“Wait.” Troy reached out to lay a restraining hand on his shoulder. “What are you going to do?”
Levet clicked his tongue. What a stupid question. “Use my magnificent magic.”
“Absolutely not.”
Levet’s tail snapped angrily around his feet. “You’re not the boss of moi.”
“Do you see that scroll in the vampire’s hand?”
Levet turned to glance toward the stranger, belatedly noticing the curled parchment the creature was clutching.
“Of course I see it. I am not deaf,” he muttered.
“It’s an ancient spell. And, even from here, I can sense it’s unstable. One of your whacky fireballs and you’ll blow us all to the netherworld.” Troy glared down at him. “Got it?”
“Oui. I got it.” Levet waved a dismissive hand toward the imp. “Go, do something with the Viper-frosty-pop.”
Troy muttered beneath his breath, entering the cavern and inching his way along the wall toward Viper. Levet headed in the opposite direction. He didn’t know what he was going to do without his magic. He needed to distract the creepy vampire long enough for Styx to do something with his big sword. Like chop off the male’s head.
He managed to sneak close enough to feel the full effect of the vampire’s icy power. Any closer and his poor tail would be frostbitten. So now what?
Glancing around, he looked for some sort of weapon. There was nothing. Not unless he counted the big stone with a jagged edge that was inches from his feet.
Just in front of Levet, Styx was forced to leap again as the ice flew toward his throat. He landed lightly despite his massive size, but the ice beneath his feet caused him to slip. There was a shout of victory from the strange vampire as he lifted his hand to hit Styx with yet another blast of ice.
Sacre bleu. It was now or never.
Reaching down, Levet grabbed the stone and tossed it with all his might at the attacking vampire.
The rock flew through the air, heading straight for its target, but just as it reached the stranger, the male moved to the side. It wasn’t that the vampire realized the rock was coming; he was simply trying to find a better angle to strike at Styx. But the small step was enough to allow the rock to fly harmlessly by, instead thumping the King of the Vampires right between the eyes.
Levet stomped his foot in frustration, his hand rising. He didn’t care what Troy had said. He was going to use his fireballs. He might cause a ginormous explosion, but at least he would have halted the battle.
But even as he called on his magic, the unknown vampire was spinning to glare at him in dazed confusion. Obviously, he hadn’t realized that Levet had managed to sneak up on him.
The momentary distraction was all that Styx needed. Holding his sword in both hands, he held it high and then swooped it down to slice off the vampire’s head in one clean sweep.
Levet widened his eyes as the head bounced at his feet and then exploded in a puff of ash.
“I did it,” he breathed, glancing up at Styx, who was still holding his sword, a bloody wound in the center of his forehead from where the rock had smashed into him. “I saved the world. Again!”
Epilogue
It had been a busy three weeks since the night that Styx had confronted Ian in the caverns. He’d personally taken the imp to each location where the cursed explosives had been planted, making sure that each and every one of them had been destroyed. Then he’d searched through the tunnels to gather clues to those who’d been involved in the revolution. Many of them had left behind personal items that would allow his Ravens to make sure they’d already been captured or to track down those who were still trying to hide from his judgment.
And, of course, he’d been consumed with the need to spend quality time with his mate. Just the thought that he might have lost her was enough to give him nightmares.
Tonight, however, he’d refused to consider his endless duties. This evening, he was going to enjoy the pleasure of Viper’s company and a very expensive bottle of brandy.
Sitting in his private office, Styx was settled in his heavy leather chair, while Viper was leaning against a bookshelf, a crystal snifter held in his slender fingers. The younger male had fully recovered from being coated in ice and, as usual, was dressed in an elegant velvet coat and satin pants.
“Have you heard from Xi?” Viper asked.
Styx grimaced. “No. The last I knew, he was headed to Ireland.”
“Is that healthy?”
“I’ve asked Cyn to check on him.” Styx felt a familiar frustration. He’d been too late to track down Xi. By the time he’d learned that Brigette had sacrificed herself to save Salvatore’s children, the male had already disappeared. “It’s all I can do. At least for now.”
Viper lifted his glass in a somber tribute to the courageous Were. “I was so worried that the female was going to betray us, it never occurred to me that she might prove to be a hero.”
“We all owe her a debt of gratitude.” Styx lifted his own glass. “A damned shame she isn’t here for us to tell her.”
They both took a drink of the wicked-smooth brandy. Then Viper glanced toward the painting of a beautiful female with bright green eyes and spiky blond hair that hung above Styx’s desk.
“How is Darcy?”
Salvatore’s lips twitched. He was still infuriated that his mate had been targeted by Maryam. And that he hadn’t been there to protect her. On the other hand, his fierce spitfire of a mate was more than capable of taking care of herself.
“More than a little pissed that Xi managed to kill Maryam,” he said dryly. “She’d been waiting around the corner with a wooden stake she was hoping to stick into her heart.”
“Sweet, gentle Darcy?”
“She’s pure demon when it comes to protecting her family.”
“Understandable.” Viper moved to take a seat opposite Styx, his expression suddenly weary. “Is it over? Ian is dead. Along with Maryam and Roban.”
“I’m still investigating the rebels. Most of them were there for a free meal and a warm place to sleep, but there are a few who are eager to continue the revolt.” Styx’s lips curved with a smile of anticipation. There were some parts of his job that he truly enjoyed. “I would like to have a personal conversation with them.”
“I hope the conversations are short and brutal.”
“Those are the best kind.”
They exchanged an amused glance. “Indeed they are.”
About to polish off the last of his brandy, Styx caught the unmistakable scent of granite. That could only mean one thing.