His beating slowed as Wayland felt another presence in the room that wasn’t the demon’s.

  “You feel that?” Phoenyx asked as he checked Gil’s neck.

  “What is it?” Wayland’s clutched the demon’s throat as he glanced around. The lights in the room flickered before going out, bathing them in darkness. Wayland felt Panahasi’s presence, and then the lights flickered back on. The demon leader took in the scene before he grabbed the soul-sucker out of Wayland’s grasp.

  “I warned you,” Panahasi growled at the demon.

  Wayland had opened his mouth to argue that the demon’s punishment was his to give when Jaden appeared on the other side of the bed. He had been that presence in the room, lurking beyond sight. Wayland knew right away what the man’s appearance meant.

  “No!”

  “Jaden, stop.” Panahasi’s voice was commanding, yet it hadn’t risen.

  “This woman is of no relation to you,” Jaden argued. “Why are you interfering?”

  “Who are you?” Gil asked as he pushed away from Phoenyx and stepped to the bed.

  “He’s the Master Grim Reaper,” Wayland said. “He’s here to take your mom.”

  “I won’t let you do that!” Gil hurried around the side of the bed and shoved at Jaden. Wayland swallowed his heart. Panahasi cursed, and Phoenyx just stood there with his mouth hanging open. The soul-sucker had a smirk on his face.

  Jaden’s features darkened as he bared his fangs at Gil. Wayland snatched his mate away seconds before Jaden swiped his scythe at the small human.

  “Stop,” Panahasi snarled as the scythe vanished. “This is exactly what I was talking about, Jaden. You have no control over your fury.”

  “Do not air our earlier conversation, Panahasi,” Jaden warned, “or I’ll slice the little human down.”

  Panahasi’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say another word. Wayland was floored that his leader had been brought to heel. Phoenyx wore the same disbelieving expression.

  “This is why I was created, yet you thwart me at every turn,” Jaden said. “Do I interfere when you give life? Do I stop you from performing your duty?”

  “Please,” Gil begged as he tried to escape Wayland’s arms, fat tears sliding down his pale cheeks. “Please don’t take her. Please give me a few more years with my mom.”

  To Wayland’s utter shock, Jaden’s dark eyes filled with sorrow. “Everyone has their time in the sun, young human. You are born, you live, and then you die. It is a process you cannot circumvent. I am sorry for the loss you are about to endure.”

  Wayland glanced at Panahasi.

  The leader held regret in his eyes. “I’m truly sorry, but he’s right.”

  Gil began to weep in Wayland’s arms, and all Wayland could do was hold his mate. He glared at Jaden, but he also knew that Jaden was right. Sandra Flanagan’s time on this earth had come to an end.

  Just as Jaden reached for her, his head snapped up. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the door. Wayland heard approaching footsteps.

  Jaden’s gaze cut to Panahasi. “I’ll give you this one, but only five years more.”

  The door to the room opened and Hilton stuck his head in. Jaden disappeared so fast that Wayland’s head spun.

  “I just wanted—” the bunny shifter frowned. “There are too many people in this room, and who in the blue blazes just popped out of here?”

  Panahasi looked at Hilton as if he’d seen a ghost.

  Wayland was completely and utterly confused.

  “What just happened?” the demon in Panahasi’s grip asked.

  That was a damn good question.

  Chapter Seven

  The wintery storm had gotten worse by the time Gil walked out of his mom’s room. The wind had picked up in strength, and the snow was falling so hard it was impossible to see the street past the large windows in the waiting area of the clinic.

  Gil was shaken up so badly that the tea Hilton had given him sloshed over the sides of the Styrofoam cup, burning his hand. He knew his mom wouldn’t live forever, but he wasn’t ready to let her go and was thankful she’d been given five more years. Still….

  “Give me that.” Wayland took the cup and tossed it in the trash.

  “It’s really messed up that I know my mom is gonna die in five years.” Gil wiped at the tears in his eyes. “I thought I would have at least fifteen more, or I had hoped I would.”

  “Then spend the next five years appreciating everything about her.” Wayland slid his arm around Gil’s shoulder. “We’ll stay as long as you want.”

