“Push him,” Panahasi commanded.

  Kobe began to maneuver around the room, avoiding Hondo’s blazing hands as he tried to concentrate. He pushed back into Hondo’s mind and gave the command for the demon to extinguish the fire.

  “Very well done,” Panahasi said.

  “Damn it,” Hondo complained when his hands were no longer on fire. Kobe grinned. His head wasn’t hurting and his nose was just fine.

  “Kane.”

  Kobe breathed out a long breath. Kane was going to be a challenge. The man could freeze time. But then again, all Kobe needed was his mind. He didn’t need to move for that.

  As Kobe braced himself for his next lesson, he heard Zion shouting his name. Within the blink of an eye, Kobe was hurrying from the apartment. He raced down the steps to the second floor and flew inside. His heart was thumping hard behind his ribs, scanning the apartment for any danger.

  Zion was standing there soaking wet, a wrench in his hand. “I think I broke the shower.”

  The other Warriors filed into Kobe’s apartment, all glancing around. Kobe chuckled as he looked at the drenched man.

  “Don’t stand there laughing,” Zion complained as he waved his arms. “The water is still spraying everywhere.”

  Kane and Hondo moved quickly toward the bathroom, Kane grabbing the wrench from Zion’s hand. Kobe followed, watching as Kane froze time, stopping the water from filling the bathroom up as he repaired the shower head.

  Once time returned to normal, Hondo blew a light breath across the area, the water evaporating, leaving the room dry. Kobe knew in that moment that he needed to try harder with his lessons. These two had just showed him that once powers were mastered, they were like second nature.

  He wanted that same capability.

  “Well, damn,” Zion said as he glanced into the bathroom. “You guys are pretty handy.”

  “We’ll send you the bill.” Hondo winked at Zion.

  Zion rolled his eyes. “I have a dollar in my room.”

  Kane chuckled as he walked past Zion, ruffling the demon’s hair. “A thank you will do.”

  “Thanks,” Zion said.

  “To hell with that,” Hondo said. “I want lunch. I’m starving.”

  Kobe was glad to see his mate getting along with the Warriors. Zion looked happy, and that’s all he wanted for the little demon.

  * * * *

  “And what will I get in return for getting you into the Warriors’ apartment building, Krule?” Marino asked Sebastian as he sat back, tossing his arm over the back of the booth. “That’s a tall order.”

  “Raphael—”

  “Raphael is dead,” Marino reminded the demon as he waved a hand for the waiter. “His terms are no longer valid.”

  Krule looked like he was about to cause a scene. His features mottled into anger as he leaned closer, his nostrils flaring.

  “You do not intimidate me, Krule. I’ve dealt with worse demons than you and won.”

  Marino sometimes missed the days when he had kowtowers sitting all around him. Unfortunately, he had killed them all. Maybe one of these days he would learn patience.

  The demon sat back, contemplative. Marino placed his order and then turned his attention back to Krule. “Again, what would you give me in return for giving you the secret on how to enter the Warriors’ building?”

  Krule reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim, black box, sliding it across the table.

  Curious, Marino opened it. There was a small vial inside, filled with liquid. He snarled as he glanced up at Krule. “You dare insult me by giving me my own damn product?”

  “That isn’t Liquid Wrath,” Krule said smugly.

  It sure as hell looked like it. “Are you to make me play twenty questions, or are you going to tell me what the fuck this is?”

  “It was a gift.”

  Marino set the box down. “Do I look like a damn fool to you? Don’t bullshit me.”

  Krule looked thoroughly pissed. “Fine. I won it in a card game. Well, technically, I lost. But I killed the guy and took it.”

  Very shrewd.

  “He told me that it was liquido de la eternidad. I’m not really sure what that means.”

  Liquid of Eternity. Marino had thought it a myth. No one had ever come across the stuff before. It was said that one who drank the vial would become immortal. If this were true, then no matter what the Demon Warriors did to him, Marino wouldn’t die.

