Call of the Siren by Rosalie Lario

hours,” he said without turning back around.
    His mind on his current mission, Ronin left without even processing her response.

Chapter Five
    Belpheg paced the floors in the private reception chamber of his castle nestled deep in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. When his hands shook uncontrollably, he shoved them inside the voluminous sleeves of his flowing black robe, praying his assistant didn’t realize how little control he was starting to have over his own body. He would give the demon no opportunity to question his authority.
    Turning to face the hubrin demon, he asked, “Do you know why I summoned you here today, Thorne?”
    The tall hubrin demon shuffled in his spot, appearing distinctly uneasy. Good. That was just how Belpheg wanted him.
    “No?” said Thorne, more of a question than answer.
    The air around Belpheg crackled with his anger at the obvious lie, and the demon took a cautious step back.
    “I discovered you went to see the angel without my approval.”
    Thorne blanched. “I can explain—”
    Belpheg lifted his hand, and Thorne clutched his throat, struggling for breath. Sometimes it was truly fun to be such a powerful being. But then his hand trembled, easing the constriction around Thorne’s neck. Belpheg muttered an inward curse and played off his momentary weakness by hiding his hand in the folds of his robe. “What possible reason could you have for seeking her against my orders?”
    “I…I wanted to see her. I thought if I could reestablish a relationship, then maybe—”
    “I don’t pay you to think, do I?”
    Thorne cast his gaze to the ground. “No. I’m sorry.”
    “If you disobey me again, I’ll kill you.”
    When Thorne nodded his understanding, Belpheg turned his back on the demon. He truly hoped he didn’t have to kill Thorne…yet. Who would have known when he recruited him several months ago that the man would turn out to be so useful?
    It was through Thorne that Belpheg had learned of an angel mercenary who’d been adopted by a woman with a half angel, half demon son. From there it had been a simple matter to confirm that her adopted brother was one of Mammon’s sons. Hybrids weren’t all that common, especially of the angel-demon variety.
    After Belpheg’s twelfth minion, Asmodeus, had betrayed him and proved himself unworthy, Belpheg had hired Lina to kill Asmodeus with the true intent of orchestrating a reunion between the angel and Mammon’s son. Now that they’d been back in each others’ lives for several months, long enough to reestablish a bond, he would use her as bait to lure Mammon’s sons to him. Once Belpheg drained them of their power and transferred it to Mammon, by way of the succubi he held chained in one of the towers, he would have his twelfth all-powerful minion…and he would be primed to complete the magical circle that would center his body and strengthen his power.
    Belpheg speared Thorne with his gaze. “Do not contact the angel again until I tell you to do so.”
    When Thorne gave him an anxious nod, Belpheg turned and crossed to the marble pedestal in one corner of his dark, wood-paneled reception chamber. On top of the pedestal laid his most prized possession, the clan scrolls he’d been able to retrieve before his village was razed to the ground. Through them, he’d discovered a spell to stabilize the massive amounts of energy coursing through his veins. Power beyond what any one vessel was built to contain. In fact, if all went according to plan, once the spell was done, his power would increase tenfold.
    His clan had been the most powerful amongst the dark fae, but as a result of their inbred energy, their bodies grew weaker with time. So one of the elders had devised the magical circle to center their abilities…but it could only be performed on a solstice or equinox and required the Transformative Power of Twelve: the aid of a dozen gifted men, each of whom had been gifted with twelve special abilities.
    Belpheg had