Demon and the Mage (Jeongcheol)

Seungcheol

It only took minutes for my brothers and me to cross the short stretch of water between Oban and Barra. Jeonghan's imprint was still entwined with his brother's, making it a veritable beacon in the twilight.

Letting it guide us, we flew along the coast until we came to a small opening in the rock.

We landed, and the three of us grimly eyed the cave. My boots sank into the wet sand as the salty water sprayed us, but I paid no attention. The deal's magic and knowing my mate was in danger had me chomping at the bit. I had to get in there. Had to save Blaise. Had to save Jeonghan.

Then, and only then, could I think about what the fuck I was going to do about the whole mate situation. Running away and hiding seemed like a solid bet right around now.

Even though my demon pushed me to get inside and start shredding ghasts, I wasn't about to storm in without a plan.

"I can smell them," Vernon said, his nose wrinkling. Sure enough, the ocean's scent was drowned out by a more concentrated version of the stench in Blaise's flat.

"Anything you've learned that might help us here?" I asked Soonyoung. He was the one who'd spent the last several months trying to track the ghasts to find out whatever he could about this dangerous new species.

Soonyoung rubbed his shoulder. "They are half-demon, so we have to assume they could have powers similar to our own, including shields. They can drain mages of their powers, which probably makes them stronger. Other than that...I don't have much to go on."

"Well, in about ten minutes, you'll have a lot more information," I said darkly, unsheathing my broadsword. Soonyoung reached over his shoulders to grab his twin blades. Why he kept them there was beyond me—one tiny slip, and he'd slice a wing off.

Vernon didn't bother with weapons. He preferred a more...hands-on approach.

Shields in place, the three of us fell into formation, me leading and my brothers covering my back. Normally, Vernon would take point, but with the deal's magic guiding me, it made sense for me to go first.

The cave was a dank, tiny space. My eyes easily found the narrow opening in the back, even in the darkness. It was such a tight fit that I had to turn sideways to squeeze through. A lesser person might've baulked at the way the stone pressed against me and my breath huffed against the rock mere inches from my face. At least shuffling sideways at a painfully slow pace made my progress silent.

It'd take a lot more to phase me. With my mate at risk, I'd traverse the dungeons under the ninth circle itself without feeling a drop of fear. And wasn't that a kick in the gut? I wasn't even sure how I felt about Jeonghan being my mate, but my demon was certain we wouldn't let any harm come to him.

A sliver of light had me slowing to a halt. Leaning forward as much as I could without giving us away, I peered into the space beyond.

I cursed internally. I could only see a fraction of the cavern, but that was enough to finally reveal the supes causing us such a headache. There were two in my eyeline. Standing around seven feet tall, at first, they appeared human...but a closer look showed they were nothing of the sort. Dull red eyes were sunk deep in their sockets while their black lips stretched wide. Their frames were gaunt, their skin stretched so thin over their bones it was almost translucent. Black veins lined them from head to toe, and even from here, I could see the pulse of blood through their skin. Their hands and feet were elongated, their fingers constantly tapping against one another in a macabre dance. Thin, ragged cloths hung over them as though they'd grabbed the first piece of material they'd come across and never bothered to update it.

My skin crawled. They were...wrong. Like everything unnatural about the cosmos had been given life in this one hideous species.

Coming from a demon, that was saying a lot.