Scowling, he tried again.

And again.

And again.

Finally, he cleared the mud and concrete and entered—

A hell on earth. A scene from his deepest nightmares.

At least thirty demons of every type congregated in a large room with crumbling stone walls, dilapidated wooden columns, and a floor swimming with dark, congealing blood.

Six humans were chained throughout. Two females, three males. One child. Thane’s stomach twisted. He sent his warriors a mental map of his location.

He didn’t understand this. The prince’s demons were supposed to do anything necessary to possess certain humans. This went far beyond possession—it went far beyond depravity. Some of the creatures lounged in the blood, lapping at it. Some still tormented the humans, clawing at bits of exposed flesh and laughing.

Thane’s sword illuminated every wicked act, and one by one the demons noticed and faced him. Maniacal glee gave way to fear in every glowing red eye as the Sent Ones entered and closed off every possible exit.

That was all he’d been waiting for.

“Now!” Thane shouted.

Chaos erupted.

The Sent Ones jolted into action, swords swinging with lethal purpose. The demons with wings tried to fly away, but Thane and Axel were having none of that and clipped the appendages before a single creature could leave the den of horrors.

Heads began to roll across the floor. Arms no longer attached to bodies flew through the chamber. Howls of pain rang out. Thane remained in constant motion, happily slicing, slicing, slicing at his enemy. No one could escape him.

“Someone do me a solid and try to make this difficult for me,” Axel quipped. “Or am I just too good? Yeah. That one. I’m so good I couldn’t beat me.”

Magnus and Malcolm played hack and sack with a serp demon, punting the snakelike creature at each other—but only after removing another appendage each time. Soon, there was nothing left to punt.

Jamilla pinned an envexa to the ground and plucked out his eyes...then cut out his tongue...then ripped out his throat.

Thane stabbed a viha through the chest and moved toward his next target. Only there was a problem. There was only one demon left standing, and Axel was about to remove his head.

“Stop,” Thane said, and surprisingly enough, the Sent One complied.

Thane stepped past him and backed the demon into a corner. It was one of the larger ones, with gnarled antlers extending from a misshapen head. Red skin matched its eyes—eyes nearly overshadowed by the protruding bones of its brow. It had no nose, merely holes for breathing. Its lips were thin, revealing teeth big and sharp enough to rival a great white.

A menacing snarl rose from it.

Thane smiled his coldest smile, then said to his warriors, “Take the humans to a safe place. Get them medical help, and assign a Joy Bringer to attend to each.” Otherwise, the humans would crack, never be able to mentally heal. “I’ll take care of the creature.”

Again, he was met with obedience.

“Now...your turn. Allow me to help you shed a few pounds,” Thane said, and promptly removed the demon’s arms and legs, making it impossible for the creature to get away. Then he hauled his bounty to the Downfall’s dungeon.

“Where’s Adrian?” he asked the guards waiting in the doorway.

“Xerxes has him following the human girl.”

Good.

As Thane marched down the corridors, the undernourished Phoenix trapped in the cells were too weak to do anything more than look at him and moan. When he reached the center alcove, he pinned the demon to the wall, directly across from Kendra. Once again she had a place of honor.

She had more energy than the others and hissed like an angry cat. “Release me, Thane. Now.”

Still so high and mighty. Despite his newfound clarity and remorse, rage surfaced. He turned and gave her the cold smile he’d given the demon.

She trembled and pressed her lips together.

“Pay attention, Kendra, because you might be next.” He pulled a dagger from the air pocket. The metal was already stained with blood. He faced the demon. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m very good with knives...and my interrogations never stop until I have what I want.”

* * *

ELIN HEARD THE newest round of agonized screams and flinched. How long had this been going on? She’d lost track several hours ago.

After practice—where, big shocker, Bonka Donk was declared an abject failure at the fine art of boulder tossing—Savy, Chanel and Octavia tried to distract her from the noise with a game of favor-poker. Boons were the currency, and Elin had lost every round. But the only boon the girls desired from her was to never again have to sample her desserts.

After that, they’d switched to strip poker, and even though she was down to her new bra and panties and highly embarrassed, she still wasn’t distracted.

Apparently, Thane was in the dungeon “going native on a demon’s ass.”

“I’m done,” she said, throwing her cards on the table.

Her announcement was met with boos from all three women. And more screams.

“Done? You can’t be effing done.”

“We just got started!”

“Are you seriously pussing out?”

Ignoring their questions, she asked one of her own. “Where’s Bellorie?” She hadn’t seen the girl since—

Never mind.

Chanel frowned. “You mean you don’t know?”

Her stomach clenched. “Know what?”

“Thane banished her.”

“What?” she gasped.

Octavia nodded. “It’s true, petal. Axel brought her to the club. Xerxes told her she’d showed off her hodad and had to go. He watched as she packed her bags, then escorted her from the building. That’s the I done been exiled, ya’ll routine.”

Just like that? “Okay, let’s back up a little. What’s a hodad?”

“Hands of death and destruction,” Octavia explained.

But...Thane showed off his hodad every danged day. Why blame Bellorie for a single indiscretion?

Elin still wasn’t a fan of violence and had trouble meshing the Bellorie she adored with the Bellorie who’d callously reached inside a man’s chest to perform a heart amputation, but that didn’t mean she was going to let this banishment thing happen without a fight.

Years ago, her father gave her sage advice. Sometimes emotional terrain is too mountainous to run, Linnie, my girl. Sometimes you just have to walk it.