  Gil shook his head as he pulled away from Wayland’s arm, glancing down the hall. His brother and Dad were awake, and Dr. Sheehan had explained that both men had been in shock when they’d fainted.

  Thank goodness his dad and brother believed that phony story. But his family was still here, and Gil couldn’t take the chance of one or both of them walking out to see Wayland’s arm around his shoulder.

  He needed fresh air and to be anywhere but at the clinic right now. “My dad and Ferguson are staying with her.” He looked up at his mate. “Can we go to your place?”

  More had been said in the room, but he didn’t tell Wayland about his father blaming Gil for his mom’s heart attack. He was supposed to have helped with decorations, and he hadn’t. She’d lugged the boxes down from the attic, and that was when she’d fallen over.

  But how was that his fault? Ferguson was there with his wife, and so was Rafferty for three days. Three freaking days! Why hadn’t anyone bothered to help? Why was his dad placing the blame on Gil’s shoulders?

  Anger and guilt weighed heavily on his chest. Gil was torn between wanting to ask his mother for forgiveness and wanting to punch his father in his ignorant mouth.

  Wayland looked at the windows. “I’m kinda diggin’ this storm. Can we go to yours, make some hot chocolate, and watch a movie?”

  “You are so weird.” Gil appreciated the fact his mate had taken his mind off his troubles. At least for the moment. “Who digs a snowstorm?”

  “Someone who rarely sees one.”

  “Fine,” Gil said. “But if we lose power, we’re going to your place.”

  “Not until I know things have settled down.” Wayland led Gil to the restroom on the left side of the counter.

  “You guys have fun cuddling,” Hilton said with a grin. “I’ll just sit here and watch our small town get swallowed by twenty feet of snow.” He grabbed a carrot from a plastic container on his desk and started nibbling on it.

  “Drama queen,” Wayland teased.

  “You can use shadows,” Hilton pointed out. “I, on the other hand, have to walk home.”

  “Call Hondo when you get off work. I know he doesn’t mind taking you.”

  “He is a sweetheart,” Hilton said. “I just might do that.”

  When they entered the bathroom, Gil asked, “Who is Hondo and why doesn’t he mind taking the nurse home? They hot for each other?”

  Wayland grunted. “No. Hondo is a demon warrior like me and he’s mated. But he thinks the little bunny is the cutest thing.”

  “That nurse is a bunny?” Gil was shocked and delighted. He wanted to go back out there and ask the guy to shift so he could see.

  “And Dr. McNeal, the new doc in training, is a werewolf.” Wayland grinned as if he knew how happy that would make Gil.

  “The guy I saw with Dr. Sheehan is a werewolf?” Gil reached for the doorknob, but Wayland stopped him.

  “Uh-uh. We’re going back to your place, not getting all excited over other men.” He grabbed Gil’s hand, hit the light switch, and stepped forward.

  Gil groaned as the wave of nausea made his head hurt. They stepped into Gil’s living room, which thankfully was completely dark. Gil slid his hand over the wall until he felt the switch.

  Soft light bathed the living room. “If Dr. McNeal is a doctor, why does he need training?” Gil asked as he went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Right now, he needed all the warmth he could get. His family had left him feeling as frigid as the air outside.

  “There are too many species of nonhumans to have it down pat in the ten years it takes a human doctor to be certified. Dr. Sheehan has been treating nonhumans for quite a few decades, and from what I hear, he still gets stumped sometimes.”

  The lights flickered as the wind gusted past the windows. Gil stood there and waited to see if they would go out. If they did, the apartment would get cold, fast. The thought of cuddling under covers with Wayland was appealing, but he’d rather go to the demon’s apartment if it came to that.

  “Keep an eye on the milk,” Gil said. “I’ll be right back.”

  He headed to his room. If he had to go to Wayland’s, he wanted to pack a small overnight bag. He opened his closet to a set of burning eyes. Gil shouted and backpedaled as Phoenyx emerged.

  “Have you ever heard of knocking?” Gil’s heart thundered as Wayland rushed into his bedroom, looking as though he was ready to kill whatever had frightened him.

