Page 116 of Stroke of Shadows

“Shhh.” Thea pressed her hand against Harper’s lips.

Harper blinked, unable to see anything other than the glow from the altar. Candles flickered and danced, placed in three concentric circles. What looked like chalk had been used to draw patterns in between, strange swirls and lines that meant nothing to her. Red splashed the concrete, the smell of copper strong.

“We’re not alone,” Thea whispered against her, slowly backing them away until they were encompassed in darkness. There were no candles the further they moved, the only source of light the city’s skyline from the windows. The light reflected off the paintings and portraits still displayed, bouncing around the corners.

Footsteps, and both Thea and Harper stood frozen before they faded away. Her heartbeat thumped loudly between her ears, as well as her own rapid breathing. They both continued silently, following the wall until they came to a turn. The window’s light wouldn’t penetrate this far, leaving them completely in pitch black.

Harper tried to recall the latest setup, but the gallery changed the layout regularly. The only thing that never changed was the centre, which usually displayed the most expensive pieces.

Her hand shook, her body continuing to weaken.

“Just a little more,” Thea said quietly, her grip tightening around her waist. “Come on, we can make it.”

They turned another corner, one of the windows in the distance. Light washed over Thea’s face, highlighting her high cheekbones and slim nose. Her lips were pressed tight with determination, sweat beading on her brow.

Her eyes widened a fraction, and before Harper could react, something gripped the back of her neck and yanked her out of Thea’s grasp.

“You just have to ruin everything, don’t you?”

Harper tried to fight Wyatt’s hold, stopping when his hand tightened around her neck. He held out a gun, pointing it towards Thea.

Please, Harper silently begged. Go!

“Fucking faerie,” Wyatt snarled, pressing down on the trigger.

Chapter 40

Sythe

Fear was a weakness. That was what he’d been trained to believe. Fear could overpower a man, and yet Sythe found his fear only fuelled the rage burning inside.

There was no subtlety in his plan, not when Harper was at risk.

“Three, two, one,” Kace counted down before he pressed the detonator, and every single window in the building shattered at the same time. Sythe launched himself through, rolling to his feet when he hit the ground. Twin blades palmed his hands, slicing through the skin of the Skulls that surged forward before they were thrown off him by his brothers. Riley, Xander and Axel swung their weapons, the Skulls reacting like a hive of angry wasps. They fought like animals, taking every blow as if they felt nothing.

‘Rae’s in position,’ Titus growled inside his mind, the connection open between all brothers within the radius. ‘Watch out for her sniper.’

Riley’s voice broke through the hum of violence. ‘Find Gideon.’ He’d rolled his sleeves up, his powerful arms glowing with the runes that decorated all the Guardians’ skin.

Dark energy rolled in vicious waves, aggravating his beast.

The king of Daemons was within arm’s reach, but all Sythe could concentrate on was Harper.

‘Wyatt’s mine,’ Sythe snarled, turning left down the corridor. The place was designed like a fucking maze, one of the walls collapsing as Kace launched himself through as if it wasn’t even there.

Sythe punched another, the partition crumpling to pieces as he stepped through, the art shattering as they hit the floor.

A flash of pink, Thea covering her face with one hand while the other pressed against her arm. Blood seeped between her fingertips.

What the fuck was she doing here?

Her head jerked to the side as she eyed the collapsed wall beside her, dust setting a white powder across her skin. A Skull appeared, and Thea reached for something in her pocket before Jax sliced his head clean off his shoulders.

“He took her that way.” Thea met Sythe’s gaze, pointing a bloody hand to the left. “Kick him in the balls for me.”

Sythe pulled her hand away to check her arm. It was a bullet hole, through and through.

“J!” Sythe barked, gesturing to her.

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