He agreed, but it wasn’t his place to pass judgement. He turned back to his Sentinel, and they disappeared.
“Can you get the door for us, Millie?” Sara asked.
Millie jumped at the disembodied voice but did as she was told.
They found and eliminated several more demons along the main street, then turned towards the fire hall. The brick and metal building stood by itself at the edge of town. Children’s voices drifted from the open windows. He and Sara crept along the side of the structure until they reached one of the windows.
Darian peered inside. Two dozen kids sat on the concrete floor in a large circle. Three women sat amongst them, talking quietly. Several long tables occupied the opposite side of the open space. The Csökkent sat at one of the tables, playing cards, while the demons paced along the back wall.
The children are terrified, Darian, and the women are barely hanging on themselves, Sara said.
I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want those things looming over me all day either.
Hold onto me for a minute, I’m taking all of them.
Sara don’t, please. We will need your strength for the battle at the camp.
Darian felt her hesitate.
Do you have another suggestion? she asked.
Yes, actually. The women and children are separated from the demons. Let’s use that to our advantage. There’s another door behind the fire trucks in the back. Do you see it?
Yes.
We’ll come in that door. You can eliminate as many as possible with your daggers, then put up a shield between the demons and the kids.
And leave you to fight the rest on your own?
It’s what I do best, my lady. Besides, I’m expecting you to kill all the demons, and I’ll clean up the Csökkent.
Thanks!
Her sarcasm made him smile.
Come on. We’re running out of time.
They jogged to the back of the building, and Darian gently pushed the door. It scraped on the floor and he stopped, listening for any sign of discovery. The only sound from inside was the children’s’ voices singing a familiar song. He pushed the door a little farther and squeezed through the opening. Sara’s grip tightened on his belt as she eased in behind him.
Great! Now I’m gonna have that song stuck in my head, she complained.
They moved silently behind the fire truck then towards the center of a large bay. Darian positioned them between the demons and the humans.
Ready when you are, he said.
The pressure on his belt eased. He turned towards the Csökkent as she raised her hands, whipping them to the left towards the demons on the back wall. As seven of the eight demons fell backwards with the impact of Sara’s daggers, Darian teleported the short distance to the Csökkent. The dagger in his left hand entered the first Csökkent’s neck, piercing straight through. He spun around the dead cultist and plunged his right-hand dagger into the next man’s eye. They fell together, and Darian turned towards his Sentinel.
An enormous, translucent wall stood between the remaining demon and Seraphina. It pounded against her shield with its axe, sending showers of sparks falling to the ground with each strike. It was the sole survivor, and it howled in fury. Darian closed the gap between him and the creature in six long strides. He raised both daggers and drove them down into the demon’s neck. Black blood poured over his hands in spurts, and the monster collapsed at his feet.
Sara’s shield vanished, and her knees gave out. He slid to the ground and sat next to her.
“You okay?”
“Yep, just tired,” she said. “This takes way too much energy.”
The doors to the fire hall burst open, and six warriors stormed in.
“Oh, hell!” David bellowed. “We’re too late. Why do you never save any for us?”
Darian shook his head. “Get the kids loaded into the truck. I’ll take care of this.” He waved at the dead bodies, intending to burn all of them.
“And the little lady?” David asked, glancing at Sara’s exhausted frame.
“Yeah, I got her too,” Darian replied. “Any issues on your end?”
“Yep, Claud met us on the road,” David replied. “The rest of the demon army will be at the camp in less than two hours.”
“And you didn’t think to start the conversation with that?”
Darian jumped to his feet and helped usher the kids out of the fire hall. The warriors had an assembly line going, tossing the kids into the back of the truck. They giggled with delight at the game, and the women with them displayed their appreciation with huge smiles of relief.
When the room emptied, Darian and David started dragging the bodies into a pile. At some point during the process, Sara joined them.
“We can do this without you, little girl,” David said when she tried to help. “Take a break while you can. The real fight starts when we get back.”
She sighed and sat at the nearest table.
“Why do you always call me that?” She asked when they were done, and David stepped back to allow Darian space to create his small furnace.
David turned and gave her his full attention. Darian watched the exchanged with interest. He already knew the story but couldn’t wait to see Sara’s reaction.
“I got to spend two full years babysitting you,” he replied. “You will always be that little girl to me.”
“You too?” she asked, her eyebrows nearly reaching her hairline. “How old was I? I don’t remember seeing you.”
He leaned against the table next to her. “I taught kindergarten and first grade.” He winked at her, and she blushed.
“Don’t worry, we all know about your crush on the kindergarten teacher,” Darian called out. “Now let’s get back to camp so we can prepare for the next battle.”
“Were you really my teacher?” Sara asked pushing herself from the chair. “I remember him being much larger.”
“You were just really small, little girl,” David replied with a chuckle.
Chapter 46
Seraphina
Sara and Darian stood at the northern fence with two hundred soldiers. Claud, David and the rest of the warriors and scouts lined the southeastern fence. Ali’s team of scouts ran across the demons advancing from Fort Laramie two hours ago, while Claud’s group led the demon army toward the trap on the northern fence.
