Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
21
Sharen camethrough the portal and started forward, her head still spinning. She needed to get out of the way, to make room for the others. No matter that she couldn’t see where she was stepping.
When she hit the box, she crumbled to the ground. Blinking for a moment, she realized her hand was lying in something wet and sticky.
The room slowly came into focus. And her heart stopped.
No one was there, but it was obvious that there had been fighting. Blood was everywhere. On the floor. The walls. And all the equipment.
She climbed to her feet.
Someone gasped behind her. “What happened?” It was Elle.
She didn’t have time to answer. Where were her demons? Where were Alec, Kade, and Ryder?
Tearing through the room, she searched every blood-soaked corner of the warehouse. Crashing into her office, she looked, hoping against all hopes that they were there.
But the warehouse was empty. Not one person remained.
This couldn’t be happening. She stumbled back into the main room. The demons she had saved were standing in the center of the room, gathered together like a frightened group of animals.
Numbly, she walked past them and erased the realm address on the demon stone. Instantly, the portal vanished.
“Sharen?” Elle asked, sounding concerned.
“We need to get you guys to the refuge. I don’t know what happened here, but I don’t think we’re safe.”
They seemed to accept her words. As she led them out into the alley, they followed closely together. She rushed them across the road on the other side of the building and led them to the parking lot.
Four demons stood around the buses, smoking and chatting.
When they saw her approach, they stiffened.
“Sharen?” one of them asked.
“Get these people to the refuge,” she commanded.
She could tell they wanted to ask questions.
“Now.”
They snapped into action, helping the people load the buses.
“Did you see anything?” she asked Charlie, knowing the answer before she spoke.
“See anything?”
“Anything strange?” she pressed.
He shook his head. “We’ve been here since you left. Why? Is something wrong?”
“We were attacked.” She said the words without emotion. “Don’t come back here after you drop them off. Stay at the refuge.”
She turned, heading back toward the warehouse.
“Sharen!” Elle caught her arm. “Where are you going? You saw what happened there. They killed everyone. You need to come with us, where it’s safe.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” the woman pressed, bouncing her baby as she began to fuss.
“You go and protect your children,” she whispered. “But I can’t stop until I know what happened to my husbands.”
Elle’s eyes widened. “Sharen, you know what happened.”
She jerked her arm from the other woman’s grip. “I don’t know what happened.”
I’ll find them. And I’ll find who did this.
“Think about it. Someone knew where and when you were coming to get us. Someone knew where your headquarters were.”
Sharen stiffened. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you were betrayed. By someone. And until you find out who, you can’t trust anyone. You can’t go looking into what happened, because chances are you’ll end up dead too.”
It took her a long minute to answer. “Thanks, Elle. Now, go take care of your little ones.”
“Please, Sharen.”
She smiled, a smile that was so sad it seemed to break her heart. “I don’t have a choice.”
Turning, she started back toward the warehouse.
Elle is wrong. No matter the danger, I won’t stop searching. I can’t believe my demons are dead. I’ll find them, and I’ll punish the people responsible for this.
As a cool wind teased the air, she watched as dark feathers seemed to rain down from the sky. Looking up, she swore she saw a shape, but when she blinked, there was nothing but clouds.
Her hands curled into fists. There was one thing Elle wasn’t wrong about. Someone had betrayed her.
And that someone was going to pay with their life when she found them.
