I know what I have to do.”
His words were like a punch to the gut, siphoning all the air from my lungs. How could he be forced to choose me over his brother? It wasn’t fair. Especially since it was my fault Thax had captured him in the first place.
I resolved to tell Talon he could screw his vow as soon as we were alone. This time he had to choose his brother.
Logan pulled me into a