The pair vanished around the building.
Grunts reached Nik, then Aethan telepathed, You’re good to go. No wards protecting the place. We’re gonna do a recon of the area.
He and Dagan sprinted across to the buildings. Nik kicked in the bolted wooden door, crashing it against the wall and leaving it hanging by its hinges.
“Not so fast—” Dagan flung out his hands, immobilizing the demons and humans minions with his telekinesis.
Nik flashed downstairs to the basement.
More demons. Hissing hellbolts flew at him like deadly arrows. Nik ducked and countered with several ice lances, nailing a few, careful not to harm the victims. Cries of terror escaped the several women trapped in one cage and the kids in another. Damn, a major memory swipe would have to be done on them.
Nik evaded another hellfire bolt zinging toward him. He grabbed the demon, kneeing him in the balls. “Who sent you to this world to steal the women and children?”
The demon doubled over, dark eyes sparking in rage. Mouth opened, garbles escaping.
At his lack of answer, Nik kneed him in the belly. The demon stumbled and fell. He shot up, and Nik flung out a hand, instantly freezing him.
“Joyce—” Laex yelled, weaving between the fighters. He yanked at the cage gate, but it held tight. Nik flashed over and touched the lock, letting his powers free, he froze the thing. The women cowered in the corner, whimpering in terror.
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Nik said, forcing the rage out of his tone, “but you all need to stay back.” Then he kicked the lock, and it shattered, pieces raining to the cement floor.
“Laex?” A small, dark-haired woman scrambled to her knees, eyes gleaming with tears.
“Yes, it’s me.” He drew her close, but she pulled away. “My baby.” She pointed to the other cage with three crying children.
Dagan had already unlocked the kid’s cage, ushering them out.
Joyce grabbed her the little boy and picked him up, tears flowing down her dusky face.
The other females clambered to their feet but huddled together, their acrid scent of fear twisting Nik’s gut. Ely took form. The women and kids stared at her, no doubt wondering if she truly was an angel.
“You’re all safe,” Ely said softly. “Come, let’s get out of here.” She ushered them upstairs.
“Kept one alive.” Aethan dragged a stocky demon downstairs and shoved him forward. He stumbled and hissed.
“Who ordered the capture of humans?” Nik snapped.
The demon glowered, features morphing to skeletal with wrinkled black skin, eyes flashing like blood moons. More garble words followed.
“Don’t think we’re gonna get anything from them,” Aethan said. “Sounds like they don’t have voice boxes or whatever the hell they use for talking. Whoever it is went to great lengths to be protected.”
“I got this.” Dagan stepped closer and touched the squirming demon’s head, his eyes shutting as he searched for info.
Nik shoved his bruised fists in his pants’ pockets and waited, trying to stifle his edginess.
Moments later, Dagan’s eyes snapped open. “An old demon, no name. But I sense immense power…” He frowned. “His image’s a little blurry, said he needs more vessels.”
“It’s gotta be the demon Týr tangled with last winter in the Dark Realm,” Aethan muttered.
“Eh, I’m not sure about that,” Laex said, his arm around Joyce, who was trying to calm her sobbing child. “But I saw the male who was here earlier. It’s the human gang leader, Rough.”
The same bastard who wanted Shadow was part of the trafficking? Nik’s jaw hardened.
“I’ll handle clean-up and the mind sweep,” Dagan said, eyeing the straining demon.
Nik dematerialized, heading back to the underground labyrinth beneath the Lower East Side. He took form in the gloom, behind a pillar some distance from the den of Hade’s Disciples in the abandoned subway. Aethan appeared seconds later.
With his mind, Nik froze the guards and strode to the door, shoving away the human stiffs in his path, and they toppled like dominoes to the ground. A scan revealed more of them inside.
Nik willed the door ajar. Gunfire erupted, bullets sprayed, and he ducked, plastering himself against the wall. Aethan flashed to the other side.
Nik clenched his teeth at the sting on his biceps. Of course, the asshole would have CCTV. Like he gave a shit.
“It’s those goddamn Guardians,” someone yelled.
More demon thugs appeared in the subway, blades flashing.
Aethan’s sword appeared in his hand. “You assholes want a quieter life, and this is quiet?” he growled.
Nik flashed inside, into the cacophony. Demons and humans screeched, trying to escape. Tables overturned, white dust flew about, and dollar notes scattered to the ground. Switchblades flashed at him. It was damn hard not to kill these morons. With his mind, he sent several slamming against the wall.
In his peripheral view, a familiar lanky figure sidled backward for the opening in the granite wall, several of his goons hurrying behind him. The stone wall creaked and started to close.
Damn fucker. Nik dematerialized and slipped through the thinning gap. As he reformed, he flung out a hand, freezing the escaping thugs, and dove forward, grabbing Rough by the front of his shirt.
The dickface smirked. “You should have stayed away, asshole—” He plunged a blade into Nik’s stomach.
Teeth clenching at the discomfort, Nik slammed the scum’s head against the wall. His split brow healed a second later. Yeah, figured he would have demon protection given the shit he was responsible for.
“Why the women and children? These are your people.”
“They’re easy money,” he spat. “Selling them will give me what I want. Power and immortality!”
Power, yeah, old demons could probably give that, but immortality? Seriously? Even his cherished mate didn’t have immortality. The fucker was living a fool’s dream.
He dared a hunch. “Eddi?”
“That old fart?” He sneered. “He should be grateful I let him live as long as he had. Always poking his nose where he shouldn’t.”
Nik cut the human a cold smile. “You were afraid Eddi could kick your ass at a confrontation, so you took him unaware, like a coward, attacking from behind.”
The blight laughed. “As long as he’s dead and leaves what I want unprotected.”
“Shadow.”
“A nice piece of ass. After fucking her, I’ll sell her, too—
Nik’s fist crashed into his face.
“Aargh!” Bones crunched, and Rough staggered back, blood flowing from his broken nose. “I have demon friends in high places,” he snarled. “Send me to prison, and I’ll be freed in a flash, then I’ll hunt you and the slut down. I’ll hurt her so bad—”
Nik summoned an ice spear and plunged it into the fucker’s belly.
Rough groaned, swiping his gore-smeared face, his broken nose rapidly healing.
“I’m protected, you asshole. No one can touch me.” He glanced down at the spear. “Ice?” He broke off the handle. “What’s it gonna do, give me a bath as it melts?” He grinned. “Guardians of the world, really? I’ve seen demons with more potent abilities.”