Ian took one last look at Fiona. They locked gazes for the briefest of seconds, then headed toward the demons.
CHAPTER TEN
Fiona crept down the hall behind Ian, her eyes on his broad back and the door in front of him. His limp had lessened. Some Mytheans healed more quickly than others, and he was in his prime.
Her heart pounded against her ribs, a desperate tattoo. They reached the end of the hall. The first door, the one without locks, was cracked open as the door at the top of the stairs had been. Fiona peered through the lower part of the crack and felt Ian do the same above her.
The space between the false door and the heavier one was small, not more than five feet, and beyond it the heavy vault door was swung open to reveal a large room full of shelves and bins and drawers.
“Not here,” a gruff voice said from within.
Her eyes tracked the voice to the far corner, behind a shelf. She couldn’t see enough to identify the species.
“Nor here,” another voice answered. This one higher pitched, possibly female. Fiona couldn’t see her either, but it sounded like she was closer and on the left side of the room.
“Gelve? Rone? Any luck on your side?” The gruff voice from the back asked.
They would say no, Fiona knew. She could sense the book like she had sonar in her mind. It was tucked all the way back in the very farthest left corner of the room, possibly even in a secret drawer.
A no and a grunt were the only answers. Fiona waited to see if any more would speak. Four against the two of them.
Fiona looked up at Ian.
“Four,” she mouthed.
He nodded once, his expression grave.
She held up one finger, then pointed to herself and mouthed, “I can take one.”
She was a good fighter, but combat wasn’t in her job description. Saying she could handle more would just get them screwed.
Ian looked at her hard, as if trying to decide if she really could. She scowled back. She had a damn good chance at taking one of the demons, especially the smaller one with the high voice. At least, she assumed it was smaller.
Finally, Ian nodded. He pointed to himself and mouthed, “Three.”
Her brows rose. Three? Really? Many species of demons could be as big and as dangerous as the Mythean Guardians. So far, she’d only ever seen the clever thief side of Ian. But if he said he could fight, she believed him.
He leaned in and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Take off my collar so that I can go in first, invisible, and see where they are. I’ll go to the back wall. When I reappear, go for your demon.”
Shite. He wanted her to take off his collar? He could run off on her. But he’d just risked his life for hers. He wouldn’t ditch her. Right? She bit her lip. She had no idea.
But he was right—it would help their chances if he could fight while invisible.
“Fine. But it goes back on immediately after.”
“Harsh.” But he grinned.
She nodded and pulled it off.
Without warning, he disappeared.
Wow. She’d never seen his Sylph powers before, but now she understood why he’d been such a damn good thief. The descendants of air spirits really had an advantage. She trained her eyes on the back wall of the vault and waited for him. A little part of her itched with the idea that he was headed back up the stairs toward freedom, but a bigger, more insane part of herself trusted him.
Ten seconds later, he flashed visible at the back of the vault and disappeared again. As quietly as she could, she rushed into the vault, shot to the left, and came upon her prey.
It faced away from her, but damn, was it tall. Very slender, though, and of indiscernible species.
Less than a second later, the sound of a groan and a thud came from the back of the room. Ian had taken care of the first.