As if the King of Vampires needed a weapon to make him scary.
“This had better not be a trick, fairy,” he growled.
Surprisingly Magnus didn’t even flinch as he met Styx’s narrowed glare. “I am Chatri royalty, not a common fairy.”
“Whatever.” Styx pointed the sword at the prince’s throat. “Don’t screw with me.”
With a sharp shake of his head, Magnus was headed toward the door. “This is a madhouse.”
Styx glanced toward Tonya, his expression pensive.
“Be careful, imp,” he at last murmured. “There’s more to this prince than he wants us to believe.”
Tonya grimaced as she watched the men leave.
Yeah. She didn’t need to be told that Magnus was hiding all sorts of unexpected surprises.
Styx followed the Chatri out of the house and into the vast grounds that were covered in a thick frost. Thankfully he was impervious to the brutally cold wind that whipped off Lake Michigan, but the fairy in front of him gave a sharp shiver, his steps slowing as he reacted to the frigid temperature.
Styx touched his sword to the center of the prince’s back. “Stay in front of me.”
Magnus picked up his speed even as he glared over his shoulder. “If I wanted to hurt you, that sword wouldn’t halt me.”
“You’d be surprised what this sword can do.”
“Vampires.” Giving a shake of his head, the prince returned his gaze back to the shadowed garden, a golden glow abruptly surrounding his slender body.
Styx hissed, feeling the heat that the fairy was able to produce to keep himself warm. He’d never fought a Chatri, but he knew they could create a burst of energy that could destroy any number of demons.
Perhaps even a vampire.
Something to keep in mind.
They’d exited through a gate at the edge of his estate when Magnus came to an abrupt halt, holding up his hand.
“Hold.”
“What now?” Styx growled.
He’d barely crawled out of bed when he’d received the text from Tonya. He was supposed to be spending the early hours of his evening on the phone with Darcy, not following a damned fairy on a wild-goose chase.
Magnus pointed toward the north. “The creature is hidden behind the large oak tree on the far side of the lake.”
With a frown Styx moved to stand at the man’s side, at last catching the faint scent of strawberries.
Imp.
Styx felt a newfound respect for the prince. There was no way in hell his own senses were acute enough to have picked up the fey from such a distance.
“Are you a tracker?”
Magnus gave a stiff nod. “I am.”
“Impressive.”
“Yes.”
Styx rolled his eyes. “Wait here.”
Moving forward, Styx gave a lift of one hand. The gesture would signal his Ravens to circle the intruder, but to wait far enough away not to spook the creature until Styx had time to speak with him.
Then, moving with a silent speed that made him little more than a blur, he’d rounded the lake and approached the imp from behind.
Once close enough, he pressed the tip of his sword against the back of the creature’s head.
“Don’t twitch a muscle.”
There was a squeak of terror, but the imp wisely froze as Styx slowly circled to study the overly pretty demon with pale green eyes and gold hair.
“Styx?” The imp drew in an unsteady breath, his fear drenching the air with the scent of strawberries. “It’s me. Keeley.”
Styx bared his fangs as a tidal wave of fury cascaded through him.
Keeley had been one of the bastards responsible for destroying the previous Anasso.
Leaning down, he grabbed the imp by his hair, lifting him off the ground and glancing toward his nearest Raven.
“Take him to the dungeon.”
Chapter Five
Fallon hadn’t expected to sleep.
But after Cyn had escorted her to the kitchens and promptly disappeared, she’d gathered a dozen bowls and headed back upstairs. Then, choosing a room close to her private chambers, she’d filled each with water and infused them with her magic.
After that she had nothing to do but wait for the connection to the Commission to be completed.
It always took longer to scry for a person than a specific place. And the greater the magic of the person, the harder it was to get a lock on them. So tuning the bowls to the caves Siljar had seared into her mind, she set the magic to trip only for a demon of great power. Eventually she knew she would be able to track the movements of the Oracles, but it wouldn’t be for several hours.
Unwilling to risk running into the vampire who seemed to have an uncanny ability to rattle her nerves, Fallon crossed the hall to her rooms and stretched out on the bed.
She’d only intended to rest for a few minutes, but obviously drained from expending so much magic she’d quickly tumbled into a deep sleep. It was past dusk when she woke and managed to drag herself to the shower.