Chapter 18
Tobias
With a groan, I follow Joseline down the sidewalk, already planning my apology to Sebastian.
I know we aren’t supposed to use our magic, especially a lot of it, because we risk drawing hellbeasts straight to us, but she was being a reckless brat.
“Joseline, where are you going?”
She ignores me, humming a happy little tune to herself as she goes, her hips swinging back and forth with every step.
“You can’t just roam the city streets, you know?” I narrow my eyes on her.
“Who says?” she taunts over her shoulder.
“Me,” I growl, losing the last bit of my resolve to stay calm.
I disappear in a whirl of black smoke and reappear right in front of her so she bumps into my chest. “I say. You’re being reckless, and I’m supposed to be keeping you safe.
That’s easier to do when you aren’t running around the city in the middle of the night. ”
She jumps, her eyes flying wide as she stares up at me. A prickle of fearful energy bleeds from her, along with something else. Excitement? Arousal?
A growl rolls in my chest, much easier to hear now that we’re not being drowned by the music inside the club.
“I need you to focus,” I say, keeping my voice low. I reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You went out, you had your fun, but now it’s time to head back. It’s not safe for you or me to be out wandering the streets this late.”
“Oh, so now the big bad wolf is afraid of the dark,” she says mockingly, poking me in the chest. “Don’t worry, big boy, I’ll protect you.”
She moves to go around me, but I grab her by the waist and settle her in front of me, leveling her with a glare.
“I am darkness. And what did I say about my buttons, sweetheart?” My voice is husky when it comes out, already thinking about the ways I want to punish her for that fucking bratty mouth. “You’re playing with fire.”
She fists the front of my shirt, tugging until the fabric is taut, and heat sinks straight to my cock. I said she’s playing with fire, but fuck this woman has enough fire in her to scorch me alive.
“I’ve never been afraid of getting burned,” she says, drawing her words out low and slow. “Besides, I still say you’re all bark and no bite.”
I grab her by the throat, gentle but firm enough to make a point, forcing her to look me in the eyes. Her breath falters, her plush lips parting a little, as she stares up at me. “Keep on, and I’ll sink my teeth into you, human. You just—”
My words die, and I freeze. A shift in the energy around us rips me out of the moment, tugging at my intuition.
Something is wrong.
“Tobias?” Joseline whispers, fear flickering over her expression.
I let her go and take a step back, focusing on the abnormal energy rippling through the air. Whatever it is, it’s strong.
And it’s on the move.
“Tobias,” she whispers my name again, but I barely hear it, too focused on the shifting feeling, trying to pin it down. Is it heading toward us? Running away?
A hand on my arm drags me out of my thoughts, and I look at Joseline.
“Whatever it is, fucking tell me,” she demands under her breath. “Is it about Niki? Did something happen?”
“I don’t have fucking telepathy, sweetheart, I have no idea,” I grind out, losing my patience. “But I can’t figure out what’s wrong if you don’t be quiet for five minutes.”
An indignant look crosses her face, and she pushes my arm away haughtily. Fine. I don’t have time to worry about her attitude right now.
I turn my back on her, once again reaching out with my magic, testing the area, checking for hints of dark magic. It’s not an exact science—I can’t pinpoint the darkness, especially from this far away, but there’s something there.
Shit. This isn’t good.
I can’t be certain, but if I was a gambler, my money would be on a hellbeast. It’s the only thing that makes sense. We’ve had good luck for the last several weeks without running into one, but I did just teleport to keep Joseline from running away.
Maybe it sensed my magic.
Maybe our luck has finally run out.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I could grab Joseline and disappear in a blink, but if I can sense the hellbeast, it can likely sense me too. I’d either be leading it straight to the tour buses, which I refuse to do, or potentially trapping it in a hotel full of humans.
I shouldn’t care about human casualties; I never have before. If their death was for a more noble cause, like feeding an energy-starved demon, I might feel otherwise. But hellbeasts are foul, soulless creatures. Incapable of emotion, driven by their primal instinct to feed.
