A dagger exploded out of the center of her chest, cutting off her chilling scream. Blood sprayed the front of my shirt. I didn’t move, couldn’t, as she fell forward, and all I heard was the sickening suctioning sound of the dagger being yanked out.

Alex stood there, her wavy hair a wild halo around her. “Were you going to hug her or something?”

“I’m done,” Seth growled.

I had no idea what Seth meant, but he sheathed his daggers and then stepped forward, raising his right arm. An amber glow surrounded his bicep as the glyphs rushed to the surface of his skin. The light, the color of his eyes, wrapped down his arm like a shining cord. Energy filled the air as he summoned akasha.

Seth was deadly and quick with dispatching the remaining daimons. Spinning as fluidly as any trained dancer, he moved his arm like he was tossing a baseball, hitting each remaining daimon wicked fast. The moment the amber light hit them, they ceased to exist. There a second, gone the next. Nothing, not even a shimmery dust. Same for the half daimons.

“Well, that works too,” Alex said dryly, “but less fun.”

Seth’s expression was locked down as he faced us, walking back to Aiden and Solos. He said nothing as he curled his hand around mine, the grip tight but not painful. Our eyes met.

No words were necessary to convey the message.

I was in so much trouble.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Seth

Never in my life had I wanted to lock a woman up in a titanium-encased room with an army of Hades’s Guards. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. I’d wanted to do that a time or two with Alex, something Aiden would’ve been a hundred percent behind.

But it was different this time, because it was . . .

It was Josie.

“You guys got this handled from here?” I asked.

Aiden glanced down at where my hand was wrapped firmly around Josie’s. “There isn’t much left to do except . . .” He glanced around, frowning. “Clean up.”

“We got this,” Alex confirmed, her gaze darting to Josie. She shifted her weight from one foot to the next. “You okay with this?”

I cocked my head to the side. Did she legit just ask Josie if she was okay with this?

“Yeah.” Josie started to turn away but stopped. She extended her arm, offering the dagger. “I, um, took this from a Guard who . . . didn’t need it anymore. It’s not mine.”

Solos looked up from where he was checking out a fallen Sentinel. “You take out a daimon with it?”

She glanced down at the dagger and then nodded, surprising me. “Yeah, I . . . I took out a daimon with it.”

“Then it’s yours,” he said, sighing as he rose, brushing his hands off on his pants.