It’s best if I just stay in the tour bus, but that doesn’t make watching any easier.
I’m so focused on Tobias and his movements that I don’t notice a rogue hellbeast crawling closer to the bus, until it leaps at the window. I barely take a step back before the glass splinters in front of me, the cracks spiderwebbing.
I stubble backward, fear lancing through me like ice, as the beast rears back and hits the window again. The glass cracks further, threatening to shatter, and I know it won’t hold much longer.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
If only I had a weapon. Preferably a gun, not that it would help much. I’ve never shot one before.
Whipping around, my eyes land on the kitchen counter. I sprint over, ripping open one of the drawers and pulling out the biggest steak knife I can find. It looks tiny in my hand, and I don’t even know if it’ll be enough to pierce the beast’s thick hide, but it’s my only option. Much better than nothing.
Gripping the handle until my knuckles turn white, I turn back in time to see the monster punch a hole through the glass. Shards explode into the bus, raining over the furniture, and my gut twists. My mouth goes dry, my throat tight.
The stench of rotten egg farts fills the space, and Ifight the urge to gag. I don’t remember the one in the alley smelling so bad.
Giant hands with foot-long claws slam into the walls, creating deep divots as the thing starts hauling its way inside.
Holy fuck.
I am now the only thing standing between this beast and Niki, and the only way anything is getting through that door is over my dead body. Stealing my nerves, I prepare to fight or die, and stand up straighter.
The hellbeast roars, the sound so loud it threatens to pop my eardrums. I whimper, pressing my empty hand to one of my ears, but I refuse to lower the knife. Feeble though it might be, it’s the only protection I have.
The creature tears its way into the bus, punching out more glass from the window as it crawls through the opening. Squeezing inside bit by bit, it knocks things to the ground, tips over Niki’s recliner, and shreds the couch with its claws. It’s so big that it can barely turn to face me, the points of its misshapen head scraping the roof of the bus.
Shards of glass crunch beneath its charred-looking feet as it moves, its beady black eyes laser-focused in my direction. I suck in a sharp breath as it takes a step toward me, the bus rocking with its weight.
There’s nowhere for me to run, nowhere to hide.
Behind me, I hear the baby crying from the bedroom, and my stomach twists. Bile burns the back of my throat, but I swallow it down.
This can’t be how things end.
We fought so hard, overcame so many obstacles, to get here.
Now, everything is about to be ripped away.
The hellbeast growls as it nears, its mouth hanging open to reveal a black tongue and teeth like razors. Its torso is scratched and bleeding, black blood oozing out and dripping to the floor.
I swallow hard, bracing myself, ready to strike. If I only have one chance to wound it, I’m going to make it count. If I’m lucky, maybe I can blind it. Maybe I can?—
The monster readies to pounce, but black smoke explodes in front of me, filling the bus. I recognize it instantly, and my heart lurches painfully as a demon appears before me.
Not just any demon.
My demon.
Tobias stands between me and the beast, serrated swords in hand, but before he can fully orient himself, the creature punches him in the gut, knocking him off his feet. He slams back into the wall with a grunt before launching himself forward again.
My eyes stay glued on him, and I slump with relief when he sinks his swords into the monster’s face. With a sickening, squelching noise and a spray of oily black blood, he twists the weapons, and the hellbeast crumples, dead.
Air rushes out of me, and the knife in my hand clatters to the floor. That gets Tobias’ attention, and he whirls around to face me, his worried eyes locking with mine.
For the first time, I get a good look at him, and my stomach sinks.
He’s in really bad shape.
His clothes are torn, revealing vibrant red gashes and cuts all over his navy skin. His mask is cracked, showing bits of his face, and there’s so much blood. Smeared on his shirt, splattered across his skin, dripping from his blades.
