Page 2 of Knight’s Retribution

Most full-blooded demons were faithless, disloyal, greedy, and selfish by nature. They didn’t trust anyone, not even their own kind. “Got it. Will I have any fucking feet left by the end of it?”

“Yes,” she said as the loud click of the lock disengaging reached them a moment before the door swung open.

They’d obviously passed the demon’s test.

Rocco followed Willow into the building.

Fucking hell.

The place had been given an unholy makeover, and Rocco’s inner demon twisted and clawed, trying to get him to shift. He let the darkness seep close to the surface, something he’d been doing more and more lately. Letting that part of him soak into his bones, his mind, allowing his demon instincts to lead the way while still maintaining control. It was a balancing act, but that part of him wanted the same thing that Rocco did—Kyler back with them.

Somehow, he and his demon had reached an understanding of sorts. Instead of fighting for control, they both knew they were stronger when they worked together. It was the only way they’d get Kyler back.

The interior of the room was slick with shiny black and green mold. Carcasses, but not human, lay in misshapen lumps on the floor, some fresh, some oozing and crawling with maggots, and some empty husks covered in the same slimy moss.

“Offerings,” Willow said, nodding toward one of them. “Vorena is part Ibwa, but she obviously doesn’t eat humans. She prefers demon or animal.”

“So she’s a cannibal?” Ibwa liked to chow down on the flesh of the dead.

Willow nodded as she stepped over another rotting lump. “Among demons, she’s known as the executioner.”

“Jesus.”

“Basically, if you fuck her over, she’ll eat you.”

A noise came from the right, and Rocco spun his sword slowly. “Sounds like a good deterrent to not fuck her over. Why the hell would any demon want to hang out here?”

“I’m not sure she gave them much choice.”

But she toed the line, and so far, she followed the knights’ rules. She sure as fuck didn’t want to go back to Hell. Here she had power. Here she had her demon following, and she knew the knights could take it all away, if she fucked up.

It worked for the knights. For now, the rogue demons were under her control and attacks on humans in the city had dropped lower than ever before.

“This way, she’s upstairs.” Willow had taken only the first two steps when a demon shrieked and rushed down the algae-covered stairs toward her.

“We’re Vorena’s guests,” Willow said, voice hard.

The demon didn’t stop.

Rocco hooked her around the waist to pull her out of the way, but her blade was already whistling through the air. It planted itself in the demon’s forehead, and the fucker dropped like a sack of rocks, flailing on the floor.

“Nice aim,” he said.

She scowled at the demon, alive but incapacitated with the blade buried in its cranium. “I warned him.”

The witch was fast, a natural fighter. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her use that blade. It was like she was born to do it, but he still had trouble reconciling this female with the soft, breezy witch she’d been mere months ago.

“Was he one of Vorena’s guards? Won’t she be pissed?”

Willow reached out her hand, fingers extended. The blade wiggled, dislodging itself, then flew free, the hilt hitting her palm a split second later. “The power of the blade scrambles their brains, but it’s temporary. He’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Like fuck he would. Rocco approached, fisted the demon’s hair and wrenched his head back, exposing its neck, ready to remove it.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you. You don’t want Vorena as an enemy, and Chaos wouldn’t thank you for it.” She nudged the demon with her boot. “He’s more than likely one of her lovers. They work in shifts.”

“Shifts? How many does she have?” Rocco asked, shoving the demon out of the way so they could carry on up the stairs.

“I’m not sure, but she’s also part sex demon. I don’t know what kind, but she’s insatiable and extremely possessive, though she will eat them if they displease her.” Willow gave him a once-over and sniffed. “You smell like hound. But you need to pull your demon back. If I can sense it, she definitely will. If she knows you’re half demon, you’re fair game. She won’t let you leave without a fight.” Willow had given him some hellhound’s clothes to disguise his scent. They smelled several days past wash day, and Vorena would probably pass the fuck out from the stench before she got the chance to sense he was a demon. But yeah, if she knew he was a knight, she wouldn’t give them what they’d come for.