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  He picked up the pace, running. I untied the rope.

  The engine roared to life.

  The guy was getting closer.

  “Hurry!” shouted Syra. “That’s the owner.”

  I jumped back onto the boat and ran to the last rope, drawing my sword from the ether. I sliced through it, and the boat’s engine roared as it backed out of its slip.

  Syra was good, quickly maneuvering the boat around. She kept her head tilted away from the docks and crouched low, probably so the drug lord couldn’t identify her.

  I stood on the deck, my hair whipping in the wind as I watched the guy stop at the edge of the dock, staring at us in shock. He wore perfectly pressed khakis and a pale blue Polo shirt. He didn’t look like a drug dealer. He looked like a human frat boy. Except his eyes were ice cold.

  It was a disguise, that was for sure. Something to make him look harmless.

  He was anything but harmless. I could feel the dark magic radiating from him. Despair clawed at my chest, followed by pain deep in my bones.

  Shit, this was one of the most awful signatures I’d ever felt.

  His face turned red as he glared at us. He raised a hand, no doubt to throw magic at us.

  Shit.

  It would be a big one.

  “Hurry!” I shouted at Syra. “He’s about to try to hit us with something big.”

  We weren’t even out of the marina yet. A sign stating a five-miles-per-hour speed limit bobbed on a buoy. But Syra gunned it. The boat jumped forward, surging through the water.

  The drug lord hurled a blue blast of magic at us. A sonic boom.

  Syra had clearly seen it, because the boat’s engine roared even louder, and we lurched forward again.

  The sonic boom slammed into the water behind us, creating a wave that washed up over the back of the boat.

  “Shit!” Syra shrieked. She punched the gas harder.

  The water rushed off the back of the boat, and Syra directed us through the narrow passages of the marina, our wake rocking the boats like mad.

  We’d be lucky if the ocean cops didn’t get us.

  I watched the drug lord’s form recede into the distance, my heart thundering. I waved at him, grim satisfaction seething through me.

  A wail of police sirens tore through the air, and I spotted blue and red lights farther back in the marina.

  Shit. Ocean cops were a real thing?

  I turned toward Syra. “Problem coming!”

  Her eyes were already wide, and she pushed a black lever at her right-hand side. The throttle, I thought it was called. The boat jumped forward again, going insanely fast. I clung to the rails as I made my way back toward her.

  I stopped near her side. “Can we outrun them?”

  She looked behind, spotting the two police boats with flashing red and blue lights. She frowned. “Maybe. Probably. Cop boats are fast. But this baby? It was built to outrun them.”

  “Good.” I grinned as she steered us out onto the open ocean.

  “Thank fates the waves are small,” she muttered.

  Seriously.

  She punched up the speed one more time. “This is max speed.”

  My hair whipped in the wind, snapping against my skin. I peered down into the cabin to see Declan standing there, a dead demon at his feet. He brushed off his hands.

  “That the last of them?” I asked.

  “Yeah. We got a problem up there?”

  I turned around to see the cops still chasing. “Maybe.”

  He joined us on the deck, staring back at the cops. “Good thing we stole a drug boat. At least we’re fast.”

  “No kidding.”

  Eventually, we lost the cops. They just couldn’t keep up with a boat this fast.

  Syra dropped the speed a bit.

  “Why’d you do that?” I asked. “We’re in a hurry.”

  She pointed to the gas gauge. “That speed burns about fifty gallons per hour. We won’t even make it to Eleuthera with that.”

  Oh fates. I hadn’t thought about running out of gas in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. “Smart move.”

  She nodded absentmindedly. Her attention was already taken by the high-tech dials and screens in front of her. She muttered to herself as she fiddled with them.

  “Do you know how to get to Eleuthera?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Um—”

  “No one does. We just need to get into the main part of the triangle and find it from there.”

  “How big is the space?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ve heard that people are able to find what they’re looking for there. If they’re lucky. And worthy.”

  All right. I could handle that. It wasn’t dissimilar from other magical places in that regard. And I trusted Syra. She was doing this to help save Magic’s Bend, not for a payment she would skip out with.

  The sun beat down as we sped across the brilliant blue ocean. We were nearly out of sight of land when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

  I pulled it out, spotting Ana’s name before I picked up. “Hello?”

  “Aerdeca?”

  “Yeah, any luck finding the Oraxia demon?”

  “No. I'm sorry. Dead ends every time. I’m not going to be able to find him.”

  Crap. And all three of my FireSoul friends were turned to stone. I straightened my shoulders and made my voice sound confident. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. We’ll figure out a way to find him.”

  “I’m going to go help with the evacuation. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Ana.” I hung up the phone and looked at Declan. “Ana couldn’t find him.”

  Declan leaned against the boat’s front console and frowned. “It’s unlikely we’ll have time to track him and get the potion, so there’s only one way to know where he’ll show up.”

  “Monitor the city at the six-hour mark and catch him before he deploys his damned spell.”

  Declan nodded. “It’ll be dangerous, but it’s probably our only hope.”

