Page 6 of The Fate of Black Hearts

He had much bigger problems than being hunted and punished by a group of powerful mages.

Ian Lanzo was dead.

I killed him.

Now, he had to continue to follow Evie. Perhaps Ian might show up, and he could figure out what the hell was pretending to be the dead lycan.

He’d also continue to make sure Evie didn’t waltz herself into something that might kill her. Sure, she and the Lanzo wolves could take care of themselves. They were lycans, which meant they could be vicious with superhuman strength, and they all had advanced experience fighting magical nonhumans. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t watch her to be sure it went well.

He closed his eyes to reach out with his senses to locate them. Finding the strands of a person’s unique energy came easy after he met the person. He locatedRoman first. They weren’t done with their quest tonight, which meant wherever Roman went, she’d follow.

Catching up to Roman he almost smacked into the lycan in his haste. Roman didn’t see him. No one did unless he wanted to be seen. However, the lycan shuddered as if sensing he’d almost been hit. Evie wasn’t here. Yet.

Roman’s dark hair rode below the collar of his leather knee-length coat, the one he claimed he needed to hide his assortment of talismans, weapons, and spell counter-curse measures. Dom figured he liked the coat’s ruggedness, opting for looks over utility. The unquestioned leader of the merry band of four brothers who worked for the Christian god to fight all manner of evils, Roman followed the guidance of an angel. As in, an actual immortal who acted as a spiritual guide between God and humans. Each of the four brothers had one guardian angel. For Roman, Zadkiel provided direction on what threats they needed to squash. Dom found it fascinating that God chose to use nonhumans to protect humans when this same god could offer no sort of afterlife promises to nonhumans.

Dom backed into the shadows to observe. Blue and orange lights flashed in beat to a pop tune. The music was so loud it hurt his eardrums. The stench of sweaty, aroused humans would nauseate him if he allowed himself to dwell on it. Instead, he focused on sorting through auras, waiting for Evie to arrive.

Flynn pulled a lollypop out of his mouth to ask Roman something. He waved the sucker in the air and used it to emphasize his words. Both kept lookingbehind them, worried more about something that wasn’t their target. The warlock they sought stood near the bar at the far side of the packed dance floor. Flynn ran a hand through his shoulder-length blond hair and plucked one of his several eyebrow piercings.

He eyed the third Lanzo brother across the room—Ky. Humans tended to shy away from this lycan. Ky had trouble masking his killer nature, which spooked people. The fourth brother, Shane, wasn’t on this trip. If Shane had come, Dom might feel more comfortable leaving Evie be. That one had a pet dragon following him around that could keep all of them safe from just about anything.

He let his mind relax in order to pick up Roman’s thoughts. Mind reading came easily to him. Sometimes sorting the mishmash of thoughts could be complex.Deep breath in…deep breath out…

Roman didn’t know why his mother let herself get shot today.

Dom agreed.She shouldn’t have gotten shot. Something was off. He kept the thoughts to himself, but he could share them into Roman’s head if he wanted, which was a new evolution of his powers.

The vibrations of Evie’s presence battered him before he saw her. They shattered his focus on Roman. She still wore the buttoned, black, calf-length leather jacket and heeled calf-high boots. Her coat, unlike Roman’s, was a work of art. It wrapped her like a glove. Her brunette wig fell in waves down her back but didn’t do her justice. He longed to see the golden locks she covered.

Efrem wasn’t inside the building, but he sensedthe lycan lurked around the perimeter. Smart move to be outside. If the warlock took a back door he’d catch him.

She marched toward Roman, but for an instant, Dom though she stared right at him. She shouldn’t see him, but she was the one person who could alwaysseehim when others fell victim to his mental manipulations.

He inched close enough to Roman to pick up their conversation without much effort.

“What’s the problem?” Evie asked.

Roman scowled into the far corner on the opposite side of the dance floor. “There are two hundred people between us and him. He’s armed with an automatic weapon and at least two pistols in addition to whatever magical insanity might be up his sleeve. If he dies and drops the talisman, it’ll infect every person in here. If he panics and activates it, we get endless nightmares until everyone in here kills himself or herself. I see no way to get across the floor without a blood bath.”

Evie grinned.

Oh, shit.

Dom could’ve sworn her gaze slid his way again as her naughty smile widened. “I’m going to get it for you and kill him without the three of you doing anything. Then, we’re getting on our respective planes and leaving.”

“No,” Roman snapped.

Evie’s eyebrows shot up. “Your plan hasn’t worked so far. You scared him and?—”

“You got injured,” he interrupted.

“We’re going to do this my way now. Thatmeans no oneelsegets hurt. Or are you about to imply I’m toooldagain?”

“Wasn’t even thinking it.” He ducked his gaze. Roman fought unthinkable evils, but the thing that scared him most was his mother.

Dom struggled not to chuckle.

Roman braved a step toward her. “I won’t watch you get hurt.”