Page 96 of Demon Unleashed

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Zoltan had made a mistake. He’d heard voices and dogs in the tunnel and wanted to ascertain that the demons they belonged to weren’t entering the small cave where the Stealth Guardian portal was located. He’d stepped into the tunnel, but hadn’t concentrated hard enough to make himself invisible—after all, it was still new to him—and promptly been spotted by Tamara and two male demons she had in tow, and the dog they’d brought. There was no going back, or Zoltan would have risked them following him and running straight into the arms of the arriving Stealth Guardians and vampires.

He’d had to draw them away from the portal, or the dog would sniff out the invaders. In theory, it should have worked.

Zoltan was still the Great One, and all demons followed his orders. When he ordered the three demons to head toward his study under the pretense that he needed to show Tamara something he’d discovered, they walked with him, the two men behind him, the woman in front. But they never made it as far as his study.

After walking for five minutes, turning several times until they reached the throne room, which they needed to traverse, the two demons behind him kicked him in the back of his knees, making him stumble and fall forward. He managed to brace his fall and whirl around, pulling his dagger from its sheath as he jumped up.

“The fuck!” he said, and jumped toward the two demons, who clearly were in Yannick’s camp and didn’t know yet that their leader had been killed. “Tamara, help me kill these bastards.” He was already exchanging blows and kicks with the two assailants. He managed to drive one of them back, cutting into the demon’s arm, making him lose his dagger. The dog, no doubt smelling the blood, jumped onto the injured man.

“Tamara, damn it, a little help here!” he thundered, and chanced a look over his shoulder.

Tamara stood there, her dagger in her hand and a sneer on her face. “And why would I? You killed Yannick.”

Continuing to fight against the other demon, Zoltan gave denial a shot. “What? Yanick is dead? What happened?”

But Tamara didn’t fall for it. “As if you didn’t know. You fucking bastard!”

It was clear: she was part of the conspiracy.

Zoltan kicked his opponent, slammed him against the rock wall, then dove after him to ram the dagger into his heart. But there was no time to celebrate this victory, because the injured demon had managed to recover his dagger, and stabbed the dog, killing the poor animal. He jumped up and wielded the blade in his good hand. However, he wasn’t quite as coordinated with the left. Tamara seemed to see it too, because she charged toward them.

Zoltan lunged sideways to get out of her path. “Fucking uppity bitch!”

She whirled around, snarling at him. “Yeah, well, that’s for dumping me after using me.” She motioned to the other demon to attack from the opposite side, then barreled toward him again.

Zoltan pivoted, managed to grab the attacking male demon, and used him to block Tamara. Her blade drove into the demon’s chest, killing him instantly.

Tamara growled, utterly pissed off now. As she shoved the dead demon out of her way so he wouldn’t take her down with him, she snapped, “And just so you know: you’re not that great in bed!”

Zoltan let the insult roll off his back like water off Teflon. She wouldn’t be able to distract him. “Wish I’d never fucked you. That’s ten minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”

They circled each other like prize fighters. It was one against one. Yet it wasn’t an even fight. Zoltan was bigger, stronger, tougher. However, he had to hand it to her: Tamara didn’t give up, showing neither fear nor respect for her ruler.

“I enjoyed killing Yannick,” Zoltan admitted, knowing it would rile her up. “I admit I didn’t suspect him, nor you. I thought Vintoq was the traitor. All clues led to him. Kudos. You had me fooled. But all good things come to an end, don’t they?”

Tamara glared at him. “Yeah, like your life.”

“Then let’s get this over with,” Zoltan said, waving her closer.

She pounced, but he’d anticipated her move—he’d seen her in battle training often enough and knew her preferred moves—and sidestepped her, then spun around to get behind her. It would only take one quick swipe with his dagger, and her throat would be slit, but he never got to execute the move.

Searing pain shot through him and spasms followed, crippling him. It wasn’t Tamara, nor was it another demon surprising him. “Not now,” he said through a clenched jaw, but there was no use. This was the second wave, the one Wesley and Charles had predicted would happen within twenty-four hours, of Zoltan’s turning back into a Stealth Guardian. And it was more debilitating than the first.

He stumbled and fell backward, barely able to see. But what he saw was sufficient to make him realize that he wouldn’t survive this event: Tamara was staring at him, first stunned, then grinning in that conniving way he’d always hated about her.

She laughed, and the sound echoed in his ears as if she was in a different cave.

As he landed with his back on the ground, Tamara towered over him, her eyes roaming his body. Something she saw seemed to surprise her. She shook her head and jumped onto him, landing on his chest, causing air to rush from his lungs. With her dagger she scratched his neck with a curiosity usually reserved for kids dissecting their first frog in biology class. “You’re bleeding red! You’re not even a demon. You’re one of them.”

He tried to lift his arms, but felt paralyzed, unable to move, to even lift a finger or turn his head. Pain clawed at him, wrung him out and spat him out. He’d never felt so helpless.

Tamara realized it too. She threw back her head, laughing like a cartoon villain. “Killing you will be the sweetest feeling.” She pressed her dagger to his throat, ready to drive it through his flesh. “I’m gonna take it slow, so you’ll savor your own death.”

Tamara was suddenly pulled back, her body lifting off him.

“Over my dead body!” It was Enya. Her voice. Or was he hallucinating already?