38

G E O R G I E

✿

After they decided to take Reyna's offer, she was escorted out of the conference room by pack members. She was still under guard, after all she was an intruder in the heart of our territory.

"How long have you known you're mates?" Arya burst into the room, her eyes on the mark on my neck.

With red cheeks but a smile on my lips I reached for the still healing bite wound. Beau pulled me to his side and nuzzled my ear. Inhale my scent.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice!" Zaira laughed hoarsely.

"You knew about it and kept it to yourself?" Arya gasped, aghast, then folded her arms. "And I thought wolves would gossip at every opportunity."

"Hey, how would you have liked it if I had trumpeted that you were mates at the beginning?" Zaira replied and brushed the dark strands from Koray's forehead. "You would have run away."

"I wouldn't be," Arya hissed, slightly miffed.

Xenos bit her neck, a smirk on his mouth. “You would be. But it doesn't matter, I would have caught you again, kitten."

"I can live with that," she agreed, then whispered, stroking their shared symbol on Xeno's wrist, "As long as you found me."

Xenos smiled.

Aramis, who had his hand entwined with Zaira's and placed over her stomach, disappeared with his mate a short time later, with the pretext that Koray needed to go home and rest.

'There's something else. That wasn't all I learned in the catacombs,' I said, my gaze fixed on the gray-eyed, all-black-clad officer. Only the mask was missing. "Arrow, why don't you take off your glove?"

Arrow stared at me silently, his face as blank as ever.

"Why so silent? Won't you tell us what you're wearing on your skin? What character is burned into it? No?” I snorted. “I saw you, I know you were behind the masked attacker! For bringing them into our territory and attacking me!"

Arrow raised his hand to stop Xenos from interfering, then removed his black glove that covered his left hand as usual. The exact same symbol I'd seen before graced the back of his hand.

"I knew it!" I exclaimed.

"Arrow?" Xenos expected an explanation from him.

He calmly slipped his night-black glove back on. 'Georgie's right. This is the symbol of a secret bond. They call themselves the Shadow Order. A community of soldiers trained under the hands of their leader. They serve no one, only accept orders from the highest bidder. Travel using portals, mostly at night. Then they sneak up on their mission. Kill him without a sound, without a hint and without a mistake.”

Beaus was dangerously quiet. "What orders?"

"Assassinations." Arrow's trains never went out of control. Would I guess if he lied to us? "I've been out of it for three hundred orbits of the sun."

“It's heartwarming how you think you can protect her, wolfie. But nobody can escape my flames if I don't want them to.” Daemon replied, almost disinterested.

I couldn't move anymore, couldn't breathe anymore.

"Don't beat around the bush," Xenos growled, drawing attention back to himself.

"Georgie, go now!" Beau hissed at me. But my feet were glued, felt leaden. Daemon tied me up. I wanted to find out if he was as ruthless as his father. If the same pumped cold blood through his heart.

I clawed my hand into Beau's olive green shirt and positioned myself to face Daemon. "Do you know that Hades lives?"

Daemon leaned back in the leather chair, bored. "Why do I get the feeling that every time I see you werewolves, we're talking about my family?"

Arya directed the houseplants over his head. "Perhaps because they are a murderous pack who want to see us dead?"

"Yes, you could be right." He chuckled darkly and his amber eyes glittered. "Well, if anyone can rise from the dead, it is my beloved father."

I edged closer to Beau. "You could help us take action against Hades."

Daemon clicked his tongue. "No. I mean I could. But that would require me to care about that world, and I don't. I don't care if she crumbles to ashes. Back to business. Well, as you can see, these two charming, nice men have trodden my land.” He pointed to the two skulls lying in their own bloodbath and rocked onto the back legs of the chair. “And then it started all over again. They babbled on at me, rattling off the same tune as everyone else. So unoriginal if you ask me. Please spare me. I didn't know the land was taken. Please, please, please” he mocked, rolling his eyes. "You see, it's getting boring, little prince."

“You killed two of my pack members. This has consequences,” said Xenos, his hands clenched into fists.

“Pack Members. I prefer the name subjects.” Undeterred, Daemon opened his hand like a fan and a small spark of fire flickered out. "Tell me, how could they not know they were trespassing on my territory?"

"Because your country doesn't exist," snapped Beau, his shirt straining down his back, claws springing from his fingers, and wolf fur layering the back of his neck.

Daemon put a hand to his heart and gasped in dismay. The flames were still in his palm, but they didn't seem to be able to harm him. “How can you say such a thing. So unfair, almost mean.” He chuckled derisively. "Well, you're wrong." A card appeared on the table, held in place by a knife that pierced it. The golden hilt of the dagger whirred back and forth slightly until it came to a standstill. "North from here everything is mine."

"You come here, threaten me, kill pack members and then claim land?" Xenos growled dangerously. 'Fyrsald Forest belongs to no one. So is the Semerian north.”

“Remember when I asked your permission? No?” Daemon toyed with the fire in his hand. Turned it, twisted it as he pleased, and studied it closely. "Well, neither do I."

"You are not welcome here, hellhound," Xenos countered.

"Do you come in funny?" Daemon closed his hand and the flames died out. "I was kind enough to come over here to tell you to tell your - how do you call them - packmates where my territory begins. Or just tell them to find another way to entertain me. Otherwise, those heads won't be the only ones to be impaled in the foyer."

Xeno's teeth cracked. "No."

"No?" The chimney behind Daemon blazed. Blood-red blazing flames flickered in the already extinguished embers, as well as all the other torches scattered around the room. And just like the flames in his amber eyes, where the same fire danced. He cocked his head. "You're starting to annoy me, Prince."

I cried out as searing pain shot through my forearm and clouded my senses. My skin tightened as flames danced on it, searing my flesh. The unbearable agony brought me to my knees. I shivered, doubled over with nausea as the fire spread up my upper arm.

Then Beau pressed his cotton shirt against my arm, putting out the fire with quick, gruff movements.

"Anyone else? What about you Arya? A taste?” My gaze fixed on the dark stone floor, all I could hear was Daemon's cynical voice.

"Go away Daemon, you get your country," Xenos thundered.

hands on my face. Beau crouched in front of me. "Hey, look at me."

The dull veil in front of my eyes lifted. "It's okay," I tried to say, but my arm was throbbing like hell.

"Don't be a spoilsport, I was having a good time," Daemon said and I saw his black patent leather shoes behind the table leg. “I hear no nagging, no pathetic begging. Oh please Daemon, please let me live, I beg of you.”

"No one will enter Fyrsald Forest," Xenos agreed. "You have my word."

'Finally, it's taken long enough. Oh, and before I forget. The rest of my present.” Then Daemon snapped his fingers, the edge of a swirling portal flashed out from under the table, then was gone.

Beau was about to pick me up when two headless, burned, torn, and tortured corpses smashed onto the floor in front of me. Blood spattered my face.

I choked. Then I vomited onto the floor.

Maybe I was hoping at first that he had nothing in common with Hades, but I was terribly wrong. As one always used to say so beautifully; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Daemon was just as bad.