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SOMETHING INSIDE WHISPERED TO BRAVA TO PATROL THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT EVENING.
Never one to question his intuition, he went with it. Just after ten o’clock, Brava alerted his mates to his plan and slipped on his shoes and left. Shen and Terra offered to accompany him, but Brava wanted some alone time that night.
He was happy to have finally been claimed—and claimed—his mates. But the added responsibility only increased his anxiety about the mission they still had yet to complete. Since Aries’ house was blown to bits, their hidden enemies made no further moves, aside from turning innocent humans into their victims.
With the extra pressure, his demon wasn’t in the best mood. In fact, since their planning session, he couldn’t sit still. In a few day’s time, they would storm the Mayweather’s house and take on the threat within. To prepare for their battle, Brava ran simulations of the future fight in his mind. Ultimately, doing so only made it worse.
Restless and uneasy, it only made him jittery as he tried to sit still inside. The only way he would clear his head was getting fresh air—and so he took off on his own.
Brava wanted to avoid scaring or alarming the neighbors, so he took off down the sidewalk in a jog. If he made it look like he was an average man running at night for exercise, they’d overlook his presence as he made his rounds.
He passed by the Mayweather’s home and rounded it several times as he maintained a brisk pace. From the outside, the house didn’t raise any concern—but Brava knew what Shen had discovered there. He made it a priority to scan the property multiple times per patrol, but whoever had disposed of the Mayweather’s pet dogs were nowhere to be found.
After a fifth lap around the street, he cut off to a different section of the neighborhood.
The air was more humid in the evening but less hot. A gentle breeze ran through his hair as he rounded the corner and continued running. The streetlights flickered as tiny insects buzzed around them. Crickets chirped in the bushes, and fireflies fluttered among the grass.
The sounds of nature calmed the irritation within him. Even though he had lived a life on the streets, Brava always found comfort in nature. That was one of the few comforts living in the slums provided... Location was everything, and Tartarus wasn’t far from Crystalla, the Fae kingdom. Considering Crystalla’s beauty, it was a miracle Brava wound up in such a place at all.
Tartarus was a cursed city that bordered their kingdom and Blackhallow, Lord X’s territory.
Somewhere further off, he thought he heard a man cry out in pain.
Danger up ahead, his demon hissed.
Brava would not let that warning pass him by.
He hurried down several blocks of dark road, heading toward the shops and restaurants close by. He stumbled upon two men scuffling in the middle of the playground not far from their magical, makeshift house.
A cloaked man grappled with a stranger holding a white plastic bag full of food. From where Brava stood, it was clear as day the latter was at a severe disadvantage.
His eyes could see the magic that emanated from the cloaked man. He could also see the life-force draining from the man’s human victim. If Brava didn’t act quickly, the man would die... and that would break rule two of their agreement with Lord Chrystell. Not that Brava cared about breaking the rules or anything...
He’d just catch hell with Rune for it later.
“Well, well, well, one of you finally showed yourself!” Brava called out to the man, cracking his knuckles as he approached them.
His vocal call-out was enough to distract the magic user, who let go of the human he’d been trying to use for supply.
The human collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
“You’re no better than a leach—sucking the life-force out of unwilling victims,” Brava sneered. “Why don’t you pick on someone who can fight back?”
With the speed and agility of a beast, Brava pushed his foot off the ground and flew forward. His knee connected with the abdomen of the magic user, slinging them back into a large tree. The force should have knocked them out, but they rose to their feet, more menacing than before.
A black aura surrounded them, growing larger as they activated their magic.
So you want to fight, he thought.
The half-demon glanced back at the human he’d rescued. Despite having been drained within half of their life, the stranger watched him intently.
Shit.
“Looks like I’m going to have to break some rules after all. Mind looking away while I take care of this guy?”
He didn’t wait for an answer. Brava knew he couldn’t. When it came to people who used black magic, there was a need to work quickly and effectively. Magic could spiral and become a much larger problem. If Brava didn’t snuff the man out soon, he could destroy the entire neighborhood—or even the entire area—trying to save himself.
He pulled power and magic from his inner demon and shot forward. His hand clasped around the man’s neck as his feet dug into the soil on either side of him, halting his forward momentum. Brava shoved, pressing the traitor’s back against the tree’s rigid bark. He held him in place with beastly strength.
“Are you responsible for all the deaths around here?” the human asked the cloaked man, much to Brava’s surprise.
Why didn’t you tell him to be quiet, too? His inner demon chided.
Lesson learned, Brava thought.
“What if I am?” the magic user cackled.
Brava shoved him harder against the tree. “Your glee makes me sick.”
“Our magic feeds off the negative. Anger, fear, hate... The morality which makes you condemn me only strengthens me...”
“How many more of you are there?” Brava demanded, maintaining his composure.
“Who knows? There could be hundreds of us—or thousands. Maybe millions.” His maniacal cackling and demented, sickly grin made Brava’s skin crawl. “Find out for yourself—if you survive...”
A bad feeling twisted around in the half-demon’s gut. His instincts told him to react, but he was too late.
Before Brava could say more—just like before, in Aries’ house—the man exploded.
He tried to shield the human behind him, but the blast sent him flying backwards.
Yet if the pain shooting through his vessel was any indication, he had blocked the brunt of the damage. The front of his body ached and burned. His vision burned from the onslaught of bright light. He didn’t know how damaged he was—but he could feel it.
He rolled off the human he’d saved and caught his breath. His vision soon returned to him. When it did, he sat up and looked over at the stranger.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked.
“I think my ribs are broken,” he grumbled, his face contorted with pain.
What was Brava to do with the man?
He’d clearly broken several of their rules already and had a feeling Rune would chew him out heavily when he returned. But leaving the vulnerable, injured stranger to fend for himself felt cruel and unusual.
Besides, couldn’t the Magi adjust the man’s memories once they were done?
If he didn’t remember them, they weren’t technically breaking the rules... right?
“I can’t just leave you here, so I’m going to bring you back to my place to heal your wounds, all right?”
“We should go to a hospital...” the man managed weakly.
“I have a feeling my friend’s the closest thing to a ‘hospital’ you’ll need,” Brava told him, bending over to scoop the man up.
He just hoped Terra could heal burns.