Page 47 of Deranged Demons

Prince Callan comes up beside me and stares at the multiple arrows protruding from the giants’ bodies. “The princess didn’t do this.”

“You think it was the assassin?” Dante asks, his gaze still searching the surrounding buildings. “The one she believes is her mate?”

Prince Callan looks uncertain. “I’ve never heard of a Drozac assassin having a mate.”

The demon frowns. “So, you think she was wrong about him?”

Prince Callan flicks his wrist using wind magic to retrieve his discarded sword. “Who can say.”

Fuck, I want to make someone bleed. I clench and unclench my fists. Stepping a few paces away, adrenaline courses through my body as I shift, taking on my beast form. A roar rips from me the moment the change is complete, making the stones vibrate under my paws. Dropping my nose to the street, I breathe in, searching for Blake’s scent.My mate. My queen.It doesn’t take long for me to detect her, and I don’t spare the others another glance as I leap forward, picking up speed as I run between the buildings.

“He’s found her!” Prince Callan shouts behind me and he takes to the sky, following me from above. Dante isn’t far behind, his boots pounding the pavement, and it’s not until Shade squawks that I tip my head up, taking note of where she’s appeared. Sheflaps her wings furiously, desperately trying to keep up with the prince.

Right now, I can’t think about them. All I can think about is the fact that someone’s taken my mate from me. I push myself harder, and the buildings become a blur as my powerful body takes me further into the city.

It feels like hardly any time has passed when Blake’s scent leads me to a three-story structure with a flat roof. I don’t slow my pace as I leap onto the side of the building, my claws digging in as I climb the stone walls and head for one of the higher windows. Dante jumps up beside me, grunting as his fingers dig into the grooves between the stones, and the steady flapping of wings tells me Callan is descending from above.

My blood pounds faster as Blake’s scent grows stronger, and a protective instinct I’d long since thought I’d lost drives me forward, screaming at me to move faster. If the assassin has hurt her, I’ll tear him apart.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

~ Princess Blake ~

When I wake, I immediately reach for the curved dagger strapped to my thigh. Rising, I prepare myself to attack the giants who have captured me, but I’m surprised to find the Drozac assassin sitting a short distance away. His gray eyes bore into me as he watches from the corner of the small room we’re in. Sweet chocolate and crisp mint swirls in the air, and instinctively my muscles relax, but I don’t release my grip on my blade. “Where are we?”

He doesn’t answer, and I warily eye the silver cuffs around his wrists. “Tell me where we are,mate,” Ibite out.

He bristles, his top lip curling. “You’re safe. For now,” he replies gruffly. His voice is so rough and deep it crackles when he speaks, and my heart rate picks up as I fight against the desire to move closer to him.

“And the others?” I ask, my throat tight.

His expression gives nothing away, but after a long moment he answers. “I imagine the shifter, demon, and archangel will be here soon.”

My chest sags. Inside, I knew they weren’t dead. I would feel pain if they’d been killed and their souls sent to the shadow realm, but it’s a relief to know they haven’t been captured. At that, my mind whirls as I think about the witches, but I mentally push my questions away. There would be time to figure out that puzzle, but for now, I have to deal with my current situation.

Scanning the room, I take note of the neatly ordered provisions, the weapons lined against the wall, and the assassin’s cloak spread on the floor.He’s taken me to where he’s been staying?My gaze lifts again. “Either hurry up and kill me already or tell me where the giants are.” Anger races through me at the thought of the giants we encountered, and I tighten my grip on my blade. I wouldn’t be so careless around those traitors again.

My fury is mirrored in the assassin’s eyes, and his jaw clenches. “They’re not here. They touched you,” he rasps like that one statement explains everything.

I jerk my chin higher, even though my heartskitters at his words. “And what? They weren’t killing me fast enough for your liking?”

He blinks slowly, and his nostrils flare. “They weren’t killing you because their heads were rolling on the ground before they could draw another breath.”

My heart pounds faster. “Saving me for yourself, were you?”

His eyes darken, heat entering his gaze, and I swallow hard.

“You saved me because you’re my mate, and you know it,” I say when he doesn’t speak. The words come out breathier than I intend, and his scent of mint and chocolate grows stronger, making my body ache. I definitely did something to offend Lady Fate considering where I am now.

I’m distracted enough that I’m slow to react when the assassin launches across the room. He slams my back against the wall, and my dagger flies from my grip.Oh, shit.The air rushes from my lungs, and his hands wrap around my wrists as he holds them above my head and pins me there. “Drozac assassins don’t have mates,” he snarls, and his dark brown hair hangs around his face as he leans in close.

Heat races through my veins, and my breath hitches as his intense gray gaze lowers to my lips. “That’s funny,” I tell him, “becauseyoudo.”

He sucks in a sharp breath, flinching like I’ve struck him, but instead of moving away, he presses in closer.

“You don’t understand, as a member of the Drozac,I took an oath,” he says, his lips dangerously close to mine. “Whatever this is, it’s a mistake. Ican’thave a mate. I can’t have anyone.”

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