abdomen.
“Come on then. It’s what you came for isn’t it? To kill me. To let loose? I can see it on your face. The way you’re trying to rein in your sanity. To keep it under control. That’s the fae way isn’t it? Control. Did mommy teach you that, Princess? Did she tell you to control your urges? ‘Don’t give in. Be a good little fae?’ Did she?”
Memories of the elders testing her, pushing her to the brink, popped into her mind. She pounded on her head, keeping the voice out.
“What did they do to you, Princess? The fae? What did they do? Anything worse than I would have?”
Memories bombarded her and Selene ran for the exit.
“Just wait till daddy hears where you are. What do you think he’ll give me if I tell him?”
She stopped dead in her tracks and whipped back to him. “Why are you here? Why are you in Chicago?”
“I’m here for Maelstrom and since I found you, I can only assume he isn’t too far away. The two of you were always ever so close.”
Her heart raced in her chest. The demons were looking for Mason, but they’d found her as well. He was right, they’d come in droves now that they’d found her. She should’ve stayed put. If Rex hadn’t seen her, maybe he wouldn’t have found out about Mason. This was her fault. She had to fix it. She couldn’t let them find out about her, or Mason.
“When I get out of here I’m going to parade you back to our plane with Mason in tow. And then I’m going to beg for the pleasure of being your mate.”
Seraphine surged through her limbs and quick as sound, she moved to him.
“ Annullo !” she yelled. She jammed her palm onto his fleshy stomach and the glow that had built beneath her skin flowed out.
Rex let out a shriek of terror.
“You’ll never have Maelstrom. You’ll never have me!” Magick more forceful and primal than she’d ever felt poured from her hands and into him. Threads of molten light wove over his chest and wrapped around his body in a spider web of magick. The web closed over him and his skin blackened and charred until he turned to a pile of ash.
Her hands hit the table he’d been lying on and she gulped in air. The pounding in her head cleared and a boulder lifted off her shoulders. She stared down at her palms and Seraphine retreated.
She’d killed someone. A bad someone, an evil someone, but someone.
She’d done it to save Mason and herself.
Weakness flowed over her limbs and she toppled to the ground.
She needed to hide. She needed to sleep.
* * * *
A sharp knock on Neeman’s door pulled him straight out of his slumber. He peered at his clock. It was only quarter to five in the evening. He jumped from his bed in nothing but his pajama bottoms and opened the door.
Ford waited in the hall.
“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be guarding the demon.”
“He’s gone.”
“Gone? He has a collar.”
“The collar’s there, and a pile of ash.”
“What the hell happened?” Neeman demanded, heading for the elevator.
“The girl. The female, she came down about an hour ago and waved her hand at me and said something. The next thing I know, I wake up on the floor, she’s gone and the demon’s gone.”
Neeman cursed under his breath. He raced to the interrogation room. Sure enough, it was bare. He stepped up to the table where the demon had been tethered and scanned it. His gaze stopped at a set of handprints in the middle of the ash. He placed his palm up to the prints. They were considerably smaller.
He sucked in a deep breath. The scent of ozone hit him. That smell. The smell from his room and from earlier when Rex had tried to talk about— Without a word, he turned and ran for the elevator.
The carriage stopped on the bedroom level. He raced toward her room.
The shopping bags still lay strewn on the floor, but her bed was empty. Neeman’s temper rose. She’d fled.
He tried to piece together the events that had happened while he’d slept but he just couldn’t figure it
“Come on then. It’s what you came for isn’t it? To kill me. To let loose? I can see it on your face. The way you’re trying to rein in your sanity. To keep it under control. That’s the fae way isn’t it? Control. Did mommy teach you that, Princess? Did she tell you to control your urges? ‘Don’t give in. Be a good little fae?’ Did she?”
Memories of the elders testing her, pushing her to the brink, popped into her mind. She pounded on her head, keeping the voice out.
“What did they do to you, Princess? The fae? What did they do? Anything worse than I would have?”
Memories bombarded her and Selene ran for the exit.
“Just wait till daddy hears where you are. What do you think he’ll give me if I tell him?”
She stopped dead in her tracks and whipped back to him. “Why are you here? Why are you in Chicago?”
“I’m here for Maelstrom and since I found you, I can only assume he isn’t too far away. The two of you were always ever so close.”
Her heart raced in her chest. The demons were looking for Mason, but they’d found her as well. He was right, they’d come in droves now that they’d found her. She should’ve stayed put. If Rex hadn’t seen her, maybe he wouldn’t have found out about Mason. This was her fault. She had to fix it. She couldn’t let them find out about her, or Mason.
“When I get out of here I’m going to parade you back to our plane with Mason in tow. And then I’m going to beg for the pleasure of being your mate.”
Seraphine surged through her limbs and quick as sound, she moved to him.
“ Annullo !” she yelled. She jammed her palm onto his fleshy stomach and the glow that had built beneath her skin flowed out.
Rex let out a shriek of terror.
“You’ll never have Maelstrom. You’ll never have me!” Magick more forceful and primal than she’d ever felt poured from her hands and into him. Threads of molten light wove over his chest and wrapped around his body in a spider web of magick. The web closed over him and his skin blackened and charred until he turned to a pile of ash.
Her hands hit the table he’d been lying on and she gulped in air. The pounding in her head cleared and a boulder lifted off her shoulders. She stared down at her palms and Seraphine retreated.
She’d killed someone. A bad someone, an evil someone, but someone.
She’d done it to save Mason and herself.
Weakness flowed over her limbs and she toppled to the ground.
She needed to hide. She needed to sleep.
* * * *
A sharp knock on Neeman’s door pulled him straight out of his slumber. He peered at his clock. It was only quarter to five in the evening. He jumped from his bed in nothing but his pajama bottoms and opened the door.
Ford waited in the hall.
“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be guarding the demon.”
“He’s gone.”
“Gone? He has a collar.”
“The collar’s there, and a pile of ash.”
“What the hell happened?” Neeman demanded, heading for the elevator.
“The girl. The female, she came down about an hour ago and waved her hand at me and said something. The next thing I know, I wake up on the floor, she’s gone and the demon’s gone.”
Neeman cursed under his breath. He raced to the interrogation room. Sure enough, it was bare. He stepped up to the table where the demon had been tethered and scanned it. His gaze stopped at a set of handprints in the middle of the ash. He placed his palm up to the prints. They were considerably smaller.
He sucked in a deep breath. The scent of ozone hit him. That smell. The smell from his room and from earlier when Rex had tried to talk about— Without a word, he turned and ran for the elevator.
The carriage stopped on the bedroom level. He raced toward her room.
The shopping bags still lay strewn on the floor, but her bed was empty. Neeman’s temper rose. She’d fled.
He tried to piece together the events that had happened while he’d slept but he just couldn’t figure it
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