Page 11 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

“Was it another organization?” the Immortal grunted.

Cortes frowned. “Hard to tell right now, but that would be at the top of my list.”

Vlad had to concur.

“What were you doing in there anyway?” Jared asked the Colombian suspiciously.

Cortes sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yuliy Vissarion asked my ex-boss if I could act as an external observer for the proceedings.” He made a face. “It’s a good thing he did. An all-out war could have broken out tonight if something had happened to Giovanni or Wei Chen. As it is, Giovanni’s son got shot.”

Jared cursed. “Is he okay?!”

“He will be.”

Jared’s troubled gaze switched to Vlad. “You have any idea who could have attacked the building?”

“If you’re asking if theBlack Devilsmade any new enemies lately, the answer is no,” Vlad said tiredly.

He reached for his powers again, desperately hoping his earlier attempts had been a fluke. The void where his magic should have been yawned back at him.

Vlad swallowed as he came to terms with the bitter truth.

“We may not know who they are yet, but I’m pretty sure I was their target.”

Jared lowered his brows. “How so?”

“Because I can’t use my powers.”

Jared blinked. Cortes’s eyes flared.

“What do you mean, you can’t use your powers?” the Colombian said in a haunted voice. “Did they do something to your core?!” His gaze dropped to Vlad’s stomach.

Vlad knew Cortes was thinking back to the time when he had lost his first familiar and his ability to use magic after his aunt attacked him and cracked his core.

“I don’t know.” Vlad curled his hands into fists. “The only thing I’m certain of right now is I can’t access any of my demonic abilities. Neither can Tarang.”

The tiger whined softly and pressed closer to him in the stunned silence, their potent bond reduced to a whisper.

“Shit.” Cortes slammed a fist against the door, jaw tight and eyes burning. “It must have been that weird magic we felt!”

Jared stared. “What weird magic?”

Cortes told him about the strange power they’d sensed during the attack.

Bile burned the back of Vlad’s throat when he recalled the pain that had rendered him senseless.

Jared lowered his brows in the tense hush that ensued. “Vlad’s powers are part of his demonic heritage. They’re literally woven into his DNA. How could they suppress it?”

A bitter sound left Vlad. “They appear to have done just that.”

“But how?” Cortes insisted. “And more importantly, why?”

A knock on the window made them jump.

CHAPTERFIVE

It was Ilya.The bodyguard’s face was taut with tension.

Jared lowered the glass. “Should you be walking?” he grunted.

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