Page 94 of Immortal Unveiled

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Manus turned into the entrance of ABC Storage barely slowing down the car. He’d teleported to the closest portal and stolen a car, then raced toward the storage facility without much regard for speed limits or traffic rules. He was glad for it now because the scene outside the storage facility’s office shack confirmed his worst fears.

Grayson was battling two demons. Kim was nowhere to be seen.

Fuck!

Slowing down only marginally, Manus drove toward Grayson and the two demons. One of them turned his head, his green eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Manus veered toward him. He was only a couple of feet away from Grayson, but it would be sufficient. Manus kicked down the gas pedal and hit the demon with the front right bumper, catapulting him in the air.

In his rearview mirror, Manus saw the demon slam back on the ground behind the car. Though he knew the evil creature wasn’t dead, he’d given Grayson a breather to more effectively battle the other demon. Manus stepped on the brakes. The car swerved and turned almost 180 degrees before it came to a halt. Manus jumped out of the car.

“Where’s Kim?” he shouted in Grayson’s direction but was already racing toward the office.

“Inside!” Grayson managed to call after him.

Manus stormed into the office. The front office was empty, but the door to the back office stood open, and he could see and hear what was going on. Kim was fighting with a demon, barely holding him off by kicking and thrashing. She was fighting for her life.

Manus charged around the counter and barreled into the back office. The demon snapped his head in Manus’s direction and growled.

“Get away from her!” Manus yelled and lunged for the demon.

He now tossed Kim against the wall as if she’d been a mere toy he was done playing with. Kim moaned at the impact.

Furious, Manus tackled the evil bastard and together they landed on the floor. The demon was massive, an inch or two taller than Manus and probably twenty to thirty pounds heavier. And not from fat either. He was all muscle. The demon kicked back and managed to toss Manus off him. Manus rolled away and immediately jumped back up, ready to trade blows and kicks with the asshole.

The demon was ready, already delivering a punch that made Manus’s head whip sideways. But Manus was prepared. He kicked high with his foot and pushed the demon backward. To his surprise, his attacker stumbled over something. When the demon gripped the desk to prevent himself from falling, Manus glimpsed the obstacle to the demon’s feet: a pair of legs. Manus didn’t have to be a genius to guess who was lying unconscious, or possibly dead, behind the desk: the manager of ABC Storage. But there was no time to check if the guy needed medical attention, just like Manus couldn’t reassure himself that Kim’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, because the demon was already charging at him again. This time, he held a dagger in his hand.

Manus ducked away and reached for his own dagger, ready to plunge it into the demon. But his opponent was too agile for his massive size. He sliced into Manus’s shoulder, making him wince at the pain and for an instant lose his concentration. But not long enough for the demon to do more damage. Manus made himself invisible to gain the upper hand and jumped past the demon. He stabbed his opponent, but the bastard had moved too fast, and Manus only grazed him on his left. Green blood spurted, staining Manus’s clothes and giving away his position.

Shit!

The demon’s injury was too superficial to slow him down. He kept coming, kept kicking with his feet and lunging with his dagger hand. And now with Manus’s skill of turning himself invisible rendered useless, he’d lost his advantage, and they were about equally matched.

The sound of screeching tires outside suddenly drowned out their grunts. The demon cast a glance at the open door, and a look of panic crossed his face.

Manus didn’t have to follow his gaze. Reinforcements had arrived. “Finally!”

But the knowledge of impending doom seemed to give the demon a new lease for life. Out of nowhere, he kicked Manus in the stomach and catapulted him back against a filing cabinet. In the process, Manus lost the grip on his dagger and it flew across the room and landed near the manager’s body.

Meanwhile, the demon dove for the floor and picked up an item that had lain there. Though momentarily dazed from the impact, Manus managed to recognize it.

“The book!” he screamed.

The demon made a movement with his free hand. A vortex opened up in the middle of the room, the centrical force of it pushing Manus back against the filing cabinet.

“No!”

Suddenly, there was a movement next to the desk. Kim was lunging toward the demon’s feet, Manus’s dagger in her hand. Fearless, she stabbed the demon in the thigh before he could step into the vortex. When he cried out in pain, Kim jumped up, dropped the dagger, and reached for the book. She grabbed it with both hands, ripping it from him. He tried to grasp it, and it opened in the middle with Kim holding on to the front and back covers.

Manus barreled toward them and kicked one foot into the demon’s wound. He stumbled backward into the vortex. As the demon disappeared in it, Manus heard a page ripping and watched the demon’s hand clutch one page before he vanished completely and the vortex closed behind him.

Manus breathed hard. He crouched down to the floor to where Kim had sunk back, leaning against the side of the desk, breathing raggedly. Her hands were shaking, but she was clutching the book.

Manus took her face into his hands. He kissed her quickly. “You saved the book. You saved us all. I’ve never met anybody braver than you.”

She tried to smile but groaned in pain instead.

“Don’t move,” he said. “I’m gonna get you help.”