Chapter 7 - Alex
The alpha in me wanted to demand that Harper stand down while she hurled all her viciousness at me. Part of me loved it—wanted to lap up that venom like a deep, rich whiskey, but the other part of me wanted the control. I wanted her to want my protection—I wanted her to want me .
As she walked away, her heels clicking from where they hung from her fingers, I forced myself to stay put.
Count to ten , I told myself. Close your eyes. Let her go.
I knew when I had lost a battle, but sometimes losing at that point only meant the war ahead would be won.
The night was still early, and my team and Harper had left when I checked the Swinging Boot. Or perhaps Harper had never returned at all. I could smell her in the air, but I would respect her wishes tonight. If anything, I needed to get a handle on the demons. I needed to know what dangers I could come up against, and why, after so long of remaining dormant, they had now decided to show up again.
The way Azure Cove was laid out interested me. The place was broken up by scatterings of forestry, with cottages nestled in some of them and picnic areas in others. Almost every store was somebody’s name— Greta’s Emporium, Hesketh’s Fish Bar, Adrian’s Convenience Store —which spoke of comfort and familiarity. I didn’t know any of those people, but their stores were a story in themselves.
There was a bookstore, a library, and a town hall. One sign pointed towards the island’s only dock, something Harper had already told me about. I was surprised to discover that it hadn’t simply been a joke. I was a far cry from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I had grown up with my father, who had passed the shifter gene onto me, and my mom, a Puerto Rican who had met my father while he was on duty in her country, had married her, and brought her to the US. I had always followed in his footsteps of honor and duty while remaining loyal to the life my mom had raised me on, too.
Surrounding the town’s commercial area were the tourist attractions. Diners, bakeries, oddity stores, souvenir stores. Everything was closed at this hour, but I had to remind myself that I was on vacation. I wasn’t in Azure Cove to fight demons, but now I was there to protect Harper, whether she liked it or not. I refused to give in.
I picked my way back to our villa. We were renting out an expansive six-bedroom, expensive place that had been overpriced online, but Zephyr had done it anyway. It was two-story, with a wrap-around porch outside that led right onto the beach. From where I could map out the town mentally, we were on the other side of the commercial part. Where was Harper’s place, I wondered?
I could envision her alone in one of the forest cottages, humming to herself as she went about her life here.
I headed inside the village. All five of them were spaced around the living area, with white walls and pale wood fixings, comfortable, soft wall lights, and plush sofas everywhere. It was richly but simply decorated, minimal. A house intended for generalization.
Hector had cleared a space on the kitchen’s island, setting up three screens and tapping away on a keyboard.
“Word spread,” Hector spoke up as soon as I passed him. His eyes didn’t even move towards me. Zephyr looked excited. He had an array of weapons on the table, each sharper and deadlier than the last. They were knives that I’d seen dispatch heavy dark magic, and knives that had simply cut through human enemies. Would they be the thing to render the demons apart?
Sweeney and Johnson had a map of the island stuck to the wall. Already, there was a pin in the place where I had fought the demons.
“How do you know about that?” I asked, peering at the map. I needed to concentrate on the demon activity, but all I could do was look at the island’s expanse and wonder where Harper was.
It was only when Hector began talking that I realized he hadn’t meant for Harper and I to meet again. I shook my head. Pull yourself together, Alex, c’mon.
“After you mentioned something feeling off, I kept an eye out. I saw a few flashes of light after you left the bar. I went outside to investigate… Well, it didn’t take long to put two and two together.”
“How do you get even one lot of two from black ink?” Zephyr muttered.
“Because I know the substances we deal with.” Hector shrugged. He tapped a vial he’d propped up in a display stand filled with black liquid. “I took a sample, anyway. I’ve recorded the activity in our database and sent it to Commander Tylen. I think she should know about their presence. You’re right: we should keep an eye out.”
