Zayne shoved Stacey behind him, and I had a feeling Roth was about to drag our nonangelic butts out of there, but a fissure of power radiated throughout the room. The sweet aroma that filled me with yearning was replaced by clover and frankincense. Warmth traveled down my back, and I knew we were too late to make an escape.
Oh no.
Stacey gasped. “Oh my...” Her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees gave out. She folded like an accordion. Zayne caught her before she smacked into the floor, and I didn’t really have time to worry about her.
We weren’t alone.
I didn’t want to turn around, but I couldn’t help it. I had to, because I wanted to see them. I had to see them before they wiped me off the face of the planet. Roth must’ve felt the same, because he also turned. There was a soft glow reflecting off his cheeks. He squinted and I looked toward the doorway.
Two of them stood there like sentries, nearly seven feet tall or possibly even bigger. They were so beautiful it was almost painful to look upon. Hair the color of wheat and their skin shimmered, catching and absorbing the light all around them. They were neither black nor white nor any shade in between, but somehow all colors at once, and they wore some kind of linen pants. The orbs of their eyes were pure white—no irises or pupils. Just white space, and I dimly wondered how they could see. Their chests and feet were bare. Their shoulders were as broad as any Warden’s and their wings were magnificent, a brilliant white spanning at least eight feet on either side of them.
Their wings were also feathered.
Unlike mine, though, those feathers had hundreds of eyes in them, actual eyeballs. Eyeballs that did not blink, but roamed constantly and seemed to take in everything at once.
Each of the creatures held a golden sword, a real freaking sword—a sword that looked like it was the length of my leg. The whole combination was possibly the freakiest thing I’d ever seen, and I’d seen a lot of freaky things in my seventeen years of life.
They were here, the ones that ran this little show called life, who’d created the Wardens and who, to demons, were the equivalent of the boogeyman. Never in the history of ever had they been in the presence of anyone with a trace of demonic blood in them without ending their lives immediately.
I felt my wings—my feathered wings—tuck close to my back. I don’t even know why I tried to hide them at this point, but I was a wee bit self-conscious. However, I wasn’t willing to shift into my human form, not in the presence of these beings.
I couldn’t stop staring at them. Awe and fear warred inside me. They...they were angels and their feathered wings practically glowed, they were so bright. I’d never been allowed anywhere near them, not even when they came to the Wardens’ compound to meet with Abbot, the clan leader. I’d always been forced to leave the premises, and I never thought I’d ever see them.
An irresponsible urge to go to them hit me hard in the chest, and it took everything in me to ignore it. I breathed in deeply, and they smelled wonderful.
Roth jerked suddenly, and my heart lodged somewhere in my throat. Fear poured into me. Had they done something to him? Then I saw it. A shadow drifted off him, spilling into the air in front of us. I’d also seen that before. It happened whenever the tattooed familiars came off his skin.
I knew it wasn’t Bambi or the kittens, because this shadow came from the general vicinity of his...well, pretty much where the belt on his jeans was. Only one tattoo existed there, the only one I’d never seen.
The dragon familiar that Roth had warned only came off his skin when the shit hit the fan or he was seriously pissed.
The Alphas were here, and Thumper had finally come out to play.
two
BRACING MYSELF FOR the appearance of a large and very destructive dragon, I tensed and held my breath. We all were going to die horrible, burning deaths.
The shadow was huge as it shifted into thousands of little black dots that spun together in the air, like a mini cyclone, taking shape and form. Seconds passed as iridescent blue and gold scales appeared along the belly and the back of the dragon. Deep red wings sprouted, as well as a long, proud snout and clawed hind legs. Its eyes matched Roth’s, a bright yellow.
It was a beautiful creature.
But...the dragon was about the size of a cat—a really small cat.
Not exactly what I had been expecting.
Its wings moved soundlessly as it hovered to the left of Roth, its tail whipping around. It was so tiny and so...so cute.
I blinked slowly. “You...you have a...a pocket-size dragon?”
Zayne snorted from somewhere behind me.
A heavy sigh came from Roth.
Even though all our lives were in danger and we were all probably going to die, there was definitely no love lost between Roth and Zayne.
The dragon swiveled its head in my direction, opened its mouth and let out a tiny squawk. More like a meep. A cloud of black smoke puffed out from it. No fire. Just dark wisps that smelled faintly of sulfur. My brows flew up.
“Remove the familiar from our sight,” an Alpha demanded, causing me to wince. The one who spoke was standing to the right of the door, and his voice was impossibly deep, reverberating through both the room and me. Part of me expected my eardrums to rupture.
I was surprised that the Alphas hadn’t immediately tried to take out Thumper, but then again, it wasn’t like the pocket dragon was that much of a threat.
Roth’s stance appeared casual, but I knew he was coiled tight, ready to spring into action. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
The Alpha’s lips formed a sneer. “How dare you speak to me? I could end your existence before you take your next breath.”
