Chapter Six #3
Tex wished Gregory had been able to tell him more about the different magical abilities these demons had, or that he’d had time to ask Nymon.
He wasn’t prepared when the shadows in the room came alive, stretching and twisting into a darkness that reached for them like grasping hands.
Tex felt one wrap around his ankle, cold and strong, startling him.
“What the fuck!” he shouted, already starting to shift. He slashed at the shadow as soon as he was in his wolf form and felt resistance, as if the darkness was solid enough to grab and hold. It certainly seemed to be.
Orlando snarled, but he didn’t shift. He’d need his hands to neutralize these demons. Dark tendrils tried to wrap around Tex’s legs and throat, and he jumped out of the way. What was he supposed to do about this?
The demon controlling the darkness was moving toward a door marked Private, probably hoping to sneak out while Tex and the others were distracted by his associates.
Tex pounced, driving the shadow demon to the floor.
The demon struggled, his eyes wide as his magic flared.
The shadows around them intensified and tried to push Tex off, wrapping around his legs and chest and squeezing too hard.
Tex gritted his teeth and pressed his teeth to the demon’s throat, not breaking skin but making the threat clear.
“Stop moving,” Seymour said from above them. “He won’t hesitate to bite if you don’t.”
The demon’s eyes flickered to Seymour, then around the room.
He was trapped, and he knew it. Finally, the shadows began to recede, losing their solid form and fading back into natural darkness.
Tex could breathe more easily, and he let go of the demon’s throat, but he didn’t move from where he was pinning him down.
Only three demons remained standing from what he could see. Seymour and Orlando had done a good job, and two demons were down, either unconscious or dead. Two of the remaining ones were slowly backing toward the rear exit. One had light blue hair, the other orange.
“Don’t even think about it,” Orlando warned, moving to block their escape.
Seymour reached down for the demon Tex was sitting on, and Tex moved to allow him to haul the demon to his feet. “How many more are here?”
The purple-haired demon’s jaw set stubbornly.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Seymour said quietly. “But either way, you’re coming with us.”
A door at the back of the bar burst open, and a demon came in with flames already dancing around his hands.
“Down!” Seymour shouted.
Tex threw himself to the side as flames roared through the space where he’d been. The heat was intense, and the flames left burn marks across the floor. Tex snarled at the warmth he could feel through his fur. It had been too close.
Orlando wasn’t fast enough. The flames caught his shoulder, and he screamed, rolling to the floor to extinguish the fire burning his shirt. Seymour shimmered, appearing in front of the fire demon, clearly intent on stopping him.
The fire demon sent another blast of flames directly at Seymour’s face. Seymour twisted out of the way, but Tex smelled burning fabric anyway—or maybe that was Orlando’s shirt, even though he’d already gotten the fire out.
Seymour moved too fast for Tex to track. The fire demon collapsed, flames extinguishing instantly as he fell. When Tex stepped closer, he saw a knife sticking out from the demon’s neck.
Tex shifted back to his human form. “Seymour,” he said quietly.
The Nix straightened, his expression grim. “He was going to kill Orlando.”
He was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. Seymour had left the council assassins because he didn’t want to kill, but he had.
“I know,” Tex told him. He looked at the darkness demon standing by. “Anyone else hiding back there?”
The demon shook his head.
“Orlando?” Seymour was already moving toward him. Orlando was sitting up, a grimace on his face. Seymour dropped to his knees and reached for Orlando’s shoulder, making him wince.
Orlando knew better than to move away, though. They’d all been trained together, so he knew what Seymour could do. Orlando hissed when Seymour’s hands started to glow. “It stings like a bitch.”
“You’ll be fine.” Seymour kept his hands on Orlando’s shoulder for another few seconds, then pulled back. “Minimal scarring, too.”
“Thanks.” Orlando rolled his shoulder without wincing, then turned his attention back to the two demons he’d been guarding. They looked terrified now, probably fearing they’d end up dead, too. “You two want to cooperate, or do you want to end up like your friend?”
They cooperated.
It took another ten minutes to secure all the prisoners. Tex put his clothes back on and pulled out his phone while Orlando kept watch, quickly dialing Gregory’s number.
His boss answered on the second ring. “Tex?”
“Four demons incoming,” Tex said tersely. “One deals with darkness, so be careful. One is dead. Seymour had no choice.”
Gregory was quiet for a moment. “Understood. I’ll have the team ready to receive them.”
