Page 47 of Demon Unleashed

Before she could say anything more that might put him in a situation where he’d have to explain more than he wanted to, he pivoted and took a few steps into the corridor, then slammed the door shut.

“Lock it!” he ordered Silvana, who immediately executed his order.

Once the key turned in the lock, he motioned to Yannick and Vintoq to join him a few yards farther down the corridor. Out of earshot of the cell, Zoltan turned and faced his lieutenants. “Who the fuck did this?”

“Oh Great One?” Vintoq asked, a clueless expression on his face. Oh yeah, he was quite an actor.

“Is there a problem? She’s a Stealth Guardian for certain,” Yannick added, apparently just as surprised.

“Yes, there’s a problem!” For emphasis, Zoltan pointed back to the cell. “That Stealth Guardian female is the one I’ve been working on! She has no idea that I’m the Great One; she thinks I’m a run-of-the-mill demon who wants to change for the better. She believed me, because I played my role well. And now, some idiots kidnap her and destroy my plan. I was this close”—he held up his thumb and forefinger—“from getting her to trust me enough to invite me to her compound! And some fucking overeager grunts grab her. What the fuck were they doing in Baltimore? Didn’t I issue an order that there was to be no demon activity in Baltimore?” He narrowed his eyes at both of them, not wanting to give away that he was suspecting Vintoq of going behind his back.

“Yes, oh Great One, you did,” Vintoq said. “I pulled all patrols off Baltimore weeks ago, just as you demanded.”

“Then who the fuck sent them up?” Zoltan looked at Yannick. “Get me the fucking vortex records.”

“Of course, oh Great One.” Yannick bowed.

Zoltan grunted. “I swear, when I find out who did this, heads will roll.”

Yannick cleared his throat.

“What else?” Zoltan snapped.

“You might want to speak to Ulric. My understanding is that the three men who brought back the prisoner were on an intelligence mission. That’s Ulric’s domain.”

Zoltan nodded. “Send him to my study. Now!”

He spun on his heel and marched off. Within minutes he was in his study, where he took a few breaths to relax. He’d played the angry leader well, because it hadn’t been too hard to fake anger. After all, his demons had snatched Enya, and now he had to come up with a plan to free her. His heart thundered at the thought that he might fail. But he couldn’t allow himself to go down that path.

He had to remain calm, not let his emotions get the better of him. At the same time, it was important that he found out who was behind the assassination attempt on him, and Enya’s subsequent kidnapping. It was evident that these two events were related. The same traitor was responsible for them. It was time to find out who he was.

A knock at the door announced his visitor.

“Enter!”

The door opened, and Yannick came in. “Ulric is here, oh Great One.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Send him in!”

“Uh, there’s just one thing, oh Great One.” Yannick nervously cleared his throat.

“What?”

“The news that we’ve captured a Stealth Guardian is spreading fast among your subjects. They are already asking what you’re planning to do with her.”

“I’ve not decided yet.”

“It’s just… they want a public spectacle. They want her tortured to pay for the many demon lives she and her people have taken.”

“We all want her punished, but for now, she’s staying in the cell. Nobody touches her. Do you understand that?” Zoltan jabbed his finger into Yannick’s chest. “I make you personally responsible if anything happens to her. I need her alive, and I need her compliant. And that’s not gonna happen if she’s being made a spectacle of. Is that clear?”

Yannick nodded. “Yes, oh Great One.”

“And bring me the records from a few months ago that I had you compile.”

Yannick gestured past Zoltan. “They are on your desk.”

Zoltan grunted. “Send Ulric in.”