Page 47 of A Fury Of Shadows

Dietrich drew a sharp breath. Barquiel fisted his hands, elation and frustration tightening his chest in equal measure.

It was a metal compass without a needle. One that looked identical to theBook of Lightin all respects bar the absence of the complex runes that had scored the original version.

“Thank you.”

Vedran approached the bench with a rapt expression. He reached out and took hold of the compass, barely aware of their presence.

For one wild moment, Barquiel was tempted to rip his throat open.

“Rest assured. You shall be rewarded generously for this feat,” the Sorcerer King told Dietrich in a grave voice, his eyes still locked on the artifact.

A muscle jumped in the Immortal’s jawline. He bowed his head. “I live to serve you, my liege.”

His gaze flickered to Barquiel, his regret and bitterness on full show for a scant second.

“What of our devil troops?” Vedran tore his gaze reluctantly from the compass and fixed Dietrich with a hard stare. “Are things progressing well with your nanorobot experiments?”

“Yes, they are.” The Immortal paused. “New York was a useful test. I should be able to fix the flaws the super soldiers exposed in my devils.”

Dietrich’s involvement in the secret super soldier program a rogue branch of the U.S. Army had funded for over half a century had ended up being more useful than even Barquiel had thought it would be. The project was abruptly terminated when the Immortals got involved and the most advanced subjects of the decades-long research now lived in the wild under their protection.

Barquiel was aware Dietrich would sacrifice a limb to get his hands on one of those super soldiers. Somehow, he suspected the Immortal might soon have that opportunity.

Mae Jin is bound to come to Europe to try and rescue Nikolai.The demon frowned.And if the super soldiers got involved in New York, then it means the Immortals have finally made their move.

CHAPTER18

Are we there yet?Hellreaver whined.

Mae’s eye twitched. “For the hundredth time, no!”

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose. Serena’s hands slowed on the gun she was cleaning, her shoulders knotting. One of the super soldiers said a choice swear word.

Cortes slugged down his whiskey and slammed his glass on the table where he sat with Mae and Vlad.

Violet pursed her lips at the Columbian from across the aisle. “Are you sure you should be doing that? I mean, we’re about to potentially walk into a war zone.”

“I’m drowning my sorrows.” The sorcerer scowled at Hellreaver. “I either drink or I’ll shoot him.”

“You and me both, pal,” Lou muttered three rows ahead.

Hellreaver sniffed.

“Now, now, my Enrique.” Popo stroked Cortes’s cheek soothingly with a wing. “All this tension is bad for your blood pressure. Never mind your manly vigor.”

“Stop that,” the sorcerer snapped. His jaundiced gaze swung from Hellreaver to Mae. “He wasn’t like this on our last trip,” he said accusingly.

Mae’s expression grew pinched. “That’s because no one gave him any sugar.”

Everyone looked at Miles.

“What?” He shrugged. “It was only Skittles.”

Hellreaver zoomed down the aisle with aWheee!

“He’s used to a high-protein diet.”

“Well, now you know what happens when he has processed carbs,” Miles said helpfully.

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