Page 106 of The Demon's Fire
Problem solved.
Dax sniffed the air, following the blood scent to a cellar with an outside entrance. Thankfully, he had filled his own tank before the start of the mission.
Fight the hunger. You’re stronger than some blood-addicted vamp.
Lifting the door, he descended the dark stairs. At the bottom, a human male sat in dirt, chained to a concrete wall. Dax’s craving vanished, his stomach flip-flopping. The slave’s skeletal hand tugged at the metal restraint around his right ankle. His repeated struggle had torn his sagging, grayish skin at the cuff, opening it to the bone. He was unbathed, his body covered with bite marks and open sores. The human had been fed on and starved by a crazed vamp.
Dax held up a hand in a peaceful gesture, whispering, “I’m here to help you.” Dead eyes set in bony sockets stared at him. Dropping to his knees beside the emaciated human, he broke the chain, wrapped the guy in a blanket, and lifted him with ease, the man weighing nothing. Touching the palm of his hand softly to the human’s temple, Dax delivered soothing peace to a tortured body and mind, using a mild form of vampire mindwiping.
He delivered the first victim to the healer before he traveled to the home of an incubus in Amori, a respected but low-level Earth trader who hid a secret life. The guy put up no fight as Dax constrained him.
In the center of his living room, a naked woman sat cross-legged in a ten-by-ten cage. She hugged a blanket to her chest, non-responsive, her eyes empty. The incubus had obviously given her food and kept her clean. Her sandy hair shone in the overhead light, and her pale skin was flawless. But her wounds would be deep beneath the surface. Soul deep.
The asshole would have repeatedly raped her, releasing pheromones which made her complicit in her own violation. During sex, he would have fed on her lifeforce until she was at death’s doorstep. Once she recovered, he would have repeated the process.
The brutal Aeternal, his eye twitching, couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “She likes me. As you can see. She wants my attention.” He licked his lips. “She’s so sweet. Maybe you want a sip. I’ll share. You won’t be sorry.”
Long, sharp fangs filled Dax’s mouth as a growl crawled from his chest. His blood urges wanted to accept the offer, but what little honor he had left refused. He unlocked her cage. When he walked inside, she barely glanced his way.
She clutched the blanket tighter around her neck, not protesting when Dax reached down and cradled her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
She moved her lips close to Dax’s ear. “Kill me.”
Nearing the slave owner on his way out, Dax shifted the petite human to one arm, dropped the D-chip constraint wrapped around the incubus to hold him in place, and drew his jungle bolo. He plunged it into his black heart. When he severed the head, the woman let a small smile curl her lips, resting her cheek against Dax’s chest.
Now two humans lay on gurneys while the healer fussed over them. She had them hooked up to nutrients, and every so often, she’d wave a hand over visible and invisible wounds until they faded.
Dax breathed through his mouth, the air ripe with the blood drawn by the healer. Stubborn asshole he was, he stuck around to prove to himself he was not in the throes of the bludfrenzy. Since nothing could save an afflicted vampire, it was Dax’s greatest fear. Of course, it wasn’t enough to keep him from glutting on O blud in dens where any craving could be satisfied.
Dax, unmoving against the wall in the lab, had not uttered a word since delivering the woman. His arms crossed his chest, his massive biceps flinching each time his anger surged.
The Ministry of Well Being’s healer spun around, dropping the instrument in her hand when she saw Dax still watching. Though he made her nervous, he didn’t care. He was what he was. A huge, menacing killer, a block of muscle clad in black and dripping with weapons. A male whose lips were frozen in a permanent scowl.
He didn’t bother to hide his most dangerous weapon, his fangs. And when he was angry, which was most of the time, the planes of his face grew sharper and colder. His eyes had lost any sympathy centuries ago. His appearance kept others at a distance, and he had no desire to let anyone get close. Bounty was the only being he genuinely cared for, and he avoided her when possible. He was loyal to hisfreronsand had their backs when needed, but nothing good came from forming attachments.
The healer clasped a hand to her chest, a squeak jumping from her throat before she gathered her wits. “They both have mage ancestry, but they’re not Blood Coven descendants. I’ll keep them here until they’re healthy enough to go home. We’ll erase their memories first. Let’s hope their minds heal as well. That’s the more difficult job.”
Dax left the humans in her hands, hoping Jarek’s Firebrands found all the slaves quickly.
****
Kole’schip vibrated. About fucking time. He tapped his wrist to take an incoming call from Rein.What took you bastards so long?
If you want to yell at me, save it until I rescue your ass. Demons are at your front door.
I see them. They’re toast.
Save some for us.
Then, move your asses. I see you’ve all gone to hell since I’ve been here.
The commander’s upper lip twisted into a smile. As he signed off, Dermott swung into the cave. Kole probably could have knocked him off the ledge, but that didn’t seem sporting. The renegade demon’s eyes showed surprise when he saw Kole alive, upright, and healed.
“Nice to see you, Dermott. Come to make good on your challenge?”
“You can’t have survived the gagans’ attack.”
“Yet here I am. Hale, hearty, and ready to smoke you.” Kole wasn’t about to explain his secret solution to purging iron poisoning.
