He slowed his pace and waited for me to catch up. “No, of course not. There’s a meet-up point. It’s how Delacroix gets things in and out.”
Delacroix. There it was again. The name that set off alarm bells in my brain. “Is it true that this demon wants my cousin’s throne?”
Sark’s gaze dipped to the dirt floor. “I don’t know anything about that, my lady. Delacroix Balthier is a humble servant of Lord Thax, like all of us.” The hint of a smirk played on his lips.
My inner demon chuckled. That throne is ours. I shoved her power-hungry thoughts down and refocused on the winding tunnels. Just ahead, a small alcove caught my eye. A whisper of a memory swirled around my mind, and my feet took off toward it.
“Azara! Where are you going?”
I reached the dark recess and waved at the little demon. “Be right back.” My shoe brushed a mound of overturned earth, calling my attention to the ground. I squatted down and dug out a few handfuls of moist dirt before my fingers brushed something more substantial. I tugged on the canvas and pulled out a duffel bag. Weird.
I unzipped it, and hot tears pricked my eyes as they settled on a warm, leather coat. I yanked it out and draped it over my frozen body. A familiar, musky scent wrapped me in its warm embrace. I buried my nose in the material, reveling in the wintry perfume. Again, a flash of silver streaked across my vision, the smoldering steel inciting a pang in my chest.
“Azara! We have to go, now.” Sark appeared at the entrance of the alcove and pulled me to my feet.
I nestled in the jacket as I followed behind him. How did I know this scent? I recognized it as if I’d smelled it all my life. Wrapping the worn leather closer to my body, an image flew across my mind. That dragon shifter—he wore this at the house in the Upper West Side. It was his, I was suddenly sure of it.
A sharp pain thundered across my temples, and a scream tore from my lips before I could slap my hand over my mouth. I buckled over from the intensity, clenching my jaw to keep from crying out again.
“You okay, lady?” Sark whirled around as I hit the floor.
Damn headaches! I pressed my fingers to my forehead as the mind-numbing pain streaked through my skull. “Yeah, I’ll be okay,” I mumbled. Pushing myself of the cold ground, I forced my knees to straighten.
“It’s just around the bend.” He pointed a few yards down the tunnel where the earth curved to the left.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and the intensity simmered a notch. I was so close, I couldn’t stop now. That dragon shifter was the key to unlocking my lost memories. “Let’s go,” I rasped out.
We turned the corner, and a thick metal door blocked our path.
“Dead end?” I shrieked.
“Just the beginning,” he said with a grin. He ticked his head at a hidden keypad built into the wall, and his stubby fingers flew over the numbers. A click sounded, and a concealed compartment within the door swung open. Sark pulled a sleek tablet out and typed in another password. The screen flashed on, and a dark figure appeared.
“It’s me, boss.” Sark’s face lit up.
“How did you get out?” a deep voice boomed. “It was my understanding you were in my enemy’s clutches.”
“I was, but you know good ol’ Sark, you can’t keep me locked up for long.”
“Funny,” he growled. “You came with news then?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly. I’m repaying a debt for my freedom.” He ticked his head at me and pivoted the screen in my direction.
A hellus demon stared back at me, two pointy horns jutting out of his hairy forehead. He squinted as if trying to get a better look, but between the dark tunnels and the oversized jacket draped over me, I doubted he could make much out.
“Can you get the girl in?” Sark asked. “She’s here to see one of the prisoners.”
“Who is she?” Again, he peered in my direction.
I shook my head at Sark, my eyes pleading. If this was the infamous Delacroix, there was no way he’d let me in if he knew I was the cousin of his so-called enemy.
“She was another captive at the castle, boss. She freed not only me, but all of the guys. We can trust her.”
He grunted. “I’ll be the one to make that decision, Sark. Wait there. I’ll be down in a few minutes to retrieve her.”
The screen blinked off, and my shoulders sagged in relief. Even the pounding in my head had lessened. “Thanks for not ratting me out,” I mumbled. “Was that Delacroix?”
The little demon nodded. “The one and only. I promised to get you this far, but if the boss doesn’t like the smell of you, he won’t stick his neck out to get you in. We’re even now.”
“Okay, that’s fair.” We’ll just eat him if he gets in our way. My she-demon let out a wicked giggle. I tamped down on her urges and paced a tight circle in front of the door. She was right though, I hadn’t come this far to be turned away now.
Hellus demons were strong, and if he really was gunning for my cousin’s throne, he must’ve been pretty powerful. So what was he still doing within the stone walls of this prison?
Waiting, maybe. Biding his time for…something.
“What do you want with Talon anyway?” Sark’s voice yanked me from my musings.
“Huh?”
“The dragon, Talon, why do you need to see him?”
Talon. My heart staggered on a beat, then picked up its tempo until it reached an erratic staccato. It took me a second to catch my breath so I could answer. “He has information I need.” Perfectly nice and vague. I didn’t need the whole Underworld knowing about my lost memories.
“Be careful around that guy, he and his brothers are notorious around the prison. Even Delacroix gives them a wide berth. And word is, Talon has connections with the warden and beyond.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
The thud of approaching footfalls put an end to our conversation. I called to my demon, and her powers rushed to the surface. If things went bad, I’d need her to get in. The door whooshed open, and pitch eyes fixed on mine. They widened to the size of infinite pools of tar. “Azara?”
My jaw dropped, the look of surprise on my face surely mirroring Delacroix’s. A clawed hand jutted out and wrapped around my neck before my demon could surface. “Come to finish me off, have you?” His hot breath drifted over my face as he flashed his fangs inches from my throat. With his other hand, he slapped a metal bracelet over my wrist.
“What are you talking about?” I choked out.
He dragged me inside as I kicked and squirmed, trying to free myself from his iron grip. He kept his eyes down, never meeting my own. Just look at me, you hairy bastard.
Sark’s quick footfalls echoed behind us as the demon hauled me inside the bowels of the prison. “You know her, boss?”
“Of course, I do, you fool. This is Thax’s cousin, Azara. She’s been in hiding with the dark lord for the past three months. You almost led her right to me.”
He quickly shook his head. “No, she’s here for the Triad, for Talon.”
“You’re an idiot, Sark,” he growled. “Everyone knows she’s gone dark. She’s been consuming souls up and down the realms. The girl the dragon was infatuated with is gone.”