Page 33 of Tall, Dark & Horny

A chill spread over my skin, but I nodded. “At least that’s a step in the right direction, I suppose. I guess we should focus on how to use whatever’s inside me. Your father said we’d need it soon.”

Adan’s smile faded. “We’ll start slow. Glyph exposure, then layered enchantments. Maybe even guided channeling if the energy continues to surface.” He paused. “I have allies who specialize in awakening latent power. Trusted ones.”

“What if I can’t control it?” I asked, giving voice to my biggest fear.

He pulled me onto his lap. “Then I’ll stand between you and whatever your power does. Every time. Until you can.”

My throat tightened with emotion. “You’re not afraid?”

“Losing you would be a fuck of a lot worse than dealing with a power surge. We’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

He said we, not you. And somehow, that made all the difference.

I nodded slowly. “We’d better get started.”

15

ADAN

We didn’t know much about Calliope’s powers but quickly learned she could draw them forth using my glyphs. They seemed to be related to the weather, a storm brewing each time she connected to my magic.

It was good that we dove straight into preparing for the attack because it came less than a day later, in the middle of the night. My territory was mostly empty, with only a handful of guests who’d chosen to accept the risk of staying.

The moment the first ripple hit the wards, I felt it in my bones.

I waited in the heart of The Abyss. The air had shifted, thickened into something ancient. Calliope was behind me, just beyond the arched threshold of the atrium. I’d warded the space heavily, layered every glyph I knew into the walls, floor, and glass ceiling above us. Shards were a risk, but I wanted my mate to have access to the storm brewing outside in case she needed it. That didn’t ease the fire licking under my skin, though.

The assassin bound to the curse Calliope had awakened was here. I’d expected him to try the wards again first. Another projection, maybe. But he was done testing.

The chandelier flickered overhead, casting fractured shadows across the floor. Somewhere far above, the wind moaned against the roof.

A presence stepped through the far archway. His eyes gleamed like forged steel, colorless and deadly. His long black coat was streaked with ash. And his boots didn’t make a sound as he crossed the stone floor.

“You’ve always been hard to kill.” The assassin’s voice was the barest rasp of sound. “But with the curse triggered, it’s either your blood or mine.”

“I didn’t touch the blade,” I replied, my tone steady even while I sent a warning to Kastiel and the others who had stayed.

“I know.” His gaze slid past me to where Calliope stood in the shadow of the atrium. “But the curse doesn’t care. It demands your blood.”

“She’s under my protection,” I growled, stepping between them and cutting off his line of sight.

He smiled faintly. “Only while you’re still alive.”

“Even in death, she’ll still be mine,” I growled.

My demon surged forward. Fire coiled down my spine, but I held it back. This wasn’t going to be a raw power fight. Not at first. He was too old and clever. He’d survived this long in a job that few survived because he didn’t walk into traps. Obvious or subtle.

But his normal battle strategy wouldn’t work. He wasn’t just facing off against me. Calliope was here too, and she was a complete unknown.

The moment she touched the glyph and stepped forward, a ripple of energy moved through the room. The assassin felt it too. I saw it in the way he paused. That was his mistake.

I lunged, shifting into my demon form faster than I ever had before. I hit him hard, my shoulder slamming into his chest. He staggered but didn’t fall. He was too skilled for that. His blade flashed from its sheath, silver-black and tipped in poison.

I ducked the first swing and sent a blast of hellfire from my palm. He twisted, and the flames scorched the floor instead of his skin.

The Abyss responded to me, glyphs flaring along the columns. The room itself braced for the fight.

He came in low, slashing for my side. I blocked the strike with my forearm guard, sparks erupting from the contact. Pain lanced down my arm, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t, the smallest misstep could put me in the ground.

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