No Mercy (Dark-Hunter 18)

Fang led him to a single chair...or throne would be a more appropriate term. Like the desk, it was huge and carved with the heads of dragons. As they drew nearer, the carvings opened their eyes to show yellow and red pupils that focused on them with interest.

One of the dragons let loose a belch of fire, stopping Fang from getting any closer.

Dev frowned at the man who sat there. Impeccably dressed in a black silk and wool suit, he'd left the top button of his black shirt open. Dev saw a hint of a scar that ran across his collarbone where it appeared someone had once tried to cut his throat.

His features were so perfect, he would have looked feminine but for the lethal aura of I'm-planning-on-picking-my-teeth-with-your-spine. He narrowed a cold dark stare on Fang, then shifted it to Dev. "You can't have her."

"Excuse me?" Dev asked in an offended tone.

He swept a dismissive gaze over Dev. "If I let you have Samia, Lazaros will kill her. Painfully. Believe me, I'm doing both of you a favor by keeping her here."

Dev shook his head. "I can protect her."

"And you're doing such an admirable job of it too. If I were Samia, I'd be tickled pink by your care." That tone was so patronizing that it took all of Dev's control not to go for his throat.

Thorn ignored Dev's anger as he continued speaking. "Arrogance...how I love the sound of rampant stupidity after a long, dreary day." He held his goblet up and the female demon came forward to fill it with something that looked more like blood than wine. "Tell your bear, Wolf, that he's not equipped to deal with our enemies."

"I tried, Thorn. He won't listen."

"Pity they never do. At least not until it's too late to do anything more than scrape up their remains." Thorn sipped his drink as his eyes changed from a freakish luminescent green to a bright yellow which matched some of the dragon eyes that continued to stare at them. "You know the problem with seeing the future?"

"You run out of enough banks to hold all your lottery winnings?"

Thorn gave a short, dry laugh at Dev's sarcasm even as Fang sucked his breath in sharply and gave him a warning glare. "You can't circumvent free will. That is the curse of your existence."

Dev put his hands on his hips. "Funny, I always thought of free will as a gift."

"You would. Just goes to show exactly how naive you are."

Naive maybe, but right now this asshole was really starting to piss him off with his B-grade movie theatrics and warnings. It was all he could do not to leap at his throat.

As if sensing his intent, Fang put a hand on his shoulder to remind him that reserve was the key to getting what he wanted out of Thorn. If he was like Savitar, overt aggression might get Sam killed.

For her and her alone, he'd corral his temper.

Fang cleared his throat. "You once told me that there's more than one kind of death."

Thorn savored a deep draught before he answered. "There is indeed."

"Then what kind of death will they have?"

One corner of Thorn's mouth quirked up. "You know I can't answer that, Wolf. Well...I could, but it might change things and that might suck. Might not, but who am I to tamper with such odds?" He looked over his shoulder. "Shara? Be a dear and fetch our latest two guests here at the Hotel California."

"You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave...." The reference to the old seventies Eagles song wasn't lost on Dev.

What is his deal? Dev mouthed to Fang.

Fang's eyes widened in warning for him to behave--something that was virtually impossible for someone who lived to irritate others.

Thorn rose to his feet.

Dev stepped back, not out of fear, but awe. There was a solid aura about him that was ancient and lethal. Something that said, in spite of his impeccable manners and speech, he was much more at home slashing throats than chatting. And for some reason, Dev had an image of him engulfed by flames.

Thorn glanced to Dev. "Forgive my rudeness. I'd offer you both something to drink, but trust me, you don't want any of what I have. Ever."

Okay...Nice boss, Fang. This guy was not Acheron. He was spooky as shit and definitely out to lunch. Dev had never thought he'd ever meet someone who could make Savitar or Ash appear normal, but Thorn...

Gods help them if the two of them ever combined forces.

And it made him wonder what Thorn might have done with Sam. Was she safe?

I haven't harmed her. Scout's honor.

He tensed at the sound of Thorn's voice in his head. He locked gazes to find a knowing look on Thorn's face.

Yes, Bear, I hear all, and Sam is quite safe.

Dev ground his teeth, reminding himself to keep his thoughts on the weather and not the freaky power of Thorn.

A few seconds later, Shara returned with...Dev wasn't sure what the two of them were. On first impression, they appeared to be Daimons, but he was picking up on something else. Another layer of powers that made no sense whatsoever.

Thorn indicated them with his goblet. "Amaranda. Cael. Meet Fang, who is one of your colleagues, and his brother-in-law Dev."

Amaranda was a stunning creature. In a pale pink summer dress, her tawny skin belied her nocturnal race. And with a feral aura that would give Thorn's a run for his money, Cael was dressed in a black vest with no shirt underneath and a pair of ragged jeans.

Dev's gaze went straight to the bow-and-arrow mark on Cael's exposed hip. "You're a Dark-Hunter?"

Cael flashed him a fanged grin. "Sort of."

Uh-huh...Dev narrowed his gaze on him as all of his defenses ran into high gear. "What's sort of a Dark-Hunter?"

Thorn gave an evil laugh before he explained. "A Dark-Hunter who foolishly falls in love with an Apollite who turns him into a Daimon to save his life." He turned to Fang. "See why I tried to tell you love is far more sinister than anything I could ever do? I'm convinced it's why Acheron's wedding ring is black with skulls and crossbones on it." He paused to give Fang a pointed stare. "But you didn't listen to me either." He indicated Amaranda and Cael with a jerk of his chin. "I couldn't stand to see such warriors wasted so I took them under my wing."

Dev had a feeling that being taken under Thorn's wing was only slightly better than being run down by a Mack truck. And then backed up over just for good measure. "How so?"

"He saved us," Amaranda said. "We were on the run from my people and Cael's."

Dev gave her a droll stare. "Ya think? You live on human souls and people tend to get a little pissed off about it. Damn rotten bastards. Can't imagine why that would be a bad thing."