Morgan was the first to run through, followed by Keisha, Ceris, and Victor. Micah and I were next, with Zelen and Izaera right behind us, then the nymphs. Halfway down the path, the growl of demons and the snapping of vines told me we needed to rush.
A claw broke through the wall of vines and scratched my upper arm.
“Ow,” I muttered. I raised my sword, but Micah was faster. His blade sliced through the air, taking the demon’s arm with the cut—déjà vu. The limb landed on the ground with a pool of blood.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. “How bad is it?” He stole a quick glance at the wound.
“Not too bad,” I said, peeking at it. Three red lines with a little blood trickling from it. “Just scratches.”
We reached the trees and increased our speed. The demons were breaking free.
Weaving through the dying trees, I tripped and stumbled, my steps stalled by grabbing roots and my legs snagged on branches.
Fifteen minutes of running—my heart pounded in my chest—and growls echoed from directly behind us.
“We’re almost there!” Ceris cried from the front of the group.
Almost there was relative. It could be ten steps; it could be another ten minutes. Honestly, I didn’t think we had that long before they caught up with us.
The trees and shrubbery thinned out as we approached the edge of the protective shield, making it easier to maneuver through the woods. My footfalls fell deftly now.
A growl of a demon sounded to my left. Micah, still holding my hand, yanked me out of the way, and then kicked the demon. He was about to swing his sword at it, but Izaera used her powers. Vines twined around the demon’s arms, legs, and torso, and tugged it high into a tree, where it dangled like a wild beast caught in a hunter’s trap.
“There’s no time,” Izaera whispered.
“What?” I asked, confused.
I glanced back. She stopped and pointed her scepter at the demons charging her. More walls of vines surged, blocking their way, but it was easy to see that it wouldn’t hold them for long.
She moved again but not as fast as before. What was she doing?
Micah’s grip tightened around my hand. “By the Everlast.” He cursed under his breath.
I looked at him. “What?”
“Omi,” he said, glancing back.
Ceris and Morgan had already slowed their steps and were watching behind us.
Big trees fell to the side as if they weighed as much as each of their leaves, opening a path covered in fire.
Omi sauntered over it with a big smile on his drunken face. “By the Everlast, look what we’ve got here.”
Micah pushed me behind him, and Victor came to stand beside him. I was towered by giants, but most of all, I felt cheated. Why did they feel the need to protect me? I could take care of myself.
Ceris extended her hand, and her scepter appeared on her palm. She stood beside Izaera and Zelen, with Keisha behind them. Morgan seemed undecided if he should stay by Keisha or by Micah and Victor.
“You destroyed my forest, Omi,” Izaera said, her voice much more confident than before.
He scoffed. “Who cares about a forest? Not interesting. Now, interesting are those two men in front of Nadine. Their auras are quite interesting.” I watched him through the small space between Victor’s and Micah’s arms. His gaze found mine, and I gasped as goose bumps crawled up my arms. His eerie smile widened. “Hello there, Nadine. I missed you. Oh, and I miss your family too.”
Rage bubbled in the pit of my stomach, surging up like a volcano and transforming my rage into stamina. I pushed Micah and Victor aside and marched forward with every intention of slashing Omi’s throat with my sword. Big hands clasped around my arms and held me back.
“Let me go!” I hissed.
“That’s what he wants,” Micah whispered, holding my left arm. “To provoke you and have you go to him.”
I jerked against his hold. “It’s working.”
“Don’t let it work,” Victor said, his grip firm around my right arm.
Omi chuckled. “Oh, Nadine, won’t you introduce me to your friends?”
In his dreams. Even then, he would have a hard time getting any answers from me.
“You’re wasting your time, Omi,” Ceris spoke.
His eyes turned to Ceris, a wicked shine in them. “Ceris, my dear sister. I enjoyed our cat and mouse game. It has been fun, really, but everything has a limit. Time to surrender.”
Ceris let out one of her witch-like laughs. “Do you really know me so little?”