“You could,” Roth replied calmly. “But you won’t.”
My eyes widened. Smack talking to the Alphas wasn’t what I’d consider a smart move.
“Roth,” muttered Zayne. He sounded closer, but I didn’t want to take my eyes off the Alphas to check. “You might want to chill out a bit.”
The Crown Prince smirked. “Nah. You want to know why? The Alphas could end me, but they’re not going to.”
Across from us, the Alpha who had spoken stiffened but didn’t interrupt.
“You see, I am the favorite Crown Prince,” Roth continued, his smirk spreading. “They take me out when I haven’t done anything to warrant it and they’ll have the Boss to contend with. They don’t want that.”
Surprise flickered through me. They couldn’t just end Roth because of who he was? I’d always thought they could simply do as they pleased.
The Alpha who had been silent up to this point spoke. “There are rules for a reason. It does not mean we have to like them, so I’d suggest you do not push your luck, Prince.”
Then Roth did the unthinkable. He raised his hand and extended his middle finger. “Does this count as pushing it, Bob?”
Crap on a cracker, he’d flipped off an Alpha! And he’d called the Alpha Bob! Who did that? Seriously?
My jaw hit the floor while the miniature Thumper coughed out another cloud of smoke. “I’m not blinded by your glory,” Roth said. “You sit on your lofty clouds passing judgment on every living creature there is. Not everything is black-and-white. You know that and yet you recognize no gray area.”
Sparks of electricity crackled from the Alpha’s all-white eyes. “One of these days, Prince, you will meet your own fate.”
“And I’ll do so quite spectacularly,” he quipped back. “Looking damn good while I do it, too.”
I briefly squeezed my eyes shut. Oh my God...
The Alpha on the right shifted, his large hand tightening on the hilt of the sword, and I had a feeling he wanted to shove it clean through Roth. I figured it was time to pry my tongue off the roof of my mouth. “You’re here because of the Lilin, right? We will stop him.” I had no idea how we would do that and I probably shouldn’t give such an promise to beings who could obliterate me in a heartbeat, but I didn’t see a choice. Not only because I ne
eded to distract them from Roth, but because the Lilin did need stopping. Anything with a soul now was in danger. “I promise.”
“The Wardens will take care of the Lilin. That’s what they were created for—it’s their job to protect mankind. If they don’t, they will pay the ultimate price right along with the demons,” the Alpha who’d spoken first replied. “But we’re here to deal with you.”
My heart stopped again. “Me?”
The Alpha Roth had dubbed Bob narrowed his eyes. “You are a sacrilege of the highest order. Before, you were an abomination that should have been dealt with, but now you’re a perversity we cannot allow to continue.”
Roth cocked his head to the side as Zayne rushed forward. “No!” Zayne said, his wings tucking back. “She has never done anything to—”
“Oh, really?” the other Alpha replied drily as his wings arced high. Those feather-embedded eyes swiveled around the room and then all of them—hundreds of them—focused on me. “We see all, Warden. Justice must be served.”
Bob raised his sword, and before I could do anything, Roth’s arm flew out. He caught me just above the chest, shoving me into Zayne. I bounced off his hard chest, and would’ve toppled right off if Zayne hadn’t steadied me with his arm across my waist.
Thumper, still circling near Roth’s shoulder, let out another squeak—
—which turned into a roar that made the house shake even more than it had when the Alphas showed up.
Roth lowered his chin, grinning. “As I’ve said before, size does matter.”
Thumper began to grow at a rate I couldn’t even track, sprouting legs the size of tree trunks and claws the length of hooks. The dragon’s bright blue and gold scales appeared bulletproof and its hind legs stretched down to the floor, cracking the wooden boards. One crimson wing hit the ceiling, smacking straight through the drywall. Plaster fell in thick clouds as his other wing knocked over the recliner.
The Alpha shouted something, but it was lost amid the dragon’s low, humming growl. It lurched forward, swinging its massive spiked tail along the floor. Furniture flew into the wall, demolishing a portrait. A window shattered and cold air from outside poured into the room. Thumper came to a stop in front of us, facing the Alphas as he drew back, huffing sparks of flame out of his nostrils. The fire darkened what was left of the ceiling as Bob called out again.
“You take one step toward her and I’m going to fry myself up some Alpha.” Roth’s voice was low and deadly calm. “Extra-crispy style.”
One Alpha stepped back, but Bob looked like he would blow a gasket. “You dare to threaten us?”
“I dare a lot more than that.” Roth’s skin seemed to thin, his face becoming sharp angles. “I will not stand for one hair on her head to be harmed. If you want her, you’re going to have to come through me.”
Bob smiled widely at that, and my stomach plummeted. Roth was bound and determined to get himself killed because of me. He’d sacrificed himself to the pits, come back from that, and then gone against his Boss and saved my life. There was no way I could allow him to stand between me and danger again. “Stop!” I broke free of Zayne’s hold, but Thumper shifted. His tail swung back, stopping not even an inch from my hips.