  “We have to get back to the demon realm,” Phoenyx said. “The barriers are being breached.”

  * * * *

  “What’s a barrier?” Gil asked as Wayland tried to decide whether to leave Gil or take him along. He didn’t relish the idea of his mate getting caught in the conflict but was too afraid to leave him behind.

  “They surround Serenity City and go off whenever someone from another city crosses over them.”

  “There are other cities in the demon realm?”

  Gil looked a bit too excited, and Wayland had to stop his curiosity from getting him killed. “Yes, and you are never to go to any of them.”

  “Why?” Gil asked.

  “Because they are places nightmares are made of,” Phoenyx said. “Now can we get going? Panahasi needs everyone on this.”

  “Just as soon as I drop Gil off at my apartment,” Wayland said.

  “Let me go shut the milk off.” Gil was gone all of five seconds before he hurried back into the bedroom, his cheeks rosy with excitement. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Wayland grabbed Gil’s hand and headed to the closet, Phoenyx right behind them. When they were back in the demon realm, Wayland frowned. He had full intentions of emerging in his apartment.

  So why was he on the street? He wasn’t anywhere near his apartment. He turned to Phoenyx, who stood behind Gil. “This isn’t where I intended to be.”

  “Things are crazy here.” Phoenyx took a step forward and looked around. “Maybe I should take your mate to your apartment while you join the others.”

  Wayland didn’t hear any fighting. In fact, it was eerily quiet. No one else was on the street, which was odd in and of itself. Someone was always entering or leaving a shop and guys were hanging out on corners, and they were just a block from the strip club. Loud music should have been streaming from the place and a bouncer standing at the door.

  But there wasn’t.

  The screaming silence made Wayland reach for Gil’s hand.

  * * * *

  “Have you heard from Wayland?” Panahasi asked as he took his drink to the bar in his living room, sat, and grabbed the newspaper. He snapped it open and grazed through the articles in the Daily Demon.

  “Not since he went to the human realm to see about his mate’s mother,” Phoenyx said as he helped himself to a drink. “Your place is decked out for the holidays.”

  Panahasi lowered the paper and looked around. His mates, Casey and Drake, had decorated the penthouse for Christmas. They were wolves and had lived in the human realm until Panahasi had brought them to his home all those years ago.

  Some of the other warriors had a mate, and their mates decorated, as well. The holidays were a big thing to the mates.

  He’d even been suckered into going Christmas shopping every year. It wasn’t a hardship since Panahasi loved buying things for Casey and Drake and spoiling the two rotten.

  Setting the paper aside, he picked his tumbler up. “I have a strange feeling in my gut. I need you to go check on him and make sure everything is all right.”

  Phoenyx snorted. “He’s newly mated. I can guess at what the two of them are doing.” He held his hands up. “But I’ll go check on him.”

  “I’m gonna take some of the other warriors and do a sweep of the city. I need to make sure those soul-sucking bastards haven’t cropped back up again.”

  Ever since their fight yesterday, all had been quiet. What Panahasi really needed to do was hunt down the man Jaden was obsessed with and make sure the guy was okay. His brother had reacted too strongly to that male nurse. Could Hilton be the one Jaden was obsessed over, or had something else spooked Jaden to make him quickly disappear?

  Having to keep tabs on his brother bothered him, but Jaden was very unpredictable and could accidently harm whoever the man was in one of his fits of rage. No one should have to suffer through that.

  But most of all, Panahasi was hoping that whoever the male was, had the power to sooth the savage beast. He wanted his brother to find a sense of peace. Jaden deserved it after being alone for so long. That wasn’t healthy for anyone.

  So far Jaden had masked his whereabouts, and Panahasi had a hard time getting a lock on Death. He suspected his brother had done that on purpose so Panahasi couldn’t find the man Jaden had an interest in.

  But Panahasi would find out. He would also keep an eye on that male nurse. If Hilton was the one, then Panahasi didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

  * * * *

  “I can take him.” Wayland wasn’t sure why Phoenyx would insist on escorting Gil back to the apartment building. His best friend lived for a good fight. If anything, he should have been the first heading in that direction instead of standing there looking around.