  Those damn Warriors were immortal. Not saying they couldn’t be killed, but their life span was infinite. Why shouldn’t he have the same? Only, Marino would possess the power to heal himself, never being killed.

  He gave a nonchalant shrug, as if the vial was unimportant. “I have no clue what it means.” He would rather kill Krule before he revealed his knowledge. But Marino wanted the man to kill Kobe before he extinguished the man’s life.

  When Krule reached across the table to grab the box, Marino snatched it up. “I’ll consider your offer.”

  “Make a deal with me or return my gift.”

  “Yours?” Marino scoffed. “You killed a man to get it. The vial is not your rightful property. And even if it were—” Marino shrugged as he tucked the box in his pocket and pulled out a small, hand-sized scroll. “Your spell.”

  Krule snatched it from Marino’s hand. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll gut you.” The man stood and then exited the restaurant.

  Oh, the spell worked all right. Unfortunately for Krule, the enchantment would lead him straight into Panahasi’s apartment. Krule better hope like hell the demon leader wasn’t home.

  * * * *

  “What did I do wrong?” Zion paced the kitchen, staring at the box with the list of ingredients on the back. He had promised to cook for Kobe, but he left out the part where he hadn’t cooked a day in his life.

  His Warrior deserved a home-cooked meal after patrolling the streets of Serenity City. Zion glanced up at the wall clock. He had an hour to get this right.

  “I’m supposed to boil the water before adding the pasta.” Lowering the box, Zion stared at the pot of milky-white water on the stove. Nothing was boiling. Maybe he should read the instructions again.

  As he skimmed through directions, he realized that he hadn’t turned the burner on. “Well, that might work.”

  Reaching out to turn the stove on, Zion turned his head. He furrowed his brows when he saw he was alone in the kitchen. He could have sworn he felt someone standing behind him.

  He hoped it wasn’t Drake.

  They were getting along now, but man, the guy was bossy. Thank goodness Casey reined the man in or he and Drake would have had it out by now.

  Zion turned the burner on and then quickly lowered it when the flames began to lick around the pot. He might not have ever cooked before, but even he knew high flames were a bad thing.

  “How domestic.”

  Zion frowned. He didn’t recognize that voice. It might be one of the Warriors. He didn’t know them all that well yet. Zion seriously doubted the voice belonged to a mate. It was way too deep.

  Turning, Zion dropped the box in his hand when he saw Kobe’s father standing in the entrance of the kitchen. He opened his mouth to shout Kobe’s name, but it was too late. The man was in front of Zion in seconds, slapping a hand over his mouth before the two disappeared.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kobe walked into his apartment, waving his hand in front of his face as the smoke billowed toward him. “Zion!”

  What in the hell was the demon doing? If this was his mate’s idea of cooking, Kobe was going to order out. “Zion. What the hell is going on?”

  Heading toward the source of smoke, Kobe hurried over to the stove and tried to put the flames out that were licking up his cabinets and were consuming the kitchen. “Hondo!”

  The Warrior was in the kitchen in seconds, instantly sucking in the flames until there was nothing left but the cough-inducing smoke. “Dude, take some cooking lessons.” Hondo waved his hand in front of his face.

  “It wasn’t me.” Kobe searched the rest of the apartment, but came up empty handed. Where was Zion? He highly doubted his mate would walk away from a cooking pot. He spotted a dishtowel on the floor, and an empty box of pasta.

  “Something isn’t right,” Kobe said as he picked the box up.

  “Yeah,” Hondo said. “Where’s the sauce?”

  Kobe smacked the empty box into Hondo’s chest before walking into the living room. This apartment was Zion’s sanctuary. He knew his mate wouldn’t leave without Kobe—especially considering the man got sick on reentry.

  “I don’t like this.” Kobe headed toward the apartment door. He climbed the steps until he reached Panahasi’s apartment. The door was ajar.

  Now he knew something wasn’t right. Panahasi kept his door locked, unless the Warriors were having a meeting. And Kobe knew for a fact that no meeting was scheduled.