I could go no further. My panicked gaze darted from Roth to the Alphas. “Whatever problem you have, you have it with me. Not them. So can we—”
Even as I spoke, Bob the Alpha moved toward Roth, lifting the fiery sword, and Thumper didn’t like that. Rearing back, he stretched out his long neck and opened his mouth, revealing fist-size fangs. The scent of sulfur increased, and then a burst of fire shot out of Thumper’s mouth.
A pain-filled shriek ended abruptly, and where Bob once stood was just a charred pile of ashes.
Everyone stood perfectly still. No one spoke or even appeared to breathe. And then, “Make that extra-extra-crispy style,” Roth said, studying the mess.
My knees went weak as I lifted my hands helplessly. Thumper spun on the other Alpha. There was a series of sickening crunches, and then the dragon looked over its shoulder, its golden eyes finding mine as it opened its mouth. A shimmery blue liquid stained its teeth as it huffed out a sound that really sounded like a throaty chuckle.
Bambi had eaten a Warden.
Thumper had eaten an Alpha.
These familiars were really low on manners.
More important, I hadn’t known anything could actually kill an Alpha, much less eat one.
“Oh—oh!” Stacey shrieked, and I turned sideways, just in time to see her all but squeeze herself into the two back cushions of the couch. “There’s a dragon in my house! A dragon!” Guess she was still too out of it from fainting to remember there’d been angels in her house, too.
“Thumper,” Roth called. “Return to me.”
The dragon belched out a thick cloud of smoke and turned around. I jumped out of the way of its tail, as did Zayne. The fireplace wasn’t as lucky. That lethal tail smacked into it, knocking a handful of bricks loose. They hit the floor, breaking into pieces. Thumper shifted his heavy weight from side to side.
Zayne frowned. “Is it...stomping its feet?”
Roth rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t get out much.”
“For obvious reasons,” Stacey mumbled.
Thumper lifted his tail and slammed it down, cracking what was left of the floor and earning a sigh from Roth. The dragon shook its head, then shuddered before shrinking back down to its cute, pocket-size form. Thumper finally returned to Roth, settling on the side of his face as a small shadow that quickly raced down his neck and under the collar of his shirt.
I was struck absolutely silent and was barely aware of shifting back into my human state. My thoughts raced from one bad situation to the next. Sam as the Lilin. My feathered wings. Alphas popping in. Thumper—
“Mom is so going to kill me,” Stacey whispered, clutching a beige throw pillow to her chest. She looked up. “How am I going to explain this?”
Roth pursed his lips. “Gas-line explosion?” Stacey repeated the words dimly as he continued. “I can torch the place, make it a little more authentic. Won’t damage the upstairs if you don’t want me to.”
“Had a lot of practice with this, have you?” Zayne asked drily.
“Ah, when Thumper comes off, it’s always good to go with the old gas-line excuse. It’s handy.” Roth turned to me. “You okay over there?”
Was I okay?
Anger mixed with fear—fear for him. I stared for a moment and then I shot toward him. “What were you thinking?” Hauling back, I smacked his chest. “You threatened an Alpha!” I smacked him again, harder this time, enough to sting.
“Ow.” He rubbed his chest, but his eyes twinkled. He thought this was funny!
Zayne walked over to where the pile of ashes remained. “More than just threatened. He let Thumper eat them.”
“Hey, technically Thumper fried one and ate the other,” Roth corrected, patting his stomach, where Thumper now rested.
“Oh my God!” This time my hand connected with his arm. “You’re going to be in so much trouble, Roth! So much trouble.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Defended myself.”
“Defended myself.” I mimicked him, bopping my head back and forth. “You can’t just go around killing Alphas, Roth!”
“You killed those angels?” Stacey asked, so I guessed she did remember them.
He sent her an innocent grin. “Well, I didn’t, but...”
“Roth!” I shouted, backing away before I started choking the ever-loving life out of him. “This is not a joke. You—”
He was damn fast when he wanted to be. One second he was several feet away from me and the next he was there, clasping the sides of my face. He lowered his head so he was eye level with me. “There are rules, Shortie.”
“But—”
“Rules that even the Alphas have to abide by. They cannot attack me without physical provocation. If they do, they tick the Boss off, and then the Boss retaliates in a
way that makes what the Lilin could do look like child’s play. I’m not just some random demon. I’m the Crown Prince. They took a swing at me, and I defended myself. End of story.”
But he had provoked them—maybe not physically, but he wasn’t an innocent bystander in this. As the shock ebbed, there was a different kind of bitter pill to swallow. What if Roth had gotten his rules wrong? What if more Alphas were even now on the way to avenge their brethren?
“I’m going to be okay.” His eyes held mine as he stepped closer, lining his booted feet up with mine. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise.”
“You can’t make that promise,” I whispered, searching his gaze intently. “None of us can.”
His hands slid back and he curled his fingers in my loose hair. “I can.”