Low growls reached him from the gloomy forest. Then the Narakas emerged like marauders for the damned, their eerie dark holes for eyes and mottled, reddish-black flesh merging easily into the night.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.“Shadow the church’s on consecrated ground, go—”
“I’m not leaving you alone,” she retorted, seeming to find her bravery again. “I can fight, too.”
The overgrown hellscums lumbered forward.
“You fought a few demons. These are the fucking Narakas. They will trample through anything—”
“I never let size stop me before!” She shot past him, going in low, dagger flashing as she sliced the tendons behind the enormous demon’s knees. A roar ricocheted, splintering through the rain like shattering glass. The giant-sized blight crashed down like an uprooted redwood.
Growling, Nik flew into the horde, his curses drowned in the cascading rain. This had been his quiet, safe place for so long, and now these shits would desecrate it.
With Shadow fighting and darting about like a bright firefly, he didn’t dare use his abilities again as he fought off the scourges, his sword swishing and arching in lightning quickness. Then he realized they were separating him from Shadow. Fucking plagues.
A sizzling hiss sounded. Nik ducked a hellfire bolt, grabbed Shadow, and flashed to the front of the church. He flung out his hand, turning the falling rain into ice spears, nailing and freezing the scourges rushing at them, then he dropped down and pounded his fist to the earth. Deadly ice-shards sprang up from the ground, surrounding them in a barrier.
He shot up. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Then she grinned. “I wish I could fight with you guys every night. Your abilities…you’re amazing.”
“No.” His stare unimpressed, he handed her a short sword he summoned. “Here, keep this, too. Be careful, you hold my heart,agápi. And don’t touch the ice, it will freeze you. Stay away from the Narakas. Their spit will immobilize you—shit.”
More Narakas thundered toward them.
Nik flung another volley of arrows, slowing them down. He shot off a telepathic message to the other Guardians,The Narakas are here!
We’ll be there as soon as we get this fucking demon ruckus under control. They’re fighting all over the city, using their damn abilities right in front of humans,Aethan answered in a growl.
Dammit.
A stomach-churning odor of sulfur and moldy spice burned his nose, one he smelled before…on Shadow’s bloody shirt.
Tolvi.
Blood pounding in his head, Nik dove into the approaching demons, his sword swinging, searching for the bastard in the melee.
* * *
Shadow gaped as the Narakas, those demons she’d first seen in the alley weeks ago, lumbered toward her, while Nik slashed and slayed as many as he could—
I warned you, you didn’t listen.
She froze at the voice in her head. Tolvi?
All the demons attacking them recently were connected tohim?
Heart drumming, she searched for the white-haired jerk in the ruckus, the sword Nik gave her clenched in her hand.
Two Narakas sidled toward her. With holes for eyes, how the heck could they even see?
Flames rushed out of their hands, melting a path through the ice. Crap. Shadow hastily leaped back on the cracked, weed-choked church porch.
They plodded forward, hit an invisible wall, and stumbled back. So, the sanctified ground worked? Good. Spittle flew from the Narakas and fell halfway.
Yuck. Shadow shuddered, then flung her dagger, nailing one in the chest. Another rushed her and hit the holy block. She charged out from her safe zone and went in low under his arm, slicing the tendons behind his knees with her short sword. The goliath dropped to his knees in surprise.
“What, think a mortal woman can’t bring down you dumbasses?” Snarling, she swung her weapon again, slicing its carotid, and prayed, somehow, they all died.
