Page 49 of Deranged Demons

I stiffen.Oh boy.There really is only so much you can do to help a guy out.

“Tell me he didnotjust say that!”Shade screeches as she shoots forward, her claws outstretched as she aims for his face.

His eyes widen in surprise, and he dodges, avoiding her attacks.

“You shouldn’t have called her that,” I point out with a grin.

“What?” he grunts, looking genuinely puzzled as Shade continues to squawk at him.

“You called her a pet,” I explain. “When I found her, she’d been locked in a cage and was half dead. She knows that word and she’s not exactly a fan.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s the one to find that out,” Prince Callan says with amusement.

The assassin processes my words, and to my surprise, his expression softens. It’s not sympathy I detect, but maybe…understanding? When Shade flies at him again, he lifts his hands in a placating gesture. “Stop, little one. I didn’t mean to offend you, and something tells me I’d regret having to break your neck.”

Shade squawks and retreats back to the windowsill, and I glare at him. “Do that, and even if you are my mate I will happily send you to the shadow realm.”

Dante folds his arms across his chest, and his lips twitch. “And here I thought I had a way with words.”

The assassin scowls.

“So, what’s the plan here?” Nate says, folding his arms behind his head and widening his stance. The naked male has a raging hard on, and I can’t even tell him to put his clothes back on because I’m guessing he probably shredded them when he shifted again.

All gazes turn to me, and for a moment, I don’t know what to say. Their scents are all mixing together, and it’s messing with my head.Stupid fated mates.“We need to find out what’s going on with the witches,” I say, blurting the first coherent thought that comes to me.

I’m aware that the assassin might know what the giants were up to, though I doubt he is involved. It’s well known the Drozac assassins try to keep out of the everyday workings of society. Their oath is to their order.

“I meant, what are you doin’ with the four of us?” Nate clarifies, giving me a wolfish grin.

I hesitate. The obvious answer is that we bond now to find out if they’re all my mates, but PrinceCallan has made it clear he’s not willing to participate, and I doubt the assassin will be happy to join just yet, either.

“We go back to the plan of making our way to the castle,” I suggest. “It’s our way home, and if the witches have infiltrated Rostof, we need to get word to King Dalton. Then we can worry about what to do with…” I gesture to the four males around me, “uh, this.”

When no one argues, I call it a win and stride toward the doorway. Shade flies over, perching on my shoulder, and I make it a few steps into the hallway before I realize no one else is following us. Peering back, I sigh when I find that Dante, Prince Callan, and Nate are all still glaring at the assassin.

“You first, Drozac,” Prince Callan says coldly.

The assassin collects his weapons and provisions from the floor and slings a leather satchel over his shoulder. “It’s Alaric,” he says, striding after me and ducking to fit through the doorway. “And you’re welcome.”

The others grumble as they follow, and it’s tense as we make our way from the house.

“Great,”I say to Shade.“This is just great.”

Chapter

Twenty-Three

~ Princess Blake ~

It takes the rest of the day, and part of the night for us to reach the moat that stretches around the castle, and we stop a short distance away. The drawbridge is down but considering the smeared blood and marks on the aged wood, I’m guessing there’s something in the wide stretch of still black water that surrounds the castle walls.Of course, there is.

“Whoa, we’re not walking across that are we?”Shade asks.

I stretch my wings.“Don’t worry. We can fly, remember?”

She sighs in my head, and I turn to face the guys. I get the feeling that none of them are overlykeen about being here, but no one’s complaining. Not even Alaric, who I had thought would have changed his mind by now. I guess when it comes down to it, we all know this is the fastest way for us to get out of Perstalia.

“So, I think it’s safe to assume that the bridge is a death trap,” I point out, hooking my thumb over my shoulder to indicate to the drawbridge. “But, luckily, some of us have wings, so we can carry you across and set down inside the walls.”

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