Wicked Burn (Realm Enforcers #3)(67)

Nick held up a hand. “This isn’t right. It’s my job to protect you, not put you into danger.” He couldn’t sacrifice Zane, the leader of the entire f*cking demon nation, like this.

“He is a pain in the ass,” Adam said to Zane, as if agreeing to an earlier comment.

Zane grabbed Nick’s hand and sliced a knife across the palm. Pain rippled.

“Hey.” Nick tried to yank back, but surprise gave Zane the advantage.

Zane quickly ripped the blade across his own hand and smashed it against Nick’s palm. “There. I’ve always considered us family, but if you need to share blood, now we do.” He released Nick and wiped the blade off on his wet T-shirt before turning to Adam. “Why does everything always have to be such a pain?”

“Dunno.” Adam shrugged and leaned over to sneeze. “Shouldn’t we be fighting somebody?”

Nick gritted his teeth and sent healing cells to his palm, more touched than he wanted to admit. “Thank you.”

Zane nodded, his green eyes deadly serious. “Family, Nick.”

“Family,” Nick repeated, his chest warming. He stepped over the puddle toward the door. “We have four hundred and twenty-three steps up, and there are probably soldiers set every ten steps or so.”

Adam looked at the depth of the sea out the glass. “I hate to think it, but could we go through there and swim up?”

Nick shook his head. “If we break the glass, an electrical jolt is sent out.”

Zane winced. “Thank goodness it only happens if the glass breaks and isn’t on a motion sensor.”

Nick nodded as a pit dropped into his gut. “Plus, the living quarters are far above sea level, and swimming won’t get us there.” He eyed his friend. “Our other option is for you to teleport us up, but then will you be strong enough to get Simone and Adam out of here?”

“I won’t be able to fight right away, but I can get Simone to safety.” Zane winced. “Not sure I can make a jump back here and then cart Adam out, though.” He took out a smartphone and glanced at the face. “I think we’re screwed for service.”

Nick flipped open his phone and saw no bars. “Shit.” They couldn’t call in anybody else. “It’s just us.”

Adam cleared his throat. “I say we teleport up, and then Zane gets Simone to safety.”

“What about you?” Zane asked.

Adam shrugged. “Nick and I will have to figure another way off the island. My job is to protect my cousin, and her life is paramount, even if it wasn’t my job. Does everyone agree?”

“Yes,” Nick and Zane said in unison.

“Good.” Adam shook seawater out of his shirt. “Any chance we could get better coordinates for wherever Simone is?”

Nick tried to clear his head. “I think straight up should do it.”

“You think?” Zane asked, stepping toward him while also grabbing on to Adam’s arm. “All right, then. Let’s all give a quick prayer I don’t put us into a stone cliff somewhere.”

Nick nodded and wished that weapons could teleport and that Zane had brought some. “Let’s do this,” he muttered, closing his eyes and sucking in air to hold his breath.

Zane clamped onto his arm, and the earth fell away.





Simone calculated the distance from her position to the dining room. There wasn’t time to grab a weapon for Bear. “Desmond, you need to stop this right now. Bear hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Desmond shook his head. “Last chance. What do you and the demon have planned?”

“Why don’t you ask the demon?” came a low voice from the doorway.

Simone gasped as Nick entered the room, followed by a dripping wet Zane Kyllwood and her cousin, Adam Dunne, who had seaweed in his wet hair. How in the world? Her eyes widened, and she turned toward Bear.

He grinned. “’Bout time you guys got here.”

Desmond pulled the trigger. Green lasers shot from the barrel, striking Bear’s thigh and turning into metal. Blood spurted from his artery.

Bear roared and jumped forward at Desmond, throwing them both into the bookcase. Books and candlesticks rained down.

Soldiers, at least five of them, poured in from the shadows outside.

“Cover Zane,” Nick ordered Adam, running forward to plant his body between Simone and the attackers.

Adam shoved a pale Zane into the wall and held his hands out. Fire, dark and blue, billowed down his arms to form balls, which he started hurling toward the soldiers. One hit a man in the face, and he screamed, turning for the doorway.

The other soldiers ducked, grabbing swords and coming out swinging.

Nick grabbed a three-pronged candleholder and defended himself against a sword that was so sharp its edge glinted in the dim light. He moved and parried, keeping the metal between him and the blade.

A soldier made it past Adam, and Zane punched him in the face, kicking the sword from his hand. They dropped to the ground, grappling and punching.

Simone jumped back onto a chair, formed fire, and belted it at Flynn.

“Hey,” Flynn yelped, jumping back. “I’m on your side.” Without waiting for an answer, he pivoted and took down a soldier running toward Nick.

Simone halted her next attack, her mind spinning. “Bear? Is he on our side?” she yelled.