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  Incredible. She felt more powerful and complete than she had ever been in her entire life. She reached out to the men with her magic and felt their darkness, their inner turmoil. She tried to touch it and heal them, make them whole. She hit an imaginary wall, of course, and her heart broke that she wasn’t strong enough to take away their pain.

  Even with the power of an orgasm, she was useless.

  As her happiness began to fade, so did her light. Despair seeped into her chest. Once again, she was a failure. No wonder the other Iatros considered her an outcast, a freak. She had no idea what Darien or her queen saw in her. She was as helpless as a human.

  Tara opened her eyes and stared at the men before her.

  “Wow,” Soren said. The men had shifted on the bed during her little display of magic. They sat together in front of her, clear-eyed and dumbfounded.

  “How did you do that?” Soren asked.

  “Do what?”

  “Your wings,” Donar said.

  She pulled her wings into her back, suddenly self-conscious of her abnormality. “I’m Iatros.” She shrugged and tried to change the subject. Something in Soren’s pocket caught her eye. “Your hip is glowing.”

  “What?” Both Soren and Donar looked down. Soren’s jeans pocket was glowing bright red.

  “What do you have in there?” Tara asked.

  “I don’t know,” Soren reached into his pocket as a loud crash exploded in the far end of the room.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Tara pulled away from the men to see Samir standing in the doorway, his hands empty. Donar quickly pulled on his pants.

  Tara gathered her clothes off the floor and put them on. This was the second time Samir had caught her with her clothes off. Surely he must have thought she was losing her mind.

  “Weren’t you supposed to get coffee?” she asked.

  Samir stared at her for a moment, unable to respond, then he seemed to gather himself together. “Our friends are back.”

  Tara buttoned the last button on her shirt and straightened. “I know. I called Sparrow.”

  “No, the deahmans are back. And they brought a secret weapon.”

  “Who?”

  Samir pressed his lips together for a moment. “I thought she was dead.”

  “Who?” Tara repeated.

  Samir shook his head, as if dispelling some memory. “Let’s hope you don’t find out.”

  Tara glanced at the twins, who had straightened their clothes and stared at Samir in confusion. The crimson had vanished from their eyes. Donar’s were the color of emeralds, Soren’s a brilliant blue.

  “What’s going on?” Donar asked. His voice sounded softer, more human.

  “You don’t remember?” Samir asked.

  Both twins shook their heads.

  “There’s no time to explain now. We have to get going.” Samir tossed everyone weapons and grabbed his duffle bag. “Follow me.”

  When Samir got within a few paces from the exit, a shadow fell across the doorway.

  A long, thin female dressed all in leather leaned against the doorframe. She stared at each of them in turn with her red eyes. First Donar, then Soren… when her gaze passed over Tara, she felt a chill deep within her soul. She was thankful when the woman finally dismissed her and turned to Samir.

  “Well, well, look who we have here?”

  Samir nodded at the woman who almost equaled him in height. “Anisa.”

  “You know her?” Tara asked.

  Samir glanced back at her. “I knew the human she once was, yes.” Samir returned his gaze to the woman before him and steeled his jaw. “Let us through, Anisa.”

  “Oh, I can’t do that.”

  “Why?” Tara asked.

  Anisa tugged on one of the fingers of her long, black glove. “Because I’ve been sent here to kill you.”

  Kill them? Tara shivered. Having a deahman after them was one thing, having a woman who looked as though she killed and ate humans for breakfast was another.

  The crimson in Anisa’s eyes intensified as she pulled off her glove, revealing red, charred fingers. She pointed them at the group.

  “Ah fuck,” Samir muttered.

  “What’s she doing?” Tara asked.

  “Run!” Samir turned around and motioned Tara back toward the bed.

  Large flames exploded from the Anisa’s fingertips and then Tara’s world was engulfed in smoke and flames.

  Chapter Five

  “Samir!” Tara shouted as she fell to the ground. She couldn’t see him, and the worst of the flames had been cast in his direction. She’d never forgive herself if he got hurt. After they had first found the twins, Samir wanted to run straight back to the Iatros home, a place called Celestial Wood, but she had wanted to stop and let the twins recover before continuing on such a long journey.

  It was her decision to hide out at the hotel, and because of it, they could all die. Once again, she was an epic failure.

  Tara coughed as smoke filled her lungs. She tried to crawl to her friend, but it was so hard to see anything. Large, muscular arms wrapped around her middle and drew her back.

  “No, it’s too dangerous,” Soren said, his eyes blazing red once more.

  “But I have to help him.” Tara’s eyes stung with tears, although whether it was from the smoke or her sense of helplessness, she wasn’t certain.

  “I’ll go.” Donar materialized next to her, his eyes as crimson as his brother’s. “You stay here and get her to safety.”

  “I don’t need protection,” Tara said.

  Donar flashed her a frown, then disappeared into the smoke.

  The room was hot and just getting hotter. Large orange flames licked the walls and the floor creaked beneath her. An alarm sounded from somewhere in the room. The overhead sprinklers turned on, spraying water on her face and back, soaking her clothes and skin.

