We raced forward, weaving in and out of the demons between us and our target, ignoring them for the moment. About ten feet from our target, Eli launched into the sky, drawing its eyes up and away from me. I moved forward in a blur, slicing off one of the lower arms. Green blood sprayed everywhere. I spun and leaped up again for another bite, but two of the tails whipped around, one from each side, and pounded into me, one at the back of my neck, the other at the top of my thigh. I screamed and dropped to the ground.
My vision went blurry instantly, and I realized the tail spikes must be poison-tipped. As I staggered to my feet, I could make out Eli, diving and blasting light in the demon’s face, but he seemed far away. With all my strength, I swung my sword at the demon’s leg, hewing it nearly in half. And this time, when the tail whipped around, I was ready, shearing off three of the barbs.
Eli dove down and grabbed me around the waist. “What are you doing?” I shrieked.
“You’re seriously injured! I’m getting you out of here before he tramples you to death!”
“No! We can finish him. Fly back in! Do it, Eli!” I could feel his reluctance, but he did as I said and spun around. “Fly past his head!”
Two massive balls of deadly sparks launched straight at us, and Eli dipped and twisted to avoid them. He veered to one side as if trying to escape, then at the last moment dove in toward the demon’s head. I swung my blade, heaving it against his neck. The demon’s head tottered for a moment, then fell to the ground as his body dissolved into dust.
Eli flew over the sea of demons below us and back into friendly territory. He landed lightly and with one hand still tight around my waist, lifted his other hand to the back of my neck. His fingers began to glow and I felt a warmth against my skin. But stronger was the feeling running through my veins, like fire and ice and black death. I felt my knees give out and heard Eli calling my name, but it was soft, like a whisper, like he wasn’t still standing next to me.
And then, a moment later or an hour later, I have no idea, I felt a searing pain in my wrist. My eyes flew open. The battle raged all around us. I gasped and snatched my hand away from Quinn, who had her fingers pressed to my demon mark. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I saw Eli trying to revive you, and I just had this strong instinct that your demon mark could help. So I shot a little jolt of magic into it, and it started to glow, and it worked. You’re back, and bitchy as ever.” She grinned and Eli sighed in relief.
“Well at least it’s good for something. Hurt like a motherfucker getting it.”
Now Eli just rolled his eyes. “Alright. We have a war to win, if you’re done dying and all that.”
I smiled. “Yeah, you’re stuck with me a bit longer. If I die, these guys are going to be my roommates, and somehow I think they’re the type to hold a grudge.”
Wolf Riley ran up and cocked his head to the side, then barked at us in a way that clearly indicated he thought we were slacking on the job. “We’re coming!” Quinn answered.
At that moment I heard the whine of a jet engine overhead, and glancing up I saw two sleek gray forms darting through the clouds. “Eli, did Hunter give you an update on the bombers? It looks like they’re already here!”
He cast his eyes to the sky, a mix of confusion and panic in their lavender depths. “No, they’re supposed to give us a warning so we can get clear.”
“Maybe they’re just scoping out the battle,” Quinn called from a few feet away, where she was blasting firebolts at the closest demons.
The jets shot out of sight, and Eli’s stance relaxed, though he started trying to reach Hunter on his wrist comm.
The night was quiet for half a minute, but then I heard the drone of their engines again. “They’re heading back this way,” I said. And then I heard another sound, the sound of a third something slicing through the air toward us.
Eli must have seen the horror in my eyes. “Retreat!” he yelled, shooting a ball of white light up into the air.
I darted to Quinn, flung her over my shoulder, and sped away from the demons. I could see the missile now, cutting through the air toward us, diving down toward the earth. We weren’t going to make it in time. None of us were. The blast radius was too large.
A surge of rage swelled up within me. Here we were, trying to save the world, the only ones who could save the world, and the government was bombing us along with the legions of Hell. When they could have just given us a few damn minutes to get out of the way.
