give me results that make me happy, or the redheaded Fae is next.” With another bow, he turned to leave the room. “Niall? Bring the body with you. I don’t want any distractions for our ladies.”
Chapter Forty
With the satellite images clear in his mind, Ivar landed on the roof of the abandoned school and punched out, taking the Kurjan soldier by surprise. The guy was hidden beneath a tarp, and Ivar dragged him into the sun, covering his mouth with a forearm to muffle the screams. The bastard jerked against him while his body went up in flames. His weapons dropped to the ground along with his charred bones. But the fire spread. Ivar patted out the fire on his arms, wincing at the pain. Grabbing the weapons, keeping low, he ran around the other side of the roof toward where the door should be. A Cyst soldier guarded it from beneath an awning.
Ivar was on him before he could move, shoving the knife up beneath the soldier’s chin all the way to the hilt. He followed the body down and wrenched, cutting several times until the head rolled into the sun and ignited into flames.
The smell of burnt flesh and death choked him for a moment. His knees weakened from blood loss. There hadn’t been time to heal from his visit to hell.
He wiped off the knife and opened the door, heading inside, his only thought to find Promise. The demons had always enjoyed the sole power to teleport, and having their enemy employ the gift by working with the Fae had been unexpected. Even so, he was pissed at himself for not considering the possibility.
He limped down the stairs, coming across Adare and a red-haired Kurjan soldier trading furious punches. The Kurjan yanked a knife from a sheath at his belt, and Ivar threw his blade to Adare, who caught it without missing a move. The knives flashed, hard and fast, and blood sprayed.
Some arced across Ivar’s arm, and he winced. He’d forgotten how badly Kurjan blood could burn.
Seeing that Adare was gaining ground, Ivar stumbled down more steps, turning at a landing and barreling into a Cyst soldier at least five inches taller than Ivar’s own six-foot-six. They paused simultaneously. Then Ivar ducked his head and charged, sending them both tumbling end-over-end down the hard concrete stairs.
The agony in his legs and head nearly dropped him, but he fought hard. He rolled at the bottom and brought up the gun he’d taken, shooting several times into the Cyst soldier’s eye, straight to the brain. The soldier flopped back down, blood leaking from his ears and spurting from his eye, out cold. The injury wouldn’t kill him, but he’d be out of commission for a while.
There wasn’t time to decapitate him.
Ivar’s body tried to shut down, and he sucked deep, sending healing cells everywhere. Then he stumbled down the rest of the stairs and burst into a hallway, right into Logan, who’d come in the front door.
Benny fought with two Cyst soldiers at the far end, his punches almost gleeful. Dage Kayrs flew out of a classroom to join him, and the two were brutal grace in motion.
Logan looked down at his black box. “This way.” He pointed down a far hallway and started into a jog, following that green blip on the screen.
Ivar tried to stay calm, memories assailing him. Of him leaving Quade in hell, not once but twice. Of rolling with Promise on the bed, of making her laugh. He hadn’t told her. Not once had he told her how he felt. Knowing he was going off mission and probably not returning for eons was no excuse. He should’ve saved Quade, and he should’ve let Promise know she was loved.
His boots echoed dully on the dusty old wooden floors, his chest heating until he swore fire filled his breast. Panic clutched his hands into fists. Where was his mate?
They reached the end of a hallway and turned down another one, this one with damaged blue lockers lining the way, some having fallen into the middle. He jumped over two, following Logan, a growl rising up from his soul. Where were they?
Logan paused in front of a series of classrooms, swinging the black box around.
The sound of a helicopter lifting pierced the sunny day outside.
Ivar’s head jerked. What if Promise was in the helicopter? His legs shook with the need to run and find out, but what if she was here? He opened his mouth to