They hadn’t expected to split their forces, but now they had no choice. Sara and Darian would attempt to kill as many demons as possible after they fell to the acres of land mines laid out for them.
“Remember, you are not alone in this fight, Sara,” Darian said quietly, standing inches from her. “You do not have to attack their minds.”
“Yes, I know,” she replied, knowing she would use it if she had to. She wouldn’t allow a bunch of people to die if she could take the demons out. Even if it cost her a day in bed to do it.
“I’m not sure you do.” He looked down at her with a scowl. “You keep using that ability, knowing that it drains your strength. You need to pace yourself and only use it if you have to.”
“Yes, Lord Darian.” She drawled out his name, and a low growl started in his chest. She didn’t even try to hide her grin.
“You are infuriating,” Darian hissed.
“Here they come!” a young soldier called out, drawing them back to the forthcoming battle.
He had binoculars plastered to his face, scanning back and forth over the horizon. The sun setting in the west cast long shadows across the open field, and a cool breeze caressed Sara’s skin. She shivered.
“Don’t trigger the mines until they’re at the three-hundred marker!” Captain Mills commanded.
A half dozen more soldiers held the remote controls for the mines planted in the field. Anticipation and fear wafted across the troops in waves, making Sara dizzy. Darian caught her arm and steadied her.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “Just a lot of emotion running around right now.”
“Try to shut them out, if you can,” Dari
an said.
She rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”
“Now who’s being an ass?” Darian quipped.
“Five hundred!” the soldier with binoculars called out. “Four-fifty!”
“Can you see how many?” Sara asked.
Darian closed his eyes, and she watched his expression as he searched the demons.
“Four hundred!”
“At least three hundred demons, possibly a few Csökkent in the back. Only half of the group has advanced.” Darian’s eyes opened and dropped to hers. Fear and anticipation drifted towards her.
“Three-fifty!”
“Get ready,” Captain Mills voice called out.
“Three hundred!”
“Fire in the hole!”
The field exploded in a series of echoing booms. Pieces of demon flesh mixed with rock and red clay showered the ground. The remaining demon army roared and surged forward.
“Are you ready, my lady?”
“As always.”
She took Darian’s outstretched hand, and they teleported to the ruined field.
“They’re really pissed,” she said as she raised her hands. She pushed back the red haze cloaking her vision.
“Stay out of their minds, Seraphina.”
Darian had taken to using her full name only when he was serious or angry about something, and she figured she should listen to him, at least for now.
“Yes, dear.”
Darian’s wall of fire burst to life fifty yards in front of her. She added her shield wall and together they rushed the oncoming army. Unfortunately, the demons anticipated their attack.
“The group is splitting down the middle!” Darian yelled. “Collapse on the left side and reform!”
His firewall shifted to the left, and she followed it. Fifty demons on that side were immediately swallowed by his flames. She crushed them beneath her wall, then spun around to face the group that was now behind them. She immediately created another shield, expecting to see Darian’s wall of fire. A whirling tornado sped by her, scooping up demons like a vacuum. He pushed his arms to the side, and the whirlwind carried them towards the last group. They scattered like roaches running from the light.
Sara created another wall on the north side of the demon army, trapping them between it and Darian’s tornado. He smashed thirty or more of the creatures into her shield, and she fell to her knees. The whirlwind vanished, and Darian wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Time to let the soldiers take care of the rest,” he said between gasps.
He teleported them back behind the line, and they both fell to the ground.
“It’s all yours, Captain.”
“We’ve got this,” Captain Mills said looking at them with awe. “It won’t be as impressive as yours, though.”
“Captain! Two hundred yards!”
“Fire in the hole!”
Once again, the field exploded, taking another wave of demons with it. The sound of fifty caliber gunfire replaced the detonations along with several grenade launchers. The demons fell in waves before finally retreating. She watched in horror as they skirted the field towards the southeastern fence. They would join their brethren on the other side.
“Any chance we can get a snack before we join the other side?” Sara asked. “I’m famished.”
Darian didn’t respond but teleported her once again, this time to the door of the dining hall. It was packed full of refugees. Some milling about, others eating rations prepared by the army cooks. The fear in the room nearly overwhelmed her.
“Never mind,” she said. “I think there’s some jerky in my bag in the dorm.”
She didn’t wait for him to carry her there but enacted the teleport spell on her own and landed hard on one of the low bunks.
She found her bag and wished for anything besides the jerky awaiting her. “How about brownies or Cheetos? I’d even settle for a Twinkie.”
Darian arrived beside her and chuckled. He reached into the magical bag and pulled out a pack of beef jerky.
“That does not look like chocolate chip cookies,” she muttered.
“Nope, it looks like dried meat that takes thirty minutes to chew.”
She sighed and took the piece he offered her. It was all she’d get. “Why aren’t you as exhausted as me? And don’t tell me you’ve had years of practice.”