From within that wild, untamed place of magic within me, I felt a lash of power. And that lash formed into a wall, and the wall wrapped over into a dome, covering all the supes that fought with us. I came to a stop. There were a number of supes still on the outside, running or flying toward the hazy purple dome of magic I’d created. I heard Quinn scream, and I realized she had screamed Riley’s name. It almost broke my concentration, but I knew if I broke, we’d all die.
I watched in horror as the missile closed the last few feet to impact, and a familiar brown wolf fought his way free of a demon and galloped toward me. My body started to shake from the strain of holding the forcefield. The missile hit and an awesome plume of white light burst into the black of the night. It rippled out, coming up behind Riley, who was running as fast as he could, a vamp and a were-tiger on his heels. The demons gave a collective wail, turning away from the blinding explosion. The blast rolled toward us, a wave of destruction. With an incredible leap, Riley flew toward the dome as the flash devoured everything behind him, riding on his tail like a hungry beast. With a scream, the were-tiger and the vamp vanished into the flare. Riley dove through the barrier right as the impact tremor knocked into it.
I braced as the full power of the bomb rolled around my dome, shaking the ground and walls of our haven. My arms were raised, and I felt like Atlas holding the world. The dome began to shrink, the ceiling sinking in alarmingly. Quinn placed her hands on my back, and I felt a flood of power wash through me. Just enough power to keep the shield intact. The explosion passed and I sank to my knees, the walls of the dome dissipating.
Dust swirled around us, making the night a strange cloudy brown. Murmurs of relief rose up, and then crows of triumph. Quinn knelt next to a naked and blood-covered Riley, crying happy tears and covering him with her sweater. “We did it! We won!” yelled Will. Other calls echoed through the night. Several people clapped me on the back.
Eli was the only one not celebrating. He stared off into the clouds of dirt, a fierce expression on his face. I imagine he was having the same thoughts of betrayal I’d had just moments before. And of course wondering if Hunter had known about this all along. I climbed to my feet. “Did everyone make it inside?” I asked him.
He ignored my question. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear wh—” The question fell dead into the air as we both heard the unmistakable sounds of tromping feet and the guttural cries of demons.
I spun around. “It’s not over yet! They’re still alive!” I yelled.
The cries of joy turned to cries of fear and anger. “Why didn’t the bomb work on them?” Donovan asked, coming up beside me, also naked.
“It certainly worked on those two supes behind me that didn’t make it,” Riley said somberly.
“They must have known somehow.” Eli’s jaw was clenched. “And used their own form of protection. A spell or something.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said. “The only important thing is we’ve got a fight to finish.”
The dust was clearing, and we could see that the demons were swiftly approaching. “How?” Riley asked. “We’re outnumbered. We can’t beat them.”
“I think there may be a way,” Quinn said quietly. We all turned to look at her, and she shifted uncomfortably under our intense gazes. “I’ve heard of a portal reversal spell. It sucks everything that came out of a portal back in. But I’ve never done it before.”
I paused for a moment of thought. “I think that may be our best
shot. Eli?” I looked up at him for approval.
After a moment he nodded, his eyes stormy. “We should give it a try. We can’t win in hand-to-hand combat against these numbers.”
Donovan held up a hand. “So, you guys are going to climb down in the volcano, with lava and stuff?”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t climb in these shoes. Eli’ll have to fly us in.” My lips turned up slightly.
Donovan returned the smile, and then leaned in and kissed me. “Don’t forget you owe me another date since you bailed on the last one.”
“Right. Won’t forget,” I said, feeling the weight of Quinn, Riley, and especially Eli’s gaze.
“We’ll slip through the dimensional roads,” Eli said. “I can take you both at the same time.” He gestured for me and Quinn to hold on to him.
“What about me?” Riley asked in an offended tone.
“What, fending off thousands of demons while we sneak into the volcano isn’t challenging enough for you?” I raised a brow.
Riley shrugged. “Well, when you put it that way…”
“You can be Co-General,” Donovan said.