Narrowing his eyes, Omi tilted his head. “Not really.”
He raised his hands to the sky, and Akuma flew down, at the same time more Arak and Ornek popped out from behind trees.
“Run!” Ceris said. Her scepter was in her hand, and she produced a shield between Omi and us. Then she turned and darted with us. “Only a few more yards. Go!”
The shield detained Omi and the demons for a couple of minutes.
I looked up in time to see one of the winged demons descending with eyes and claws trained on me. I waited until it was closer, then jumped to the side, and slashed its wing with my sword. The demon let out an agonizing shriek, then turned to me, its claws ready once more. It swiped, and I parried it drawing its gooey blood. It came at me again, and I ducked stepping around it and slashing its side. The creature cried, spitting rage. I emerged behind it, and before it realized where I was, I buried my sword in its chest.
It cried and thrashed. When I pulled my sword out, it collapsed face-first to the ground.
Micah was right by my side, fighting two demons; Victor was by Micah’s side, fighting another two. Keisha was a few feet farther, and she had three demons sweating. Morgan had the Crimson Dagger, and it was all he could do to defend himself. Zelen fought one demon with his staff. For an old man, he was quite agile. Izaera conjured more vines while throwing green bolts that rendered demons immobile. Ceris created shields to detain the demons and threw pink energy balls at them.
A guttural growl sounded from behind me. I sidestepped as the dumb creature rushed me, catching it with my blade across the abdomen. It fell on its knees before slumping to the side—dead in the withering grass. My heart thundered in my chest, and I couldn’t think about what my fate would have been had I not heard its growl.
Another Ornek announced its arrival, its growl raised the hair on my neck. It swung its claw at my face, and I jumped back in time, feeling the swoosh of its talons against my cheeks. My heart pounded, and I stepped into it feigning right. The creature fell for it, and I let my sword drop on its side. It shrieked, trying to claw me as it collapsed on its knees. With a growl of my own, I raised my sword and pierced its back.
I pulled my sword back, nausea swirling in my stomach. I wasn’t one to feel sick easily, but I was deliberately killing—demons, yes, but killing nonetheless.
I put a hand over my stomach but had to focus back on the fight when an Arak and an Ornek charged me.
Coordinating their attacks, the Arak parried my blow, and the Ornek caught my wrist. It twisted my arm in hopes I would let go of my sword. I groaned with the pain. The Arak clawed my shoulder, and it was about to do it again when I decided to make it or break it. I bent my knees and let my whole weight pull me down, bringing the demon with me. Holding the demon’s arm, I fell on my back and pushed it over me with my legs. It toppled over the Arak, and both tangled to the ground. Ignoring the pains and aches, I jumped up and pierced my sword through both demons. The sounds of cutting flesh and the nasty smell of their gooey blood made me sick, but I pushed all I could, making sure both were dead.
“Wow, darling, that was impressive,” Micah said. I pulled my sword from the corpses and looked up. He winked before slashing the throat of the demon he fought. Then he turned to me with one of his cocky smiles. “And hot too.”
I rolled my eyes. Great timing.
The ground shook as a loud boom echoed through the forest. Micah gripped my
elbow, and we used each other to stay upright.
I looked around.
Ceris produced a large shield around us, and Omi cast a huge, heavy bolt. He threw it at the shield. It hit and broke the barrier, causing a similar boom that vibrated through the air and the ground.
“Keep moving,” Victor said, pushing through the bodies on the ground, toward the border of Zelen’s shield.
We moved, fighting the few demons that reached us around the shield. A new boom resonated through the air every few seconds, almost sending us to the ground.
“Here,” Zelen said. He was a few feet in front of us. “The shield ends here.”
Micah grabbed my hand again and pulled me forward, killing demons that stepped in our way as if he were a machine. Victor had an arm around Morgan’s waist, hauling the priest to Zelen.