  Pressing the palm of his hand into the door, Kobe eased it open. He felt for someone else’s mind, but found the apartment empty. Every instinct he possessed told him that something was wrong. First Zion leaves food cooking on the stove and then Panahasi leaves his front door cracked open.

  Kobe didn’t believe in coincidence.

  “I don’t think Panahasi would appreciate you breaking into his apartment,” Hondo said as he climbed the steps.

  “The front door was cracked open.”

  Hondo instantly stilled. He knew the ramifications of what Kobe had said without having to explain anything. He stood in the hallway, glancing into the apartment. “No one is here.”

  “Panahasi!” Hondo shouted.

  They both waited in silence. Kobe could feel his gut twisting into knots. What if something had happened to Zion? Nobody should be able to gain access to the building. Then Kobe remembered Panahasi telling the Warriors that Constantine had been in his kitchen when the bastard went after his mate.

  But that was Jaden’s doing. No normal demon—even though he was using the word normal very loosely—should be able to get inside.

  Kobe felt relieved when he saw Panahasi walking down the hallway of his apartment, heading toward the door. He had a menacing scowl on his face. “There better be a damn good reason my front door is open.”

  “We found it this way,” Kobe answered. “I also came home to an apartment filled with smoke. There was an unattended pot on the stove and I can’t find Zion anywhere.”

  The muscle in Panahasi’s jaw ticked as he walked past them and headed downstairs. The two followed, and Kobe watched the leader walk into his apartment. He wasn’t sure what the hell Panahasi was doing, but the man had his eyes closed shut as he stood there.

  When they opened, Kobe would’ve sworn he saw the gates of hell. “Someone used a spell to gain access into the building.”

  “Who?” Hondo asked.

  “Zion?” Kobe asked as he held his breath.

  Panahasi growled. “Sebastian Krule was here.” The leader turned toward Kobe. “And he took Zion.”

  Kobe cocked his head as Panahasi’s words sank in. His father had kidnapped his mate. There would be only one reason that Krule went after Zion.

  A bargaining chip.

  “He wants to lure me out,” Kobe assumed out loud.

  “That would be my guess,” Panahasi said. “He’s using Zion to get you.”

  Kobe wanted blood. Zion had been used enough in his lifetime. It was his job to protect the little demon from scum like his father. But Zion had been safe in their apartment—or so Kobe had thought.

  He hated that his father had taken away Zion’s sanctuary. He had violated Zion’s feeling of being safe in their home.

  And Kobe was going to make the bastard pay for that.

  Kobe headed toward the door, rage and revenge coursing through his blood.

  “I’ll go with you,” Hondo said.

  Kobe spun around, gnashing his teeth. “I’ll handle this on my own. It’s my father who took my mate. It’s about time I ended this.”

  Before anyone could protest, Kobe raced from the building.

  * * * *

  Zion sat at the table, his fingers crossed in front of him. “Why do you want Kobe dead?” he asked bluntly. The man hadn’t harmed a hair on Zion’s head—which was weird considering what he had learned about the man.

  From his reputation, and Kobe’s outright fear, Zion should be dead by now, or praying for death. Instead, they were sitting in a kitchen, a sandwich and cup of coffee in front of Zion.

  Krule said nothing. He sat across from Zion, one leg crossed over the other, his face inscrutable. For the meanest demon around, the guy was handsome, and very quiet. That didn’t excuse what he had done to Kobe. Nothing would excuse child abuse.

  But Zion was getting a weird feeling about this guy. “Why won’t you answer me?”

  Krule turned his head, his distinguished face a mask of nothingness. “You already know the answer, urchin.”

  When anyone else called Zion an urchin, they always said it with disdain. Krule had said it like it was Zion’s true name—very casually. Zion scratched his head, trying to figure out what the demon was talking about.

  “You don’t seem so cruel to me.”

  The side of Krule’s mouth hitched up into a tight smile, only the smile didn’t reach his dark eyes. “Never let appearances fool you, young demon. I am every bit as savage as my reputation.”

