I love you, Azara. I meant to say it earlier on the subway, but somehow you managed to distract me. I could almost hear the smile in his voice as his words boomed across my mind before he disappeared around the corner.
Was I imagining things or had he spoken those words directly in my head?
I sank down beside him, but he kept his eyes trained straight ahead. Frustrated, I grabbed his chin and forced his face toward mine. “Can we communicate telepathically?”
Something unreadable flashed across his burning gaze. “We used to be able to, yes.”
“So I wasn’t imagining it. It was another memory.”
He crossed his arms against his chest and blew out a breath, wiggling free of my hold. His head bounced against the hard wall for a few beats before he answered. “I guess.”
The scowl carved into his strong jaw pierced my soul. His pain hurt me so deeply it was as if it were my own. I’d felt a connection to Talon from the first moment I saw him—no memories and all. My she-demon might have had other plans, but I’d known it from the start. “I love you too,” I whispered.
His eyes met mine for an instant, and fury blazed beneath the silver depths. “Don’t say that.”
“What?” I choked out.
“You don’t even remember me!” He leapt to his feet, but I jumped up after him.
“I don’t have to remember to feel it. Don’t you get that?”
His head whipped back and forth as I chased after him. We reached the bustling atrium, and he weaved between the hordes of inmates making their way to the mess hall.
“Talon!” I shouted, not caring who heard anymore. “Talon, come back!”
All eyes swirled to me, dark gazes boring into every angle of my face. Screw you all. A tendril of dark energy uncoiled in my depths and spread through my veins like wildfire. The darkness swept over me, energy sizzling over my skin. “I said, stop!”
The entire room froze, each and every inmate halting midstride, their curious gazes frozen in time. All noise evaporated in an instant. With all the distractions gone, my eyes settled on Talon across the room. His eyes were the size of full silver moons as they scanned the motionless figurines surrounding us.
“Shit, Azara, what did you do?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Hayden snickered as Dallas proudly recounted his tale of glamouring a third of the inmate population of Darkblood Prison. After my little magical show, Logan had called on the vampire for damage control. The other prisoners knowing I had access to my powers wasn’t a good thing for anyone.
Thankfully, Dallas had no problem compelling dozens to forget all about it. Too bad he couldn’t work his cool little trick on Talon and me. I wish I could forget that entire terrible conversation. He still hadn’t spoken to me since my mad declaration of love. Which stung. Big time.
Logan and Talon marched into the warden’s office where the three of us had been not so patiently waiting for the past twenty minutes. I’d survived the night at Darkblood, but my chances of surviving another were slim. My time was up.
With Luci’s intel, we had to move on Thax tonight, which meant a last-minute planning session before the assault on the dark lord’s second underground fortress.
“It’s about time,” Dallas snarked as Logan folded into his chair across the massive mahogany desk.
Talon lingered by the doorway. His eyes refused to meet mine; instead, they were intent on something on the other side of the door. Approaching heavy footfalls shifted my gaze to the entry, the nearing shuffle eerily familiar. Still when the dark shadow filled the doorway, my jaw unhinged. Delacroix and his elfin henchman, Dembrat, strode in.
“What are they doing here?” Hayden leapt to his feet, his angel sword lighting up the room.
Logan flashed his palm, a calm smile on his face. “They’re here to help.”
“Believe it or not,” Talon muttered.
“Sit down, gentlemen.” The warden motioned to the two chairs opposite the couch that Hayden, Dallas and I occupied.
As the pair trudged over, Talon zipped ahead of them and plopped down between Dallas and me. The vampire grumbled as he shifted, scooting to the edge of the couch. I felt like an angel-dragon sandwich, now squished between my reluctant bodyguard and my angel cellie.
I glanced at Talon from the corner of my eye, but still he refused to meet my gaze. His steely glare was fixed on our unlikely allies. Tense stares filled the quiet, and I squirmed in my seat. “So how exactly are they helping us?” I finally asked when no one said a word.
“Delacroix has his own plan when it comes to Thax,” said Logan. “We figured the more distractions the better.”
My inner demon surged to the surface, and it took all I had to keep the darkness from eclipsing my vision. “He doesn’t get to kill him,” I snarled, my thundering heartbeats beating across my eardrums. “He’s mine.” I barely recognized my own voice.
“Easy, little pumpkin.” Hayden squeezed my shoulder and soothing angel healing filled my veins. “We don’t want your demon coming out to play just yet.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths to slow my racing heart.
“I don’t care who kills the dark lord, as long as it’s done,” Delacroix chimed in. “I’d be happy to keep him entertained while you draw his sniveling soul out, little demon. I’ve heard your power is quite effective. In fact, I’d love to see it in action.” His dark eyes twinkled, and a sinister sneer curled his ebony lips.
Talon’s fists struck the coffee table between us, and a crack raced down the center of the chipped mahogany. “Stay away from her tonight, Balthier. I don’t care if we happen to have the same enemy or not. I don’t trust you.”
Delacroix threw his hands up and gave Talon a placating smile. “As you wish.”
My eyes bugged out. Since when did the hellus demon play nice?
“Now that that’s settled…” Logan stood and unrolled a map across the fractured table. “We’ll portal in over here.” His thumb ran over the old blueprint—the basement, first floor then upper levels—and again my thoughts swirled to the past.
An icy chill skittered up my spine, inciting a wave of frosty goosebumps. I was so cold. I tried to wrap my arms around myself but sharp metal cut into my wrists. My head pounded, sharp spikes drilling into my temples. Then a pair of milky white orbs appeared. “Drink up, Azara.” Remy pried my lips apart and poured a vile liquid down my throat. I coughed and spluttered but he held my jaw shut until I was forced to swallow. “That’s a good girl.” The potion slithered down my throat, leaving a scorching path in its wake. I gagged, but the concoction still made it to my stomach where it writhed like a venomous snake. A sharp pang stabbed into my skull, and I screamed as the pain consumed me.
Another voice whispered in the background, but it was too low to make out, and my brain was too foggy to care.
“Who is Talon Firestarter?” Remy’s low, raspy voice brought me back from the brink of oblivion.
That name. I’d never forget it no matter how much of that shit they poured down my throat. “Eff off, Remy!” I hissed.
His eyes widened, highlighting endless white globes. “Give me another one,” he said to whoever the other person in the room was. A second later, Remy shoved another vial in my face, forcing it to my lips. For an ancient seer he was freakishly strong. I choked down the liquid and again the searing pain tore through my head.