He remained silent as he chewed. What did she expect? She told him not to tell her it was years of practice.
“Okay, so after two hundred years of practice, I’ll be able to create whatever I want and hold it for as long as I want. I get it.” She took another bite, chewing reluctantly but knowing she needed the calories.
“You know,” Darian said, “You get grumpy when you’re tired and hungry.”
“Of course I do! I’d be a lot less grumpy if this tasted like cheesecake.”
He laughed, and she couldn’t help but smile. She was grumpy but for good reason. She expended huge amounts of energy in the last couple of hours. Of course, Darian was right about conserving it, but she hadn’t listened. Maybe she would next time.
“Would it help if I gave you some of my strength?” he asked. “We still have another army of demons approaching from the south.”
“I remember that from last time,” she replied. “I don’t think you have enough left to keep me from draining you dry.”
He chuckled. “I think you have a little more self-control now.”
“How do you have anything left to give?” she asked. “I saw the power you used, even felt most of it.”
“I told you before. My well of power is pretty deep, and I’ve learned the hard way how to use it wisely. You can’t go into the next fight exhausted.”
Could she really take his strength from him? It seemed really selfish on her part, but she was exhausted. She’d be useless if she had to fight again, and what were the chances that she wouldn’t? Yeah, right.
“How much longer before they reach the southern fence?” she asked.
“Maybe half an hour if we’re lucky,” he replied.
“Alright, I’ll do my best to mind my own business and pay attention to my cue to let go.”
Sara remained seated on the bunk which sat about ten inches off the floor. She tucked her feet beneath the frame, and Darian knelt in front of her, sitting back on his heels. He laid his hands on her knees, palms up.
“Ready when you are.”
She rubbed her sweaty palms on her hips, then placed her hands over his. The memory from last time was fresh in her mind, and she worried she wouldn’t be able to let go. His rush of strength was like a drug that made her soar. Don’t miss your cue, stupid, she told herself.
“Stay focused on my face,” he said. “Don’t close your eyes.”
“Got it.”
She allowed herself to be drawn to his deep blue eyes. How were anyone’s eyes that color? It had to be unnatural. Maybe it was Magdelin’s fault. Had she healed him too many times? No, that was stupid. They had to be his.
She flinched as his fiery magic pushed through her right hand and straight to her heart. It pounded in her chest, and a warmth exploded through her core that made her face flush. The high she was expecting wasn’t there, but a fierce desire she didn’t want to admit to pulsed through her veins. Where the hell did that come from? The burn in her chest from earlier that day flared again, drawing her to him. Seriously? It had to be their bond. Raphael said it would get stronger. Magdelin said their hearts and minds would become one. But they hadn’t spent that much time together, so how was it happening already?
She watched Darian’s pupils expand until only a sliver of his blue eyes remained.
“I think that’s enough,” she whispered, barely able to speak. The heat in her core burned for his touch, and regardless of her efforts, it wasn’t cooling down.
“Yep,” he murmured.
Darian pulled his hands from hers and placed them on his own knees. She continued to stare at him, feeling her hands reach for hi
s neck. Her fingers ran through the back of his hair, and she pulled herself toward him.
His hands snaked around her hips and pulled her closer. She leaned her forehead against his and took a deep breath. What was she doing? It was like she wasn’t in control of her own body.
“Why didn’t it feel this way last time?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her, but his hands teased her hips and lower back, running beneath her shirt and up her spine.
“I… We…”
She tried to say ‘wait’ or ‘no,’ but she didn’t mean it. Her tongue wouldn’t articulate what she wanted to say, and Darian took the option from her with his own lips. He kissed her with the same passion as before, but his urgent need for her made her head spin. Was he deliberately not trying to contain his emotions, or was she invading his mind? She couldn’t tell the difference, and his tongue distracted her from thinking about it.
She ran her hands down his chest, her fingers grazing the leather straps for his daggers. She followed it to the buckle at his waist and pulled it free.
“Seraphina,” Darian’s voice interrupted her efforts, and his finger titled her chin, forcing her to look at him. “As much as I want this right now…”
She put her fingers over his lips to silence him, but he took them away.
“You’re not ready,” he said quietly.
“Is that what you got from this?” she replied, pulling her hands free and pushing the strap over his shoulder. His daggers dropped to the floor with a clatter.
“I think you’re in the best position to know better than that,” he replied.
She definitely was. She wiggled her hips against him and searched for the end of his shirt, pulling it over his head.
“Sara! I’m pretty sure all of this is from the exchange of power. If we do this now, you will look back with regret.”
She stopped with her hands on his bare back. The muscle flexed beneath her fingers, and she looked at him. His blue eyes were almost normal, but she could feel his heart racing with hers.
“I need you to want me when you’re ready, not because of some effect of our magic.”
She closed her eyes, but she couldn’t separate her emotions from his. Was he right? Was it just a mix of their magic causing this desire, or was it really hers?
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