Page 6 of Knight’s Dominion

“Our brother just lost his mate,” Lazarus choked. “In the most horrific of ways. She won’t even get the mercy of death. Rocco has to live with the knowledge that she is in Hell, suffering unimaginable torture at the hands of his enemy. Try to live, fucking breathe, while she is unprotected, afraid, in pain, and there’s not one thing he can do to save her. And you think he needs time to cool off?” Lazarus’s features twisted in rage. “I know you’re made of fucking stone, brother, so let me spell it out for you. Rocco, as you know him, is gone. He will never be the same. Chances are, we’ll lose him just like we lost Tobias. So, no, there will be no cooling off. No amount of time will make this better for him."

Chaos clenched his fingers into a tight fist, the hopelessness of their situation more than he knew how to deal with.

Watching Tobias’s descent into darkness after the tragic death of his mate, as he’d willingly surrendered to his inner demon, choosing a life without the memory of her—as he’d turned against them, before they’d lost him forever—was something that none of them would ever recover from.

Gunner scrubbed his hands over his face. "We should have let him go."

"He would've died. We need him in this war," Chaos said.

Kryos planted his hands on his hips. "We've already lost him."

He understood their pain for Rocco, fuck, he felt it too, but no one was saying what this truly meant. “She was a hellsgate.”

“Roc thought she was safe. She hadn’t transitioned. He planned to mate with her before bringing her to the compound to be safe,” Zenon said.

Lazarus’s mate, Eve, also a hellsgate, had affected their inner demons in ways they couldn’t fully understand, and being around her had almost tipped them all over the edge into darkness. “You knew about her?”

Zenon dipped his chin.

Rocco had kept this from him. He hadn’t trusted Chaos enough to share he’d found his mate. Pain deep and raw burrowed into his chest.

“Why didn’t he ask me for the amulet?” The piece of jewelry had been imbued with angelic power, and was strong enough to block a demi from demons. Eve had worn it when they found out what she was, before she and Lazarus had mated.

“He didn’t think he’d need it. She didn’t have her power yet and he planned to make her his mate as soon as she did.”

Since mating would have rendered the hellsgate power inside Kyler useless.

“Let’s hope like fuck Diemos doesn’t have any of Golath’s bones.” With Kyler and a bone from Golath, the first demon Lucifer ever created, Diemos would have complete control over the portal.

Zenon pushed away from the wall, black leathery wings snapping out from his back, and without another word, he was gone, no doubt after Rocco.

Chaos worked to control his emotions. “I know this is hard, but we still have a job to do. Go scout the city."

Laz and Gunner aimed disgusted glares at him, and Kryos just shook his head—then they were gone as well.

Planting his hands on his hips, Chaos dropped his head and sucked back several deep breaths, trying to gather his control. When that didn’t work, he smashed his fist into the brick wall with a roar.

"Fuck... Fuck!”

The scrape of a boot had him lifting his head. She stood there, and even without seeing her face, he knew she was pissed, could feel her anger washing over him. She was on her own, her people had gone, chasing the demons that had escaped tonight. Doing his fucking job.

"What in the hell just happened?" she hissed.

He reached out with his senses, to feel her. But she was locked up tight, like she always was. “We’re fucked,” he said.

“I’m gonna need a little more than that.”

“As soon as that female”—he pointed to where the portal had been a short time ago—“comes into her powers, Diemos will have a key to open the gates of Hell at will. She was a hellsgate."

She flew at him without warning, taking him by surprise. Her spinning kick made contact with his shoulder. He managed to block the punch she threw with her left but wasn’t quick enough to avoid her right hook. Her fist slammed into his jaw. Hard. He blocked her next few punches, not wanting to hurt her, but the female was good. She could fight.

She feigned right, then spun to the left and slammed the heel of her palm into his nose, breaking it. There was only one thing he could do to stop her without hitting her; he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, holding her immobile.

She hissed and smashed her head into his already busted nose.

“Fuck!”

“How could you let that happen?" She struggled like a wildcat in his arms.