Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,83

throat was too dry to argue. I was running on adrenaline when I’d gone in to save Talon and the guys at Thax’s castle. This was totally different. I was purposely going in there to kill these Underworlders. A chill snaked up at my spine despite the beads of sweat accumulating on my brow.

I love you, Azara. I meant to say it earlier on the subway, but somehow you managed to distract me. I could almost hear the smile in his voice as his words boomed across my mind before he disappeared around the corner.

My heart skipped a beat. Literally. Did he just mentally tell me he loved me and then vanish? I drew in a slow breath to still my racing pulse and convinced myself we could talk about the L word when this was over.

I remained perfectly still staring at the wall around which Talon had disappeared, counting my haggard breaths. Ten. Twenty. Thirty-five. What was taking him so long? I strained to hear over the deafening silence. I couldn’t even make out Talon’s footfalls anymore.

I peered around the wall, but the foyer was still empty. Clenching my fists at my sides, I waited, my pulse hammering out a rapid staccato. Come on. Where are you Talon?

Spine-tingling screeches rang out, shattering the eerie stillness. My heart leapt up my throat. I darted around the corner and sprinted across the foyer as plumes of dark smoke curled in the air. The stench of burning flesh emanated from the adjacent living room. Covering my mouth, I poked my head inside.

Blistering orange flames blanketed the room. Demons ran and screamed and crumbled to the floor, as the fire raced up their bodies.

“Talon!” I called out into the chaos.

Smoke and flames spread across the vast chamber, eating up the remaining oxygen. I drew in a breath and coughed as the toxic air filled my lungs. A demon barreled by me, fire licking up its scaly arms.

I screeched as the flames brushed my forearm and staggered backward, hitting the doorframe. Son of a biscuit! I dropped to the floor and nursed my burnt flesh as the turmoil ensued.

Get a hold of yourself, Azara. Get in there and do something! This time the voice in my head wasn’t Talon’s. It was my own. I forced myself up and crept into the room, dodging fleeing demons engulfed in flames. From across the space, a brilliant blue light caught my eye.

Hayden! His angel sword sliced the air, finishing off the Underworlders that Talon’s dragon fire had missed. And beside him was Dallas. The vampire member of the Triad battled a few of the lesser scorched demons.

Where are you, Talon? I projected my thoughts across the array of brainwaves, hoping it would reach him. When I got no response, I moved through the wreckage and burnt corpses with my dagger clasped tightly in my fist.

“Pumpkin, you okay?” Hayden shouted from across the havoc.

“Yeah, I’m fine! Where’s Talon?”

He shook his head and drove his sword into a tehra demon’s third eye. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since the fire.”

My rapid heartbeats kicked up a notch. This time as I walked through the destruction, I searched the fallen forms. He had to be okay. He just had to be.

With my eyes trained to the floor, I almost missed the claw poised to rake across my neck. I ducked just in time as the demon’s hand swiped right over my head. From my crouching position, I jumped up and sank my dagger into the creature’s gut. His jaw dropped, showcasing rows of sharp yellowing teeth, then his eyes widened and bulged out before he crumpled to the floor.

Woohoo—my spell worked! I held my dagger up triumphantly.

“Azara!” Talon’s voice jerked my gaze back toward the foyer.

“I’m in here!” I raced toward the sound, the knot in my stomach finally loosening. When I reached the archway to the entrance, I stopped and peered around the corner. “Talon?” After the commotion in the other room, the sudden quiet had the tiny hairs on the back of my neck on end. “Where are you?” I took another step and tightened my hold on the dagger.

The smoky scent of magic filled my nose a second before a dark fog descended over me. An arm clamped around my middle, and a familiar voice tickled the shell of my ear. “So nice to see you again, cuz.” Cold metal closed over my wrist, and all the power coursing through my veins vanished. No. No. No.