Chapter 27 Onyx
ONYX
Onyx sucked in a sharp breath, choking on cloth. Something covered his face. Where was he?
He remembered the rooftop.
Nico!
Onyx ripped the sack from his head, his surroundings so dark he almost couldn’t tell the difference. A cold stone floor lay beneath him. After a second, his eyes adjusted to the faint light outlining a door, barely illuminating the small, bare room.
Nico wasn’t there.
Had Luc kidnapped him and separated him from Nico? Was this what Onyx got for being tempted to trust his brother?
Anger swelled inside him, and tears threatened. He pushed them back. Nico would be all right. Thank Onyx’s damned eternal life that they’d bonded.
Onyx reached for their connection. Yes, Nico was there. Onyx pulled his mate’s soul closer, but Nico didn’t come, so to speak. His presence seemed faint, like he was far away. Distance shouldn’t affect a mated pair’s ability to share emotion. Something was hindering their connection.
At least Nico was alive and seemingly conscious. Faint hints of fear and panic reached Onyx through the bond, strangling his heart. His mate was hurting.
Onyx scrambled to his feet and lunged for the door. Nico could be in another cell. Onyx had to get to him. His head swam as he stood, and he stumbled, falling forward. Onyx’s knees hit the stone, his head pounding.
What the hell? He had the coordination of a drunk man.
After a few tries, he made it to the door and braced a palm against it, out of breath. Vision tunneling, Onyx sank to the floor. He grabbed the handle on the way down, but it slipped from his grasp.
He blinked, confused. Where was he?
He inspected the empty cell and remembered what happened on the roof. Nico! He had to find Nico. They’d been attacked.
Struggling to his feet, Onyx touched the door. His vision went black, and he awoke on the floor. What happened?
Onyx had no idea how many times he went through the motions before an intense sense of déjà vu had him wondering if he’d messed with the door before.
He hesitated, pulling his hand back. Was touching the door knocking him out and stealing his short-term memory? It was a clever trap. No witch could pull off an illusion like that, but Lucifer could.
Sounds outside caught his attention.
Onyx straightened, trying to gather his wits. His head swam like he’d downed a whole glass of intoxicating potion.
The door swung outward, light spilling into the cell. A figure stepped into the doorframe, and Onyx hastily gathered his power, releasing a bolt of lightning. The spell exploded, filling the doorway with electricity without reaching its target. A shield must cover the opening. Dammit.
Onyx’s eyes adjusted to the glare. The figure was tall but too wide to be Lucifer. Was this another illusion? Had the cell addled his brain?
The demon, Valac, stood before him. A guy Onyx vaguely recognized from their time in the Realm of the Damned.
Onyx steadied himself. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Your head on a plate.” Valac bared his fangs, eyes flashing bright.
At least there was no misunderstanding his intention.
Valac’s huge white wings extended beyond sight of the doorway. His looming posture was reminiscent of Ash. So was his smirk. “Where are the other Hounds?”
“As if I’d tell you. Let me out of here. There’s no quarrel between us. You’re free. Dante, Ash, and I never wanted to trap you in Hell.”
“Please. You stood by Lucifer until the moment you decided to escape and leave everyone behind. Now, it’s time for all of you to pay.”
Onyx’s head pounded. Valac must have set the bounty. Was he close to finding his brothers? Something had given Onyx away, and it better not have been Rowan’s coven. “How did you find me?”
His captor shrugged. “I got a tip from a man who joined my cause.”
Onyx willed his brain to work faster. Whatever he’d been injected with must have been potent. Unless this was the disorienting illusion addling his mind. “What cause?”
“To rid Shearwater Landing of oppressive scum, and allow the magic community to flourish freely.”
So fucking noble, but anything could be spun to sound good. “My brothers and I have let the magic community flourish freely. I’m not even involved with the damn community. Cut the crap and admit you’re after vengeance.”
“It’s hardly crap. Like you aren’t twisting your words, saying you’re not a part of the magic community. What about your witch friend?”
Onyx reached for Nico’s presence, and Nico reached back, the bond thrumming. He was still there, but as Onyx tried to get a sense of Nico’s physical location, he slipped away. Something was blocking him.
Valac continued, apparently displeased by Onyx’s silence. “Even if that witch was your friend, he isn’t anymore. Seeing as I stopped the guy’s heart.”
Onyx dropped his fangs, eyes flaming. He clung to Nico’s presence within his soul.
Nico wasn’t dead.