  “We don’t have much time,” Soren said. “Once those flames are out, we’ll be vulnerable.”

  “I can’t leave him,” Tara said.

  “He’s not alone, master is with him.” Soren tugged her back behind a loveseat in the sitting area and closer to the window.

  Tara twisted in his arms. “Master? He’s Donar—your brother!”

  Soren scoffed. “He has been and always will be my master.”

  Tara thought that his response was odd, but she had no time to dwell on it. The water was beginning to put the fire out, and the smoke was beginning to clear. She peeked around the loveseat to see if the coast was clear. Anisa had walked farther into the room and was surveying the damage. She caught sight of Samir’s form as he staggered to his feet.

  “You’re going to have to try harder than that, my love,” Samir said as he straightened.

  “Don’t call me that,” Anisa spat.

  “Why not? We were lovers once.”

  “That part of me died a long time ago.” She held out her hand toward Samir. “Give me the twins.”

  Tara watched Donar as he sneaked up behind Anisa. Was he crazy? Tara started to yell, but Soren closed his hand over her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him shake his head.

  “Don’t let them know where we are,” he whispered in her ear. His eyes had changed back to blue, but something flickered in their depths. He had temporary control of his darkness, but it wouldn’t last long.

  “I can’t leave him.” While she appreciated his concern, Samir was her friend and she was not the type of person to turn her back on her friend.

  “The twins are of no concern of yours,” Samir’s back was to them and he stood just out of reach. His focus was fully on the woman before him.

  “Oh, but that’s where you are wrong.” A large deahman with dark hair and shining red eyes appeared in the doorway. He was at least a foot taller than Anisa, and Tara recognized him as one of the deahmans who were chasing the twins before.

  The dark haired deahman walked up behind Anisa and ran his fingers through her long, ebony waves.
The motion reminded Tara of how one would pet a cat. “You see, the twins are mine now, just like Anisa is mine. Isn’t that right, precious?”

  Anisa’s crimson eyes glazed over. “Yes, master.”

  “Good.” The dark haired deahman patted her on the head. “Now let’s make our new leader, Urian, proud.” He stood to one side to give her room.

  Anisa seemed to break free of whatever hold the other deahman had on her. She straightened and focused on Samir.

  “Give me the twins!”

  “Anisa, listen to me.”

  Anisa bent her elbow, bringing her hand up toward her head, then she straightened it once more, her fingers reaching out toward Samir. Flames exploded from their charred tips.

  Donar jumped out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around Anisa’s waist. He lifted her into the air just as the fire left her fingertips. Flames arched up toward the ceiling, creating a wall of fire. Tara squinted and tried to peer through the flames. She could make out the form of Samir as he rushed forward. He, Anisa, Donar and the mysterious deahman disappeared into the smoke and flames.

  “Come on!” Soren tightened his grip around her waist and drew her back from the door. “We have to get out of here, now.”

  Tara tried to break out of his grasp. “I can’t leave them!”

  Soren turned her to face him. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll die.” He nodded toward the door. “They can take care of themselves.”

  More flames erupted between them and the door, keeping Tara from Samir and Donar—and their only means of escape.

  Beads of sweat formed on her temples as the temperature of the room continued to rise. She wasn’t going to last much longer in this heat. Soren was right. They needed to leave. Hopefully Donar and Samir would be all right on their own.

  She nodded to Soren. “Okay, we’ll go, but the door is sealed off.”

  “What?”

  “We can’t use the door.” Tara raised her voice, but it was getting more and more difficult to hear anything over the roaring fire and creaking wood. Sirens cut through the air and Tara guessed that the local first responders were on the scene. Lovely. How were they going to explain this mess to a bunch of humans? She’d have to call Sparrow and have a cleanup crew come in the area. That is, if she could get out of this place in one piece.

  “Come on, I have an idea.” Soren lead her a short distance to the bathroom and then shut the door. The smoke was thick and heavy, but there were no flames. They were safe for the moment.

  Soren poked his head out the window and peered down at the street below. He swore and slipped his head back in the window, his pale skin turning green.

  “What is it?”

  “We’re too high up to jump. There’s nothing below us to break our fall. It would be suicide.”

  “Is there a fire escape or something?”

  He nodded “There’s one, but we’d have to balance ourselves on a ledge to get there.”

  “Or we could use my wings.” Tara started to take her jacket off, but he put his hand on her arm and stopped her.

  Something didn’t look right about him. “What is it?” she asked.

  He sat on the ground and leaned his head back against the wall. “We’re not flying.”

  “Why?”

  He hesitated for a moment. “It’s too dangerous. The alley is too small.”

  Tara peered out the window. “It looks fine to me.”

  “No wings.” He turned around and glanced out the window once more. When he returned, his skin turned slightly greener. “We cross the ledge to the fire escape and climb our way down.”

  “But—”

  “Wings will attract attention.”

  “Okay.” He had a point. “I’ll go first.”

  “No, I’ll go first.” He stood up so fast that Tara leaned back in surprise. He turned his back to her and stared out the window.