  Gil squeezed Wayland’s hand, as if his mate felt his tension. He started away when Phoenyx hurried alongside him. “You don’t want to walk into that fray. Seriously, I’ll drop him off and then join you.”

  Wayland let go of Gil’s hand, rounded, and grabbed Phoenyx by his throat, his grasp tight. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “What are you talking about? I’m Phoenyx!”

  “And when was the last time we were together?” Wayland shook the man, snarling. “Tell me!”

  “Please don’t hurt me,” the man begged. “This isn’t my fault.”

  “Who are you?”

  “T-Terrance.”

  Their surroundings shimmered and then faded away, like paint bleeding from a canvas. Gil gasped as he grabbed hold of Wayland’s waistband, pressing close to his back. “W-what’s going on?”

  Remtin appeared. This was the very last place Wayland wanted to be, let alone have his mate in. They were now in a dark, lackluster city with boarded-up, decaying buildings and desolate streets. The people who lived there were rapists, thieves, and murderers—the worst of the worst.

  Remtin was comprised mainly of demons. A vampire or shifter was very rare, and a human living there was unheard of.

  And Gil stood right there on the street, a beacon to all who had the blackest of hearts. Wayland had to get his mate out of there. The problem was, he knew very little about the winding streets and numerous dead ends. One could get lost here easily. And even as he stood there, Wayland felt eyes on them.

  “Take me back to Serenity City now!” Wayland choked the imposter harder.

  “He’ll…kill…me,” Terrance sobbed.

  “Just like I plan on doing if you don’t get me and my mate out of here.”

  Terrance shifted into a handsome young man. Wayland’s stranglehold lowered when the guy shrunk to what he assumed was the man’s natural height—which wasn’t very tall. He had short, blond hair, hazel eyes, and was as skinny as a twig.

  “P-Please,” the man begged.

  “You’re a witch,” Wayland said. Why hadn’t he realized that sooner? Wayland had been too worried. That was why. He hadn’t stopped to notice he hadn’t sensed Phoenyx’s scent in Gil’s bedroom. The voice had been a little off, too. And the real Phoenyx would have argued with Wayland to take Gil to Maverick’s instead of bringing the human into danger.

  Wayland cursed his lack of observation.

  “I was paid to do a job.”

  “By who?” Wayland asked.

  “I didn’t catch his name.”

  “Why does he want me here?”

  Terrance shrugged and then whimpered when Wayland narrowed his eyes. “I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m paid to do. Besides, questions get you killed.”

  “So you just blindly agreed?”

  “No.” The witch shook his head, his blond hair swaying. “I was forced to do this. I didn’t have a choice.”

  “But you were paid,” Gil pointed out from behind Wayland.

  “I never said it made sense,” Terrance argued.

  Wayland had tightened his hand around the guy’s throat, ready to choke the life out of him when Gil tapped Wayland’s hands. “You can’t kill him.”

  “Yes, I can. Just watch me. I’m gonna snap his skinny little neck.”

  “We need him,” Gil said as he tried to pry Wayland’s fingers from around the witch’s throat. “He needs to get us out of here, Wayland.”

  The fear in his mate’s voice cut through the red haze surrounding Wayland’s brain. He loosened his grip and then grabbed Terrance by the back of his collar. “Take us back to Serenity City, or I swear I’ll peel your skin from your bones…slowly.”

  Tears welled up in the man’s eyes. “I was forced to do this. He bound my powers, allowing me only very little to use so I could get this job done.”

  “Save it,” Wayland growled. “You were paid to kidnap me. I have no sympathy for you.”

  “I-I wasn’t paid to kidnap you.” The man’s hazel eyes shifted to Gil. “I was paid to bring the human here. You just happened to be there, so I had no other choice than to bring you along.”

  Wayland’s anger surged. He started to wrap his hand back around the man’s throat, but Gil shoved the hand away. “We need him, remember?” He turned to Terrance. “Why were you paid to take me? I don’t even know anyone here.”