Slayer, Knox’s Netherwraith form, takes a different approach. He’s climbing the wall on his way to his first target. His tentacles propel him up easily and launch him onto the back of the first spider. It screams as it twists to reach Slayer, but it’s useless as he makes quick work of slicing its throat, silencing its cries.
He makes it look gruesome yet a piece of art. I don’t know if I’m sickened or slightly turned on.
‘You loved it, babygirl.’Slayer winks before crawling along the wall once again.
Now isnotthe time to dissect these feelings. I swallow down the sudden lump in my throat as the spider carcass splats at my feet and I try to focus as four more spiders crawl over the edge of the flight door. Knots steps forward and takes the lead, which makes sense. He did work with War and was his right-hand man.
“Levi and JP, use long-range attacks on them as they come in until I need you.” He turns to Zeke and Ryker. “Take out what you can, but protect Blessing.” Ryker salutes before conjuring Hell Fire and coating a few of his daggers.
“Show off,” I mouth, and he sends me a flirty wink.
“Moni and Chester take the right back corner,” Knots orders before turning to face me. I immediately tense, preparing for a fight, but Knots steps closer to me and lowers his voice.
“You and Reaper cause your chaos, just be careful. Please?” he begs with his brown puppy dog eyes.
‘Of course.’The way he’s looking at me, he could ask for anything, and I would give it to him on a platter.
Although the only thing I want to hand over is myself.
I can practically hear his relief as he kisses the top of my head, and a piece of me melts further for him. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have him in my life.
Instead of trying to limit me, knowing my powers are wonky, he’s trusting me and only asking me to be safe. I know how hard that is for him, and all I want to do is reward him. Show him gratitude by riding him into the ground and tracing every inch of him with my tongue.
Knots shoots me a knowing look.‘Later. Focus on staying alive first.’He arches an eyebrow at me before addressing the room.
“I’m clearing those webs and sealing that?—”
A water arrow flies by Knots’ nose, cutting him off, and embedding into a Darkstar’s chest in mid-leap, crashing it at our feet.
“You might want to hurry with your explanation.” JP’s awkward smile drops as he forms another arrow and sends it into another spider.
“I’m closing that damn door," Knots yells as his wings flare out and he pushes off into the air.
He aims straight for the mass of webbing that’s blocking the door and starts hacking away at it while more spiders pour through the opening. They’re completely missing the fact that Knots is right inside, tearing apart their doorstop. Some spiders drop down, landing on the floors and scattering in differentdirections, while some crawl along the walls, leaving their webs dangling, as they engage with Slayer and Lynx since he’s made himself known.
I catch a flash of fire and immediately know it’s Reaper, and I turn to see him trip and fall in front of a spider.Shit!I immediately take off running towards him and instinctively try throwing up a shield, but nothing happens except feeling a throb in my side, reminding me of the God’s Trumpet.
“REAPER!” I scream, drawing him and the spider’s attention.
As Reaper raises his head slightly to see me, he turns more, so he’s completely on his back. I slide like I’m an all-star baseball player and kick him so he’s further under the spider’s abdomen, and I take his place. The place where those pincers are in line to cut through me.
Aww man. I was really hoping to live longer than this.
‘Twist, brace, twist and cut,’that elusive voice in my head urges, not even giving me a chance to think as I feel the pull tomove!
I twist up out of the path and up onto my hip, pulling my glaive right as a claw reverberates against it, long enough that I can brace and twist, slicing through the joint with my other hand. A scream follows, but I don’t have time to celebrate as the other claw comes for me.
I spring up and stumble over the downed appendage as I twist, brace the new killer claw, and repeat, taking it down at the weakest joint. I turn to grab Reaper, and the spider screams and starts to move as its arm comes down trying to grab me, but he’s missing.
“Reaper?” I see nothing but the bloody pincers. “Reaper!” Fuck!Where did he go?I move underneath the body to at least stay away from the arms and scan the room for any glimpse offire, but I don’t see any. As I continue to back up, I feel heat along my back and glance up.
“Eww.”
The suckers underneath this thing give off heat as they pulse and suck, trying to pull anything that comes in contact against its belly. The only thing I can compare it to is octopus suckers. They look like empty caverns just waiting for their loot, except… that one in the back. That one is wrapped up tight in red webbing.
I’m going to gut this bitch if that’s what I think it is. That is, if she stays still long enough. I feel like I’m dancing with a drunkard, trying to stay underneath her as her body sways from the pain of her lost limbs. I move closer and put my hand on the webbing that’s slightly moving. It’s warm. Warmer than the rest of the body.
“Reaper?” It wiggles hard. “I’m coming, baby,” I tell him as I try to pull my hand off unsuccessfully. “Okay. Well, no one ever said your mother was smart.” I bite my lower lip as I think of a way to do this. Why did I have to touch the sticky sack with my hand and weapon to make sure it was Reaper?