  “Soren, are you okay?” She could sense something wasn’t quite right with him. Even his inner darkness, his deahman, seemed apprehensive.

  “I’m fine,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go first?”

  He flashed her an irritated glance. “No. I’ll go across the ledge and help you over.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of—” Tara stopped as Soren climbed out on the ledge. He teetered for a moment, his arms flailing. Tara’s breath caught in her throat as she watched his body lean from side to side. What the heck was he doing? This was no time for jokes.

  Then he leaned forward and plastered his himself against the wall. He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the aging brick.

  “Soren?”

  “Yes?” He didn’t open his eyes.

  “What are you doing out there?”

  “I don’t like heights.”

  Tara blinked in surprise. “You’re scared of heights?”

  He steeled his jaw and opened his eyes. “It’s not as if it’s an uncommon phobia.”

  “I know, it’s just…” She struggled for the right words. How do you tell someone that they appear too big and menacing to have any fears? “I thought that with you being a member of Venom and all…”

  “Venom?” He steeled his jaw.

  “You know, Venom.” She played with her earlobe, pointing out the diamond stud in his ear. “The underground group of elite assassins. You and Donar were a part of it before you went to work for Darien at the FBI. That’s how you got your earring and tattoo.”

  He frowned in concentration. “I don’t remember it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You should have told me before you went out that window.”

  “There’s no other way out.” He shimmied three steps down the ledge and then stopped. His breathing appeared labored and sweat glistened on his brow. At this rate, he was never going to make the fire escape.

  “Yes, but I could have helped you.”

  “Helped by a woman?” Soren snorted. “Not likely.”

  Tara crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I don’t need help from a woman.”

  Anger burned in Tara’s chest and she considered letting him rot on the side of the building. It would serve him right.

  A loud crash echoed through the bathroom door. Tara glanced back and noticed a crack in the solid wood. It wouldn’t be long before either the fire or Anisa would reach them. She had to move now.

  She turned back to Soren. “Okay, I’m going to fly out there and take you down.”

  “No.”

  “Just close your eyes.” There was another bang on the door. Someone was trying to get in. There was no more time to waste.

  “Be careful. I’m coming.” Tara crawled up onto the window’s ledge.

  “No, stay where you are. I’ll be fine.”

  Tara ignored him. The man was so scared that he couldn’t move, let alone edge across the ledge to the fire escape. Tara took off her jacket and tank, then tucked them under her arm. Here goes nothing.

  She let out her wings and crawled up onto the window. Soren was right—they were high up. Hopefully she had enough strength to carry him the short distance to the ground. It had been a long time since she had worked out, and she didn’t have a whole lot of confidence in her upper body strength.

  Suddenly the door splintered and a figure rushed through. Shit. There was no time to think. Tara jumped out the window and took to the air just as something reached for her leg. She began to drop, and her magic immediately responded. Her wings glowed. Tingles spread out over her skin, lighting up the alley. She moved her wings and she made her way over to where Soren stood on the ledge and held out her hand.

  “Come with me.”

  “No.” He clung tighter to the building and squeezed his eyes shut.

  Stubborn man. She looked back and saw a pale-faced deahman staring at her with wide, red eyes. He sneered at both her and Soren and a chill race up Tara’s spine. She watched the creature climb out the windo
w and onto the ledge.

  They had to hurry. “The building’s structure is being eroded. It’s only a matter of time before it will collapse.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  Tara sighed. “Close your eyes.”

  “Like hell I will.”

  “Suit yourself.” Tara wrapped her arms around his chest and braced her feet on either side of his body. She pulled, but he didn’t move. She pulled again. Still nothing. “Come on, help me out.”

  “No.”

  “Big baby.”

  Another figure appeared in the window. He had a pale face and large, red eyes. Deahman. Tara watched in horror as a second creature showed his face. They growled and spat and reached for Soren. How many of them were there?

  “Soren.” She pointed back at the window where the deahmans were congregating.

  Soren turned his head and opened one eye. “Shit.”

  “Come with me.”

  He hesitated. “Very well.” He let go of the wall.

  He was heavier than she thought. It was a good thing that they were going down, because Tara didn’t think she could fly horizontally to the fire escape. They didn’t fly, it was more like a controlled fall. At least they would both survive the five story drop.

  The deahman on the ledge growled at her as he made his way to the fire escape. The second deahman climbed out onto the ledge. Then the third. Where did they come from? She watched the three monsters reach the fire escape and start to climb down. At the rate they were moving, they were going to reach the ground before Tara and Soren.

  “They’re coming after us,” Tara said.

  “Just concentrate on getting me to the ground. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Tara stiffened her jaw and tried to do what he said. It was difficult. She kept looking over, comparing their progress with the deahmans. Her arms ached and she was soaked to the bone. Her grip slipped, and Tara had all she could do not to drop him. Relief swept through her when they finally reached the ground.

  “Okay, let’s run,” she said.

  He ignored her. As soon as Soren’s feet touched the pavement, he was moving toward the fire escape.

  “Where are you going?” Tara asked.