I glance over in time to see a second massive form approaching the twins, this one on all fours with massive eyes and teeth. I’d hoped I was wrong when I sensed the multiple energies, but clearly my instincts were right. As they normally are.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The hellbeast in front of me lunges, and I dodge, slicing into its shoulder. It bellows, and a second sword appears in my free hand.
“Fighting is pointless, demon,” the beast growls, its voice sounding like wet gravel and steam. An odd combination for sure. “You will all die.”
I chuckle once as rage consumes me, blinking out of existence and reappearing behind the hulking thing. I drive both of my blades hilt-deep into its back, and it crumples into a bloody heap.
“Not if you die first.”
My attention turns to the hellbeast the twins are facing off against, just as it unleashes a horrific roar and falls to the ground. It doesn’t move again.
Two down.
But even as the thought crosses my mind, more dark energy signatures flicker to life in the distance. Five, six… too many to count. I grip my sword handles so tightly my knuckles ache, readying myself for the next attack.
A swirl of familiar black magic comes to life a few feet away from me, spinning fast enough to hit me with a breeze. When the smoke clears, Sebastian is standing there.
“What the fuck is going on?” he asks, a long, spiked pole appearing in his right hand. The black material is the same as my swords.
“Hellbeasts. Lots,” is all I can manage as I survey the parking lot.
The closest streetlight, one of the few illuminatingthe spread of asphalt, flickers a few times before going out completely. Another, this one at the very corner of the lot, blinks out seconds later. Darkness swallows us, making it more difficult to see.
The dark energy swelling in the air is intense, suffocating. Getting closer.
Sebastian curses under his breath, his focus on the encroaching darkness. I’m sure he’s trying to pick up on hellbeast energy the way I am. At the same time, I’m trying desperately to understand how this is happening.
Why now? Why an entire swarm of creatures?
We’ve been on tour for years, using our magic here and there when necessary. But everything is exactly the same as it always has been.
Except—
The realization is a punch to the gut that nearly takes my breath away.
Except for the half-demon baby.
Fuck.
My heart slams hard against my ribs.
There’s no way they already know. How could word of the child have reached Hell already? And how could these beasts have mobilized so quickly?
A roar splits the silence, followed by several others, and that’s when we see them. At least a dozen black forms shift in the darkness, the crunch of their massive feet sounding like a chorus straight out of a nightmare. There are so many of them and only four of us, until Emrys gets back from feeding.
“Keep them away from the buses,” Sebastian says through gritted teeth.
As if I needed the reminder.
I might not have answers, but I do know one thing: I’ll die before I let any one of these creatures hurt our mates or Sebastian’s child.
Knowing that stalling will only let the hellbeasts get closer to the tour buses, we race forward to meet the swarm of monsters head on. Weapons clash against charred hide and claws as we slay beast after beast, bodies hitting the ground before dissolving into dust. They aren’t incredibly hard to kill, but for every one we drop, another seems to pop up in its place.
I slam my sword into a beast’s eye socket and twist, slicing my other through the creature’s neck. It falls with a crunch, just in time for another to crawl over its hide and swipe at me.
Disappearing in a wisp of smoke, I reappear a few feet away, giving me enough time to materialize two more swords. My jaw hardens as I prepare myself for another attack, all the while fighting the tiny voice in the back of my mind that nags me with the unwelcome truth.
