Page 109 of Becoming D'Vaire
“Where are the elders? Where do we find the three necros who helped you two?” Mac asked.
“On the other side of the veil,” she replied, and there was delight in her voice. “Grandfather had to make them pay for their mistakes. They pleaded with us not to kill them, but it was necessary.”
“This bitch is crazy,” Carter remarked.
Grigori giggled, then stood up straight. “Delsaurus, get over here. That’s Latarian, and she’s going to try and hurt you.”
Smiling at the man he adored, Delaney walked over and slung an arm around his waist. Grigori mirrored his actions and burrowed into his side.
“Idris, we are good friends. You would not wish to see me hurt,” Latarian pleaded.
“You used me. You hurt me, and you need to pay for what you’ve done to Dra’Kaedan, Renny, and Gedeon,” Idris shot back.
Mac glanced down at his phone and smiled just as Reverent Knight Drystan and Reverent Knight Conley Gylde-Kempe teleported into view only a few feet behind Latarian.
“Latarian, we’ve been looking all over for you,” Conley said in a syrupy sweet voice. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
“Del, can you free her hands so I can cuff her?” Drystan asked.
“Kinky stuff,” Grigori shouted; then he laughed so hard he almost toppled over.
“You got that man blood-drunk, didn’t you?” Conley asked with a knowing grin.
“I fully accept all responsibility.”
“What happened to Duff?” Drystan inquired. Delaney filled the leaders of the Order of the Fallen Knights in on the events which led them into the alley.
“I knew he could be an asshat, but I didn’t realize he was evil too,” Idris stated. His jaw clenched, and the same rage that bubbled through him infused Delaney. They were friends and family. Duff comprehended all the things Latarian did to the D’Vaires and somehow, he was able to put that all aside and help her.
“Why was I the one Duff lured out here?” Delaney demanded.
“Wizards are clearly not as smart as witches. I need dark magic. I was going to have yours and have my revenge on the D’Vaires at the same time,” Latarian responded.
“I’m not the idiot in chains, and our power is incapable of being mixed. Not only are you undead, but you were a warlock in life, not a wizard. It was never possible to combine our magic, but somehow I’m the moron here,” Delaney retorted. “How’d you and Duff get into contact?”
“Do you honestly believe I will stand here and answer your ridiculous questions?” Latarian replied. “I shall not. I demand to know where my grandfather is being held hostage.”
“No worries, I’m going to take you to the same prison he’s being held in,” Conley told her. “Good news, he’s almost fully corporeal.”
“Hey maybe if you’re nice to them, the fallen knights will let you attend his execution,” Carter commented.
“Shifters, such horrid creatures,” Latarian remarked. She lowered her head toward the still-unconscious Duff. “I have always hated them. I should have known better than to trust any of their kind.”
Conley finished his task and stood up. “Lady, I’m not only your worst undead nightmare, I’m also a shifter, so I’d suggest you keep your disparaging remarks to yourself.”
“Is this where I should be afraid?” she asked in an overly bright tone. “You will all pay for hurting my grandfather and me.”
“Let’s go. We’ve got a lot to talk about. I want to know all about your wizard friend. Let me guess? Consilium Veneficus?” Conley responded.
“I had my reservations at the start, but their government is a great deal better than your own,” she commented haughtily.
“Del, unwind her so we can take her down to headquarters,” Drystan instructed. Though there was a portion of him that wished to use the chains to squeeze the life from her, he obeyed. Venerable Knight Arvandus Ruarc-Daray and Skeleton Lord Albrecht shimmered into view as several SUVs full of fallen knights pulled up.
Together the Reverent Knights, Arvandus, and Albrecht loaded up the two criminals, waved, and sped off. The other men assisted the still-prone security guards, and Delaney was sure they would spend hours picking over the crime scene. Delaney’s little group would be asked to go to headquarters to be interviewed to go over every detail of their encounter with the infamous Latarian.
Silence fell over Delaney and his family as they all processed the events of the last several minutes. Delaney could not believe he’d gone from blistering hot sex to capturing the one woman who was the bane of his family’s existence since before he’d walked through the double doors. It was stunning, and his brain was still catching up with his adrenaline.
Then Grigori’s voice, soft and sad, flowed around them. “Oh no,” he lamented. “She got away again.”
