His wide jaw dropped, his brows furrowing. “You. It’s really you… You’re alive.”
I popped my hands on my hips and stepped closer. “You won’t be alive for long if you don’t tell me who you are.” I dug my fingers into my flesh to keep them from reaching out to touch the stranger.
The tense set of his shoulders straining against his leather jacket relaxed, and he took a step forward, closing the distance between us. “You really don’t know who I am?”
“No.” My feet propelled me forward, nonetheless.
The man’s intense expression faltered before it hardened to stone. “I’m so sorry, Azara.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a dark metal handcuff. “I need you to come with me.”
Shaking my head out, I chased away the lingering sensations tearing up my insides. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I staggered back. This shifter’s soul would make a powerful addition to my collection. Too bad I couldn’t keep him around because he was gorgeous.
I locked my gaze to his and those mesmerizing silver irises seared into mine. He didn’t even try to look away. Did the fool not know what I was? Most cringed in fear when my eyes met theirs.
“Don’t do this, Azara. Please, just come with me. I’ll take you home.”
Home? Again, a warm and fuzzy sentiment flared before vanishing a moment later.
The stranger held out his arms, a sad smile playing on his sculpted jaw. “I love you, Azara. Please.”
Love? Invisible talons raked across my heart, and I nearly buckled over from the intensity. Azara, go with him. That annoying little voice was back. A swell of darkness invaded my vision again, nearly blotting out the man in the doorway.
My head spun as my humanity fought her way to the surface. But my demon was strong—too strong. I eyed the broken window in the corner.
“Don’t, Azara, please.” He took a step closer and dropped the cuff, his hands up.
“You have me confused with someone else.” I darted toward the window and dove headfirst as the shifter’s shouts echoed behind me.
I landed in the narrow alleyway between the brownstones and fell back on my butt. Pushing myself up, I caught silver eyes razing over me from the second floor. I half expected him to chase after me.
But he didn’t.
My eyes refused to look away despite my best efforts. The swell of emotions behind the silver storm stirred something deep inside me.
“Azara!” Thax’s voice finally tore my gaze from the stranger. My cousin raced toward me, his dark brows furrowed and a scowl carved into his sallow jaw. “We’re leaving. Now.” He yanked me up and jerked me toward the back of the house where the narkins had corralled some demon hostages.
I couldn’t help my head from turning back up to the window as I ran. He was gone.
Chapter Four
Groaning, I rolled over and hazarded a peek through swollen lids. The dark shadows coalesced into the cold walls of my chamber at Thax’s castle. The only good thing about the underground fortress was no pesky sun streaming into the room in the early morning.
A jackhammer pounded on my skull with the slight movement. What the hell happened last night? I pressed my fingers to my temples and circled until the pain lessened to a dull roar. Damned headaches. Stretching across the bed, I reached for the potion on the nightstand. I uncorked the vial and downed half the contents. The sludgy, sweet liquid slithered down my throat, and I greedily gulped it down.
Seconds later, the maddening pain was gone. I leaned back on my pillow and drew in a steadying breath. Much better. With the mind-numbing ache gone, I could focus on what the heck happened yesterday.
According to Thax, blacking out when my she-demon appeared wasn’t uncommon for me. I sure as hades wished I could remember what I did when she took the reins. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on the night before. The human realm… yes, that’s right!
A pair of gleaming silver irises flashed across my mind, and my heart tripped on a beat. That dragon shifter. Was I dreaming or was he really there? He’d said something… something important. I chewed on my lip as I considered. I’d ask Thax, but he was definitely hiding something from me and maybe that guy was somehow involved. He could be the answer to my lost memories.
The man’s chiseled jaw and the shock of dark hair that fell over his brow swirled in my mind, and a swell of heat lit up my insides. Whoa, what was that about?
Tamping down on the unexpected lusty thoughts, I pushed myself out of bed. I had to find him, whoever he was. And I knew exactly who to ask.
I peeled off my pajamas and threw on a shirt and jeans. Thax never woke until late morning so if I hurried I might make it. Darting out into the hallway, I traversed the long corridor, scooting by a few of the servants. The kitchen staff was usually up early to prepare breakfast for their dear dark lord.
I took the winding steps two at a time until I reached the lower level of the castle. I’d overheard Lumi speak of the dungeons to one of the other servants once. How hard could it be to find? My gut told me the difficult part would be sneaking past the narkin guards once I found the prisoners.
I jumped off the last step, and the dank scent of moisture and mildew filled the air. Smells like dungeon to me. I crept forward, sticking to the shadows down the stone corridor. After a few more steps, the narrow passageway opened up into a circular chamber. A narkin demon sat on a wooden chair beside a thick oak door, his head leaning against the wall and mouth hanging open.
Okay, one demon wasn’t too bad.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I considered my options. Sneaking by the sleeping demon wouldn’t be a problem. It was opening that door without making a sound that would be tricky. I side-eyed my busted demon mark. Wake up! If I could only figure out how to get that magical orb to appear, I could walk right past him.
I closed my eyes and willed the glowing bubble to materialize. Come on, come on. No tingling, not even a flicker. My lids snapped open to confirm what I already knew—big fat nothing. I needed to start spending all my downtime in the library to learn more about this magic stuff.
I could simply soul-suck the guard and call it a day, but I didn’t want to risk losing control. No, I’d have to take a different approach. “Hey, guard!”
The demon jumped up, his long, floppy ears smacking him in the face. I suppressed the urge to laugh and kept my expression hard.
“The dark lord doesn’t keep you around to sleep on the job. Get the hell out of here.”
His watery eyes dipped to the floor. “I sorry, lady. I sorry.”
“I don’t care how sorry you are. You’re relieved of your duty.” I crossed my arms over my chest and seared him with a steely glare.
He shook his head and again those droopy ears whipped across his frightened face. “Can’t leave prisoners.”
“I’ll watch over them until you send a replacement.” I lunged forward and pointed at the way out. “Now go!”
He scampered away like a frightened mouse instead of a fearsome demon soldier. That was easy.
As soon as his heavy footfalls fell away, I heaved the massive door open. Inside, four cells completed the dim chamber. At least a dozen demons filled the enclosures, the scent of unwashed bodies and decaying flesh nearly bowling me over as I crossed the threshold. Were all of these prisoners captured last night?