Ewan was going to destroy every single one of those low-life bastards. Those piece-of-shit sore losers had messed with the wrong male. After the fucked-up night he’d had, Ewan was more than ready to blow off a little steam. If they wanted a fight, he’d sure as hell give them one.
“Wait in the car.”
He might have wanted to deliver unimaginable pain to the demons who thought they could bully him, but he wasn’t about to risk Sasha’s safety in the process. He reached for the door handle and stopped as Sasha grasped his arm.
“You’re kidding, right?” Silver laced her disbelieving gaze. “You think I’m actually going to sit here and watch while you go out there and get yourself killed?”
Her lack of faith in his fighting prowess left little to be desired. He’d deal with that later, though. In the meantime, he wasn’t about to let her step foot outside the car. Not that it would do much to protect her from hellfire, but if it came down to it, she could at least beat a hasty retreat.
“You’re injured and weak, and you’re not getting out of this car. Do you understand me, Sasha?” Ewan’s gaze drilled into hers for emphasis. Her stubborn expression filled him with a dark foreboding that did nothing for the anxious energy that cycled through him. The odds were against him and he needed every ounce of focus he could muster. Distractions would only help to get them both killed.
“I’ll stay in the car if you do.”
Ewan clenched his jaw so tight that the enamel of his teeth ground from the force. Gods, she was a stubborn pain in the ass. “I don’t have time to argue with you. Stay in the car, Sasha. Slide over to the driver’s seat and if shit goes south, hit the gas and get the hell out of here.”
She met him look for look. “No.”
Sasha frustrated the fuck out of him. He opened his mouth, ready to tell her he’d kill her himself if she didn’t do as he said, when several dark figures emerged from the flames. Impervious to their own hellfire, the demons strode toward the car, dark outlines against the bright backdrop. Their time had run out.
“Let me take point. Don’t engage unless you have no other choice. And for the love of the gods, Sasha, don’t piss anyone off with that mouth of yours!” Ewan had no choice but to stand and fight and hope Sasha would come to her senses and stay where she’d be safe.
He let out a frustrated huff of breath as he got out of the car. All he needed was one more complication in the current clusterfuck that was his life. Apparently, Sorath hadn’t been too pleased about Ewan brushing him off earlier tonight. He wanted to get his point across and wasn’t above sending his henchmen to throw supernatural fire across the city to get it done.
It wouldn’t be long before the local fire departments were deployed to the scene. The oncoming clash would be fast, furious, and violent. Over before it barely had a chance to begin. Scuffles like this were common when secrecy was tantamount. The supernatural world fought their wars subversively, many times under the guise of human conflict. That the demons chose to set off a hellfire explosion in the middle of Los Angeles was as careless as it was stupid. Ewan didn’t have time for this shit. The sun would be up soon and he needed to get Sasha out of here ASAP.
“Spread your hellfire!” Ewan shouted over the roar of the flames. “The Sortiari will have your heads for it!”
Laughter echoed over the din. It seemed the demons weren’t frightened by the guardians of fate, their laws, or anything else. “Without their berserker war dogs to enforce their rules, who gives a shit?”
The male had a point. For centuries, the secret society had used Ewan and his brethren to stir fear in the hearts of supernatural creatures all over the world. Gregor had known when he staged his little coup that breaking from the Sortiari would decimate their credibility and authority. Ewan had been doubtful, but no longer. He bore witness to the fracture and it sent a tremor of fear through him.
A world without order was what Ian Gregor sought to create, and he was within touching distance of achieving his goal.
Fucking chaos.
“And yet,” Ewan shouted back. “Here you are, about to have your asses handed to you by a war dog.”
The car door slammed and Ewan’s eyes drifted shut for the barest moment in an effort to calm the hell down. Knowing Sasha was out here, even more exposed, sent a rush of adrenaline through his bloodstream. He kept his position between the encroaching demons and Sasha, his senses tuned in to her every movement. She stepped to the left and Ewan mirrored the motion. To the right, and he shifted in kind. His consciousness split into a dual awareness. One that focused on the threat in front of him, and the other on his mate who needed his protection.
Mate?
The thought came out of nowhere and Ewan quickly banished it from his mind. Every crunch of the demons’ footsteps skittered along his senses and his muscles tensed as he readied himself for the coming fight. They might be armed with hellfire, but that wouldn’t put him down. Nothing short of severing his head from his shoulders would kill him, and Ewan wasn’t about to let the bastards get close enough to try.
Behind him, Sasha stepped to the side. Ewan moved in tandem, completely in sync with every motion. The demons stepped from the cover of shadows, the yellowish pallor of their leathery skin intensified by the flames behind them.
“You owe my employer fifty large, berserker.” One demon stepped from the ranks of the other four and approached Ewan. The wicked points of his sharklike teeth glinted in the firelight as his lips pulled back into a contemptuous sneer. “And he’s not the sort who likes to be kept waiting when it comes to debts being repaid.”
