“THIS. IS. BECAUSE. OF. YOU.”
We rise together and the fury in Elgios's eyes doesn’t match the ire in mine.
Smoke bellows through the air as the dust begins to settle and cries of destruction replace the sounds of the explosion and its silent aftermath. Iron and sulfur mix with copper and phosphorus as blood pours from wounds and tempers flare.
Creatures writhe and crawl over the floor, some struggling to their feet and staggering in a confused daze. Many can’t rise, and some are dismembered. Others lie dead, including the demon I'd asked to protect Adriana as she danced. Her thick black hair is coated in a different darkness and the wet seeping through her black dress stains it a different color.
My eyes meet Elgios's before he walks toward the slain demon, kneeling and dipping his fingers in her blood.
“This one was...” He pauses and bows his head. “She was one of the few I owed. I will not forgive this.”
I've never seen Elgios moved, and yet he's disturbed by this insignificant demon’s death. If anything, her demise is to his advantage, freeing him of a debt she’d have forced him to honor. A debt that may well have cost him dearly, depending on the deal he struck.
His muscles flex and strain and the purple of his eyes deepens until the violet is darker than midnight, lit only by a rim of iridescent lilac. Elgios is almost as livid as I am and he stares at me with the coldness of an apex predator honing in on its kill.
My form begins to shift and I hold Adriana against me, protecting her and stopping her from witnessing this. Shedoesn't need more terror, and this isn't how I'd planned for her to see my demonic form. My girl's had a glimpse of my shape, but I held back and I do not want this for her. Or us.
“Swear you had no hand in this, Amaymon. Swear it to me.”
I nod my head, deliberately and my teeth bare, revealing the horror of my razor-sharp fangs. “I swear it, Elgios. On the fires of Hell and the pits of eternal damnation. Can you make the same claim?”
Elgios rises and he walks toward me, trampling over the half-dead bodies lying between us. “On the ninth circle, I swear I had no part in this.”
His wings open and their talons sharpen, reflecting the neon colors flickering from the broken lights. Their sharpened edges cut through the flesh of some unfortunate lesser demons. Although they are lucky and their end is swift, spared a slow, painful death from their injuries.
We stand tall, matching each other in height but not power. My wings are the more vicious of the pair, bracing for whatever comes next. Our eyes meet and we exchange thoughts, Elgios’s mind meeting mine for the first time in a century to two.
This isn’t over.
It’s only just begun.
Not just tonight. We’ll move on, decimating the cunts behind this.
This evening is far from finished and I stare at the mangled room, listening to the shrieks coming from outside. Violence ripples through the nightclub and its effects radiate from its origin. Whatever’s coming is determined, efficient and it’s wreaking havoc as it moves closer, closing on its target.
My talons spear a mangled body, impaling it on my talon repeatedly until the annoying creature finally shuts the fuck up and dies.
Elgios smirks and turns to face the door, pushing his magic into the world and making it ripple with all he is. I doubt the cunt who did this expected him to be here and he’s a formidable opponent, on and off the battlefield. He commands armies and his strategy is impeccable, and it’s damn near impossible to force him to make an error.
And his cruelty is almost as depraved as mine.
“There’s a small army of Goetia heading up the stairs,” he says, snarling as his body threatens violence. “I don’t know who the fuck you’ve pissed off, Amaymon, but they’re not fucking around.”
“Any ideas on that front?” I smirk back, certain two high-ranking demons can deal with this—and have some fun.
Elgios shakes his head and the bones of his horns catch the light.
I pull Adriana against me and my hands tighten until my claws pierce my skin and cut into my flesh. The stench of Hell spills into the air and my girl twitches, catching its scent as she breathes against me. Her little chest heaves as she floods with panic, alerted to the surrounding danger.
“I’ve got you, baby. Eyes closed. You don’t need to see this, sweet girl.”
The lilac in Elgios’s irises sparks, and he tilts his head. “I’ll help you find the fucker who did this, Amaymon. But I get to dispatch the cunt, unless circumstances force your hand. Genuinely force it.”
I nod, accepting the uncharacteristically generous offer. Bones crunch as we move toward the middle of the room, readying for battle while my mind’s occupied with the reasons for his goodwill.
“I was fond of the girl,” Elgios says, taking a stance I’ve seen him take a thousand times before. His opponents don’t survive it. “I see the same in you.”
The floor shakes as the Goetia race towards us, drawing my attention to the damaged doorway. They’ll pile through the opening and flood the space, trying to overwhelm us with the numbers. Their power sure as fuck won’t overcome mine, but multiple attacks at the same time can be tricky to handle and sometimes fortune favors the stupid.
