She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
All she could do was stare into his eyes, drowning in the love they held, warmed right down to her soul.
He skimmed the backs of his fingers across her cheek.
“I love you, Cass.”
Words she had never thought she would hear, and words she had never realised how badly she needed to hear from him.
“I love you too.” She choked a little on those four words, ones she had never thought she would say to anyone.
Ones that felt so right.
She never wanted to be without Daimon, and the love she had for him would last forever.
And a day.
His phone vibrated and she cursed it as he pulled out of her, as the peacefulness of the moment ebbed. He gave her a fine view of his backside as he went for his phone though. Delicious.
She smiled wickedly as she imagined smacking it.
He straightened and the screen lit up, illuminating his face.
He went deathly still.
“What is it?” She bolted upright, fearing her coven had somehow managed to find him and were already seeking retribution.
Daimon swallowed hard.
“Esher is back.”
Chapter 28
Daimon stepped the moment Cass was dressed and in his arms, his mind whirling as Ares’s message ran around it. It had only been four words.
Esher back. Code red.
Code red meant everyone had cleared out of the Tokyo mansion because Esher was liable to kill anyone who set foot in it.
Daimon landed in the front garden of the single-storey building and looked at Cass, painfully aware of the danger he was placing her in by bringing her with him. He hadn’t been able to stop himself. He couldn’t leave her in Hong Kong, where she was vulnerable to not only the Erinyes who wanted to get their hands on her, but her coven too. He was under no illusion that the witches weren’t going to try to take her back from him.
Their fight wasn’t over.
He drew down a deep breath and looked at the closed wooden door of the mansion.
This fight was just beginning.
He could feel Esher inside, sense the rage that beat within his brother, darkness that pulsed like a wave over him.
Daimon took hold of Cass’s hand and led her towards the door, nerves rushing through him as he closed the distance between him and it. He wasn’t sure what to expect. Chances were, Ares had ordered everyone to leave the moment Esher had returned, and that was the reason the message had been so short.
Ares didn’t know what state Esher was in.
The scent of foul daemon blood hit Daimon.
His eyes widened as he realised he couldn’t only sense his brother.
He could sense the wraith too.
“I need a barrier, some sort of containment spell.” He looked at Cass.
She nodded. “Coming right up.”
It was handy having a witch for a partner.
“I don’t know what we’re walking into, but if there’s any distance between my brother and the daemon, use the spell on it.”
“And if there isn’t?” Light glowed from the palm of her free hand, casting a green hue across it.
He wanted to say to do it anyway, to encase both the wraith and his brother within the barrier, fear that Esher might attack Cass getting the better of him.
“Give me a moment to get Esher away from him. If I can’t…” He didn’t want to finish that sentence.
She nodded. “I got it.”
He stopped, turned and gripped her shoulders, holding them tightly as he stared into her eyes. “As soon as the wraith is caged, you go to my room and you don’t come out until I come for you… no matter what you hear.”
“But—”
He pressed his finger to her lips to silence her. “I know you can handle yourself… but Esher… You. I can’t bear the thought he might hurt you.”
The soft light that entered her aquamarine eyes told him that she understood. He didn’t want Esher to attack her. He didn’t want to have to fight his own brother, not when Esher wouldn’t be aware he was doing something wrong and would be acting on instinct.
Wanting to protect Daimon from someone he viewed as a threat.
Daimon stepped up onto the wooden porch and removed his boots, and waited for Cass to remove hers before he opened the door.
His heart pounded in his throat as the main room came into view.
Esher stood in the middle of it, clutching the right ankle of the unconscious black-haired male sprawled on the tatami mats behind him.
Relief hit Daimon hard, but it was short-lived as he took in the state of his older brother.
Dried blood and dirt caked every inch of him, streaked across his bare chest and arms, and matted his black hair and thick scraggly beard.
Cass tensed, the barest twitch of her hand in his as rain lashed down outside and thunder pealed overhead, the typhoon hitting out of nowhere.
He glanced through the open panels that revealed the garden.
Not a drop of rain touched it or the house.
It gave Daimon hope.
Hope that Esher was aware on some level that Aiko was liable to be here in the mansion and he didn’t want to hurt her. Hope that he could get through to his brother.
Daimon’s gaze briefly darted to Cass. She shook her head, silently telling him that she couldn’t cast the barrier while Esher was holding the wraith. He nodded and released her hand, held his palm up to her to silently tell her to give him a moment and to stay where she was.
He stepped into the room, drawing slow deep breaths to keep his nerves in check, closely watching Esher. He doubted his brother would broadcast his intent to attack, but it didn’t hurt to watch for the slightest twitch. There was a chance he could reach Cass and step with her before his brother managed to strike him down.
Esher continued to stare straight ahead, his