Izaera was right behind us. “Ceris!” she yelled. “Come, sister.” She raised her scepter and vines shot out from the dying grass and wrapped around Omi. “Now!”
Ceris raised one last shield, and then made a mad dash. Her steps dragged as if she were running in slow motion. At the barrier, Victor waited for her, his hand extended.
“Come on,” he said. I could hear the urgent tone in his voice, and it tugged at my heart, almost like a jealous pang. He still loved her. “Come on.”
We waited with him, hands already clasped.
“Izaera,” Zelen said. “You can take them out of here.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know where to and only the Fates know how long it would take to find her again.”
Zelen opened his mouth, but he was interrupted.
“Aaaahhhh!” Omi broke free. Without wasting a second, he destroyed the shield with one of his bolts. The fire was back, stronger and bigger, and more demons made their way out of the trees.
Keeping one foot on the other side of the barrier, Victor reached for Ceris. When her fingers brushed his, he clasped his hand around her wrist and pulled her to him. She bumped into him, knocking them back, just outside the barrier. His arms tightened around her.
Behind them, a sea of red bolts flew toward us.
“Oh, God,” I whispered.
“Ceris, now!” Izaera shouted.
Ceris closed her hands over ours and transported us to safety.
21
Wincing, I opened one of the cabinets and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol. I ached all over. Thankfully I had only a few scratches and exhaustion, which was better than Morgan and the open gash across his stomach. After cleaning the wound as best as he could, Victor stitched the cut. One of the perks of being a former medical resident.
Victor also checked on Keisha, but like me, she only had scratches. He tried looking me over, but I knew enough about cleaning scratches to do it on my own. Now, I needed painkillers. Lots of them.
I closed the cabinet, and the mirror on it showed Ceris behind me standing under the doorframe of one of the partitions in the infirmary, her hair tangled, her dress stained with blood and dirt, her expression tired.
I unscrewed the cap, took out three pills, put them in my mouth, and swallowed them.
Sighing, I turned and leaned against the counter, crossing my arms. “How are the others?”
“Morgan will be fine,” she said. “It’ll take him a while to heal, but he’ll survive. Keisha is camping in his bedroom tonight, to keep an eye on him.”
“What about Izaera and Zelen?”
“They are in shock, to say the least. They lost their forest and were forced into hiding. However, Zelen seems worse since he had no idea his nymphs had been corrupted.”
I still wondered about how that happened. “That was a shock to all of us.”
“It was.”
I hated seeing this side of her. Caring, compassionate, a true mother and guide to her herd. It made the rage I felt over all she had done to me seem unreal, misdirected. She had been evil, hadn’t she?
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Her brows slammed down. “Not really.”
“I should get some rest then,” I said, walking toward the door.
She stepped to the side, allowing me to pass. “Yes, you should. Everyone is in need of rest right now.”
I walked out, then one of my mental notes prickled in my mind and I couldn’t ignore it.
I stopped and turned, staring into her eyes. “Earlier today, Zelen mentioned I was different, that my aura is powerful but not strong.” How could something be powerful but not strong? “Imha said the same thing when I was with her, and the Fates said it too before. What does that mean?”
She held my gaze, and I wondered if she would lie to me. “I don’t know.” Even though I wanted to believe she was lying, I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t. “I honestly don’t know. Yes, you’re different. I can feel it too, but I don’t know what you are.”
“But I am something?”
“I don’t know.”
Great. More doubts and worries for me. I nodded and resumed my walk, thinking of what I could be. Apparently, not a hero, not a priest, not the vision girl.
“Nadine.” Once more, I turned and looked at her. “I’m sorry. For your family. I’m really sorry about that.”
My family. I tried not to think of them much. I tried to keep those feelings and memories bottled in a dark corner of my mind, where I wouldn’t stumble on them. However, when someone mentioned my family, the memories came rushing back to me.
Tears burned my eyes, and I blinked so I wouldn’t cry in front of her. “Me too,” I whispered.
