Free Echo, Mine by Georgia Lyn Hunter Page B

her.
    Hastily, she mind-linked with Aethan. I
need you.
    She fixed her attention on the fiends
circling her like damn coyotes. “Go,” she yelled to the sniveling
twin.
    “Wh-what is th-that man— thing ?”
    Really? Now, she wanted to know? “Run,
dammit!” Echo snapped, her gaze pinned on the demoniis as she
countered their moves. “Or they will kill you!”
    With a stifled shriek, the woman hightailed
it out of the alley.
    Echo let her mental shields suppressing her
allure drop and tightened her grip on her dagger. The demoniis
getting a full whiff of her pheromones let out low moans of sexual
hunger. Their eyes sparking a neon red in the dark, they came,
charging for her...

Chapter 7

     
    Aethan strode out of the club into the
heated night, his jaw clenched. He stumbled to a halt as a familiar
strain touched his mind. I need you.
    At Echo’s telepathic message, panic took
hold. Where are you?
    Near the SUV, she shot back, sounding
almost breathless. About to flash, a figure came barreling out of
the shadows and slammed into Aethan, taking him back several feet.
A sharp pain burned across his forearm. Cursing, Aethan faced the
demented, scarred demon with a dagger in his hand.
    “Did you think I would not find you?”
Rahvert snarled, looking like he’d crawled out from a trash heap.
Clothes rumpled, expression malevolent, his eyes taking on a red
tinge. “So easy to track your scent, Guardian !” he spat the
word like it was something vile, waving his blade coated with blood
in full view of the patrons. “It was all over your vehicle. I have
my demoniis watching it, and we have your woman, too—”
    Terror knotting his belly, he mind-linked
with her. Echo?
    Stop talking, Aethan, I need to
concentrate.
    Fuck! His mate was determined to give him
heart failure!
    She was fighting demoniis! The
heavens knew how many. Right then he wished for Blaéz’s power to
kill with a thought so he could end this fucker and get to her.
    “I will avenge my brother!” Screeching, the
demon dove for Aethan, his blade flashing in the moonlight. Aethan
evaded the attack. He grabbed hold of the demon’s arm and twisted
his hand—a howl filled the alley. He yanked the blade from the
fucker and punched the demon in the throat. Rahvert lurched back.
Gurgling, he grasped his neck, unable to breath.
    “Your brother was a fucking demonii. If he
hadn’t died that night, then I would’ve killed him another
day.”
    Anger made most people reckless and stupid.
It was almost too easy to take Rahvert down. Aethan thrust the
dagger into the demon’s heart, then jerked it free and slashed
Rahvert across the carotid. Blood poured as the body fell. Aethan
didn't bother looking back. The fucker was history. In death, his
corpse would soon be hauled back to the Dark Realm, or sent to
Purgatory.
    Tossing the demon’s bloody blade into a
nearby dumpster, Aethan flashed to his mate, his blood pounding in
his head, his heart in his throat. He staggered to a halt.
    Echo fought a demonii twice her size. She
jumped back as the fucker tried to grab her and smirked. “Is that
all you’ve got?”
    His protective instinct kicked in. About to
sprint over, she slammed into his mind, stopping him dead. Aethan, this kill is mine.
    It was the hardest thing for a protective
male like him to do, stand by and let her take on this scourge. Gut
instinct warned him to let her be. It was important for the both of
them. Knowing his mate, she would never forgive him if he
interfered.
    Movement stirred in the shadows as if giving
life to more evil. Two more demoniis took form and joined their
cohort. Fuck this. He wasn't letting her fight three. With
preternatural speed, he was beside her.
    The demoniis’ red eyes glowing feverishly
with lust had Aethan’s irritation soaring.
    “Never look at my mate that way!” He lashed
out a kick, sending one crashing against the wall, and punched the
other in the throat. The one he’d kicked charged him. Aethan
slammed