Page 70 of Unleashing Mayhem
Dominico hadn’t just brought his men here to Seacliff.
Dominico had summoned a demon of his own.
21
Nightmare
Nightmare felt it a moment before the others: a sharp, electrical impulse in the air. It was oddly familiar, though Nightmare knew he’d never met a demon of this kind before. Familiar because this demon’s powers, like his own, were rooted in suffering.
A pain demon.
Nightmare had heard of them, lurking in the depths of the demon realm. Other demons avoided them, so as not to become their next meal. They were known for being particularly ravenous, struggling to find a balance between keeping their prey alive long enough to feed and inadvertently killing them with the pain they inflicted.
Perhaps Nightmare should have felt some sort of kinship at its presence, solitary as his own existence had been in the demon realm. But this demon had been summoned to harm Matteo. There would be no kinship for it here. No mercy.
Nightmare kept watch for it as the bouncer and his fae mate began shepherding humans out, as Nix and Sascha and Kaisyirall came to the table where he and Matteo sat. Nightmare couldn’t find the creature, but he could feel its energy growing closer. Stronger.
Nightmare tried to break it to Matteo gently, that there were other demons that roamed this realm. And he watched as terrible understanding washed over Matteo’s face, the knowledge that Dominico had a new kind of weapon with which to torment him.
Nightmare would never let that happen. This demon would not touch Matteo. It would not disturb one hair on his mate’s head.
Nightmare would make sure of it.
Cooper and Chaos joined them, and even Chaos was remarkably subdued, throwing concerned glances toward his human.
“Protecting our mates comes first,” Kaisyir growled.
As if there was any question.
“I’ll get Matty, Sascha, and Cooper out,” Nix offered quickly. “We’ll meet with Ivan and get as far away as we can.”
Nightmare inclined his head in agreement. As much as he was loath to let Matteo out of his sight, that was for the best. He couldn’t have Matteo within reach of an enemy demon, and fighting and battle weren’t in Nix’s nature; the incubus would be particularly mismatched against another demon. Running was best.
“There are men here too,” Matteo said, and Nightmare felt a fierce pride run through him at the steadiness in his mate’s voice, quiet though it was. “Dominico’s men.”
Nightmare surveyed the bar. It was true that, now that the other patrons had run—the masses growing quickly panicked at the fire alarm and forced evacuation—a number of men remained glued to the walls, clutching at poorly hidden humanguns. They weren’t approaching the table or attempting to fire any shots. It was clear they weren’t the main cavalry.
And there was a wiry blond Nightmare recognized.
“Kaisyir,” Nightmare rasped.
Kaisyir cracked his knuckles. “I will handle the humans and their weapons. You and Chaos attend to the demon until I finish.”
Chaos rubbed his hands together, his brown human eyes finally flashing with fire. “It’s a pain demon, isn’t it? It feels all prickly in the air. This is going to be fun.”
Nightmare felt Matteo tugging at his sleeve. He lowered his head to his mate. “Nightmare,” Matteo whispered, and his voice was no longer so steady.
“Go with Nix, sweet,” Nightmare coaxed. “I will be with you as soon as I can. We will regroup.”
Matteo was trembling now, tears welling in his big brown eyes. “I’m scared. Really scared.”
Nightmare cupped his mate’s cheeks. He could feel that electrical signal growing stronger. Nearer. They didn’t have much time. “I know, sweet,” he soothed. “But after tonight, it will be over. Dominico has contracted with a demon, and such a contract leaves a trace. Even if he were to escape, I’d be able to track him. We’ll end this, with blood and pain. Just as I promised.”
And then Nix was tugging Matteo away, and Nightmare had to allow his mate to be pulled from his side.
They hadn’t been parted since Nightmare had been summoned to this realm. Nightmare hadn’t realized how painful it would be to watch him go, only a single shadow on his person to keep him company in Nightmare’s absence.
It was wrong. All wrong.
