Nausea swirled down Felicity’s throat to thud in her stomach. “The mutation is still experimental.”

“Right, but as I can see, the drug already worked on you, or you wouldn’t have been able to mate Daire Dunne.” Ivan smiled.

She shook her head. “No. I mean, yes, it worked. But the queen made a few tweaks before we experimented, and you probably don’t have the newest samples. In addition, nobody has ever tried to negate a mating bond twice in the same body.” God only knew what the mutated sample would do once inside Felicity.

“I’m willing to take the chance.”

Felicity sat back in the velvet chair. “Why?” she breathed. “I really don’t understand. Why is this so important to you?”

He blew on soup before shoving the spoon in his mouth. “Your brother and I had an agreement.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Why else?”

His dark eyes darkened further. “You’ve been in my dreams for a century. Perfect golden hair and black eyes. A purebred female demon.”

“I’m not some trophy.”

“Sure you are.” He smiled again. “Do you have any idea how rare you are?”

She leaned back. “Yes.” The guy was a narcissistic asshole who’d rather see her dead than living away from him. “Have you tried seeking professional help for your narcissistic, sociopathic tendencies?” Steeling her shoulders, she dug into the soup to banish the dizziness.

He chuckled. “I like your spirit. You’ve caused me so much trouble, I now have my own people wanting to spill my blood. Mating you, the mother to Zane Kyllwood and a purebred demon, will put me back in control. Especially when I combine your fortune with mine and start investing again.”

“I’m broke.” She finished the bowl and sat back. As if by magic, the waiter appeared with her next course, a big steak. She winced.

“We both know you have plenty of money.” Ivan handed over his soup bowl. “You still don’t like meat?” He shrugged. “For now, I’d eat it anyway. Protein is the key to flushing your system of the current drug and preparing you for the next one.”

Yes. The queen had had Felicity eat a high-protein diet for a month before trying out the mutated drug. But Felicity had taken time to find protein she liked and didn’t have to eat meat. She had no objection to anybody else eating meat . . . she just didn’t like the taste or texture. Even so, she immediately reached for the fork and steak knife left by the waiter. The knife would come in handy.

She cleared her throat and tried to use reason when all she wanted to do was shove the blade through Ivan’s jugular. “Listen, Ivan. I hate you. With a white hot, raw need to see you decapitated.” Her voice shook, and she forced air into her lungs. “I want you dead. That is not going to change ever. So if we stay in the same vicinity, I will kill you. Dead.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“So what the hell?”

He wiped his pale mouth and set his napkin back on his lap. “Since you’re being so honest, so will I.” His dark eyes burned with an odd light. “You’ll take the drug and negate the mating bond with the lowlife witch. You and I will mate, or I’ll kill Logan.” Ivan sat back and eyed his steak. “Mating you will get me back on track professionally and personally? I want two kids. Purebred demons.”

She shook her head, her chest aching. “You’re crazy. No way will I have children with you.”

He lifted a shoulder. “My doctors tell me all I need is to mate you and then harvest your eggs.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

“Yes. Using the technology created by humans, I can just harvest your genetic material and use a surrogate.” His face lacked any sense of humor. “But we have to mate first, or the pregnancy won’t take, as you probably already know.”

He was over the moon crazy, but what if a crazy plan like that actually worked? She couldn’t leave any of her kids alone, and no way could she have a kid with the bastard. “Under no circumstances am I giving you genetic material.”

He smiled. “After we’re mated, I don’t see that you’ll have a choice. You’re stuck on this mountain, Felicity. And if you want Logan to live to see his next birthday, you’ll mate with me.”

She coughed out and tried to keep from puking. While the plan was absolutely insane, Ivan did have the resources to make it happen. “Then what?”

He smiled, his canines glinting. “Then I’m going to cut off your beautiful head.”

Chapter 29

Daire took the stairs two at a time, rushing up the stairwell and bursting into the hallway. A still smoking hole gaped where the wall to his apartment had been. Somebody, probably Kellach, had created a shield in the air that would keep humans from seeing or smelling the smoke and fire. At least for a while. Quantum physics and magic at its finest. He gingerly stepped through, his heart thundering.

Rain and wind billowed inside from a hole in the outside wall. Sam and Kellach sat with their backs to the couch, bruises covering their faces and blood flowing from various injuries. Both were typing furiously on their phones and grunting something at each other. Simone sat over on a burned ottoman, an icepack against her face, her lip fat and bleeding.

Zane paced near the smoldering kitchen, barking orders into a cell phone.

Daire took a deep breath.

Simone saw him first. “We’re trying to find her, but so far, no luck.”

His knees wobbled and he growled.

Zane ended a call. “Six-man team, smoke grenade, and some kind of drug that knocked us on our asses. Well trained and prepared for both demons and witches.” He rubbed a hand over a series of bruises on his forehead. “Mom fought hard, but the drug took her out.”

Sam looked up, anger and concern in his green eyes. “We’ll find her. Garrett is hitting the pavement up and down the block, trying to talk to anybody who might have seen them. Kell and I are working on traffic cams, store surveillance, and hopefully satellite pictures.”

Kellach didn’t even look up, his fingers were flying so quickly over his phone. “I have a German satellite that may have been in the correct position. The Realm boys are on it, and they’ll relay all data to me.”

Daire fought the urge to hit something. “She’s smart and she’s tough.” He was reassuring himself more than anybody else. “Her main concern is Logan, so she’ll play along until she finds him.” That was crucial, because based on the information he’d gleaned about Bychkov, the guy would ultimately decide to kill her. He wanted to make her pay for making a fool out of him years ago. Mating a full-bred demon would help him with his followers for a while, but he’d have to kill her at some point, or she’d definitely kill him.

Daire coughed out smoke, his gut churning. His mate was in the hands of the enemy, and he had no clue where she was being held. He nodded at Simone. “Let’s take this to your apartment.”

She glanced around, her eyes unfocused. “Oh. Good idea.” Her hand visibly trembled when she pushed off the chair, and Daire braced himself to catch her if necessary. But she made it over the legs of the two sitting soldiers and toward the door.

Kellach shoved to stand and reached down a hand to help Sam. A bone protruded from Sam’s upper thigh.

Daire winced. “You need to fix that before you do anything else.”

He nodded and didn’t protest when Kellach ducked under his arm and helped him out the door and down the hall.

Bear crashed into the room, his eyes wide, rain dripping from his shaggy hair. “Holy crap.” He looked around the demolished room. “What’s our plan?”

“Next door,” Daire said. “Simone’s place wasn’t hit, and we’re going to plan there.”

Bear nodded and loped through the gaping hole and down the hallway.

Zane stared at Daire.

“What?” Daire asked.

“I have an idea, and it’s far-fetched, but we at least need to try.” The demon crossed his arms.