He was efficient, as always, barely looking up from his screens and data to look properly. I had always counted on him for targeted attacks, tracking, digging deeper into formation.
Sweeney and Johnson were my hunters and scouts, Frazer was my main muscle in combat, and Zephyr was a perfect shot, never missing his mark, the only man I could have ever chosen as my second-in-command. Collectively, we made up a special team that was often sent out onto more dangerous or longer missions, demanding patience and careful thinking.
Zephyr groaned, running his fingers through his hair. “Come on , Hec. We’re on vacation! We don’t need to get involved in demon mess. The Commander can have another team dispatch them.”
Frazer snorted, kicking out at Zephyr. “As if you’d miss a chance for a fight,” he said. “You love the glory of a good opponent.”
“Yes, but we’ve just spent six months in the freaking desert, Fray. It's literally the Commander’s orders that we rest up. I’m not wussing out, but I’m exhausted, man. I’ve spent half those months as a wolf, and the other half as a human, and neither of my forms got a whole lot of rest. In case you missed out, fighting demons requires more energy.”
But a grin split his mouth moments later. “It would be pretty neat to cut down a few of the Hellish creatures.”
“Good,” Hector said. “It's already patched through. I’ve been looking at Azure’s history. There hasn’t been attack in at least eight years.”
“Eight years?” I repeated. “Why now?”
“That’s what I’m looking into.”
“We have to intervene,” I said. “Zeph, stop complaining and keep sharpening your knives. We’ll need them. They’ve already attacked Harper. They tried to get me, too. We’re new to the island—we’re tourists. We don’t know how well people here might take to people like us. Shifters, I mean. We have to be careful and not disturb their peace too much.”
“Agreed,” Sweeney said. “Johnson and I are going to head out in a few hours to scout for any other signs of attacks when the sun comes up. It could just be that they’ve been happening but are small. We know the scent now, thanks to Hector, and what their blood looks like. Any other signs to look out for?”
I thought of their pentagram pattern with the portals, of the scorch marks on the floor that followed. “Burn marks. Whenever they open a portal, it’s like it scorches things a little.”
“Okay.” Johnson nodded. “We’ll snag a few hours’ sleep, and then we’ll be out.”
I could feel Zeph’s eyes on me as I moved through the kitchen, pouring a glass of water. Sweeney and Jonhson headed upstairs to their rooms. Frazer also slipped away. On the table, next to his knives, was a box of pizza that I eyed up. Finally, I met his silently questioning gaze. He jerked his head, beckoning me over.
While Hector was busy tapping away on his screens, I sat down next to Zephyr.
“So,” he said.
“So?”
“Harper.”
Her name rang through me like a siren call. I stiffened.
“Is it the Harper?”
“You know any others I’d talk about so casually?”
“Smart ass,” he muttered. “But—okay. Harper’s on this island? She’s in Azure Cove?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know about that before we booked the villa?”
I raised a brow at him. “You think this is a ploy?”
“No,” he answered. “But I’m not spending my vacation watching you chase her while we chase demons. You broke her heart, man. She’s not going to want you around… Oh .” He dragged out the oh as he realized. “She’s already told you that.”
“She has,” I told him, smiling.
“And you’re not going to listen?”
“No,” I said firmly. “If demons are attacking this island, then I need to make sure she’s protected.”
“Do you want to go down that route with Harper again? It didn’t end well last time.”
I winced, thinking about that night in the rain, on the highway. The night I had walked away from her and broken my own heart and soul in two.
“She’s my mate,” I said simply. “And she’s right here , of all the places where we could have gone. Hell, we nearly booked five other places before we found this one, but we didn’t. Don’t you think that means something?”
He gave me a stern look. “I just want you to be careful, is all.”
“I will.”
I wouldn’t. I’d give Harper my heart all over again, even if it meant she stamped all over it. But I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let her do that. I could win her back; I knew I could. She had to let me back in.
