Fated to the Demon Queen (Book Two of the Demonic Angels Trilogy)

Chapter 4-Aylin

When the smoke clears up, and I finally can see Azrael, I will the ground under him to shake, throwing him off the balance before I jump, my magic propelling me forward and calling my twin blades to my hands.

He rolls out of the way, calling forth his sword, and our blades meet, steel against steel. Wholly immersed in the task before me, I'm completely thrown off when the wind blows and musk, patchouli and mahogany reach my nose. It distracts me enough that Azrael slashes his sword across my chest, and my blood sprays on myself, him, and the grass.

"Shit, Aylin! What happened? You always block that strike!" Az scolds me

I glare at him, ready to end this with my pride intact. I step back and circle him to give my wound time to close. When it finally does, my blades are replaced with my dagger as I portal behind him, kick him in the back of the knee so he staggers, and then jump on his back, my dagger to his throat. His sword and my dagger disappear as he lands on his face and coughs.

Crawling off of him, I offer my hand and help him up as I scan the formed crowd and find red eyes staring directly at me. I give Damon a cruel glare, and to my annoyance, he only gives me a lazy amused smile in return.

"Yeah, you wanna explain what's going on there?" Azrael asks me in a whisper, brushing himself off

"Later," I tell him, and he looks like he wants to say more, but his eyes trail off to something behind me.

I stiffen when an unknown scent approaches us, and I turn to find one of Roman's warriors coming for us, his eyes on me; I don't know his name, but his face is familiar. To my complete and utter shock, he has the nerve to throw an arm around my shoulder when he stops next to me.

"You're in-" he starts to say but is cut off as I grab his arm, twist it behind him, and bring my foot between his shoulder blades, knocking him to the ground. He lands on his face, and I bring his arm around his back far enough so his shoulder dislocates.

"If you ever lay a hand on me without consent again, you'll be nursing a lot more than a dislocated shoulder," I hiss into his ear, releasing his arm and walking away to the packhouse as the wolves in my way make a path for me.

"You had that coming, brother. It's okay; some people have to learn the hard way; just be glad she left you breathing," I hear Azrael tell the wolf I left on the ground.

The nerve of these arrogant werewolves! My own demons at home would saw their own arm off before they touched me without permission! Let his shoulder be a statement to the rest of the pack, although most had the common sense to keep their distance from me.

When I'm inside, I walk toward Roman's office. If Damon has been released without any guards into Roman's pack, I assume Roman has his background information and deemed him clear to roam. I will request his name to reject him later today and put us both out of our misery.

Roman's office is full of other wolves as they repair what Roman destroyed while Amara was gone. I couldn't say I blamed him, but it would have been less of a headache for him if he had destroyed something outside. I enter and look around at the wolves working; shame, it was a beautiful office. He at least left the far wall of books intact; to lose any literature on your packs or the supernatural world was a tragedy; such books are one of a kind and unable to be found anywhere else. Father and I had our own literature protected by several shields; should the castle ever burn or explode, they would remain intact.

"Is there something I can do for you, Queen Aylin?" Roman says, pulling me out of my assessment of his office

"You can call me just Aylin," I tell him for at least the third time. "But yes, I'm here to request the information you have on the male vampire," I finish, and Roman's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline.