Page 47 of Flirting with Death

My panic grew inside my chest as I rushed ahead of everyone. I had lost him once. I wasn't doing it again.

"Sammy, wait, we can't rush through the front door," Raiden grabbed onto my arm, slowing me. I took a breath as I looked across at the building that I knew held Bellamy.

"They wouldn't expect it, would they?" I asked.

Just then, the door swung open, revealing Bellamy stepping from the building next to a vampire I didn't recognize. Not that I knew all the vampires that called our city home without murdering people all the time. I froze in the shadows with the rest of our rescue party as the vamp gestured down the other side of the street, and they started walking that direction. My heart slammed against my ribcage, demanding to be free, and my blood thundered in my ears. I was immobile as I stared after them.

"We have to follow them," Alastor whispered.

He moved in front of us, leading the way, with Cerberus by his side.

I was still struggling with the feeling of being hit by a truck. Intrusive thoughts that wanted me to confront him immediately pushed at me as I tried to shake them off. We could trust him, just because all the secrets had shaken my entire world to the core recently didn't mean I couldn't trust him.

Lex linked his fingers with mine as the seven of us followed. There was no way that the vamp couldn't hear eight heart beats behind them. Which could mean this was a trap. Raiden glanced down at me, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. What choice did we have? We outnumbered him.

They slipped down a dark alleyway half a block ahead of us.

"Wait," Brook whispered, and I glanced over at her. "Geralt says it is a trap. They bound Bellamy, he is the bait, but they didn't expect it to work so quickly."

"Who is Geralt?" I hissed. Now was not the time for my friend to be losing her damn mind.

"A shade," Lumi said, waving away my question.

"But if they are waiting for the gem, why?" Raiden asked.

"Insurance. They can't touch Sam without breaking a promise, but they know Bellamy means something to her." Brook cocked her head to the side as if she was listening to something we couldn't hear. She nodded and thanked the air before she turned back to us. "Sam, you can't go in there. Something has changed."

"My warehouse is nearby. We can go there," Raiden suggested, listening to my crazy-ass best friend.

"We'll go in while you take Sam to safety," Tyler said.

Now if that wasn't a turn of events, my brother sending me away to keep me safe. How many times had I done that to him?

"Ty—" I started.

"I'll be fine. I have magic, remember? Light magic. Those demons will be crispy critters."

"Don't kill Bellamy," I said. Because he was right, he was given power by that muse, who had been sure I would fail.

Ty rolled his eyes. "I won't kill your boyfriend, sis. Is you dating a demon concerning? Fuck yes. But do I also trust your judgment? Absolutely. This is a rescue mission. Maybe we can even save the muse."

My heart in my throat, I watched as they moved forward, and Raiden pulled me back. I was really doing this, standing down.

CHAPTER 27

Lex

My shadow pets slipped off my body and into the darkness of the alleyway as we approached. The area smelled like piss and beer, maybe a slight tinge of vomit. Exactly how the club bathrooms would smell if I didn't have an amazing cleaning crew that kept them spotless. There was something sticky beneath my boots that I was ignoring as it squelched under each step. But my determination to rescue Bellamy kept me going.

I wasn't some weak demi-god that couldn't handle a little unknown substance beneath my feet. That none of the others seemed to let it bother them had me pressing on.

They boarded the windows of the building up, not even letting a sliver of light out. Dodger, my snake, found a drain pipe and slithered up the length for a better vantage point higher up. She sent images of the inside she could see from the higher windows.

"Wait." I reached out and held Alastor back. A zing of awareness zipped straight through me, reminding me of hours before. Now was not the time to revisit that memory. When he glanced back, I pointed up at Dodger, a defined shadow along the smooth pipe.

Few demons were inside. If this was a trap, they were cloaking or hiding them. She slipped in through a thin opening, attaching to the shadows as she glided along a metal beam that ran the length of the room. Her tongue tasted the air for danger, ready for her next meal. When she spotted the other entrance, I turned silently on my heel and moved around the building to that door. The others followed without question.

I reached out, my fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the handle. It twisted easily beneath my grip, and I dragged it open. I knew from Dodger that the area was clear. Whatever Brook had sensed must have been wrong. Or they were putting all their attention on the other door.

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