Assholes. It wasn’t his fault they refused to bet on a sure thing. “I don’t owe your boss or anyone else a gods-damned cent!” His hands balled into fists at his side. Sasha took three steps toward him and one to the left and he mirrored her actions to keep distance between them. “Tell the male who holds your leash to go fuck himself! He deserves to lose his money for betting against a warlord.”
Gods, Ewan was sick of big talk being used as a battle tactic. Why couldn’t someone just try to stab him or pull a gun or some shit? He’d much rather fight than beat around the fucking bush.
“We could take payment as a pound of your flesh,” the demon suggested. He craned his neck to look past Ewan and his hackles rose. “Or maybe take it from the flesh of your lover.”
Power flooded Ewan’s body in a wave of angry heat that caused sweat to bead his brow. Rage blanketed his thoughts until nothing remained but a violent urge to send these bastards straight to the underworld where they belonged.
“Take even a single step toward her,” Ewan warned, “and I’ll tear your throats out before you can utter another word.”
The demon’s derisive snort only served to further ignite Ewan’s temper. He glanced Sasha’s way once again and his lips spread into a sinister smile. “How’s her arm?”
Ewan’s gut tied into an unyielding knot. This was the son of a bitch who’d burned her? He took a lunging step forward before he checked himself. The demon was trying to goad him into making the first move. He wanted Ewan enraged and off balance. He needed to keep his fucking cool and maintain the upper hand.
“You won’t get close enough to find out.”
The demon’s smile didn’t fade. Nor did his attention wander from Sasha. Intentionally goading Ewan by showing him exactly where—and on who—they planned to launch their attack. Fucking cowards knew they couldn’t take him in a fight and so instead, they’d go for his one weakness.
Sasha had quickly become Ewan’s Achilles’ heel and the realization kicked him straight in the gut. The demons knew it and he suspected Gregor knew it as well. Would have been nice if he’d realized it himself before tonight. He’d only recognized the hold she had on him after she’d walked out of her apartment tonight, forcing him to go out in search of her. There was no turning back now. She was under his skin. And now he had no choice but to defend her at all costs.
Ewan stepped into the demon’s line of vision. It was ill advised to be the first to attack but that’s exactly what he was going to do. “Stay back, Sasha!” He hoped that for once, she’d heed his damn warning. He drew on the power that pooled in his gut like molten lead and let it overtake him. The bright-colored flames of the hellfire transformed to shades of gray and black. A low growl built in Ewan’s chest as his thoughts grew hazy. His feet dug into the soles of his boots and he propelled himself forward with an angry shout.
It was time to send a message. Anyone who sought to harm Sasha Ivanov would meet a violent end. Ewan would make sure of it.
* * *
Sasha stood in awe of Ewan. The ferocity with which he attacked stole her breath. She’d seen him fight in the arena but it didn’t hold a candle to what she beheld now. He embodied everything she’d ever been taught to fear. Berserker. Force of destruction. Violent. Mindless. Bringer of death.
He was all of those things and none of them at the same time. Ewan was a force of nature. A storm that couldn’t be stopped until it ran its course. He was beautiful and graceful. Every step precise as though choreographed. His focus seemed singular, and yet, Sasha noted that he never moved far enough away from her to leave her vulnerable to attack.
Gods, he was magnificent.
The demons scattered under the onslaught. He moved with blurring speed, knocking one off his feet a split second before he barreled into another, sending him flying into the concrete piling that braced a section of highway above them. The force of the impact vibrated in a loud boom that echoed over the din of the still burning hellfire and sent chunks of concrete flying around them. Shit was about to get messy and Sasha hoped no innocent souls would be caught in the crossfire.
A brawl of this magnitude in such a public place would be frowned upon by all factions. She couldn’t believe the demons would sanction something like this. The fallout could be disastrous. Obviously, not Ewan or the demons he fought gave a single shit about discretion.
“Sasha, stay behind me!”
Good gods! He had bigger things to worry about than where she was standing. Did he really think she’d just hang back and watch while he fought? The demons weren’t going to hurt him—or her—no matter what Ewan thought to the contrary. Sasha knew what they really wanted and this production was just to help convince her to play ball.
“Your berserker lover is going to die either way.” The demon’s words from last night resonated in Sasha’s mind. “He can die in the arena and keep you safe, or you can both die slowly in a torture pit. Take your pick, vampire.”
They wanted Sasha to sign Ewan’s death sentence. Or more to the point, convince him to sacrifice himself in the arena so they could walk away with a fortune. Their flaw was in thinking she cared so much about her own safety that she’d so willingly sacrifice his. Fifty thousand dollars wasn’t even close to what they stood to gain if Ewan lost in the arena. They goaded him tonight and made their ridiculous demands to agitate his temper. They knew he’d never willingly sacrifice himself. No one with an ounce of sanity would! No, their strategy was to push, and push, and push some more. Threaten Sasha and put them in one dangerous situation after the next until Ewan was out of his mind with worry and desperate to do anything to protect her.
