A Crown Of Shadows And Secrets - Sloane Murphy Page 0,70

washes over me as I merge with the warrior inside of me. Her knowledge sinking into me just as the two of them reach me. I react instinctively. Letting my body guide me as fists swing and blood sprays.

But not just my blood.

I move and capture one of them, disarming her as I snap her neck with one arm, raising her sword at the other woman facing me. Her fact contorts into sheer pain and rage. I realize the other image of her isn't getting up or disappearing, but I don't let it sink in. My fight isn't won yet.

She drops to her knees, blood running from her eyes like tears, and hangs her head. “We forfeit.”

Her voice is so soft, so at odds with how she looks, until she looks up at me, and the depth of her despair hits me. I nod, trying to stay on my feet, not letting her pain drag me down, because I can feel it. Every inch of my body feels her devastation.

“She is not dead, Devon, finish this!” Luna shouts, but the warrior before me just moves to the mirror image of herself and lifts her into her arms.

“We forfeit,” she says again, louder, her eyes hard as she looks to Luna.

I smile as fury makes Luna shake.

“That’s my four,” I say to her, and I smile, baring my teeth, daring her to say otherwise.

“So be it.” A wave of her hand has my guys appearing in the cage with me, their eyes no longer glassy, though they all seem a little disorientated.

“Get the fuck out of my territory,” Luna growls, and with another wave of her hand, a door appears before us. Fuck I hate these doors, though Callie’s method of moving between levels wasn't exactly fun either. I look the guys over, making sure they're okay, and from the anger registering between them, taking in my appearance and our surroundings, I'm going to guess they're back.

“With pleasure,” I purr at her, opening the door before us. I motion for the guys to go through first, not prepared to let Luna pull any shit should I leave first. Once they're clear I flip Luna the bird, and offer Devon a small sorry smile from where she still kneels in the corner. I move quickly as Luna growls and step through the door, slamming it closed behind me.

Chapter Eighteen

Remy

We land in a lush green landscape, the sun is blindingly bright. It looks like Luna dropped us in the middle of what looks like a pool party. There’s laughter, Demons in the pool, play fighting, squeals as people come down waterslides, and I blink.

This is not what I expected.

I look again at what is happening around us and my stomach rolls when I notice them… the souls here, chained, slaves for their Demon masters.

I think back and remember that this level is Sloth, which explains the servitude, but it still makes my bones hurt. Shadow Realm or not, no-one deserves to be enslaved like this.

Except maybe Archer. They can have him with my thanks.

My eyes flit around in front of me, the guys to my right all just kind of gaping at our surroundings. That’s when I notice they're all looking in one direction. I follow their line of sight and feel my jaw drop.

He's blue.

The guy, sat in a throne, being fed and watered, is blue... with fur... and cat ears.

Roman starts laughing first, relieving the tension I felt building and it’s not long before I'm crying with laughter. This is easily the weirdest thing I've seen in a while and it’s brilliant.

The other good thing, is that everyone is so involved in themselves, that no-one has noticed us. They haven't even looked in our direction.

“I guess that's Magnus,” I murmur, recalling the Demon’s name looking to the guys. Now the laughter has died down, they're each watching me carefully.

“What the fuck happened back there, Remy?” Levi asks first and I sigh.

“We’re going to need alcohol for this conversation,” I tell him, and each of them looks wary. I sigh again and try to find a spot where we won't be noticed instantly, and spy a small alcove by the bar to our left. “Come on,” I say, and head towards it.

I leave them at the alcove and head to the bar, considering they all only came out of whatever trance they were in a few minutes ago, I'm the only one I'm willing to risk being captured again. There's only a