“Seymour will shimmer them to the shield now, so it shouldn’t take long. We’ll be out of Starhaven within the hour.” Hopefully.
“Good.” Gregory paused. “All of you?”
Tex knew what he was alluding to. “Hopefully,” Tex said before ending the call.
Seymour made his first trip while Orlando and Tex stayed with the remaining demons. The operation hadn’t gone perfectly, but he’d gotten what he’d been sent here for. Hopefully, Gregory and the people who worked for him would be able to get the information they needed to fully shut down this mess.
Seymour only had to make two trips, thankfully, because he looked tired when he reappeared after the second one. “Gregory’s team has them in custody.”
“Good.” Tex allowed himself to relax. “We need to go. Nymon’s been keeping up his plants, and I can feel how tired he is.”
Seymour moved closer. “What’s the plan?”
“We need to grab everyone from Nymon’s house and go to the shield. If anyone finds out what happened at the bar, they’ll come after us with everything they have.”
“So we need to be fast.” Orlando’s tone was determined.
“Gregory will handle the fallout.” It definitely wasn’t Tex’s job, and he was grateful for that.
He and Orlando grabbed Seymour’s arms, and he shimmered them back. Nymon’s little house looked the way it had when they’d left. No one was waiting for them outside since they’d neutralized the demons who’d been here for Nymon before leaving, but that didn’t mean no one else would arrive.
“I didn’t want to shimmer us inside in case someone was out here,” Seymour explained.
“I’ll check,” Orlando answered.
Tex was already moving toward the porch steps. He needed to see his mate.
“Nymon!” he called out.
For a moment, nothing happened, and Tex held his breath. Then the door slowly opened, and Nymon stood there, swaying slightly. He looked even more tired than Seymour, but he was smiling.
“Took you long enough,” he said before throwing himself into Tex’s arms.
* * * *
NYMON BURIED HIS FACE in Tex’s neck, breathing in the scent of his mate. It wasn’t familiar yet, but it was comforting. Through their bond, he felt Tex’s relief, so intense it made his knees weak, especially as it fed his own.
“You’re here,” Nymon whispered. “You’re okay.”
“I’m here.” Tex’s arms tightened around him. “You did so well.”
Nymon wasn’t sure about that, but he didn’t say anything. The worst was over, but they weren’t safe yet. There was no way to know what the elders would decide to do about Tex’s presence within the shield or about the fact that Nymon had known about it and hadn’t told them.
He glanced at the two men who’d gone with Tex and blinked at their aspect. “What happened to Orlando?”
His shirt was torn and burned at the shoulder, and Nymon was pretty sure there was blood on the fabric.
“He’s fine,” Tex said. “We all are.” Tex cupped his face, forcing Nymon to meet his eyes. “But we need to move. The elders—”
“They’ll figure out what happened soon, if they haven’t already,” Nymon finished.
“Yeah.”
Nymon’s stomach dropped. He’d known this was going to happen from the moment he’d bonded with Tex that his life in Starhaven was over—hell, he’d known even before that, maybe from the moment Tex had told him they were mates. Still, knowing the moment had come made him nauseous.
“Nymon.” Tex’s voice was gentle but urgent. “I need you to tell me if you’re coming with me.”
“Yes.” The word came out stronger than Nymon felt. He powered through. “Of course I’m coming with you.”
Through their bond, he felt Tex’s relief and joy, but also his guilt, probably because of the choice Nymon had been pushed to make. Nymon didn’t care. He was a little sad about leaving the only home he’d ever had, but he was also excited to see the world and the future he’d have with Tex.
“Don’t feel bad,” Nymon said softly, touching Tex’s chest. “It’s my choice. I want this. I want you.” And the only way to have him was to go with him.
Tex kissed him. “Then we need to move. Pack only what you can carry. I hope we’ll be allowed to come back eventually, but don’t leave anything you can’t live without.”
Nymon nodded, already turning toward his bedroom. He was already thinking about what he’d pack. He had a few knick-knacks from his parents, but thankfully, most of the family pictures had been digitized over the years. There wasn’t much else he couldn’t live without except for Tex.
“I’ll help,” Kael said, following Nymon.
Nymon’s bedroom looked strange still covered in plants from last night.
Nymon brushed them with his fingertips as he passed, thinking about what would happen to them when he was gone.
They’d die without care, but maybe he could give them a fighting chance.
He didn’t know if his magic would be strong enough, but if last night and today had shown him anything, it was that he was stronger than he could’ve ever thought.