  Zion should be quiet. He really should. He didn’t want to push the guy into a rage, resulting in his very own death. But there were some things bugging him. “But you aren’t being cruel to me. Why?”

  “You ask too many questions.”

  Well, that wasn’t an answer. Zion hadn’t posed a complicated question. He didn’t see why the man wouldn’t give him the truth. He sat there staring at his sandwich, afraid to eat it. What if Krule had poisoned it? Zion was starving, having missed dinner, but he wasn’t foolish enough to eat something the enemy gave him.

  And Krule was the enemy.

  Zion pushed the plate away from him and sighed. “You know I won’t let you use me for bait.” Unfortunately, Krule was doing just that. Zion hadn’t figured out a way of getting out of this situation before Kobe tried to rescue him.

  The guy hadn’t left Zion alone for one second. He had tried to use the bathroom excuse, but Krule had left the bathroom door open and just stood there in the doorway. It seemed the demon wasn’t taking any chances that Zion might find a way to escape.

  “I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter.”

  Zion’s anger began to mount. How could the guy sit there so calmly when he planned on killing Kobe, his damn son? “What did he ever do to you?” Zion demanded.

  Krule strummed his fingers on the table, his eyes penetrating as he studied Zion. When he finally spoke, Zion was left speechless.

  “He was born.”

  Krule turned in his chair, his expression a mix of loathing and sorrow. “Do you know what his mother was?” the demon asked. “Have you any idea at all what is going on here?”

  Zion lifted his chin, meeting the man’s eyes. “Does it matter? Kobe is your son. No matter what—”

  “Spare me the speech, urchin. I’ve lived too long and too hard for anyone to try and pull at heartstrings that don’t exist.” The man turned back in his chair, his expression reflective. “His mother was gorgeous. I remember the first time I laid eyes on her.”

  Zion could not believe the man was sitting here reflecting on the woman he had killed. He had heard that Krule was a heartless bastard, but this was taking it to a whole new level.

  “If only I had known,” Krule said.

  “Known what?” Zion asked.

  His words came out soft, a light whisper. “That she was a styre mente.”

  A what? His confusion must have shown because Krule explained.

  “She could take control of anyone’s mind at will.”

  Just like Kobe. “What’s so bad about that?” Well, Zion could think of quite a few bad things, if the person were evil. But Kobe wasn’t evil. Zion still hadn’t a clue why Krule wanted his son dead.

  “Think, urchin. A styre mente mating with a demon. What would that pairing create?”

  Zion shook his head. “A baby?” Zion might be gay, but he knew what the hell happened between a man and a woman—and the results that could happen when having unprotected sex.

  “When I found out that Kobe was a Demon Warrior, I knew he had to die. He is a styre mente. Those two traits combined…” Krule’s face turned to stone. “He can’t be allowed to live.” Krule sat forward. “Once he completes his training, Kobe will be unstoppable, the most powerful being known to mankind. A Demon Warrior who has the capabilities to control a horde of minds at the same time. He will become a destructive, monstrous weapon.”

  “Just like his father,” Zion sneered. “You beat him the entire time you raised him. If you didn’t know he was a Demon Warrior, why did you abuse him?”

  Even Zion knew that Demon Warriors were born, not made. Kobe’s father wouldn’t have known about Kobe until Panahasi came to collect the Warrior for his training. He had heard the last part as a rumor. Zion wasn’t too sure about when someone found out a Demon Warrior was among them before their training. He just knew that they were born for greatness.

  “His mother turned on me. She tried to kill me with her powers.”

  Zion gaped at Krule. “Are you trying to say you killed your mate in self-defense?”

  Krule curled his lip as he sat back. “Do you think a street rat’s opinion of what I’ve done or who I am matters?”

  He spread his hands wide, blinking up at Krule. “Then why tell me any of this if you don’t care what I think? What’s with the damn confession?”

  Krule stood so fast that Zion nearly fell out of his chair as he leaned back. The man slammed his fist on the table, making everything—including Zion’s plate and cup—jump. “Someone needs to know the truth. Someone needs to see reason.”