Page 87 of Demon's Mate
Dante’s brows knitted together. “Are you all right?”
Ash nodded—it was nothing—but he coughed again. He pulled in a deep lungful of air, and it burned all the way down. “What in damnation?”
Dante gripped Ash by the shoulders. “What’s going on?”
“My throat. Fuck, it hurts.” Ash gasped and coughed.
“Could it be Luc?” Dante’s gaze turned assessing and his magic washed over Ash. “Could he be cursing you from afar?”
Ash’s head spun, and he couldn’t speak. His vision flickered. Fuck. He grasped the railing, doubling over, coughing.
“I can’t detect anything.” Dante hauled Ash up. “I’d sense a powerful spell if Luc were attacking you.”
“Then w-what is t-this?” Ash sputtered.
Dante’s face paled. “You haven’t mated with Harper, right?”
Ash shook his head. “Not yet. He wanted to, but we d-decided to wait. I need him to understand—” He choked and couldn’t continue.
Dante’s eyes widened as they darted over Ash. “When we mate, we’re completely connected. You’d feel his pain, but if you haven’t mated…”
Ash’s chest tightened, and he pressed his palm over his heart. “We haven’t mated, but we intend to. Making the promise seemed to strengthen our connection. What if—” His words cut off as he took a wheezing breath.
Dante nodded in understanding. “What if the mating bond isn’t all or nothing. The ritual completes it, but your bond has already started knitting you and Harper together.”
“Harper,” Ash gasped, ice racing through his veins.
The full bond would allow them to share subtle emotions as well as physical sensations like pain or pleasure, but at this stage,was it possible for serious pain to travel down the partially formed connection?
It was the only thing that made sense. Harper must be in grave danger.
Ash cast out for the tracking spell he’d placed on Harper, only to find it completely severed. “I can’t find him. Someone broke my spell.”
Ash’s pulse raced. No. This couldn’t be happening.
Dante’s eyes clouded over. “No one from the coven has moved, and there’s nothing around Harper’s apartment.” His white eyes darted back and forth, seeing through his birds. “I can’t see Harper through his window, but I wasn’t watching his building before.”
Ash gripped Dante’s forearms, sweat breaking out on his brow. “I fucked up. Harper’s coven can’t have gotten to him. Not at home. What if it’s Luc?”
“How? Luc can’t be here. We wouldn’t miss him. You’d be able to tell if he broke your spell protecting Harper’s building.”
Pain seared through Ash’s throat. He gritted his teeth, breathing ragged, and dug deep into his magic, searching the city for any sign of Luc’s magic.
Power flared like a beacon.
“He’s here,” Ash growled, his demon fire flaring and vaporizing the sweat clinging to his skin.
Dante’s white eyes cleared, his black fire burning. “How the Hell did he get past us?”
“We can figure it out later. We have to go.”
They launched into the sky, wings pumping at full speed.
“I’ll send my birds ahead. Where is he?” Dante called.
“The Docks. Near the river.” Ash could feel the location of Luc’s magic but couldn’t see exactly where it was. “It’s dark. He must be in a building.”
“Got it,” Dante called in triumph. “The flock found his magic. He’s in an abandoned warehouse.”
