“Right, because I have somewhere to go.”
“You can go see Death and ask her for Katie back.”
“It doesn’t work that way for mortals.”
“If you hadn’t un-bonded her, it’d work.”
“Look, you little shit, why don’t you –“
“Gods, Rhyn, don’t talk to him like that,” the eldest surviving brother of the seven brothers, Kris, snapped as he approached. “Did you ask him, Toby?”
“He said no, like you said,” Toby said, disappointment heavy in his voice.
Rhyn ground his teeth, fury bubbling within him. He wanted them all gone, so he could spend the remainder of his long life laying here alone, waiting for Death or one of her assassins.
“Go back to the tents,” Kris instructed the young angel.
Toby went without another word, and Rhyn drew a deep breath to settle his emotions.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” Kris said and squatted beside him.
Rhyn glanced at him, taking in the arm in a sling. Kris was healing from an attacker Rhyn had saved him from, the day Katie killed herself. Rhyn had lost his mate the same day he earned some small piece of respect from his brother.
“Is your offer still on the table?” Kris asked.
“What offer?”
“The one where you become the Council’s assassin.”
“You seem to forget I can’t go anywhere without your mate and the damn angel,” Rhyn said in irritation.
“Where I want you to go, I don’t care if anyone survives,” Kris said. “I have an idea. The two of them can walk you through the shadow world and you can jump through the portal.”
“You don’t intend for me to return.”
“It would be a noble death for a good cause, if it came to that.”
“What is it?” Rhyn asked.
“I want my castle back,” Kris said. “Scouts are reporting it’s overrun with demons and Darkyn has adopted it as his terra headquarters for his trips here from Hell. Go in and wipe out the demons.”
Rhyn’s thoughts drifted to the castle. He felt the urge to destroy it, not save it. After all, it was where he and Katie spent the few good moments they’d had, where he’d found something worth living for. And where everything had gone wrong.