Stepping through the illusion of a seemingly solid stone wall, Styx pulled his large sword free of the sheath strapped to his back.
“Bring back old memories?” Viper demanded, ridiculously wearing black chinos and a white ruffled shirt with a brocade vest. His silver hair was braided, emphasizing the beauty of his elegant face, and the sword he carried looked like it should belong to a fencer, not a warrior.
But only an idiot would believe that Viper wouldn’t have his heart carved out with a flick of his wrist.
Styx, on the other hand, didn’t bother with subtlety.
Leather, shitkickers, and plenty of snarly attitude.
Simple.
“Not so old,” he said, leaping over a large boulder that blocked their path. “Although it does seem like another lifetime.”
Viper easily kept pace. “Who would have thought just a year later we’d both be mated and saviors of the world?”
Styx snorted. “Be careful, Levet takes full credit for being savior of the world.”
“He would,” Viper said dryly.
Styx kept his attention on the widening tunnel, well aware there were cracks in the uneven walls where an enemy could hide.
He wasn’t about to walk into an ambush.
“I’ll gladly allow him to have the glory if it keeps him out of my hair.”
Viper gave a short laugh. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
“Miracles happen.”
“True,” Viper drawled. “You found a mate who hasn’t stabbed you with a stake.”
“Yet,” Styx pointed out, an indulgent smile curving his lips.
He wanted this business done so he could return to Darcy. The faster the better.
They turned down another tunnel that ended in the appearance of a dead end. This time, however, when they stepped through the illusion there was an unmistakable scent of decay.
“Viper,” he growled, coming to a sharp halt.
His companion moved to stand beside him. “I smell it.”
Styx wrinkled his nose. “Fairy.”
“Dead fairy.”
Styx nodded toward the nearby entrance to a small cavern. “Ready?”
Viper shrugged. “Always.”
Together they entered the cavern, discovering the fairy lying in the center of the smooth floor.
Without a sound Viper was sprinting toward the far end of the cavern, searching behind the nooks and crannies that could hide the killer.
Styx knelt beside the body, reaching out his fingers to touch the dead man’s throat as he made a physical inventory.
Outwardly the fairy appeared unharmed. His long red hair was untangled, his pale skin unmarred, his lean body in one piece, and there wasn’t so much as a drop of blood on the traditional robes that were given to most petitioners.
Rising to his feet, he watched Viper return.
“Anything?” he demanded.
The younger vampire gave a shake of his head. “No, whoever did this is long gone.”
Styx glanced back down at the fairy. Most demon bodies disintegrated within a matter of hours, sometimes minutes. It was a necessary precaution to avoid detection by the humans.
“Not long,” he corrected. “The fairy was killed less than an hour ago.”
Reaching into his front pocket Styx pulled out a cell phone, relieved to discover it was fully functional. His powers had a tendency to destroy electronic devices.
“What are you doing?” Viper asked as he punched in a number.
“I have Jagr posted to keep watch on the entrance to the cave.” The leader of his Ravens answered on the first ring. “Report,” Styx barked.
Viper stepped away as Styx listened to the clipped response, only returning when Styx returned the phone to his pocket.
“Well?”
“Three people entered the caves,” Styx repeated what he’d learned. “The two of us and a male fairy.”
Viper arched a brow. “Which means the killer was already in the caves.” The clan chief abruptly stilled, clearly recalling his own visits to the caves when he’d been attempting to save the life of his mate. “Unless he used the secret entrance?”
Styx shook his head, already having thought of the possibility.
“I have them covered.”
“And no one entered?”
“No, but Jagr said that D’Angelo reported earlier that he spotted a cloaked figure leaving from a side tunnel.”
“Did he track him?”
Styx shrugged. “He tried, but a few miles from the caves the figure disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Viper grimaced. “Like poof?”
“Yep.”
They shared a mutual gaze of unease. Not only at the thought of demons able to transport from one place to another, which hardly seemed fair, but because it was obvious who was hidden beneath the cloak.
“Siljar?” Viper muttered.
“She’s at the top of my list,” Styx agreed, his voice pitched low enough to keep it from traveling.
Making wild accusations while surrounded by the most powerful demons in the world seemed a dangerous proposition.
Viper considered a long minute. “Why would she slip out and then disappear? She could have used her private rooms and no one would ever know she’d left.”
A good point.
Styx frowned, shuffling through the various reasons a demon would choose to leave the caves.
“I assume translocating would demand the sort of power that would alert the other Oracles she was leaving,” he said, at last suggesting the most logical explanation.
“True.” Viper sheathed his rapier. “Of course, it’s possible her disappearance might have nothing to do with the fairy’s death.”
“Or just as likely it wasn’t Siljar at all,” Styx said, his own sword remaining clutched in his hands. He was still hoping for a chance to stick it into an enemy. If he had to be away from Darcy, then at least he should have the pleasure of a rousing fight. “Which leaves us with the need to discover who is missing.”
Viper made a sound of disbelief. “Don’t look at me. I’m not going to do a roll call on the Oracles.”
“Coward,” Styx mocked.
“Damn straight,” Viper agreed without apology. “They scare the hell out of me.”
Styx had to agree. “They scare the hell out of everyone.”
“Then we do this the old-fashioned way.” Viper knelt beside the corpse. “Your senses are better suited to tracking,” he pointed out. “You check to see who came into the cave and I’ll try to figure out what killed the fairy.”