Page 63 of Demonic Affliction

Get rid of them!

There’s a low chuckle. Why?

Why? WHY? We’re all going to fucking die!

The serafyn doesn’t answer. I don’t have any more time to argue with her, either, because at that moment Dravik grabs me and shoves me into a small crevice in the cave wall.

“Stay here.” He takes my face in his hands. “If we can’t hold them off… I want you to run, Willow. Run like you’ve never run before. You have to live, my heart. Promise me you’ll live.”

Rhune and Nyx stand at my sides, clasping my hands hard enough to hurt. “Willow,” Rhune begs. “Please. Promise us you’ll save yourself.”

“I…”

Nyx looks at me, not saying anything but pleading with his eyes. And that makes me feel worse, because I know I’m going to lie.

“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll run. I’ll save myself.”

All three of my mates let out a collective breath. One by one, they place their lips to the top of my head, lingering a little bit too long. Like they’re saying goodbye.

I don’t have time to question it, though. By the time I blink, my three mates are launching themselves into battle, ready to die for me. For a while, I’m too scared to watch. When I open my eyes, I see Rhune's wing is torn and drags uselessly behind him as he struggles with three ravenous creatures. Dravik is in a similar position, stumbling over bodies as he swings, half his strikes hitting nothing but air. Nyx is by far the worst off. At least a dozen of the creatures have him boxed in, and every time he cuts one down, another closes the gap before he can catch his breath.

They’re dying! I scream at the serafyn. You have to do something!

Keeping you alive is my priority. Not them.

I stare at the horde swarming my mates, my heart slamming against my ribs. There's a gap near the edge of the fighting, just wide enough for someone small to slip through unnoticed. I could reach the dagger stuck in one of the fallen creatures. I could buy them a few seconds. A few seconds might be enough for them to get the upper hand, and then, and then…

Don’t you dare⁠—

But it’s too late. I’m already moving, racing toward the horde. I grab the dagger at my hip, holding it tight in my fist as I close the distance.

My boots skid on something black and wet, and I catch myself just before I go down, letting out a small yelp. The sound alerts one of the creatures, and it turns its head toward me, jaw unhinging with a wet crack.

Before it has the chance to understand what the tiny human is doing, I close the last few feet between us, raising my hands high before driving my dagger into the top of its skull.

There’s a wet crunch, and the beast collapses to the ground without a sound. I yank the dagger's handle, but it won't come free, no matter how hard I try.

No. No, no, no. Please, no.

A second creature breaks off from the mass, turning its eyeless head toward me and letting out a shriek. I stumble back a step with nothing in my hands, the terror in my veins replacing all rational thought.

I don’t want to die…

It lunges, and everything slows down. I watch its jaws stretch wider than should be possible, rows of broken teeth angling toward my throat. I can’t move, can't make a sound, can’t save myself.

For one horrible moment, I think the serafyn is going to let me die.

Then I hear it sigh.

Ugh. Fine. You win.

A current builds under my skin, originating from somewhere deep in my chest and spreading through my veins until my whole body hums with it.

My teeth ache. My shoulder blades burn. My vision goes dark at the edges.

Then it breaks free.

The blast tears out of me in every direction at once, stealing the air from my lungs and leaving my throat raw with the power of my scream. Energy rips across the cavern, and everywhere it touches, the creatures come apart. Flesh shreds from bone, as if a thousand flaming blades were tearing through the cavern at once. Black blood sprays the walls, the ceiling, my skin, and the screaming howls of the horde cut off, leaving a bone-chilling silence in its place.