Nothing, including humans, should lose its life to feed one of those nasty fucks.
I crack my neck, debating silently, even though it feels like there’s only one course of action: kill the thing before it can harm anyone. Before it can find the band.
But Joseline is going to be a problem. I know I won’t be able to fight at full capacity if I’m worried about her safety, but I can’t just leave her. She’s drunk. What if she stumbles into the road and gets hit by a car? What if she gets injured? Kidnapped?
“Fuck,” I grumble, running a hand over my mask.
There’s also a chance I could investigate and not find anything. Whatever it is could disappear before I find it, but I have to at least try.
Mind made up, I turn back to Joseline, who’s standing there tapping her foot in anticipation.
“Done with your little mental break?” she asks, pursing her lips.
I grit my teeth and shake my head, deciding to ignore her. “You’re adorable when you're being a brat, but I really need you to listen to me right now. Can you do that? Please.” I grab her by the shoulders to make her focus.
She bats her long eyelashes at me. “Oh, I like it when you beg. Do it again.”
“Goddamn it, Joseline, I’m serious,” I growl. Suddenly, transporting her to her hotel and locking her in her room doesn’t sound so bad. “I need to go check on something, but I won’t be long. I need you to go back to the club and wait for me there.”
It’s only a couple of blocks. She’ll probably be fine, but I don’t have time to waste. If I wait, I risk losing the beast’s trail.
“Wait, let me get this straight,” she says, shaking her head and shrugging out of my hold. “First, you want to babysit me, and now you want me to just… go?”
I can see the hurt in her eyes, and it tugs something in my chest, but I don’t have time to investigate the feeling right now.
“Yes,” I say, keeping my voice level. “Go back to the club, and I’ll come for you in just a few minutes. Please, sweetheart. I have to do this to keep you safe—to keep Niki safe.” I know that will get through to her, no matter how tipsy she is.
Her jaw works back and forth as she stares at me, and I expect her to argue, to put up some kind of fight. I’m almost disappointed when she draws up her shoulders and spits out a simple, “Fine.”
She turns so fast her ponytail whips behind her, and she marches back down the sidewalk toward the club.
Fuck. I don’t like letting her out of my sight, but this is my only option.
Eliminating hellbeasts is my top priority. Keeping my band members, Niki, and the baby safe takes precedence over everything else. I have to do this.
When I’m certain Joseline’s within eyesight of the club bouncers, I turn and bolt into the darkness.
Fifteen minutes, I tell myself, scouring the dark shadows for any sign of movement. That’s all the time I’m giving myself. I’ll search the area, and if I don’t pick up on the demonic energy or find the hellbeast, I’ll head back to the nightclub and work out another plan.
Fifteen minutes, then I’ll go back for Joseline, assuming she doesn’t get pissed and order an Uber.
The important thing is that she’s away from me and safe. The hellbeasts are after me and my demon magic, not a human. She’ll just get caught in the crossfires.
I take a right, heading down a sideroad, reaching out in my mind toward the energy I sensed before, hoping it will be gone. To my horror, it’s stronger, which means I’m headed in the right direction.
I slow down on the next street. The dark energy is so powerful now that I can feel it pulsing through the air. Holding my breath, I wait and listen.
A slithering sound hits my ears, almost too faint to hear. Slow, dragging, wet. Blegh.
Drawing on my own magic, black smoke pours out of me, wrapping around me and forming into a pitch black sword in my right hand. It’s short, a little over two feet long, slightly curved and serrated—my favorite weapon.
This isn’t the first time I’ve fought a hellcreature on my own, far from it. I’m probably the most experienced in dealing with them out of all our band members. Not to mention, I used to fight for sport before crawling out of Hell.
I swing it around to test the balance and, pleased, I slowly creep down the alley. Once I slit this thing’s throat, I’ll collect Joseline, and we’ll head back to her hotel.
I just have to find it first.