Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(63)

The hounds leaped in unison, a well-oiled machine that knew how to hunt together. They came at me from each side. Jez was a blur of black and gold across the room as she battled the hellhounds. I kicked one hound in the face, satisfied with the resulting crunch. Another got a taste of my claws when I slashed its throat open.

They came too fast, and there were too many of them. Fangs sunk into my arms as I tried desperately to fend them off. I screamed, a sound that echoed inside my aching head.

The air rippled, and Shya appeared with a flourish of black wings and the stench of sulfur. Every hound snapped to attention, grovelling at his feet with ears laid back and tails tucked between their legs.

I slumped to the floor, breathing heavily. I didn’t know if he was here as friend or foe, but I was happy to be freed of the hellhounds trying to rip my throat out.

“You’ve gone too far, Lilah,” A rumble, like thunder in the distance, accompanied Shya’s words. “You have no claim here. This is my territory now. Brook, you’re dismissed. We’ll be speaking soon.”

Brook looked torn as he contemplated loyalty to his queen and obedience to the most powerful demon present. He disappeared with the sound of ruffling feathers. The other demons present were quick to follow suit.

Lilah sat stiffly in her chair. With her chin lifted in defiance, she appeared completely unafraid. She knew just as well as I did that Shya wouldn’t be the one to send her back to her prison. Damn demon politics.

“How dare you enter my house uninvited? You’re not welcome here. When you severed your ties with me, you knew what that meant.” Lilah’s voice was brittle, as if she was fighting very hard to keep her calm and cool appearance.

“You’re a powerless queen with low ranking demons that serve you out of pity, not loyalty.” Shya shook his head and tsked. “It’s sad. You just can’t accept that your time is over.”

“My time has yet to come. You would be wise to remember that. I made you, and I can and will break you. You’re everything you are because of me.” Lilah’s calm tone became a shout.

I shoved to my feet and applied pressure to the gushing punctures in my arm. It was bad. Those bites were going to hurt for a day or two.

“Perhaps.” Shya gave a slight nod. “But, I owe you nothing now.”

He turned to Jez and me, ushering us toward the door with his outstretched wings. He didn’t waste another word on Lilah. She sat there stewing, a self-appointed queen with no kingdom to rule. It would have been sad if it weren’t so downright disturbing. I knew her type; nothing would ever stop her.

“I need her blood, Shya,” she called after us. “If I can’t have her, I’ll ensure that you can’t either. You’ll regret this foolish rebellion.”

Shya paused, a strange smile on his face. “That is exactly why you don’t deserve to rule.”

Lilah didn’t respond. With nobody left to protect her, I saw my chance and decided to go for it. I reached for my power, gritting my teeth against the unbearable agony. I’d draw from Arys if need be; it would be worth it if this worked.

I set my focus on her and let go. I could feel her vampire essence, and I knew it was mine to manipulate. Excitement surged through me. This was going to work.

…Or, it would have if Shya hadn’t blocked my attack. With a sweep of his wings, he knocked me off my feet. I cleared the library, sprawling on the floor of the foyer.

“We’ve won this round, Alexa. Time to leave.” Shya came to stand over me, watching as I dragged my exhausted self to my feet.

“Fuck that. I’m putting that bitch back where she belongs.” I shot Shya a dark glare.

“Leave,” he said, shoving me along with those impressive wings.

Jez followed with a growl rumbling in her throat. I saw no sign of Shawn or anyone else. He’d probably met his end in the library along with many others. Just as well, he’d proven that he couldn’t be trusted.

The sky was still dark, but sunrise was close; I could feel it in my bones. Shya would be forced to leave with the dawn. Demons couldn’t maintain form on the physical plane during daylight. I could wait.

After ushering us out, Shya waved a hand over the front door. A barrier snapped into place, and I swore.

“Why the f**k are you protecting her? She’s killing my wolves. She tried to kill me and Jez.” What little energy I had left, I poured into my anger. Shya was getting on my nerves.

Moving fast, he grabbed my wounded arm and pulled me dangerously close. “You’ll get your chance. She is my queen. There are things I cannot do no matter how far her kingdom has fallen. I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Good because I don’t. She’s a washed up queen with a curse. She knows she’s going down, and she wants to take as many of us with her as she can. I won’t let it happen.”

I tried to pull my arm from Shya’s grasp, but he held tight. I winced but bit back a pained noise. Jez paced beside us, her emerald eyes flitting back and forth between us. Her beast had my wolf pushing to break free from my exhausted human body.

“You have many fine qualities, Alexa. Patience, unfortunately, isn’t one of them. Work on that. Knowing when to wait it out can mean the difference between victory and death.” He let go of me abruptly. “I’ll be having a word with Falon about what he did to you tonight.”