“With who?” Riley scoffed.
“Me, of course.” Donovan punched him on the arm.
“Let’s say whoever takes down the most demons gets to be full General.”
“You’re on.”
They charged off into the battle, changing forms as they went.
“Ready?” Eli asked.
Quinn and I stepped up next to him, and a moment later we stood on one of the ledges inside the volcano. “There’s another ledge further down.” I pointed. “Hop us on over to that one.”
We blinked in and out, now standing just a couple dozen feet over the lava pit, which bubbled and sprayed into the air. “I can’t even see the portal,” Eli said, leaning over the edge.
“That’s because it’s under the lava.” Quinn nervously twisted her hair around her finger again.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“Well, it’s going to be a bit tricky since I’m so far away… it’s harder to get a good feel for the portal and work the spell at this distance.” She bit her lip. “But, it’ll either work or it won’t. I just need a few minutes. It’s a complicated spell.”
I touched her arm. “It’ll work.” I held her gaze until she nodded.
Quinn’s golden eyes reflected the red of the lava as she gazed down into the pit. She took a deep breath and closed them. I felt her stretch out her power, extending out toward the portal. The only sound was the whoosh of the steam around us and the gurgling of the lava. After a minute or so, she murmured, “Okay, I have it.” Her power intensified, and the air around us grew even warmer. Quinn’s hair began to lift up off her back as if she stood in a lightning storm. I could see her lips moving as she whispered the words to the spell.
“I think it’s working,” I whispered to Eli.
“What, a party and we’re not invited?”
I spun around as Alexander and Anna materialized on the ledge behind us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Everything happened at once.
Anna shot a blast of power at Quinn. Eli dove in front of her to block it. And Alexander backhanded me into the volcano wall.
Through my blurred vision, I could see Eli deflect the spell and grab Quinn, launching into the air. I rolled out of the way of another well-aimed punch at my head. “It’s about time you manned up enough to fight me fairly,” I snarled.
“Who said anything about fighting fair?” Alexander laughed. His skin began to change as the smile fell from his lips. It looked almost as if something inside of him was pushing its way out. Over his shoulder, I could see the same thing was happening to Anna. His eyes turned from sea blue to deep red, and his muscles began to shiver. His fingernails stretched out into claws, his knees bent back as his joints popped into a new configuration, and two leathery wings unfurled from his back.
I stared at them both in horror. My sister, or the demon that used to be my sister, stared into my eyes for just a moment, as if willing me to finally see what she’d been trying to tell me. The point of no return had passed for her. She was a monster. Seeing the realization in my eyes, she leaped off the ledge in pursuit of Eli.
“How do you like the new me?” Alexander asked. His voice had deepened; it reminded me of dark places under the earth, of death and decay.
“You were a monster before, you’re a monster now. Doesn’t seem anything’s changed.” I pulled my blade and we circled each other. The lava popped dramatically behind us.
Alexander’s hand flashed up and he blasted a ball of power at me. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and put up a wall of power which deflected his shot.
“You’re getting stronger. Do you wonder how much of that power is coming from your demon mark?” He glanced down at my arm, which was glowing. “Do you wonder when the craving for more power will overwhelm you, when you’ll come crawling back to me for more?”
“I do want you Alexander. I want your body. Separated from your head, with your heart beating alongside.” I lunged in, slashing at his neck.
He vanished, and my sword cut through empty air. I spun in a circle, my blade whistling through the air, waiting for him to reappear. A slight draft of air above and behind me alerted me to his presence, just as he hurled another ball of power at my head. I rolled forward and twisted onto my back as I skid across the rough ledge, throwing my own ball of power at him. It bounced off his chest easily.
He curled his wings to his sides and dove down on me before I could get up, landing heavily on top of me. His claws sunk into the space just below my collarbone and a high scream forced its way out of my throat. He pulled one hand free and a silver blade appeared in it, which he stabbed down into my chest, narrowly missing my heart. His eyes narrowed when he saw that he’d missed, and he tugged the blade inwards, cutting toward its target.
