Free Master Unchained (Stealth Guardians Book 2) by Tina Folsom

Not that she seemed to be listening to him now.
    Shit! Way to screw up on the first day of an assignment!

11
     
    Anger and frustration rolling off him in dark waves, Zoltan marched along one of the corridors of his underworld empire, a labyrinth of underground caves. The interconnected chambers covered several square miles. The only way to enter or exit this stronghold was via the vortexes, the swirling portals only a demon’s power could open. While in the human world portals could be projected onto practically any surface on ground level, the demon’s lair had specific access points that allowed for vortexes. All were guarded by loyal demons.
    As he entered the Great Hall, red flames flickered through the cracks of the uneven stone walls, underscoring the fact that this lair was located in the belly of hell. And he was its ruler, the Great One. The king of all demons. Though today he wasn’t happy with his subjects. No, in fact, he was furious with them.
    The news he’d received from up top—from his network of spies in the human world—was disturbing. And it required an immediate response, one that would teach his subjects that he wasn’t to be trifled with. After all, many of them had witnessed not too long ago how he’d killed their previous leader in this very hall and taken the reins of the underworld.
    “Who’s responsible for this?”
    Zoltan tossed the newspaper on the stone floor where two dozen of his demons stood in stoic silence, their shoulders hunched like the cowards they were. Nobody uttered a word. Just like he’d expected. None of them was brave enough to take credit for the incident that was plastered all over the front page.
    “When I told you to show initiative, I didn’t mean this!” he growled through clenched teeth and pointed to the paper on the floor. “An attack on the life of that councilwoman? What in hell were you thinking, you stupid fucks!”
    Clearly they hadn’t been thinking at all or they would have known what effect their action would have.
    “Do you have any idea the damage you’ve caused?” He scoffed. “Of course you don’t, because you’re imbeciles. It’s a wonder you can guide your own dicks to piss. Your mothers should have drowned you at birth!”
    One of the demons bowed, before taking a step forward and lifting his head. “Oh, Great One, I assure you we had nothing to do with it.”
    “Liar!”
    He charged toward the demon. Instantly the weasel shrank back, trying to hide in the ranks of his brethren, but Zoltan had had enough of the cowardly behavior his underlings exhibited and snatched the demon by the throat. Holding him up in the air and squeezing his windpipe shut, Zoltan glared at the other demons, daring them to help the coward.
    “By attacking that councilwoman, all you’ve done is aid her campaign in becoming mayor. Don’t you fucking see that?” No, they were too stupid to make the connection that he could see so clearly. He had to spell it out for them. “Now she’s getting the sympathy vote from all those who were still undecided. You fucking idiots!”
    The demon in his hold continued to struggle, frantically trying to pry Zoltan’s hand off his neck. To no avail. He’d always been stronger than the other demons, even before he’d taken the helm as the new Great One. He’d always felt that he was destined for more. Even from an early age, he’d realized that he was smarter than the other demons. Superior to them.
    Zoltan looked at the demon as he choked him, the skin turning green from the blood that collected underneath. He felt his own heart beat an excited tattoo against his ribcage in anticipation of his subject’s death. What was one dead demon when he could cement his reign with this display of superiority? After all, they were replaceable—each of them as dumb as the next one.
    “Do I have to show you myself how it’s done? How you manipulate humans to get them to do what you want? Do you need another lesson?”
    He