Chapter 12 #3
A fey that powerful would be well known, even in a city as large as London. Unfortunately, the locals would no doubt be reluctant to snitch on a fellow demon. Especially one that could make their life a misery.
Azh didn’t doubt he could eventually force them to talk, but he didn’t have time to figure out who had information and how to get the truth out of them. It was easier to go to the top of the food chain. The one creature absolutely certain to know everyone and everything happening in the city.
Saxton, the Cabal leader of Britain.
Ducking his head to get through the door of the noisy pub, Azh was relieved to discover the ceiling was much taller than most older establishments in the city.
Probably because the gathered goblins and fey were much larger than normal humans, even if their blood had been thinned over the years.
He still towered over the crowd, his gaze impatiently scanning for the owner.
It took a moment to pick out the large goblin in the corner.
The square-faced male was wearing a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal his hairy chest, as if compensating for the lack of hair on his bald head, and black leather pants.
He had small dark eyes that glittered with satisfaction at the numerous customers squeezed into the cramped space.
Currently, he was leaning back in a wooden chair with a heavy club lying across his lap, although it was his dark crimson aura that warned most demons not to piss him off.
At Azh’s entrance the place went quiet. Not the quiet of a group of friends suddenly confronted by a stranger. This was the terrified quiet of prey realizing that a predator had just strolled into their den. Even the loud music screeched to a halt.
No one wanted to attract his attention.
Unaware of Azh’s entrance, the owner abruptly shoved himself out of his chair and swaggered forward, the club held tight in his fist.
“What’s going on here?” he bellowed. “Turn the music back on.”
Azh moved to stand in the direct path of the approaching demon. “Contact your master.”
Jerking to a stop as he nearly plowed into Azh, the male’s square face flushed with fury. “What the... Get out before I rip off your head and shove it up your ass.”
Azh narrowed his gaze. “I will ask one more time before I burn this place to the ground. Call your master.”
“Ah. You want to go?” Too stupid to sense his danger, the goblin lifted his weapon. “Okay, then, let’s go.”
Azh snapped out his arm, wrapping his fingers around the male’s thick neck. Then, releasing his flames, he allowed them to crawl over the goblin from head to toe.
The male screamed. The fire was hot enough to scorch his skin, although Azh was careful not to do any permanent damage. Not yet.
“Last time,” he snarled. “Contact your master. Now.”
“Right. Yeah, just calm down,” the goblin choked out, dropping his club to reach into the pocket of his slacks and pull out a phone. “I’m calling right now. See?”
Azh sensed movement behind him. Slowly turning his head he watched as a female goblin tried to creep toward him, her fingers wrapped around a long dagger that shimmered with powerful hexes.
The owner’s mate? No. He studied the bright crimson aura.
She was the true power. With a hiss, Azh released a bolt of lightning, splintering the floor planks just inches from her toes.
The female froze, her eyes flashing crimson as the shoulder-length black hair floated on the electrical currents that sizzled in the air.
“Easy, dude. I just have to take a piss,” she hastily lied, trying to hide the dagger behind her back.
“Don’t move,” he warned, his attention shifting toward the open door.
The sharp chill slicing through the air warned a vampire was approaching. A very powerful vampire.
That was quick.
It was no surprise that the goblin had sent a frantic SOS to the Cabal leader, but it was amazing the leech had managed to get here so quickly. Either he’d been in the neighborhood or he’d sensed Azh’s presence in the city and had been keeping a close watch on him.
He was betting on the latter.
Frost coated the large front windows a second before a slender male wearing an expensive gray suit and silver tie stepped over the threshold. His dark hair was brushed from his narrow face and his black eyes smoldered with a commanding power.
He looked like an elegant aristocrat who’d been polished by the finest boarding schools that money could buy, not a monster who sucked the blood of his victims.
“You’re the leader of this Gyre?” Azh demanded, not giving the male the opportunity to gain control of the confrontation.
The vampire gave a stiff nod of his head. “Saxton. Leader of the British Empire and member of the Cabal.”
Satisfied, Azh glanced back at the goblin who trembled in pain as the fire swirled over him. Dousing the flames, Azh shoved him away.
“Leave.”
The male licked his cracked lips, glancing nervously toward his master.