The problem was, the demons assumed Ewan was in love with her. That she meant something to him. Boy, did they ever have it wrong. Sasha didn’t know what this was between them, but it sure as hell wasn’t love.
All of this was a waste of energy. And aside from coming clean with Ewan about what the demons wanted—which wasn’t going to happen—she had no idea how to stop him. They’d played Ewan and he let them. Greedily swallowed their bait. Sasha rolled her eyes to the sky. The only way this would end was if she intervened.
He was going to be pissed, but she’d deal with the consequences later. Ewan thought he was the biggest, baddest creature around and that might be true. But Sasha wasn’t completely helpless and it was time Ewan realized it. She’d been taking care of herself just fine before he came along.
Sasha dodged to the right and as though a length of rope connected them, Ewan echoed the motion. How in the hell was he able to focus like that? Especially with her behind him where he couldn’t see her? The shift made his left side vulnerable to attack. The demon smirked as he dusted himself off and opened his fist, palm facing toward the sky. Hellfire sprang to life in his hand, the flames eager as they danced.
“We both know you’re not going to do anything with that, so why don’t you and your cronies fuck off and go home!”
Her snarky words were wasted on the two stubborn males. Figured. The demon used Ewan’s shift as an opportunity to attack. This might have been a scare tactic, but they were going to get their licks in any chance they got. He pulled back his hand and pitched the ball of fire straight to Ewan’s exposed side. Sasha knew the excruciating burn of hellfire and without even thinking, she launched herself at Ewan, determined to intercept the ball of flames before it hit him.
Ewan caught her in midflight. He jerked her against his body as he turned to his right, taking them both to the pavement before the hellfire could hit either one of them. His reflexes were unlike anything Sasha had ever seen, even in a berserker. Almost precognitive, as though he knew what she was going to do before she did it. He caged her in with his massive arms and cradled the back of her head with one palm, taking the brunt of the impact as they rolled.
“Gods-damn it, Sasha,” Ewan ground out from between clenched teeth. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Her? He was the one who thought it was a good idea to act like a living shield! Sasha pushed away from Ewan, too worried about a second fireball to respond. The sound of retreating footsteps barely registered over the din of hellfire that still burned thirty yards to their left. A car door slammed and tires squealed as the demons sped away. Cowards. They never would’ve beaten Ewan if they’d stood and fought.
The frantic beats of her heart slowed and Sasha’s worry was replaced with anger. Ewan’s carelessness made her want to take him and shake some damned sense into him. “That was stupid, Ewan!” The words left her mouth in a thoughtless rush. “They could have burned you to ash!”
In a motion that defied gravity, Ewan rolled and managed to bring them both to a standing position without releasing his grip on Sasha. His core muscles must have been constructed with steel rods. It was no wonder the supernatural world feared the berserkers. They were ultra-supernaturals. The most extraordinary creatures on the planet. Sasha had no doubt that gods would bow at Ewan Brún’s feet. But not even his magnificence would distract her from her anger.
“They could have burned you!” Ewan steadied Sasha before he put her at arm’s length. His eyes went wide and his jaw, slack. “What the fuck were you thinking by putting yourself in the path of that fireball?”
“I was trying to protect you!” She brought her finger up and poked it at him. “You’re not indestructible, Ewan!”
His gaze went to the sky and he let out a disbelieving bark of laughter. “Look who’s talking! Jesus, Sasha! I would’ve survived it a hell of a lot better than you would have.”
The sky lightened from navy blue to hues of gray as they stood beneath the damaged underpass. Hellfire burned in the distance, inextinguishable until the fire ran its course and burned out on its own. Sasha’s skin tingled with the coming dawn and exhaustion pulled at her muscles and tugged her eyelids downward. Her apartment was still a good ten minutes away and the tiny Honda wasn’t going to do much to shield her from the sun once it rose. Somehow, winning this argument with Ewan seemed much more important than finding shelter.
“I’m not the one with the death wish!” The faint howl of sirens in the distance meant they wouldn’t be able to stand here and argue for much longer. “I mean, seriously! Since the night I met you, all you’ve tried to do is get yourself killed!”
Ewan averted his gaze. She’d hit a nerve. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
The calm levelness of his voice was more disturbing than any shout. Sasha wanted to take back her words, or at the very least take back the intent behind them. Why had she let her temper get the better of her? Damn it. She didn’t know why Ewan was so upset, but it didn’t bode well.
“Ewan, I—”
“Sun’s rising.” He turned and headed for the car without saying another word. “We need to go.”
Sasha fell into step behind him. All the fight and anger drained out of her and all that was left in its place was regret. So far, her plan to remain detached and emotionless was working out just like she thought it would.
In complete and utter failure.