Page 14 of Devoted

He sent me a look that pretty much told me I was an idiot.

No, it’s not good. I’m not sensing anything on the other side of this door. No thoughts, no emotions, not so much as a guard needing to take a piss. It’s like… Luca’s inner voice cut off, everything about him going still.

“Don’t open that…” he hissed, but it was too late.

Gabriel was already easing the door open, old hinges grating horribly, metal on metal, a heated blast of air spewing through the widening crack, thick with the ozone reek of raw magic.

The entire corridor before us was a gauntlet lined with Ashbound.

Not a single guard in sight.

Sparks swirled in the air, smoke rolled slowly up the walls, spilling over the ceiling as the creatures turned toward us as one, flames leaking through the cracks of their too-smooth bodies.

I froze, staring down that narrow passageway, horror striking a chord somewhere deep inside me. I’d never seen so many of these creatures in one place, didn’t know this many existed.

Nico cursed, little more than a short, involuntary intake of air that cut off immediately, right before Gabriel echoed with a “fuck”.

The creatures howled, sending another blast of fire-laden heat through the doorway.

Nico yanked my brother out of the way, a shield of shadows locking into place an instant before the tips of those flames reached us.

Raging fire—hot enough to melt stone—hit his shield with the force of a closed fist.

And that dark shield held.

Nico’s jaw was set, midnight darkness leaking from his hands, eyes, and mouth, something that would have freaked me out if he wasn’t keeping us from being burned alive. Heat washed over my face, then Dante was stepping forward, flames eating through his clothing, washing over him in mesmerizing waves.

“Get behind me.” His deep voice echoed with otherworldly power. “Nico, when I give you the signal, drop your shadows. Gabriel, slam that door closed behind me.”

“No,” I gasped. “Dante, you can’t. There are too many.”

“I’m the only one who can, moglie.” His eyes glowed so brightly, they illuminated his entire face. “I’ll make this quick, then we’ll fetch Rocco and head home.” His toothy grin made him look like the demon come to life, his form expanding until I wasn’t sure he’d fit through the door.

Fire licked his skin, his face hardening as the ifrit took him over, his scars cracking open, revealing the inferno burning inside.

“Emberline. You and Luca, stay over by the wall. Wait for me to give you the all-clear.”

The last of his designer clothes crumbled to ash as I dragged my awestruck brother over to the furthest wall.

Luca mouthed, “He did this when we retrieved the Basin. He was awesome.”

Great.

Now I’d never hear the end of it.

Dante growled out something that might have been an order, Nico’s shadows sucked back into his hands and mouth, and when Gabriel flung open the door, both he and Nico flattened themselves against the walls on either side of the door as another pillar of heat roared past us like a blowtorch.

6

EMBERLINE

Iscreamed his name as Dante stepped straight into that inferno, then Gabriel slammed the thick door closed behind him.

His voice muffled, Dante—the demon—roared out a challenge, and the Ashbound shrieked back, their shrill agony building until I clapped my hands over my ears.

That shriek rang inside my head as Luca and I traded horrified looks.

I’d blustered my way onto this rescue mission, yet here I was, cowering in a corner, hoping I didn’t get burned to ash. Not for the first time, I cursed not having a speck of magic to my name.