“After we were undercover in Haystock…” Zephyr began. “I don’t know, you changed. You took the worst, most dangerous jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I’d follow you to literal Hell, and back, you have my full loyalty, you know that. But, man, everything that happened with Harper left you in bad shape. I don’t want to risk that happening to you again.”
I laughed bitterly. “It’s funny because, according to her my pain should be less because I’m the one who walked away.”
“That’s not always true.”
“I know that,” I growled. “I lost the girl I knew was my mate. She lost a man she loved for a few months.”
“I know,” was all Zephyr said again. “Trust me, I watched you get over that whole thing in many, many ways. Remember that time in the south when we faced that pack of shifters but there was, like, thirty of them, and you just tore into them alone? I had to drag you out of there before you got yourself killed.”
“I still took twenty-one down on my own,” I muttered.
“And that’s why you’re an alpha,” Zephyr laughed. “But if you pursue Harper again and she rejects you… I can’t see you go through that again.”
“It’ll be different this time,” I said, trying to convince myself more than him. “I just… She wants me. I know she does. I can see it in her eyes. They’re full of hatred but she still wants me. I’m not going to give up, not this time. I have to protect her, Zeph.” I shook my head as I talked. “The demons have this—wait, Hec, get over here.”
Hector followed my request quickly. “What is it?”
“More demon intel,” I said. “They were able to put Harper under a spell. She went like a ragdoll. Utterly limp, no knowledge of movements. It was fucking terrifying to watch. They just tossed her between portals, toying with both of us. The second they were gone, she was free from the spell but it took me cutting their throats to free her.”
“How many?” Hector asked.
“There were three of them. One arrived alone, and then two others came afterward.”
Hector nodded as he grabbed his tablet and tapped away. He brought up the rings of Hell on our database. There wasn’t a lot of information on there but there was enough.
“Rings of Hell,” he instructed. “Ultimately not a big deal but it helps to identify. My guess is that the first demon was a scout. Then, the other two came specifically for you both. Pride—to wound your sense of it. And, from what I overheard, the other demon was probably a lust demon. They feed off those respective energies. In your case, they may have been attracted to the bond between you both and the heartbreak.”
Hector hissed through his teeth.
“Well, what does that mean?” I asked.
“It means they won’t give up easily,” he said. “But one thing is clear: this island has some sort of ingrained history with demons.”
I nodded. “Harper said her friend had always said that much. They have wards and rituals. Are we marked or anything?”
Hector shook his head. “No, not marked. It just means that they’re more attuned to negative emotions. It can draw the attacks out.”
I nodded. Hector stretched, and crackled his knuckles. “Okay, I’ll post it all to Commander to see what she makes of it. It shouldn’t be long until she answers.”
“Thanks, Hec,” I said. I stood and stared at the map. It had to be some sort of early hours of the night. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t stop seeing Harper’s dazed face under the demons’ spell. What if she was out there, alone, and they attacked again? What would happen?
Before I could start to panic, the ping of Hector’s tablet rang out.
“Commander says to keep an eye out but ultimately stand down,” he said. “If they attack then we have the means necessary, but she doesn’t want us getting too involved yet. She wants to look further into it. She says that the demons have been on her radar for a while, but there has never been anything big enough to require a full-scale mission.”
“Stand down?” I asked. “She wants us to stand down? Harper’s out there!”
“There’s a whole island out there, too, Alex,” Hector pointed out. “It’s not just about—”
But I was already walking away, out of the back door of the villa, right onto the sand. I was an alpha, and I didn’t take higher orders well but to be told to stand down when my mate could be right in the center of some demon island? No. Absolutely not. I couldn’t do that.
I couldn’t disobey direct orders, but I couldn’t stand down, either.
I wasn’t wearing the right clothes or shoes for a run, but I couldn’t stay still. Fatigue weighed in my bones, but I was too wired at the same time.
Breaking out into a run, I followed the shoreline.