However, what drives the brothers’ knees to weaken and breaths to nearly stop in their chest is the sight of their love… their everything, Melanie’s little body flat on the asphalt next to her crumpled car that is lying in a wreck against a guardrail, smokepouring from the engine. A group of armed men stands around the wreckage, and they see a highborn demon glaring down at them like he is enjoying himself.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the brothers crash into the crowd with unstoppable force, overwhelming their enemies in a violent surge.
Enzo, get to Mama. Yamir and I will hold them back.Slater urgently shouts to his brother telepathically while he and Yamir run off.
Got it!They rush to their love, heart pounding, praying to The Source it’s not too late.
Yamir’s form blurs as he barrels into a pack of armed men, tackling three before they can even draw their weapons. His jaws snap shut on whatever comes close, each bone-crunching bite driven by untamed fury.
Slater charges through a wall of fire, ignoring the few shots that ring out as bullets bounce off him, scattering across the highway. He seizes the nearest assailant by the skull, lifting him effortlessly, and then drives him into the asphalt with relentless force. The ground shudders, leaving a jagged crater beneath the limp body.
Enzo moves like a liquid shadow, weaving around the chaos. His claws flash as he tears through the men, each swipe sending them flying and scattering weapons across the icy pavement. The highborn demon steps back, sneering, but Enzo’s eyes lockon him with murderous intent. The three brothers, snarling and covered in blood, press forward until the last of the attackers falls.
Their focus snaps to the twisted wreck where Melanie lies, pale and barely moving. The brothers close in, forming a wall around her. Enzo drops to his knees beside her, trembling, while Slater and Yamir circle protectively, eyes wild and desperate.
“You dared to touch what is ours,” Slater’s voice is a tectonic rumble, vibrating through the demon’s bones.
“Enzo, how is she? Tell us now!” Yamir pleads desperately, his mind still on her pale face and how she was barely breathing when they came through the portal.
With shaking hands, Enzo presses his ear to her lips, desperate for any sign she’s still with them. His brothers close in around them, forming a shield and growling a warning that they refuse to let anyone close. Nothing else matters except keeping her safe. When he hears the faint sign of life, his heart skips, and tears pool in his eyes.
She’s alive.He tells them, and they all blink back tears while staring at the fucker who did this to her.
Thank The Source! Now wake her!Slater demands, but no matter how hard Enzo shakes her, she won’t wake up.
What the hell is going on? Why do I feel her life-force slipping?Yamir panics.
“MAMA! W-WAKE UP!” Enzo roars, his voice thick with terror. The icy air hangs heavy with the aftermath of violence, but all he can focus on is the fragile hope flickering in her eyes.
Anger overcomes them when a loud cackle resounds around them, and their eyes go back to the highborn Demon.
“Look at you! Seventh Hell’s Cerberus done in by a mere human!” he laughs. “Have you no shame?!” he grits out, making them growl, bearing fangs. “You can growl and kill as many of us as you want. I can guarantee you will not survive this!” he screeches. “They will just send more even if you kill me!”
“Then let them send as many as they want!” Yamir growls, pounding the earth, causing the demon to quiver.
“Yes, let them. They will die just like you,” Slater snarls as he lunges for the demon’s neck.
“SHE IS INFECTED WITH BANESROOT!” the demon shouts, his false bravado crumbling when he feels his life will end, and that causes all of them to pause.
“Say that again,” Enzo sneers, his heart hammering in his chest.Banesroot… no… by The Source, please let it be a lie! That is one of the four heavenly flowers with no cure.
“Y-you know Banesroot affects those like us… those with power and sinister origin. A human like her would be unaffected by such a thing… that is until you were bonded to her. Now, your sins are hers to bare. Her frail body can’t withstand its poison…” the demon reveals, and Slater dashes for him.
“WE HAVE A CURE!” the highborn demon shrieks and holds out a small glass bottle as if it were a shield. “I… I know w-what you’re th-th-thinking, but we have a c-cure!”
“LIES!” Slater barks, ready to tear him apart as the being shakes in fear.
“Truly! We have discovered an elixir exists after the events of the Hunt. King Murdoch himself has been cured of his madness. We don’t know how, but his Kingdom has developed a cure for the poison, though it is hard for the realms close to the Demon Kings to acquire it. The supplier has forbidden the sale to any demons associated with the Kings, so we have to procure it in a special way!”
“YOU DARE LIE IN OUR FACE?!” Yamir snaps, foaming at the mouth with anger.
“You come here to poison our mate and lie to us?” Enzo howls, losing his mind, holding their love.
Slater steps up to him, his shadow looming over the demon as he shifts and reaches out to wrap a hand around his throat, lifting him off his feet. Yamir and Enzo growl in the background, their bodies still tense and ready to kill.
The highborn demon gasps for air, clawing at Slater’s hands, but even when his hands are ripped to bloody bones, Slater holds on tight.
“P-PROOF!” the demon croaks as he drops the vial, and it rolls to Melanie’s side. Quickly, Enzo snatches the bottle up and uncorks it, smelling it and tasting it. When he senses it’s not poison, he looks to his brothers, and they, with a desperation they have never before felt, nod. Enzo tips the vial, pressing the bottle against her lips.