But Valac assumed he’d killed Nico. He didn’t seem to know he and Onyx were mated. That was good. Maybe Onyx could use that. Hopefully, it meant Nico was safely back in the South Banks and not in another cell.
Onyx snarled. “Killing random witches isn’t conducive to letting the magic community flourish. Sounds like you’re full of shit.”
Valac’s attention shifted down the hall. “I’ve got a better friend for you. Why don’t you two reconnect while I round up the rest of the dogs? Then we can put the whole pack down together, and be free.”
“No, wait! You are free. We aren’t enemies!” Onyx surged forward, hitting the shield blocking the doorway. His teeth clenched as electricity shot through him, stopping his heart.
Valac sneered as Onyx stumbled back. The big demon shifted out of the doorway, allowing two other demons to thrust a limp figure past the protective shield.
A man crumpled to the floor, and the door slammed shut.
Recognition shook Onyx’s healed heart. “Luc?” He staggered back. Was this a trick?
Luc stirred and rolled onto his back with a pained moan. Blood marred his almost unrecognizable face, his jaw dislocated and cheekbones smashed.
Onyx’s heart skipped, and his chest seized. Seeing Luc hurt shouldn’t matter. Onyx had spared no feeling when Dante had ripped the Devil’s throat out in retaliation for hurting Ollie. But then, permanent death hadn’t been on the table.
Despite everything, Onyx still cared for his brother. It was his greatest weakness.
Luc groaned as his face healed, features popping back into place. His swollen eyes opened, glowing red in the darkness.
“Onyx.” Luc spat blood and pushed himself to a seated position. “Fuck, they got you too.” He sounded heartbroken.
Lies! Onyx’s better judgment screamed, but all he’d ever wanted was his brother’s love. For Luc to care. To speak to him with that much emotion.
He shoved that longing down. “How did they manage to capture you? Aren’t you an expert at sneaking around under everyone’s nose?”
Luc laughed. It turned into a wet cough, as if his internal injuries weren’t healed. “I thought so. Guess I got cocky. Careless.” He shook his head and wiped a hand over his face, clearing some of the blood. “They found me on your roof.”
“My roof? What the fuck?”
Onyx had left his loft unprotected so Luc could reach out, but the idea he had indeed been lurking—maybe not for the first time—sent shivers down Onyx’s spine.
Luc straightened, and a flare of magic cleaned the remaining blood and grime away, leaving him camera-ready and nearly relaxed in appearance. “I was waiting for you. You hadn’t been home since the gallery. Then, you finally showed up carrying your mate—”
“Do not talk about Nico,” Onyx snarled.
Luc raised his hands. “Sorry. You went inside, and I wasn’t sure if you’d take me barging in when you had company as an attack, so I was waiting until you were alone. I needed to talk to you, but Valac and his chums showed up.”
“How’d they find my loft? Almost no one knows where I live.”
Luc’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. I didn’t see them coming, obviously. They must have detected my invisibility spell once they arrived, and attacked me.”
It sounded plausible. Luc might be telling the truth. Had Valac detected Onyx’s invisibility and followed him home? But how had he figured out where to look? Scanning all of Shearwater Landing for invisibility illusions simultaneously wasn’t possible.
“Valac seems to be leading the hunt for me,” Luc went on.
“He’s gotten progressively more vocal in opposing me since you left the Realm of the Damned.
Though never extreme in his rebellions. Until now.
It appears I was right in assuming the reason demons never attempted to assassinate me was fear that, with me gone, they’d be trapped in Hell forever.
Now that they’re free, there’s no reason to spare me. ”
A chill ran down Onyx’s spine at how calmly Lucifer referred to his own demise. Why had he freed everyone if confinement was the only thing holding his enemies back?
There wasn’t time to dwell on it. They had to escape. “How many does Valac have on his side?”
Luc stood, stretching his back with an audible click. “I’m not sure. At least half a dozen hung around him in Hell. He had me in a cell like this, and I saw three others when I arrived.”
Even if there were only four, they were still outnumbered. Not great odds. Onyx and Luc would need backup.
Wait. Was Onyx trusting his traitor brother just because he’d been beaten up and tossed in a cell with him? How fucking foolish. The bounty and threats of permanent death could be a ruse, with Valac working for Lucifer.
But it didn’t feel like a ruse. The hollow way Luc spoke of his death rang sharply of the truth. If he were lying, he’d lay it on thick with the self-pity.
Onyx shifted his stance, ready to strike at the first sign he had this wrong. “Why didn’t you tell me all four of us were on Valac’s hit list?”
Luc jolted as if he’d been shocked with lightning. “What?”