Her belly heaved, dizziness swamping her.
“Lore...” His name escaped in a desperate wheeze as darkness closed in…
Chapter
Thirteen
Frustratedto his skull at these cursed species forever hunting humans, especially the female who mattered to him, Lore decimated the fleeing lot with another strike of?—
“Lore,” Nia’s faint, panicked cry reached him.
He spun around to where she’d been moments ago, and his heart nearly stopped at the glimpse of her in a pale-haired demon’s grip before the heavy mist concealed them.
He flashed through the agitating fog as the demon shot off and grabbed the hellspawn before he vanished with Nia. They landed in a hard thud, displacing earth and debris. Nia rolled and scrambled away.
Lore leaped up, sword braced.
The demon snarled. Silver glinted. He hurled the dagger at Lore.
Midair, it transformed into several flying blades. Lore swung his massive weapon, slamming the demon’s knives away. A few struck him in the chest and abs.
The scourge grinned, conjuring a huge ball of fire.
Jaw tight, Lore doused the fire with a slice of his heavenly weapon and tore across at the demon rushing for Nia, sword arcing. He beheaded the vermin.
“Did you really think I’d let you get away with abducting my charge?” He flung his sword aside and grabbed the decapitated head. The glamour faded, the dead demon reverting to a darker scaled male. Lore absorbed the blight’s thoughts…mine, mine, mine?—
The head disintegrated too fast before he finished and disappeared, along with the body, pulled back to Purgatory.
Lore sprinted to where Nia hunched over, with one hand braced on the tree trunk as if she couldn’t straighten, the other on her belly. She had fallen hard when he’d taken down the demon.
“Nia?” He reached for her.
Chest heaving, she looked up, eyes dark and wet. She lifted a hand and clutched his shirt, face pale. Her throat worked. “I-I…”
The scent of copper hit his nose. She crumpled in his arms. No, no?—
He picked her up, her jacket parted. A dagger protruded from her chest. Blood spread in a slow stain over her cream sweater.
Reeling in his dread, Lore quickly settled her on the damp grass, putting aside the urge to track down the hellspawn in charge of the cursed hunt. Oh, he’d catch the blight, and he would burn for eternity!
“It hurts…” Her breaths escaped in short pants, eyes dark with agony.
And the organ in his chest that never mattered much to him shuddered in fear. He sent her to sleep, moved her bloodied hands aside, and scanned her. The blade had just missed her heart by a fraction of an inch.
Mouth tight, he gently eased the dagger out of her chest. More blood gushed.
“I am sorry, Nia. In my anger, I misjudged the scourge’s determination to get you. I will make this right, I promise.”
With a touch of his hand, a silvery glow seeped into her gushing injury. The severed arteries mended, and the bleeding eased as the wound closed and healed. He picked her up and flashed into her home. Later, he’d fix the weak wards.
He headed upstairs to the bedroom and settled her on the bed.
Heavens, he could have lost her!
Caught up in these unknown emotions, he’d inadvertently put her in harm’s way. He should have listened to her, called in another to protect her. Race would have been perfect.
No!His mind rebelled at the thought, and he shut it out. He couldn’t trust anyone, not when the seraphs had marked her for termination. Onlyhecould keep her safe.
