Before my brain could come to terms with what he meant, Vaughn pushed me to the side hard enough I lost my balance and hit the ground. He threw up his hand. Lightning crackled around his arm, flaring red-white as it enveloped his body until he was nothing more than light.
I gasped, realizing Vaughn was…Daemon.
“Dammit!” yelled Smoker, reaching for his gun. “It’s a trick!”
Pulsing with light and power, he released the energy. It struck Smoker first, sending him several feet back. The light arched, smacking into the shorter officer. He too went flying into the side of the building. There was a sickening crunch, and he fell to the ground, skin and clothing smoking. The man shuddered once, and then his face turned to…ash.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
A slight breeze moved down the building, stirring the fallen man. Pieces of him flicked up into the air, floating away until nothing remained. It was the same where Smoker had fallen. There was nothing left of them.
Daemon’s light dimmed, and when I looked at him, he was in his human form. I expected him to flip out about my not staying in the car, but all he did was reach down and take my hand, gently pulling me to my feet. The baseball cap hid his eyes, but his lips were pressed in that hard, unyielding line.
“We need to get out of here,” he said.
I agreed.
Chapter 28
Back at my house, we sat on the couch, facing each other with our legs crossed. I held a steaming cup of hot cocoa that he’d placed between my hands, but I couldn’t get warm enough. I kept running down everything that had happened, ending with the men turning into ash. It reminded me of the videos of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The blast of heat had been so intense it had turned people to ash and permanently implanted their shadows into buildings.
We’d driven their car into the woods, and Daemon had then fried it, burning it until there wasn’t much of anything left. Any evidence of us being there had been removed, but eventually people would miss the two men and questions would start getting tossed around, especially from their families. Because they had families…
The baseball cap had been tossed onto the coffee table, but I couldn’t read anything in Daemon’s eyes. He’d been quiet the whole way back.
I squeezed the warm mug. “Daemon…are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Taking a sip, I watched him from under my lashes. “What was inside the building?”
He rubbed the back of his neck as he closed his eyes briefly. “There wasn’t anything in the first couple of rooms. Just empty office space, but it’s obvious the place is used a lot. There were empty coffee cups, filled ashtrays everywhere. The farther I got in, there were…cages. About ten of them; one looked like it was used recently.”
Nausea rolled inside me. “Do you really think they were keeping people in there?”
“Luxen? Yes. And maybe others like you.” He dropped his hands on his legs. “One of the cages had dried blood in it. All of them had chains and manacles encased in this dark red stone I’ve never seen before.”
“I saw something outside the building, above the doors. It was shiny, looked black to me because it was dark.” I set my cup aside. “And he put something against my cheek, and God, that hurt like hell. I wonder if it was the same thing you saw.”
His poetic lips tipped down at the corners. “How are you feeling now?”
“Perfectly fine.” I waved it off. “Did you see anything else?”
“I didn’t have time to go upstairs, but I had this feeling that something…something was up there.” He stood with fluid grace, clasping his arms behind his head. “I need to get back in there.”
My eyes followed him. “Daemon, it’s too dangerous. People are going to realize that the officers are missing. You can’t go back there.”
He whirled around, facing me. “My brother could be in there or something that will tell me where my brother is. I can’t just walk away because it’s too dangerous.”
“I understand that.” I stood, clenching my hands. “But what good are you to Dawson—or to Dee—if you get caught?”
Daemon stared at me for several long moments. “I have to do something.”
“I know, but it needs to be more thought out than any of your plans have been so far.” I ignored the flash of temper in his bright gaze. “Because you could’ve been captured tonight.”
“I’m not worried about myself, Kat.”
“Then that’s a problem!”
His eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t have involved you in this if I knew you were going to wimp out.”
“Wimp out?” The events of the night heightened everything I was feeling and I was on overload, seconds from breaking down, sitting in the corner somewhere. Maybe rocking in that corner, too. “I’m the one who involved you. I saw Bethany.”
“And I agreed to let you come with me the first time.” He ran his hand through his messy hair, exhaling roughly. “If you’d stayed in that car, I could’ve had time to check the floors above.”
My mouth dropped open. “You would’ve been caught inside. I got out of the car because you didn’t respond to my text! If I stayed in there, we’d both be in those cages.”
The tips of his cheeks flushed as he looked away. “Okay. Both of us are aggravated right now. We should just let it drop for tonight. Get some rest. Whatever.”
I didn’t want to let it drop, but he had a point. I crossed my arms. “Fine.”