This was fitting. Every time she was happy, fate crapped on her.
She couldn’t let the creepy man win. Aisha tried one last time to grip the railing, pulling on any last bit of strength she could muster.
Her hands slid down, her butt hitting the floor. She was useless.
Trying something new, she put her effort into her mouth; she tried to talk again and wasn’t sure what words actually came out.
Damn it. She knew that guy had been bad news. Deo was strong though, he should be able to get past this, right?
That had to be the case.
Aisha felt her body going limp as she yawned. No more fight left.
Maybe a five-minute nap would be okay, her brain said. But her heart squeezed in panic. No, no nap. Something was wrong. Deo. He should already be ripping someone to shreds in that dragon form of his. She didn’t even care if he destroyed her house.
But sleep sounded so good.
The sharp edge of the stair didn’t even feel that uncomfortable right now. Maybe one more minute and then she’d see Deo saving the day.
14
The words ricocheted around his skull.
We offered her a lot of money for you.
He offered his soul to her, and she’d traded him for money? How was that possible? What would this do for her?
Although his mind was trying to fight the sleep demon’s powers, his body was losing the battle. Demonic magic wasn’t something he knew how to fight well. This wasn’t his area of expertise, fighting a non-corporeal being.
He fell to one knee.
Looking back, he watched Aisha struggling until she wasn’t. Her hands had grasped to pull herself up, but when that failed she laid her head down and stopped moving.
Was she losing to the magic? Was she giving up? He tried to reach out to her in his mind, but it was blank. Their link still wasn’t strong. Or maybe she was sleeping or both.
Fighting against the magic, he started to lose. His other knee hitting the floor. He knew some demons, knew enough to recognize their magic. But his dragon couldn’t fight this many of them. His dragon sight could make out their dark shapes, but little else. Anger brewed within him.
“She wouldn’t trade me for money,” Deo said, his body beginning to shake as it struggled to remain alert.
The man laughed.
“Oh, but she did. Everyone has a price.”
He snarled at the man. “How did you find me?”
The man snapped his fingers, and two others came up on either side of Deo.
Deo tried to call his dragon for protection, his scales nearly impenetrable. The dragon tried to answer, but he wasn’t able to fully surface, not in this sleepy state.
Deo winced as a stinging sensation poked him in the neck. Fuck. This was going sideways. His neck burned as something worked its way into his system,
Deo called out to his brothers, sending an SOS.
As the first of five voices filtered in, he felt his eyes growing heavy. The last words he heard were enough to shake him to his core.
“Dragon, she led us straight to you,” said the man.
Deo couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t. But then again, she’d called him back.
But she’d offered herself to him. She’d accepted his mark. No female would be able to break the bond, it would be like cutting off your own arm. No, worse. Sacrificing your own heart.
He tried to answer the call of his brothers, but logic failed.
Trouble. Was all he got out before he accepted this darkness. What good would it do him to fight if the female he loved had given up on him, anyway.
Deo opened his eyes, blinking against the odd lighting. His eyes searched the room. Dirt floor sifted under his claws. He took in the taloned tips of his toes. When had he shifted?
A whimper behind him had Deo shuffling around. A chain jangled as the woman scrambled back. His heart leapt in anticipation. Aisha, she was with him. She hadn’t deceived him.
Only, it wasn’t Aisha.
He could feel Aisha, but he needed to block her out. Everything screamed at him to stop. To not ignore his mate. But he couldn’t. She would only bring out his weakness.
He lay down as his soul shattered. Laying there with his head resting on his feet, everything came back to him. The struggle. Or the lack thereof. They had finally bested one of them, one of the dragons. Finally figured out a way to beat them. It wasn’t the sleep demon magic; it was betrayal. His mate's betrayal.
Emptiness filled him. He had no purpose anymore. He would be a broken warrior if he returned. It would be better to just stay here, keep the Illuminati assholes happy, because without a doubt this was them. Again. Deo had assumed they’d all been destroyed. Warriors knew to never underestimate the enemy, and yet he had.
Although, judging from the current surroundings of metal walls, dirt floor, open ductwork this wasn’t below ground nor was it the same type of lab they’d once had.
Deo hadn’t seen their first facility, but Kal hadn’t been able to block out all his memories of the place. This was very different from Kal’s memories.
The female sniffled again. Deo lifted his head and sniffed. The dragon snorted out the wretched scent of fear.
What was she afraid of?
He rested his giant dragon head on his front legs again, waiting. They weren’t after her. Perhaps she was a snack?
It took him a few moments to sift through his still sleepy system. They weren’t stupid, and it was doubtful they thought he ate humans, so what did they want with a human and why was she in here?
His dragon sighed as he shifted into human form, the argument from his beast that they were more susceptible in their two-legged human form. Deo agreed, but he needed answers.
As he moved closer, the woman skittered back into the corner, not that she could
