Page 69 of Demon Unleashed

Three pairs of eyebrows went up.

“Make sure my subjects get wind of my demise. They need to see my body to believe it.”

The three exchanged curious looks.

“And how does that have anything to do with Enya’s safety?” one asked.

“There’s a traitor in my ranks, a demon who wants my throne. As long as I’m alive, he’ll do anything to destroy me, which includes hurting Enya. Because he knows hurting her means hurting me. He’ll only leave her alone once he’s convinced I’m dead.”

For a moment there was silence, then one of the three said, “We’ll think about it.”

“Now let’s get moving,” the second one said. “Manus, you’ll drive.”

“Whatever you say,” Manus replied. “Logan, cuffs.”

Logan pulled heavy cuffs from his pocket. Zoltan didn’t see any point in resisting. His life was already forfeited. “Guess you don’t wanna do it here.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me where you kill me.”

“Yeah, shut up,” Manus snapped. “You’ve been talking entirely too much for a fucking demon.”

“Last words, and all. I thought you’d understand,” Zoltan replied. “It’s not as if I were asking for a last meal.”

“I don’t know what she sees in him,” Logan said, and put the cuffs around Zoltan’s wrists. “Aiden, you’ve got the hoodie?”

Aiden handed him a black cloth, and Logan reached for it.

“Blindfolding? Really? Who am I gonna tell where you took me when I’m dead?” Zoltan asked. Dying was one thing; not seeing the blade coming was an entirely different one.

Logan pulled the hoodie over Zoltan’s head, robbing him of his vision.

“Where are you taking me?”

But none of the three answered. They dragged him out of the apartment. Outside, they shoved him into the back of a vehicle. Two of them, presumably Logan and Aiden, got in the back with Zoltan, while Manus jumped into the front and drove off. Not being able to see anything, and with his hands cuffed behind his back, Zoltan was jostled around whenever Manus made a turn, sped up, or slowed down. And judging by how often this happened, he had the feeling that the Stealth Guardian did it on purpose just to piss him off. No matter. He wouldn’t give the bastard the satisfaction of complaining.

When the vehicle finally came to a stop after what felt like an eternity, and Logan and Aiden dragged him out and put him on his feet, Zoltan prepared himself. He heard traffic sounds in the distance, but where they had stopped was relatively quiet. Through the hoodie, he saw only shadows, but he couldn’t make out where he was. Probably somewhere where the Stealth Guardians wouldn’t be observed killing him, and where washing away his green blood would be easy.

He took a breath and steeled himself for what was to come. His only regret was that he hadn’t told Enya that he loved her.

“This is it, huh?” he asked.

“Yep,” Aiden said.

“Let’s get him inside,” Logan said.

Two Stealth Guardians grabbed Zoltan and ushered him into another direction. It was only a few steps until the ground beneath his boots changed. The cobblestones he’d felt upon getting out of the vehicle were gone. Then he heard a heavy door shut behind him, and all traffic noise vanished. It was as quiet as a mausoleum. How fitting to kill him in a tomb.

They continued walking.

“Stairs, watch out,” Manus said, and Logan and Aiden helped Zoltan navigate down the flight of stairs.

He knew what it meant. They weren’t gonna grant his final wish to leave his body for the demons to find, so his death could be confirmed.

“Bastards,” he cursed. “So you’ll kill me in some dark hole where nobody will ever find me?”

One of the men kicked him, and Zoltan nearly lost his balance.

“Just get him inside the fucking cell,” Logan said, “before I beat the shit out of him for what he did to Winter.”

A heavy door creaked, then somebody lifted the hoodie off Zoltan’s head. He quickly assessed his surroundings. A cellar, but no ordinary one. The runes along the walls told him immediately where he was. “You brought me to your compound? Why?”

“’Cause that’s where we keep prisoners,” Aiden replied, and shoved Zoltan to the entrance of the cell door, which stood open. “Turn around.”

Zoltan complied, still stunned that they hadn’t killed him yet, and seemed to feel no urgency to do so.

Aiden unlocked the cuffs and took them. “Inside the cell, now!”

Zoltan walked into the dark space and turned around. Aiden closed the door in his face. He heard the key being turned in the lock, imprisoning him.

Zoltan kicked his boot against the door. “What the fuck are you up to? Are you too chicken to just kill me? Are you?”

But there was no answer, only the sound of retreating footsteps that echoed against the thick stone walls.