“Go,” Saxton said, the soft word enough to send the host of demons scurrying for the exit.
A couple of scuffles impeded their progress as they fought to get out the door. Clearly no one wanted to be the last one out, but eventually the pub was empty and Saxton was regarding him with an icy displeasure.
“I assume this was a way to gain my attention?”
“Yes.”
Saxton arched a brow at Azh’s blunt admission. “I heard rumors there was a dragon who left hibernation to creep around the world.”
Azh snorted. “Hardly creeping.”
“True.” Saxton narrowed his gaze. “You have some balls breaking the treaty and coming here alone.”
“I didn’t break the treaty and I’m not here to cause trouble.” Azh held up a hand. He didn’t have time to squabble with the leech, no matter how fun it might be. “There’s a threat to this world. One that’s great enough that the treaty allowed me to leave my lair.”
Saxton bared his fangs. They were long and sharp and lethal to most creatures. Not Azh. The invisible scales that coated his skin made it impossible for the fangs to penetrate. Not to mention the fact he could char his ass with a burst of fire.
“I’ve been warned not to interfere, which is the only reason you aren’t in my dungeons,” the leech growled.
Azh spread his arms in a mocking gesture.
“You’re welcomed to try.” The air filled with an icy mist as Saxton’s power rammed into Azh’s fiery aura.
The two glared at one another, violence beckoning in an age-old battle for supremacy.
Then the image of Wynn’s terrified expression as she was sucked into the fissure had Azh hissing in frustration.
What was he doing? His pride wasn’t more important than finding the woman who’d captured the heart of his beast. “I need your help.” He nearly choked on the words, but they allowed him to leash his powers.
A second later, Saxton did the same. The potential for battle was temporarily muted.
“What do you need?”
“Wynn...” Azh hesitated, not sure if this male was aware of Wynn’s unique talents. “The female I was traveling with has been kidnapped. I need her back. Immediately.”
“What happened?”
“She said it was a fissure just moments before she disappeared.”
The vampire scowled. Was he suspicious of Azh’s explanation? He’d be a fool not to be cautious. And you didn’t become a leader in the Cabal by being stupid.
“Take me to the spot it happened,” he abruptly commanded.
Azh stepped forward, his aura flaring with a blinding intensity. “Word of warning. I don’t want to kill anyone, but I will if I’m threatened.”
Another flash of snowy-white fangs. “Same.”
Careful to keep a respectful distance from each other, the two predators left the pub and hurried through the dark streets. There was the sound of footsteps as the demons who’d lingered to enjoy the brewing battle scurried away.
By the time they reached the location where Wynn had disappeared, there was a heavy silence that suggested they’d managed to frighten away the demons, humans, and even the rats that hunted for scraps in the gutters.
They might not know Azh’s precise species, but they understood they didn’t want to piss him off.
“Here.” Azh stopped, pointing at the pavement. There was no visible trace of the spell that had stolen Wynn, but there was no way to completely erase the remnants of magic.
Bending down, Saxton closed his eyes as he absorbed their surroundings. Vampires possessed unrivaled tracking skills, even better than dragons. They could sort through hundreds of scents and sounds to locate a specific prey.
Saxton at last opened his eyes and straightened. His expression was grim.
“The magic was concealed. Probably because I prohibited the use of fissures after the royal fey families used them as weapons during a dispute over land, but there’s a familiar power that is connected to the spell.”
Azh curled his fingers into tight fists. “You know who it is?”
“I can make an educated guess.”
Flames burst from his fists. “Where can I find them?”
“I have an easier solution. Come with me.”
“No.”
Saxton muttered something in an ancient language. Azh sensed it had something to do with pig-headed dragons.
“Do you want to find your female or not?” the leech demanded.
Azh held his ground. “Where do you intend to go?”
“Back to my lair.” Saxton sent Azh a glare before he could protest. “The demon we’re searching for has a dozen different estates spread through England.
The fastest way to find him is to send out my servants to track him down.
Once we have his exact location you can do all the rescuing you want. Deal?”
Did he have a choice? Without a trail to follow, Azh would be wandering the streets with no clue where to even start his search. In the meantime Wynn would be alone and at the mercy of whatever creature had kidnapped her.
“Let’s go,” he snapped.