Kinzer relished in the fantasy…the lie. And then he let his mind and body be overtaken by what he knew he had to do.
“Ah!”
Janka pulled out of their embrace, reared his head back, and unleashed a blood-curdling cry. Blood sprayed across his feathers as Kinzer’s sword slipped through the bone in his wing.
With his free hand, Kinzer snatched the wing. He shoved Janka against the wall.
Janka continued screaming out. Kinzer pressed his lips against his ear and whispered, “Go to Heaven, you evil fuck!”
He pressed an ever-so-gentle kiss on his cheek and flipped around just as Veylo was approaching him, sword-first, from behind.
Kinzer dropped Janka’s wing and clashed his sword against Veylo’s.
Veylo eyed the baby Christ in his arm.
“You’re at quite a disadvantage,” Kinzer observed.
“You haven’t won,” Veylo said. “Not even close.”
Veylo struck Kinzer’s sword with an intensity that knocked him back. As Kinzer recovered from the blow, Veylo whipped around and raced toward a wall-sized window stretched across the side of the room.
Kinzer chased behind.
Approaching the window, Veylo’s wings wrapped around his body, surrounding him and the baby in a ball of feathers, as Dedrus had done for Kinzer and Maggie.
CRASH!
Shards of glass filled the air.
“Fuck!” Kinzer exclaimed, halting at the edge of the window.
Veylo’s wings stretched out, glistening in the sunlight as he soared between two neighboring buildings.
Kinzer knew he couldn’t get to Veylo, but he still had to deal with the now-wounded Janka. He whirled back around.
Janka was gone!
A path of blood led to the door, which was now swinging back and forth.
Kinzer rushed out. He followed a trail of blood down the hall until he heard an ear-piercing cry.
Kid!
***
Treycore wiggled in Craetis’s grip. He had to get free. He had to save Kid.
“Daddy, stop!” Kid screamed, his voice cracking. “Daddy, please. It hurts!”
Sweat and tears rushed down his face, which was locked in a horrified expression, one that left Treycore wondering what sort horrors from Kid’s past were tormenting him, raping his soul. The blaggovite coiled its tail around Kid’s arm. Drool rushed from the corner of his mouth. His tears turned red.
“Kid!” Treycore called.
Kid’s scream faded. His eyelids flitted open. A film of blood laced the whites around his pupils.
Impossible, Treycore thought. No immortal had ever been able to retain consciousness or slip from a blaggovite’s control. So surely Kid wouldn’t be able to.
Mika gasped. “How is he—?”