Since our return from the forest, one thought had clouded my mind. So, after grabbing the Tylenol and bumping into Ceris, I went looking for Micah.
His bedroom door was closed. I knocked, hoping he was here so I wouldn’t have to search for him all over the shelter.
I raised my hand to knock again and the door opened.
Micah stood beside the half-open door, his hair unruly, his dark eyes curious, and his chest naked.
My throat felt dry, and my heart skipped a beat.
My gaze rummaged his fine torso. God, he was more than fine. The urge to graze my nails over the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen rushed through me, bringing a heat wave with it.
His muscles weren’t everything though. His tattoos drew me in too. He had a coiled snake on his left shoulder, four lines of Hebrew writing over his chest, and tribal drawings to the side of his abdomen, which spread onto his back.
To complete the package, he wore his mother’s necklace, which showed me that, even after finding out he was a god and his human parents had been nothing but vessels, he cared. It was much harder to stay immune to him and his charm when I knew he cared.
“Darling,” he said, breaking my daze. The heat in my body shifted to my cheeks when I forced my eyes to meet his. He offered me one of his devilish grins. “To what do I owe such a visit?”
“Uh,” I muttered, because I had completely forgotten what I had come here for. That was what I got for seeing him only in his dark jeans.
He chuckled and the heat on my cheeks became molten lava. “Cat got your tongue, darling? Or was it something else?” He raised one of eyebrows.
I could smack that cocky expression from his face. Focusing on that, I took a deep breath and finally spoke up. “I want to ask you a question about the Soul Oath.”
His expression hardened. After glancing to the sides of the corridor, he stepped aside. “Come in.”
I entered his room and was a little disappointed to find it was exactly like mine, exactly like all the rooms here. For some reason, I expected Micah to have a nice place, with a big bed, a comfy couch, fluffy rugs, and posters of Harleys and sport cars and naked women on the walls.
Crossing his arms, he leaned against the closed door. I almost drooled again because, hmm, that only made the muscles on his chest and arms and shoulders tauter.
“What is it?” he asked.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “While we were f
ighting in the forest, I worried about dying. I mean, what if I die before you and I can honor the Soul Oath? What if I’m killed during one of our battles during the war? What will happen then? I’ll just die, and my family will stay in the underworld?”
“Your soul is mine regardless of how and when you die. If you die tomorrow …” He paused, his expression pained. “The Soul Oath will be honored even if you die tomorrow. Your soul will be mine, and I’ll bring back your family once the war is over.”
Relief filled me. “Thank God. That was all I needed to know.” I stepped toward the door, toward him, but he didn’t move. His eyes were hard on me, and I felt my cheeks warming again. “I’ll leave you be now,” I said. He didn’t move though, and he didn’t stop staring at me. The heat spread from my cheeks to my body, even though I couldn’t tell if he was staring at me because he was mad or because of some other reason. “Micah, let me open the door, please.”
I counted the seconds, until he finally moved aside and opened the door for me. “Good night, Nadine,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Good night,” I whispered as I walked past him, feeling the weight of his gaze on me.
As soon as I stepped out, he closed the door, and I hurried back to my bedroom.
The night was horrible.
The same nightmare with my family populated my mind, and when I tried to focus on something else and fall back asleep, I would remember what happened in the forest. The nymphs turning into demons, more demons surrounding us, Omi provoking me, the fight, the claws, the blood, the gore. I didn’t know how I went through all that without breaking down because right now all I wanted to do was hold Pinky and hide under my pillow.
To calm my mind, I hummed a lullaby. It did relax me, but it also brought tears to my eyes. My pillow had a wet blotch when I finally drifted to sleep again.
“Hey, Nad.” Someone shook my shoulder, the one with the bandage.
“Ow,” I complained, recoiling farther into the bed. Yawning, I opened my eyes. “Hey, Keisha.”
“Morning, sleeping beauty. Lady Ceris is calling everyone for a meeting.”
Soul Oath Page 17
