His words were only proof that I’d taken the right course of action.
I continued forward, undaunted at the prospect of passing the devil. I’d go through him if I had to.
The ground rolled, knocking me onto my ass.
The necromancer laughed, drawing my attention to him. “It’s too late, vampire! My blood stains the—”
Andre took the man’s head between his hands. A deft yank was all it took. Bone cracked and his neck snapped.
I felt Andre’s power wash over the field as his anger took over. “What is the meaning of this?” he roared, swiveling to face the devil.
What had I missed?
Suddenly the shadowy demons shifted, their forms filling out as they solidified.
Uh oh. They weren’t supposed to do that.
I crab crawled backwards.
“Get back in the car, soulmate. Now.”
For once I listened to Andre. I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the car. Fifteen feet, ten feet—
A shadow plummeted down from the sky. It crashed onto the roof of Andre’s sports car, crushing the frame beneath its body. A very solid, very sinister demon chuckled low in its throat, the sound more monster than man.
“Uh, Andre? I think it’s too late for a quick getaway,” I said, watching the being step down, its entire focus trained on me.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Andre was already in the heat of battle. Black blood littered the ground and stained his clothing. He withdrew his dagger from a demon’s chest just as another jumped on his back, its razor sharp teeth lunging for Andre’s throat.
I opened my mouth to scream, only to feel a hand grab a chunk of hair. The demon who’d smashed Andre’s car yanked my head back. His lips receded, revealing a set of pointy teeth. And his breath—ugh, dude had never been introduced to a toothbrush.
I brought the blades I still held up and slashed them across his neck. Inky blood splattered across my face, and I cringed at the putrid liquid. The demon fell to his knees. His form shimmered, then disappeared altogether.
“Well done, consort.” The devil had strolled over and watched me with folded arms. He seemed to drag the night with him as he did so.
I had no time to flip the devil off before another demon came at me, this one with slitted pupils and claws. I sidestepped him, shoving one of my daggers into his back. Not a mortal wound; just enough to piss him off something good.
“I thought necromancers only animated the dead,” I said to the devil as the demon recovered.
“Most do,” he said, “but some can do the opposite—give bodies to those without.”
The clawed being rushed me again, and feeling like a matador, I once again sidestepped him, only attacking him the moment he passed me. As my blade carved into my opponent, I noticed that several of the demons had focused their attention on the necromancer’s car.
That second heartbeat. I took a step towards it, only to be distracted by my opponent’s snarl.
I turned my attention back to the fight a second too late. The demon plowed into me. Air whistled out of my lungs as he tackled me to the ground. His claws lunged for my heart, ready to dig it out.
I brought my forearm up to block the attack. I let out a choked cry as his talons dug into the skin of my arm and sliced up the side of my face.
Grunting, I brought a leg up and kneed him in the crotch. The creature on top of me let out an inhuman howl and reflexively curled in on itself. Demons may not be human, but apparently they do in fact come with the same plumbing.
I didn’t waste the time I’d bought myself. I rolled on top of the demon and plunged one of my knives into the creature’s heart.
A car door slammed, and my head jerked up. From the necromancer’s vehicle, several demons dragged an inert woman. Her shoulders slumped, her dark hair dangling loosely in front of her.
I sucked in a breath.
No.
I was up in an instant, running towards her. “Let her go!” I screamed. My skin had already begun to glow, and in my panic it brightened. Only here, among creatures not from this world, my glamour carried no power.
Demons closed in on me from all sides, and I brought my daggers up, slashing with abandon. Between their numbers and my injuries, I couldn’t cut my way through them. They yanked away my weapons and dragged my hands behind me, pinning me in place.
“Cease!” the devil boomed. Immediately his legion of followers fell back, giving me a view of our battlefield.
My gaze landed on Andre. Like me, he was held in place by demons. His clothing had jagged tears in several places, where claws or teeth had ripped the material. His shirt was drenched, and it had suctioned itself to his torso. Vampires didn’t sweat; blood had plastered his shirt to his chest.
Crimson and black liquid peeked above its collar and congealed along his arms. God, he looked fierce, like some strange death deity come to carry away souls. Ironic that the unsullied man in the crisp suit was just that deity.
Andre’s eyes found mine. He took in my bloody face and torn clothing and yanked at his wrists, but the demons held him fast. We might have exceptional strength amongst supernaturals, but not amongst Underworld creatures. “Soulmate!” he shouted.
“I’m fine,” I said, though I felt anything but. My wounds burned, and my emotions roiled.
My eyes searched for the demon’s third captive. I finally caught sight of her, her body slumped between two demons that held her fast.
I’d recognize that face anywhere. It was the woman who’d helped me escape the devil several times before. The woman who raised me as an infant.
“Cecilia!” I cried out.
She shook her head and glanced about her, noticing her surroundings for perhaps the first time. She appeared as though she’d been drugged, but how could that be? She was a fate. Couldn’t she have prevented this situation in the first place?
I turned my attention to the devil, who wore a pleased smirk as he watched me.