Page 29 of Claiming the Dhampir

What did he mean he’d have to wait in line? Did I project my thoughts to him?

“Yes, you projected your thoughts,” he confirmed.

I would have been excited about it, but the house shuddered again.

I reached through my bond with Damon and hit that same wall of rage. Not just anger but murderous revenge. The hatred burning through our bond scared me. I’d never seen Damon mad. Ever.

The windows across from us exploded, showering half of the room with shards of glass. An enormous creature followed in their wake. Blood red runes covered his body, pulsing with magic like they had a heartbeat of their own. Dark shadows trailed from his wings like a living fog stretching toward the fae now cowering at the door. Fire flickered in the eyes staring down at me.

I gasped, second-guessing if it was really Damon. I recognized the feel of my mate’s magic, but I didn’t recognize the creature dominating the room. Damon’s claim that I couldn’t handle his demon made a whole lot more sense. This version of him terrified me.

Chapter 10

Damon

“What do you mean she’s gone?” I asked, standing in the middle of the living room where my mate should’ve been waiting for me.

The wolves cowered before me, even though I hadn’t raised my voice. I didn’t need to. I’d let my full demon form take over the moment Lorna’s connection disappeared. As soon as I realized I could not feel her presence, could not feel her irritation and suspicions, could not feel her pain over losing Kenrid, my natural instincts kicked in. Whoever took my mate from me would suffer a long and painful death.

“Alyssa showed up through a portal and stole her away,” one of the wolves replied, focusing on the floor. “She said they weren’t allowed to go back to Fairie. That’s why Brance took Kenrid. Those were her words exactly. Or close to it anyway.”

He was rambling, but I didn’t care. He’d answered my question.

The fae had taken the most important people in my life. Lorna and two of the only friends I had in this world. As long as they were still on Earth, I would find my mate.

“Did you hear anything else?” I asked.

“No, these four distracted us.” The shifter pointed at the four fae lying unconscious on the living room floor.

I nodded, then grabbed the two fae closest to me. “I’ll be right back.”

“Damon.”

Elliott’s hand landed on my shoulder, and I paused. He flinched when I looked at him. He would see Hell’s fire burning in my eyes and feel the dark magic pulsing from the runes carved on my scales. I could smell his fear, but it didn’t matter. These two would talk and the other two would die.

“Don’t leave them in the Underworld,” Elliott said. “They may not have had a choice in this.”

“There is always a choice,” I stated. “They chose the consequence they felt was less damning. No one forced them to act as decoys.”

Elliott’s brow drew together, but he remained silent. I refused to feel pity for the fae, nor would I show mercy.

Stepping away from Elliott, I drew on the magic that would send me to the Underworld. The portal opened, and I stepped through with my latest victims.

The familiar feel of my home world softened the edges of my anger. I drew in a deep breath, absorbing the power that was natural to me and my kind. The magic welcomed me in a way my people never would. Magic didn’t have prejudices, nor did it hold grudges for millennia. It merely filled the gaping void in my soul.

The magic also woke my captives. I tossed the fae on the rocky ground and reveled in their fear when they realized where they were.

“Damon, please!” the nearest one begged, rising onto his knees. “I had no choice. Brance would have killed me if I’d denied his wishes.”

I sneered at his whimpering and looked at his companion, a female whose name I didn’t care to know. She stared at the open canyon that stretched beyond the horizon with not a single tree in sight. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and her entire body trembled.

Vegetation didn’t grow in this part of the Underworld, which is why I’d chosen it for the fae. There was no water, no food, and no chance of life. Only the demonic predators who would enjoy a short hunt and a tasty snack.

“He told us he’d found a way home,” the male continued. “I tried to find a lie in his words, but he truly believed he’d found a way. I didn’t deserve to be exiled. I’d been wrongly accused with no chance to defend my actions.” His voice trailed off into a whisper. “I just wanted to go home.”

“Where are they?” I asked. “Where are my friends and my mate?”

“At Alyssa’s home,” he replied immediately, rattling off the street name and address. I recognized it as one of the gated communities on the outskirts of the city. “The house is warded with multiple layers, each created by a different person. They didn’t want anyone hearing or seeing anything they shouldn’t.”

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