Page 34 of Tall, Dark & Horny

I threw him back with a burst of magic that cracked the stone beneath our feet. He rolled and landed in a crouch, breathing hard but grinning.

“You’ve grown stronger,” he said, eyes flashing. “But you’re still just a lord’s son playing king of his insignificant patch of land.”

“No.” I bared my teeth. “I’m the one guarding the gate to hell.”

He lunged again, faster this time. I met him head-on, fists burning with hellfire, claws half-shifted. He twisted in a different direction and crashed through the outer edge of the atrium. Glass shattered overhead in a glittering arc, rain pouring through the opening.

Calliope didn’t scream or retreat. My fierce amazing mate stepped forward.

“Adan!” Her voice rang out behind me, and I felt her magic rise. Wild and unfamiliar, but potent.

The assassin paused, sensing it too.

Calliope hadn’t had enough time to fully understand her powers, let alone control them, but we’d learned that she could call upon them with the help of my glyphs. She touched another, this one carved into a support beam. The symbol lit beneath her fingers with the same storm-kissed hue I’d seen earlier. And then something extraordinary happened.

The ward bent toward her. Unlike every other time, it didn’t flare or defend. The magic answered her call.

The room pulsed. A gust of wind swept through the shattered window, but it wasn’t natural. The air circled my mate in a tight spiral, tugging at her hair and dancing over her skin.

The assassin turned toward her, but Calliope didn’t look afraid. Her eyes blazed with green fire. “You’re not taking him from me.”

She raised her hand, and lightning struck through the open ceiling, crashing down between her and the assassin, making him stumble.

The assassin snarled, teeth flashing as he reeled back in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to wield power. And he sure as hell hadn’t expected The Abyss to answer her.

“You brought a conduit into the fight,” he spat. “She doesn’t even know what she is.”

“Not yet, but she will.”

He pivoted and lunged for her. It was the wrong fucking move.

I roared, letting my control snap. My wings spanned wide enough to block the archway. I launched forward, claws extended, and tackled him in midair. We crashed into a pillar, stone cracking beneath the force.

Hellfire surged through me, hotter than it ever had before. Fed by rage, power, and the instinct to protect my mate.

I slammed my fist into his ribs over and over again until his coat burned and the stench of scorched leather filled the room. Then he twisted free and vaulted backward, blood dripping from his mouth.

“She’s more than a distraction,” he spat. “She’s fueling you.”

It was more than that, but he’d never understand because he didn’t have a mate.

A glyph flared to life near Calliope’s hand, one she hadn’t touched yet. But it recognized her. The Abyss was beginning to shift its allegiance. Notfromme, but tousas a mated pair, even though I hadn’t branded her yet.

A low hum rose from the walls. The storm was now building inside the hotel’s bones. Thunder rolled again, this time beneath the floor.

The assassin bared his teeth and surged forward again, ignoring the burn of The Abyss’s wards as they tried to repel him. His blade flashed, and I met him with mine—a conjured weapon of raw hellfire. Steel shrieked against fire, but I didn’t back down. Not when Calliope was still standing behind me, holding the full weight of the storm in her hands.

I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye—her palm pressed to the glyph, her eyes alight with power. Lightning danced around her feet. The very air bowed to her will. Her power had awakened, and she had never looked more beautiful.

The assassin realized it too late. He turned his attention toward her, blade shifting mid-strike.

“No!” I roared.

Calliope stepped forward, and her voice rang out. “You will not touch him or me.”

She lifted her other hand, and a current of wind slammed into the assassin’s chest, lifting him off his feet. He hit the ground hard but still tried to rise. Then I was on him.

I landed the final blow with both hands wreathed in fire. Not to kill, but to hold him in place. To bind him.

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