  I chewed on my lip, thinking. “It’s a risk for everyone who is on lookout if we fail. We shouldn’t try it until we have the potion to get him to turn back the spell.”

  “Agreed.”

  I slumped, exhaustion overtaking me. I’d really been hoping that Ana could find the demon. Hearing the bad news just made our problems that much bigger.

  Syra turned to me and squinted. “You look like hell.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  “I just mean tired. Like, really tired.”

  “Well, I can’t remember when I last slept, so…” I shrugged. That pretty much explained it all. “I have a Power-Up Potion for when I really need it.”

  Syra grimaced. “Hate those things. Fake energy.”

  “Better than no energy.”

  “True enough. But we have an hour or two before we reach the triangle. You should go catch some shut-eye down below. I’ll holler at you when it starts to get dicey.”

  Oh, that sounded divine.

  Even just a thirty-minute nap would be amazing. “You sure?”

  “I insist. We need you strong to fight whatever’s coming at us in the triangle.” She looked at Declan, frowning. “You too. You also look like shit.”

  Declan cracked a smile. “Kind of you to notice. I put a lot of effort into the look.”

  I chuckled as I walked by him. “Come on. You’ve got to be dragging, too.”

  “A bit.” He followed me into the cabin.

  The bodies of the demons had disappeared, but blood was splattered here and there. A lot of the furniture was damaged, too, the curtains torn off the little windows.

  “Wow, you really had a tussle with that demon.”

  “Stronger than I expected.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a sexy smile. “A nice challenge though.”

  I stopped in the middle of the boat’s living space and inspected it. The couch was soaked with demon blood, and there was only one bedroom, located at
the front of the boat. I could see the big bed through the little door.

  Actually, it wasn’t that big a bed.

  I turned around, looking for a second place to sleep.

  There was none.

  “I’ll take the floor,” Declan said.

  “That’s not necessary. Come on.” My heart started to thud as I walked toward the door, wondering if he would follow.

  There was the briefest hesitation, but he did.

  I didn’t bother yanking off my boots. That’d be a bad idea, if this trip was going to be anything like the last one I’d taken with Syra.

  I flopped onto the mattress, my head sinking into the pillow. The comfort made it all the more obvious how much my body ached and how tired I was.

  Declan lay down next to me, much more gracefully. His shoulder was about two feet from mine, and I couldn't help the tingle of awareness that snaked through me. A shiver ran down my back, and I turned to look at him, unable to help myself.

  He was looking right back at me.

  “Hey.” My voice came out a little rough as memories of our kiss played through my mind.

  It had been good. Really good.

  I’d never felt chemistry like that before, and it hadn’t gone anywhere.

  I was exhausted, but suddenly I didn’t care. I’d wanted Declan since I’d met him. Wanted him bad. His strength seduced me, and his face beguiled me.

  I might not be able to trust him, but I liked him.

  One minute I was lying on my side of the bed, and the next, I’d rolled over to his.

  As if he’d sensed me coming, he rolled to meet me, his hands going around my waist.

  Oh fates.

  This was happening.

  11

  Declan gripped my waist, strong and firm, and a shiver of desire went up my spine. He dragged me toward him, pulling my body full against his. Every inch of him was hard muscle, strength born of battle.

  Heat exploded inside me.

  Fates, how I wanted him.

  I moaned low in my throat, unable to help myself, and rubbed my entire body against his. He groaned, a sound that was almost animal, and dipped his head to mine.

  His kiss was one of possession, and desire sparked through me. Stars detonated behind my eyelids. Every part of me lit up like a firework, and I pulled him closer to me, wanting to tear off every inch of his clothes.

  He knew just how to move, where to provide friction and how much. His hands were strong and confident, sweeping over my body and hitting all the right places. My head swam with pleasure as his mouth moved expertly on mine.

  Clothes.

  I needed to get out of my clothes.

  Right now.

  I was going to push him over and strip him naked, then jump on him.

  The low noises of pleasure that he made, and the hardness of his body, told me that he thought that would be a pretty good idea, too.

  I pushed on his shoulders, ready to put my plan into action, when the boat hit a particularly big wave.

  I stiffened.

  Shit.

  We were on a tiny boat, just feet from Syra. The door wasn’t even closed. I’d wanted him so badly I’d forgotten all of that.

  I pulled back at the same time he did, my breath heaving.

  “Now isn't the time.” His voice was rough with regret.

  I shivered and lay back.

  He was right, damn it.

  I wanted this—so badly—but literally any second now, we could face some disaster at sea. We were heading to the Bermuda Triangle, for gods’ sake. And Syra could hear us.

  And we needed to get some rest if we wanted to be able to fight well. In battles like this, fighting well was the difference between living and dying.

  I released a shuddery breath.

  He leaned over me, his hand on my stomach.

  I looked up at him, feeling closer to him than I ever had before.

  Sure, a lot of it was hormones. But they were convincing hormones.

  The heat faded from his gaze—just a little bit—and something almost like tenderness took its place. “Hey. You’re not at all what you seem, are you?”

  “I’m exactly what I seem.” And that was the truth. The person I presented to him and to the world was real. It was just that there was a secret side to me that I didn’t share.

