Page 49 of Blaze

The last SUV’s doors open, and the three figures that emerge have us growling. Even if it were daytime, they’d still shine with eye-watering light.

The Light Justicars. A holy order bent on the eradication of all demonkind on behalf of the angels.

They each wear white cassocks, but despite their non-threatening appearance, these three are more dangerous than all the mafia soldiers around them.

The older one, with silver, neatly combed hair, walks forward, his hands easy at his sides. The other two, a dark-haired man and a blonde-haired woman, follow behind. The woman’s steps are slow, and her eyes dart around like she’s reluctant to be here.

Any other time, I’d find that interesting. All I know is that she’s here to help take Kennedy away, and I will never let that happen.

Another man slips out of the same SUV, almost unnoticed. Unlike the other men, this one wears a neat suit. A snarl rips from me, and I take a step forward. Chainz slaps my chest with the back of his hand, halting me.

“Easy,” he murmurs.

“That’s that fucker Enzo,” I hiss, smoke rising from my shoulders. “I know it is.”

“You’ll have your chance,” Reaper says over his shoulder. “Soon.”

I swallow back a protest. Anger and fury at the man fucking sauntering up to stand beside the first Light Justicar eating away at my control. I step back into line, but, I never stop staring at the fucker. This is the man who hurt my mate. The man who wanted to break Kennedy until her gorgeous, light-filled soul was extinguished.

My nostrils flare and flames begin to rise from my skin. The heat builds and spreads along my body. The pain of my transformation is a welcomed release of my pent-up rage.

The Light Justicar raises his arms. “Whom do I speak to?”

Reaper crosses his arms, his feet shoulder-width apart. He’s ready to strike at any moment.

“I am the one called Odanatos, though our names do not matter in this realm.” His voice is profound, echoing with the chill of his calling.

Odanatos. Reaper. Deliverer of souls unto eternal death. Devourer of the damned.

The mortal men behind the Light Justicars shift, their anxious and fear-tinted scents carrying to us on the desert breeze. I inhale, as do my brothers, relishing the sour scent. My blood hums in my veins, eager to fulfill their nightmares.

Even Enzo takes a step closer to the Light Justicars, as if that can protect him from me.

“I disagree,” the apparent leader says genially. “I am Father Xavius. I am here with Brother Benedict and Sister Sloan on behalf of this man. He is—”

“We know who he is,” Reaper interrupts him blandly. “Enzo Pastori. You come seeking Kennedy. You will not have her. She is under our protection.”

Enzo’s face goes red. I can see the shade perfectly in spite of the low lighting. The driveway is lit only by the headlights of the SUVs and the floodlights on each corner of the clubhouse roof.

“She is my wife,” Enzo says, like a man used to being feared. “I will have her returned to me.”

Fuck this dude. He talks about Kennedy like she’s a possession, not a person with a soul. I clench my fists and bare my teeth at him. The movement must catch his eye because his gaze finds mine. My snarl widens into a vicious grin at the fear that flashes over his face.

“She was no longer your wife the moment you broke your sworn oaths to her,” Reaper states dispassionately.

I am not ashamed to admit Reaper’s voice is one of the scariest things about his demon form. When he embraces it in full, Reaper becomes something else. Where I am fire and heat, Reaper is simply... nothing. An absence of life, of light. His voice reflects that. Utterly empty of anything.

Enzo goes to say something, but Father Xavius holds up a hand. It clearly pisses Enzo off but the mafia boss says nothing. He steps back and goes to the side of another man. There’s enough family resemblance that this must be the brother, Riccardo. The one who threatened Kennedy.

He will die, too. Tonight.

“I know it is difficult for beings of your bestial nature to understand,” the asshole starts up with his patronizing bullshit. These assholes really think we’re nothing but mindless beasts. “But if you simply hand the woman over, we can put this business behind us. If you do not produce the woman, I’m afraid we will have to take her by force.”

My brothers beside me growl and spit at the ground.

“They never learn, no matter how many times we kill their puppets,” Heathen sneers. I nod in agreement along with Chainz and the others.

Enough of this. I want to fight. I want Enzo’s blood in my mouth. I want to burn his heart from his body.

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