Wise.

Frowning, Zacharel tilted his head to the side. “Go. Go now. The others have been ambushed, and a battle is in progress.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

METAL WHISTLED THROUGH the night-damp air. Determined footsteps from one, two...five different individuals echoed. Warrior footsteps, not the clacking of demon hooves. A hiss of pain sounded, followed by a grunt of satisfaction.

Thane dive-bombed the dark alley, straightening at the last moment to land on his feet in the middle of the violent battle. As he palmed a sword of fire, he snapped his wings into his sides, making room for Bjorn and Xerxes.

A quick glance revealed writhing shadows that cringed from the swords of fire the Sent Ones brandished. But the moment the Sent Ones became preoccupied with another opponent, those shadows struck, swiping out blackened claws.

Koldo fought with the cold calculation of a robot.

Axel fought as if he had no concern for his own life, leaving himself wide-open to counterattack, just to make a single kill.

Twins Magnus and Malcolm stood back-to-back. After Magnus injured the prey, Malcolm finished it off.

Jamilla was the wild card, unpredictable in her strikes, as if she strove to kill everything in her path.

Rage set a collision course with Thane. Detonation imminent. He’d encountered the shadows once before, a different sort of demon than the mundane type they usually battled—it had happened the night Kendra died with his dagger in her gut, which had strengthened the slave bond...the night Bjorn vanished. A single scratch could have devastating consequences.

Thane stepped forward, intending to help. His back burned; the wounds hadn’t had time to heal.

Do not join the fray, and do not move from this point, Bjorn said inside his head.

Though it was an odd request, Thane acquiesced without hesitation. He trusted his friend with his life, every part of his life, whatever the circumstances.

Bjorn swept into the heart of the battle, only, instead of producing a sword, he spread his arms. The action said, Look at me. You know who I am and what I can do. Obey me or suffer. “Enough!”

The shadows reacted instantly and violently, shrieking and darting out of the way, out of Bjorn’s reach, before disappearing altogether.

Last time, the creatures hadn’t feared the warrior. What had changed? Why had it changed?

I shall return, Bjorn said, his tone tight with...something. Worry not. And then he, too, was gone.

Thane shared a look of concern and frustration with Xerxes. They wanted to act. They needed to act. Their best friend could be in serious trouble. But what could they do? So far, Thane had been unable to dig up any information about what had happened to Bjorn when he’d disappeared, what his current situation was, or even the creatures. What were they, exactly?

Even as he raged against the circumstances, he released his sword. The flames faded. “Was anyone injured?”

A chorus of “no” rang out.

“Dude! We’ve been fighting those shadows for, like, ever.”

“More like five minutes,” Thane interjected.

“Some of us a little more skillfully than others, but whatever,” Axel continued, unaffected, his baby blues sparkling as he actually patted himself on the back. “Then Sgt. Buzzkill shows up, and it’s over? What’s up with that?”

Lips curling in a scowl, Thane approached the warrior with menace in every step. “Say that again. I dare you.”

“Then Sgt. Buzzkill shows up—”

“No,” Koldo said, cutting him off as Thane lunged. The warrior moved in front of Axel, acting as a living shield. “No.”

Thane planted his feet and forced himself to remain in place. The two had been partnered on a few missions, and Axel had even saved Koldo’s life, but that did not mean they were now as close as brothers. Why would Koldo do this?

A grinning Axel reached around the big guy’s shoulder and flipped Thane off.

Koldo sighed.

Perhaps they were as close as brothers. An unlikely pairing, the usually silent, always withdrawn Koldo and the irritating, irreverent Axel, but not as unlikely as, say, a Sent One and a fragile human.

“I’m now heading this mission,” Thane said. As Zacharel’s second-in-command, it was only right. “Tell me everything I’ve missed.”

Different degrees of anger, amusement and indifference met his announcement. Even still, he was obeyed without question. Their determination to remain in the skies, wings intact, was stronger than their emotions.

If only it were that easy for me.

What Thane learned: the nightclubs with the highest demon activity had been searched. So had the homes with the darkest auras. A handful of demons had been captured and tortured, but no new information had been gleaned.

The result: the Sent Ones were no closer to answers.

If you wanted a different result, you had to do something different.

If I were the incarnation of evil, and had just killed Germanus, the king of my greatest enemy, I would expect said enemy to come after me, determined to punish me. So, where would I hide?

First, Thane wouldn’t hide. He wasn’t a coward. But demons most definitely were.

Then again, demons were also braggarts.

So...which would prevail? The cowardice or the pride?

Pride. It almost always did. And pride would demand...what?

Ego stroking. Yes. If the demon couldn’t brag about what he’d done in the skies, he would resort to bragging about what he’d done down here. Human accolades were better than none.

“The demon we’re looking for has probably possessed a human in some kind of position of power. I want a list of the fifty most influential people in the area. I’m willing to bet someone has recently experienced a dark metamorphosis.”

The anger, amusement and indifference shifted to intrigue.

“I’ll do it,” Jamilla said. Having been tortured by demons only a few months ago, she relished every chance to strike back. “I’ll need at least twenty-four hours to go through our annals and put the list together.”

The annals recorded every move every human ever made, every word ever spoken. But because free will always played a part, demonic influence wasn’t mentioned with regards to the decisions made.

He nodded. “Koldo, talk to the rest of Zacharel’s army. Send the soldiers out to watch over and protect as many citizens of New York as possible. Axel, talk to Clerici. Perhaps he can speak with the Most High and have angels dispatched, as well.”