Page 117 of Heir

Lerris’s eyes found mine, panic in his gaze.

I smirked. “You think I’d be stupid enough to come alone?”

He doused his initial fear and smiled with feigned confidence. “Let me guess, you brought your little human friends with you?”

“Nope.”

“What’s that on your head?”

I lifted my brows. “Just something my mate made me.”

Now, I really had his attention. His henchman’s too. “M-mate?” he stammered. “That’s not possible.”

“No? Then why do I have one?” I tapped my chin. “No, wait. I don’t have one.”

Relief creased his features.

“I have three.”

Lerris shook his head vehemently. “Impossible. You’re lying. You’re a filthy, disgusting human and a liar. No hybrid has ever been recorded. So for the Fates to give you a mate, let alone three . . . you’re lying.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

He tried to infiltrate my mind, but Maxar’s fire crown was doing its job. I could feel Lerris trying to manipulate me and burn my brain, but it wasn’t working.

When he realized it wasn’t working, he roared with fury.

I fought back, harnessing all the anger and fear I had over losing Delia, over never meeting my parents, over losing Gemma, and this new, fucked up world I was part of, and I blasted him hard right back.

He wasn’t prepared for it and crumpled to the ground with a scream.

But he was a strong, old demon. So he rallied quickly and shot back to his feet.

A scream from the side drew my attention. That’s when I saw Maxar, wrapping Lerris’s henchman in a rope of fire and binding his hands and feet, then gagging him.

I smiled at Maxar, then quickly pivoted back to face Lerris. “Where is Gemma?”

Still thinking he had the upper hand, my demonic uncle grinned, reminding me so much of The Joker. “The throne belongs to me. I am the rightful heir to the Realm. Not you. Not some disgusting, abomination, half-breed.”

A sharp scream from down the hallway where they both originated diverted my attention. Gemma. Her fear slammed into my brain and I could almost feel the pain and terror as if it were happening to me.

Ignoring Lerris, I took off in that direction, weaving through the narrow corridor and into what had probably once been an office and staff locker rooms. There were bathrooms here too. I knew that. We used those during the raves.

“Gemma!” I called out. “Gem!”

Another harsh, pained scream.

Was Lerris torturing her from where he was in the main part of the warehouse. Could he project his power that far away without looking at his target?

Raewyn was able to do it to you and Gemma. So obviously it’s possible.

Right!

That motherfucker. He really deserved to die. And not swiftly the way Raewyn did.

Slowly. Painfully. And I was going to enjoy it.

“Gemma!” I cried out, the panic and guilt hitting me in nauseating waves. I clutched my stomach and choked on a sob. How could we leave her alone in the apartment? How could the guys not have checked on her before they followed me like imprinted little ducklings?

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