Page 8 of The Demon's Fire
Rein signed on to be a hero. In doing so, he redeemed himself despite his daily battle to control the bludfrenzy. In addition, like all Firebrands, he was BFS, as his partner Chay described the warriors. Bigger. Faster. Stronger. Perks of the job.
The recruits returned to wrestle each other on the mat, not using their breed’s gifts. They were sloppy. While Rein wondered if the Phoenix had gotten his wires crossed this time, his D-chip sounded in his mind. He tapped his wrist, taking a message from Bounty.
Happy to leave, he shot instructions at Bade and Sig before he stormed into Kole’s reception area. Bounty waited at her desk.
“Get in there.” She didn’t glance away from her hand-held mirror. “Free advice. Agree to anything he says today.” She rubbed a finger across her lower lip, smoothing her deep red lipstick.
“Bad, huh?”
“Worse.”
Kole’s fiery skills made him not only a formidable enemy but also the perfect Scion Firebrand commander. Who better to control the uncontrollable? His prowess in battle awed his warriors while his breed powers inspired loyalty touched with a healthy dose of fear.
Rapping on the door once before entering, Rein eyed a scorched hole in the wall, Kole still lobbing fireballs at it. “Nice look. You called?”
“I have a fucking assignment which will take me Earthside to shuttle some fat-ass human over here, showing him around. So, you’re in charge while I’m tied up for a few days.”
“Me? Why me? I’m not temp material.” Rein’s fangs pushed from his gums. He retracted the bitches, not wanting his commander to fry his ass.
Kole shot back a fierce stare, his gold irises sparking with flames. “I didn’t know you’d have to approve my decision.” He examined his fingers, probably waiting for them to shoot fire again. “Name someone better.”
Rein rolled his eyes. Left. Right.
“Yeah. I thought so. You’re it. Congrats.”
The reluctant Firebrand warrior resigned himself to fate, heeding Bounty’s advice. “Fill me in. What’s going on other than the gagan-Yeti problem on Darque?”
“There is that. The Yetis are pissed those ugly gray bastards are destroying forests again. We could be looking at another Darque-wide war. As if the realm isn’t dangerous enough. On the lighter side, Crazy Igmon keeps trying to crash the portals. Why he wants to go to Earth is beyond me, but he does. Lock him in the Cubes until he settles down.”
Igmon, a sloth demon lost to the rage, craved the human realm every so often. Behind bars for a few days, he’d recover until the next time. Most raging demons were violent, dangerous, having to be eliminated or imprisoned at Outcast Keep on Darque. Not Igmon. He had this single, unexplainable, harmless obsession.
“The most important task is to stay in close contact with your father. Cadmon assigned us to lend an assist if Director Alarik finds Earthers with mage DNA markers. Since his healers will need a blood specimen, we’re the muscle who’ll accompany them. If they find a Blood Coven relative, bring them in, willing or not, before Cerberus or his merry band of pricks get to them.”
Rein slapped a hand on Kole’s shoulder. “Have fun, Comm.”
The commander snorted. “Yeah. Party time. Just me, a few blades, and a flyweight Alliance CLO. Humans are crazy. I don’t understand them. No offense intended toward Braelyn.”
“None taken.” Sure, Rein’s mate was human, but Silas, working for Cerberus, had kidnapped her because she had a drop of ancient mage running in her veins. He didn’t get to keep her long enough to find out she was a Blood Coven descendant. Only Rein’s family, along with Brae’s father, knew the secret. And they’d locked the intel down tight.
Chapter Three
It was the same each time he transported through the Whorl to Earth. Koleclosed his eyes to the bright flashes of light, fighting the urge to upchuck, rubbing fingertips across his pants to control the sparks. A soft pop sounded when his feet reconnected with solid ground. He scanned the arrival room at the Alliance building in Chicago before he walked into the corridor, jiggling the doorknob to make sure it latched behind him.
Can’t have strangers accessing the portal.
Striding along the hall, Kole patted his chest to check the double-edge daggers. His hip once for the SIG.
The Ministry of Death forbade bang-bangs on Scath, saying it was dishonorable to employ manufactured firepower when all breeds had their own innate abilities.Drivel!The truth? Scath breeds were dangerous enough without adding explosive firepower into the mix. Before they had banned firearms and shit, enormous body counts racked up daily. To keep everyone honest, an entire department of witches and warlocks maintained a spell to prevent weapons such as these from working. Kole could take a gun to Earth, though.
Satisfied, he strode into the legal office. With a one-eighty, he surveyed the room. Facing a curved, waist-high reception counter where a petite brunette sat, Kole stomped to her on steel-toed shitkickers.
When he cleared his throat, the receptionist glanced up from a computer screen. “Oh, hi. Sorry. I didn’t hear you.” She spoke with a smooth, bluesy cadence, an elbow resting on the desk, her chin cradled in her hand, her brown eyes flirtatious.
He brandished a slow, sizzling smile, the one he reserved for attractive females. As he angled his head toward her, he leaned close, his voice gravelly but warm. “Commander Kole. Here to escort Chief Legal Officer Maxwell to Scath.”
See. He could play nice.
“I’m Laurie. I’ll let the boss know you’ve arrived.” The brunette stood but didn’t move. Rather, she let out a breathy sigh, her admiring gaze traveling from his boots to his hair.
