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heavy breathing. The silence after the storm was deafening. 
    Sweat dripped between Thorne’s shoulder blades as his heart hammered in his chest. 
    Both panting, Thanatos dropped his sword to his side first and then Thorne followed. 
    For a brief moment no one moved. Thorne cast a glance around the room at all of the dead bodies littering the floor. Every last daemon was dead … other than their leader of course. 
    “Well that was fun,” Nike said sarcastically. Her gown was drenched in blood and the tangy smell of copper hung in the air. 
    “It seems we’ve come to an impasse,” Thanatos declared, turning back into his human form. “I suppose we could continue to go about this all day, but it appears the three of us are hard to kill.”
    “You don’t say,” Thorne muttered wryly. 
    “And I have an engagement I have to attend.” 
    Thorne blinked. Was this guy for real?  
    “So what do you propose as a solution to our little dilemma?” Benny asked, wiping his brow. 
    “That’s completely up to you,” Thanatos tilted his head in the direction of the carnage, “but it seems you won’t win this battle with a sword. And neither will I,” he conceded with a sigh. 
    Before Thorne could reply, the door creaked open. 

Chapter 6
     
    “What the hell is going on in here?” Kataya demanded, looking incredulous. Her face grew paler when she took in the dead daemons littering the floor. 
    Standing in her middle-aged form, she gawked at the carnage that was left lying on the Persian rugs. Piles and piles of bodies. 
    The pungent smell of sulfur hung in the air. 
    Thanatos’s chest rose sharply up and down as he continued to catch his breath from the bloodshed. “Just having a little fun, love. Nothing to worry about.” 
    Her eyes widened as round as saucers. “Nothing to worry about?”
    Thanatos tilted his head a little to the left and closed his eyes while he conjured up his magick. Instantly the dead bodies vanished. All that were left was the stains of crimson blood on the floor. “You see, dear, you’re not the only one with hidden talents.” 
    “Kataya, meet Thanatos,” Nike declared with a wave of her hand. 
    “No!” Kataya shook her head. “It’s not true. Geoffrey. Tell me it’s not true.” 
    Looking down at his wrist, he straightened his sleeve and brushed off some gore that had landed on him. “Oh, but I’m afraid it is. How much longer do we have until our interview?”
    Kataya’s mouth opened and closed like a little fish out of water. Her eyes met Thorne’s and he lifted a shoulder. He had no advice to give. But he was glad she’d seen with her own eyes what a monster the man she’d thought she knew was. 
    Thorne’s shoulder and side ached where the blades had gone through him like butter. Thankfully he was already healing. Unfortunately, healing hurt like hell. 
    Strangely composed, Kataya said, “The interview is in thirty-five minutes. I was coming to tell you that we had to leave right away if we were going to make it.”
    “They’ll wait. I need to shower.” Thanatos brushed a wayward hand through his hair, which was barely out of place. Slowly, he turned toward Thorne. “I take it I don’t need to show you the way out?” 
    Thorne glanced at Benny, not sure what to do at this point. Were they just supposed to walk away? Fight another day, as the saying goes? It was obvious the three of them combined didn’t have a chance in hell of taking Thanatos. 
    “You three are quite impressive. I must admit,” Thanatos said, his voice holding a bit of respect. And Thorne was pissed to feel himself appreciating the praise. 
    “We aim to please,” Thorne replied bitterly. 
    “I’m sure we’ll meet again, but for now I need to speak with my wife and make my way to the interview.”
    Thorne shook his head in disbelief. The daemon had a lot of nerve, he’d give him that. Thorne leaned closer to Thanatos and lowered his voice. “There’s been something