  And he was probably picking up on that.

  Declan was a smart guy. And with chemistry like ours, it was probably even easier to get a feel for me.

  He nodded. “Yeah, actually. I believe that. But it’s like there are two of you.”

  “Split personalities?” I grinned.

  “No, they’re combined. The fancy ice queen and the badass fighter. I like them both. But there’s a lot more to you than you show the world. Your sister sees it, but you try to hide it from everyone else.”

  “You hardly know me.”

  “I’m quick. And I feel like I’ve known you a lot longer than I actually have.”

  Funny, I felt the same way.

  “You’re warm with Mordaca, but cold with your friends. Like you put a shield up.”

  “No, I don’t.” I totally did that. All the time. It was second nature.

  “Don’t lie. It’s so obvious that a blind person could see it.”

  “No, it’s not, because my friends don’t see it.” I made sure of it. “And you’ve only seen me with them a couple times. So, what do you know?”

  “A lot.” He gave me a searching look. “What are you hiding? Does it have anything to do with the secret chamber below your house?” He shook his head. “Scratch that. It definitely has to do with that. Those Aerlig vines are a powerful protective spell. No way they’re protecting your weapons collection.”

  “One, I love my weapons. Of course they could protect them.”

  “That’s true, except for the fact that you store your weapons in the ether.” His gaze softened. “Tell me what you’re hiding.”

  “Not hiding anything. And why would you even want to know, anyway?”

  “Because I like you. And because it seems like a pretty big burden. Secrets grow and become heavy.”

  Wasn’t that the truth.

  From the moment we’d escaped Grimrealm, Mari and I had hidden. First, it was out of a desire to not be recaptured by our family. We’d changed everything about ourselves, and gotten rid of every characteristic we’d had in Grimrealm. They couldn’t find us if they didn’t recognize us.

  Then, we’d hidden our dragon blood because we’d learned just how dark the world really was. Dani, the only person we’d ever trusted with our secret, had turned us over to the Order of the Magica, who had, in turn, used us and our power. If we hadn’t escaped, we could have been forced to do truly terrible things.

  So yeah, we weren’t big on trusting.

  The Council of Demon Slayers provided us with a level of protection—as long as we did our deadly jobs. They had their own reasons for secrets, anyway.

  Fortunately, I liked danger, so the situation worked out well for me. And I believed in our mission.

  True, it meant I had a lot of secrets, but I was used to bearing that burden. It was worth it.

  “Fine,” I said. “Maybe I’ll tell you something. But I want to know your secrets first. You’ve been real quiet about who you work for. Who hires the fallen angel bounty hunter?”

  His jaw tightened just slightly, as if the question made him uncomfortable. Good. I was uncomfortable, too.

  He drew in a deep breath, his gaze meeting mine. When he spoke, it was clear he’d never spoken these words aloud before. They sounded like they were being dragged up from the depths of the sea. “I work for the High Court of the Angels.”

  “The what?”

  “Exactly.” His gaze was serious. “We never speak of it. Ever.”

  “What is it?”

  “The most powerful angels in the world. In the same way that demons are made from evil given form, the highest angels in the land were made for good given for
m.”

  “And what’s their role?”

  “There are only three of them now, and they cannot walk upon the earth. So bounty hunters like me do their dirty work for them.”

  “Capturing demons?”

  He nodded. “Demons provide valuable information that the High Court can use. It’s why they send me after the most dangerous ones.”

  I nodded, my mind spinning. “Ah, so you aren’t so bad. It’s not just for the money, is it?”

  “No.” His hand tightened around my waist. “I’ve never told anyone that before. I’m not supposed to share it.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.” I could definitely understand working for a secret organization. My mind moved back to earlier today. “What was the scene in nightmare alley?”

  He hesitated, then forced himself to talk. “Our greatest defeat in the demon wars.”

  I gaped. “That was real?”

  He nodded, his gaze going distant.

  “I thought it was your worst fear.”

  “It was my worst fear. And it came true.” Some of the color had faded from his face. “We’d been given the wrong intel about the battle. It should have been a much smaller force, made of a different species of demons. Instead, it was their biggest army. They had weapons we’d never seen before.”

  “You were uninjured.”

  “I was injured, just not as badly as the others. I’m a good fighter.”

  “You’re the best fighter. Clearly.”

  “That day I was.” His shoulders sagged a bit. “That day, we lost eighty percent of our force.”

  Oh fates, he’d lived through such terrible things. My heart ached like a wound. I rubbed his shoulder. “I’m sorry I made you relive that. But thank you for telling me.”

  He sucked in a slow, deep breath, clearly trying to shake off the memories. “You need a reason to trust me. And clearly, this is a game of you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.”

  The words were light, but there was still a heaviness to his tone.

  I smiled slightly, hoping to get his mind off the memories. “There are better ways to play that game, you know.”

  A bit more of the sadness faded from his face, replaced by a wolfish smile. “I wouldn’t mind playing that sometime.”

  I hoped it’d be soon.

  He didn't say anything. Neither did I.