Page 28 of Dead End

“He meansfromyou,” Camryn yelled from behind him.

Goran glanced at her. “I think the demon knows what he means.”

Cam bristled with defensiveness. “I’m working on my communication skills and not expecting others to play mind reader. Leo says communication is the cornerstone of every relationship.”

“I thought that was trust,” Goran replied.

Josie shushed them. “Dantalion needs to focus if we want him to kill this thing.”

I didn’t want to waste time with a lesser demon. There was only one goal tonight.

Free Kane.

“The Dalhan isn’t attacking us. He’s a scavenger. He said himself that he only feasts on the flesh of corpses.”

Josie heaved a frustrated sigh. “You’re killing me, Clay. Just look the other way and plead ignorance.”

“I can’t just stick my head in the sand.”

“No, that’s his job.” Camryn motioned to the demonic ostrich.

The Dalhan clucked his tongue. “I sense dissension in the ranks. That’s why you need a strong leader like Lucifer. It minimizes disputes.”

“Reasonable discourse is the backbone of a thriving democracy,” I shot back.

“There’s no reason for you to be here,” Dantalion told the demon. “I don’t know what Lucifer promised you, but there will be no feasts for you in this realm. I offer you this last chance to return from whence you came or suffer the consequences.”

“Whence,” Goran said under his breath. “Now there’s a word I haven’t heard in a long time.”

The Dalhan observed our group with a critical gaze. “Very well then.” He turned his mount around and trotted back in the direction of the crossroads.

Camryn slapped a hand across her chest. “Crisis averted.”

“And straight on to the next one,” Josie said, her face grim. “You two know what to do.”

Cam patted the cards in her pocket. “We’ve got you covered.”

The Devil’s Playground came into view. Roving neon lights sliced through the murk like razor blades. A pulse of electronic music spilled into the forest, the bass vibrating through the cracked ground. Even from all the way out here, the bass of the interior music was noisy, thumping through the night like a living thing.

“I thought the club wasn’t open yet,” Goran said.

Josie craned her neck for a better view. “It isn’t. Otherwise there’d be a bouncer and a line.”

Camryn squeezed my arm. “Good luck, Lorelei. Give ‘em hell.”

“Thanks, Cam.” I tried not to think about the stakes, only the next step ahead of me.

Josie, Dan, and I stayed hidden as we crept to the large oak tree with a thick branch that hung close to the rooftop. I wasn’t surprised to see the silhouettes of two guards positioned up there. It gave them a good vantage point of the surrounding area. Too bad for them the forest was easy to hide in when you knew it well, especially on the cusp of summer when the flora and fauna were at their densest.

Josie climbed first. She was the muscle, the brawler, the one who’d been in more fights than I could count. Her knuckles were cracked, her jaw set; she was ready for any and every eventuality.

I was grateful she was on my team.

“The bigger guard is mine,” she murmured, her voice a low growl. Her facial expression brooked no argument. It was fine with me; I was saving my strength for Kane and the main obstacle to his freedom—Lucifer.

Josie shimmed along the branch and landed noiselessly on the rooftop in a crouched position. The vampire’s movements were fluid and silent as she parted from the shadows. She moved like the predator she was—quick, lethal, and without mercy.

Dantalion was next to drop. He drew his sword and charged, his feet barely making a sound on the slick roof. His blade glowed with dark energy as he sliced through the nearest demon, severing the creature’s arm. Neither guard had a chance to alert the others.

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