I could barely feel my arms, but with the strength I had I swung my blade against his back, slicing through half of one wing. Alexander let out a howl and rolled off me, a spray of black blood painting the volcano walls. My own shirt was soaked red, and I didn’t feel the familiar tug of my skin knitting back together as my regeneration took place. Remembering what Quinn had done earlier, I pressed two fingers against the demon rune above my wrist and shot a little magic into it. It glowed bright purple and I felt a pulse of power shoot through me, and my wounds began to close.
“That’s not supposed to work like that,” Alexander growled, glowering at my arm.
I shrugged and smiled. “What can I say, I’m a lucky gal.” I glanced up and saw that Eli still managed to evade Anna. Though I doubted Quinn was going to be able to concentrate enough on the spell while being carried around in an aerial battle. “Let’s finish this Alexander. I have a horde of demons to send back to Hell. Including you, of course.”
“And your sister, too, don’t forget.” He threw himself at me, and this time there were no spells, just pure physical combat. We whirled around in a blur of blade and claw and blood both black and red. He was older and faster than me, but I had vengeance on my side. He had taken the life and soul not only of me, but my little sister. Sentenced us both to an eternity of damnation. And as if that wasn’t enough, turned her into a slave of Satan, too.
I felt my powers humming within me, coursing through my veins, making my blood pump faster and my limbs move faster. I was pure liquid speed, barely even thinking about my next move, my body instinctively reacting to the battle, anticipating Alexander’s actions. I was silver and shadow and moon and fire.
Alexander fell back on the rock and I was on him in a heartbeat, my blade at his throat. I pulled it across, and as his skin was opening and his black blood began to spill out, I heard a voice. “Let him go, Zyan, or your angel dies.”
Keeping my blade firmly in place, I turned my head to the side. Anna had Eli by the neck, and the foot-long spike at the end of her tail dug into the flesh right above his he
art. Where was Quinn? A wave of ice cold adrenaline shot through my veins.
“So, what’ll it be, Zyan? Petty revenge or the life of your friend?” Anna’s blood-red eyes were cold, even in the glow from the lava.
From the shadows above Anna’s head I saw movement. Quinn blinked into sight, floating in midair, winked at me, then blinked out again. Eli must have thrown her on the upper ledge. She was doing her invisibility thing again, making her way down to the portal to finish the spell. I had to buy her a few minutes.
“He’s not really my friend,” I said to Anna. Eli’s eyes flickered at my words. “More of a business partner. I’d hardly say that his life is more valuable than the revenge I’ve sought for more than two hundred years.”
Anna narrowed her eyes. “If you really thought that, you’d have severed Alexander’s head by now. Don’t play with me.” Anna dug the tip of her tail deeper into Eli’s flesh and he writhed in her arms.
“Or maybe I’m just trying to negotiate a better deal.” I smiled cavalierly.
“Like what?” she hissed. The slow beat of her wings fanned smoke and ash right at me.
“Like, the surrender of the demon forces. And you. You must come with me.” I grabbed and held her eyes.
Surprise washed across her face for the merest of seconds, then she scowled. “No. No deal.”
I couldn’t see Quinn, but I hoped she was making some progress. “Which part? The surrender, or you coming with me, or both?”
“Both.”
“Well, that’s not being very reasonable, now is it?” I pressed my blade down into Alexander’s neck until he released a blood-gurgling gasp.
“Stop.” She raised her free hand, her eyes filming over with tears. “Don’t hurt him.”
“If you kill me, you kill her. We’re fully bonded. Remember?” Alexander rasped, blood spewing from his throat.
I wondered if she felt his pain now, or if she really loved him so much that it hurt her to see him in pain. “Well, the situation is simple then, isn’t it? If I kill Alexander, you both die. So, you’re not in much of a bargaining place. Agree to my terms, or you’ve sealed your fate.”
Martinis with the Devil Page 25
