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 Think he ll ever thaw? Bjorn asked.
Thane shuddered.  Let s hope not.
Xerxes rubbed the scars on his neck. Everyone assumed his immortality had failed him and
he d somehow ended up looking like a poorly put together puzzle, but the truth was, his body
was simply always in the process of healing from the damage he constantly inflicted.
 I killed sixteen demons at the institution, he said. This was one of the only topics of con-
versation he enjoyed.
 Twenty-three, Bjorn said, a thread of darkness in his tone.
Thane added his tally in his head he never forgot a kill.  Only nineteen for me.
Bjorn grinned, but there was no light in his expression.  I win.
Xerxes flipped him off.
 Such a sore loser. Thane tsked.  And now a babysitter, too. So where is the fallen you ve
been tasked with guarding? You haven t mentioned him once since taking over his care and
feeding.
He saw a flare of panic in those crimson eyes, quickly masked.  He s chained in my room.
The panic nearly broke Thane s heart, for he knew Xerxes would never willingly hold any-
one but a demon prisoner.  What are you going to do with him?
 I& don t& Buy a cloud, I suppose. Keep him locked there.
 I do not recommend that, my friend. If you think he s able to care for himself, you ll never
check on him. His guilt wouldn t let him.
 And the problem with that?
 The fallen are practically mortal. He could decide to starve himself, waste away. And you
would only blame yourself.
Xerxes confronted Thane dead-on, determination radiating from him.  You re right.
 Aren t I always?
 I ll leave him here for now. Check on him once a day. Force him to eat if necessary.
 While you re at it, talk to him, Bjorn suggested.  Find out why he fell.
Both of his boys knew it was just a matter of time before they, too, lost their wings and im-
mortality. They would delay the inevitable for as long as they could, hence their cooperation
now, but like Thane, they would never veer from the path they were on.
The demons had made sure of that.
Thane drained the rest of his drink, poured himself another and drained it, too. The potent al-
cohol burned going down, but by the time it reached his stomach, it cooled to a sweet, drugging
warmth. And yet, the pleasant sensation did nothing to lessen the tension inside him.
 Did you find us girls for the evening? he asked no one in particular.
 I did, Bjorn answered.  They await us now.
 What is mine? Vampire? Shifter? Not that he cared. A female was a female was a female.
 She s a Phoenix.
All right, perhaps he did care. Excitement joined the tension that always hummed inside him,
lighting him up from the inside out. So many immortal races walked the earth and several
realms of the heavens. The Harpies, the Fae, the elves, the Gorgons, the sirens, the shifters and
the Greek and Titan gods and goddesses or so they liked to call themselves, when in truth they
were nothing more than kings and queens who had allowed pride to exalt their opinions of them-
selves and countless others. The Phoenix were the second-most dangerous.
Snake-shifters were the first.
Still, the Phoenix were blood-hungry and cruel, deriving glee from destruction. They lived
and thrived in fire, and they could force the dead to rise from their graves and those that rose
were then bound to serve them, enslaved for the rest of eternity.
Thane set his empty glass on the bar and straightened.  I don t want to leave her waiting any
longer.
Bjorn and Xerxes stood. Six long steps and he stood between them. They stalked forward,
then branched apart, heading to three separate bedrooms. Only silence emanated from his. His
hands were surprisingly steady as he shoved open the double doors. Closed them.
He heard the soft click of his friends doors as he considered his soon-to-be conquest.
The female reclined on the bed, a mound of pillows at her back. She was gloriously naked,
hair of gold and scarlet like crackling flames and tumbling over one shoulder. Even at this dis-
tance, Thane could feel the heat of her, the warmth licking at him. Thin chains forged by an im-
mortal blacksmith circled her wrists and ankles, rendering her a slave to her captor s commands,
the metal somehow compelling her to obey orders.
Bjorn must have purchased her in the sex market.  Do you want this? he demanded.  Want
me? Speak true.
She licked her lips.  Oh, yes.
 You do not feel forced? There was only one line Thane would not cross in the bedroom,
and that was forcing himself on another.  No matter what happens between us, you will be free
to leave this place.
 No, I m not being forced. I was told I d be paid.
Ah. She wanted money, not him. He was utterly okay with that, had had to go this route be-
fore.  You will be.
 Then why would I leave when wealth awaits me if I stay? she asked, hooking a lock of hair
behind her ear.
An ear that pointed at the end.  Excellent question.
She grinned, and he saw that her teeth were fanged like a vampire s. Her body was a study of
beauty, a wealth of sensuality. Though he couldn t see the back of her, he knew she would be
covered in tattoos that bore the mark of her tribe.
 You were told what would be required of you? he asked.
 Yes, which means all this talking is merely wasting my time and your money.
 We don t want that. With a single tug, his robe fell away from his body, leaving him bare.
The material was so light, it made no sound as it landed on the floor.
Thane crawled onto the mattress, the edge dipping with his muscled weight. A moment later,
the female was on him. For a long while, he knew nothing but the burn of her nails and the
scrape of her teeth. Then little beads of fire began to seep from her pores, blistering him just
right and wringing exquisite groan after exquisite groan from him. He loved it as much as he
hated it.
She performed every terrible act he required without hesitation, and he toyed with the idea of
keeping her far longer than he d ever kept another. Usually he was done after two or three bed-
dings, not wanting to see revulsion smoldering in eyes that should be filled with desire. Because,
after a while, the females always gave way to revulsion. They thought about what they d done,
what he d done, and they regretted it all. But this female laughed with genuine pleasure as she
performed, and he would be willing to bet she always would. Her greed for money would allow
nothing less.
When it was over, Thane lay still, trying to catch his breath, enjoying the sensation of burn-
ing from the inside out.
Through the wall at his left purposely thin so that he and his boys would hear if they were
needed he caught the heartbreaking echo of Xerxes retching into the toilet, just as he always
did after sex.
He wanted more for his friend. Better. But he had no idea how to help.
He dressed and left the Phoenix exhausted on the bed. Bjorn was already in the sitting room,
alone and peering blankly into a fresh glass of vodka.
Thane fell into a chair. Bjorn never glanced up, too lost in his head, in the darkness that had
finally come for him.
Xerxes stepped out of his room, pale and shaky, and avoided Thane s gaze. He, too, fell into
a chair.
Thane loved these men. He did. He would happily die for them but he would not let them
die. Not like this. Not in misery.
They d crawled out of that dungeon together, and somehow, someway, he would drag them
out of their self-imposed hell.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE NEXT MORNING, A NAKED Zacharel sat at the edge of his bed and rolled his broth-
er s urn in his hands. It was a clear, hourglass-shaped jar, the substance inside a thick liquid as
transparent as the urn, with only the tiniest of rainbow flecks glittering in the light.
This urn was Zacharel s greatest treasure. His only treasure. Now and forever, he would pro-
tect this urn as he had not protected his brother.
 I love you, Zacharel. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]