Free Claimed by Light by Reese Monroe

and a dainty hand fell into hers. Addison must really love Slade to trust a total stranger. Then again, the thoughts streaming out of the young kid’s mind indicated she’d only buddied up with Jace to find Slade.
    What was it with the Bennet family? Everyone sacrificing themselves for each other. These guys didn’t know what they were dealing with. Demons were professional tricksters. Deal-breakers. Cheats. Murderers—
    Two massive bodies rounded the corner at the end of the hallway—and one was Jace. “I knew I smelled a Shomrei here.”
    Well, shit.
    “Addison, come here.” Jace waved her to him.
    “Sorry, buddy, she’s with me. What’s a Shom— How do you say that word?”
    The demon beside Jace cocked his head as if confused.
    “Funny, Gatekeeper. Your angelic stench rolls off you.”
    Halena raised her arm and sniffed her pit. “I just thought it was that pretty powder-fresh scent.”
    Addison’s hand tightened around Halena’s, and a wave of fear bore into her. Damn if that didn’t tug at Halena’s heart.
    The confines of this tiny hallway didn’t help matters. Addison to worry about, a dead end behind, and the two hulks in front of Halena blocked the only exits.
    “Look. No scenes here,” Halena said. “Not in public.”
    “Then give me the girl.” Jace smiled. “And we’ll let you leave.”
    “ Let me leave?” Oh, now this guy was just pissing her off. She could clean the floor with these two demons, no matter how enormous they were.
    But she had Addison to worry about. She tried to play it off as her Shomrei responsibility to protect humans, but deep down she knew it was more. This was Slade’s sister. The person he’d given up so much to protect. She had to take care of this girl, because if Halena could save Slade—and that was a big if—she needed to keep Addison safe to reunite them.
    “Fine.” She tugged at Addison, and the girl squealed.
    As she maneuvered Addison in front of her, feigning to turn her over to Jace, Halena slid out a Mavet.
    She tossed the dagger and shoved Addison face-first into the wall, holding her there with a palm to her back. “ Reverto ut Abyssus .”
    The skewered demon vanished just as Jace lunged. Damn it, this was going to get messy, and this was a very public place.
    Halena pressed Addison to the other wall as she kicked Jace in the throat. She dropped and punched his groin, then pushed her back against the wall directly beside Addison as the tower fell forward. She kicked his back, then snatched her Mavet and hurried toward the exit.
    Jace roared as he hopped to his feet. Screams cut through the air as Addison and Halena backed into the main room. “Security! Help! There’s a guy trying to hurt us,” Halena yelled in her most girly voice.
    The two guards manning the entrance leaped into action, each grabbing one of Jace’s arms. “Hold it right there.”
    The tips of Jace’s fangs retracted. He must have agreed that it’d be too much of a scene to battle here. Too much trancing would have to be done to cover this up.
    “Go,” Halena whispered to her charge. No, not a charge. To Addison. Not Addie or Addster. No nicknames. No connections.
    She could not allow this girl to crack through her heart any more than she already had. More than her brother already had.
    “Are you deaf? Move .” Halena pointed to the now-unguarded exit.
    The frightened girl took off down the stairs. Halena stayed close behind, pocketing her daggers.
    “Out the door and to the right.”
    The girl followed the instructions without another word. Trust radiated from Addie—no— Addison . Trust in Halena. But so did love for Slade.
    That one hurt the most. Halena didn’t love Slade, though. Before he’d betrayed her, she’d been ready to love him for a night…no strings. But now strings ruled the scene. She couldn’t afford to love anyone. After losing Dru, Halena had spent four centuries working hard at never loving anyone, because she knew she wouldn’t