“And I would do it again to protect you!Now, stay here and help the humans who will be joining you, or goout there and almost certainly be the cause of someone gettingkilled. You didn’t listen to me with the canagh demons; listen tome now when I tell you that this battle isnotfor you! Iwill not abandon anyone. I will send as many here as I can, but Icannot have you out there, distracting me and everyone else whowill seek to protect you.”
She opened her mouth to protest further, butclosed it again as my words sank in. Her eyes slid toward the door,and her shoulders slumped. “Okay, I’ll stay.” She tugged on herwrist again. This time, I released it and took a step away. “Whatcan these demons do?”
“You don’t want to know.” Gripping herwaist, I lifted her into my arms and kissed her before setting heron her feet.
Her eyes were haunted when they met mine.“Be careful.”
Releasing a harsh bark of laughter, I pulledthe door open. “They’re the ones who are going to wish they’d nevercome anywhere near here. If something threatens you from thegateway, get out of here, do you understand me?”
She blinked at me; her mouth parted inrealization. “You think Lucifer may have somehow drawn them hereafter what happened yesterday?”
“It’s a possibility.” Lucifer certainly hadthe ability to telecommunicate with the lanavours. I didn’t tellher that though; there wasn’t enough time to explain to hereverything her ancestor could do. “You will be able to see anythingcoming down the hall or hear it before it gets close to you. Leavehere if something exits the gateway, River, and come straight tome. Don’t worry about anyone else, I mean it.”
I could feel her bristling over my command,but she gave a brisk nod. “I will.”
I studied her as she resolutely held mygaze. She never failed to challenge me and was one of the moststubborn creatures I’d ever encountered, but she would not arguewith me on this, not after what had happened at the canagh nest.However, I knew she would stop to worry about the other humans nomatter what I said.
Turning stiffly away from her, I walked outthe door before I decided to stay to make sure nothing came nearher. I couldn’t leave the others to face the lanavours on their ownthough. There would be a lot more deaths if I did, and I wouldnever leave my followers to fight a battle for me.
I didn’t look back at her as I ran down thestairs and into the growing chaos. As bloodlust pulsed through me,the markings on my arms danced in preparation for the battle tocome. The lanavours had dared to come near her; it was a decision Iwould make them regret.
“Humans into the bar!” I shouted as Erin,Vargas, Hawk, and Corson burst out of the woods.
Behind them, I spotted the shadows of thelanavours moving through the trees. The skelleins released abone-chattering screech that caused the humans closest to them tothrow their hands over their ears and stagger away.
The first lanavour emerged from the woods,moving like a ghost over the earth. The demon floated more thanwalked across the ground toward its first target, a young woman whohad no chance of evading the creature’s grasp. The lanavour’s handsclasped both sides of her face and angled her head back. The girl’sstruggles ceased and her eyes went blank before she started toscream.
***
River
Standing on the porch of the bar, I watchedas the creatures entered the clearing. The lanavours had legs and,unlike ghosts, they were corporeal, but their feet didn’t appear totouch the ground as they moved. Out of all the creatures and demonsI’d seen, they didn’t look all that ominous, yet they’d caused moreunease among Kobal and the other demons than any other creaturewe’d encountered so far.
Completely hairless, they almost looked asif they were wearing some kind of bodysuit instead of their actualskin. No wrinkles marred their smooth flesh; they were completelyunblemished, except for the stitching. I shuddered as one of themmoved close enough for me to see that its mouth and eyes had beensewed closed with what looked like thick red thread. The threadingstood out sharply against the blue-gray coloring of the rest of itsbody. It had no ears, just more smooth flesh over where the earsshould have been.
I didn’t see them doing anything to thepeople they seized, yet the humans and demons unfortunate enough tobe snatched up by one of them began screaming within seconds ofhaving been caught. Blood seeped from their eyes and ears as theirscreams echoed through the clearing.
The sights and sounds around me caused mymouth to go dry as my stomach turned over. My body shook with theneed to plunge into the fray, to help those going down beneath thedisgusting creatures, but I knew I would be more of a distractionthan a help right now.
Gunshots exploded around the clearing;swords sliced through the air and reflected the sun as theskelleins dove into the fray. People ran toward the bar, but manyof them fell beneath the lanavours closing in on them. There weretoo many humans and demons around for me to risk unleashing a waveof fire on them. I could try using my ability to wield life, butI’d knocked Azote and Kobal on their asses with it before. It woulddestroy a human if I accidentally hit them with it, and it mightdestroy one of the demons too.
Facing the same situation as me, Kobal wasunable to release his fire, but I watched as he grabbed one of thelanavours by the throat. He lifted it into the air before drivingit into the earth. Without breaking a sweat, he tore its head fromits neck and tossed it aside.
People raced up the steps and past me intothe bar. Across the way, Vargas lifted his gun and shot one of thelanavours in the head as he battled his way across the clearingwith Erin and Hawk at his side. Pulling my gun from its holster, Itook aim at the one closing in on Hawk and pulled the trigger. Thebullet hit the lanavour in the shoulder, knocking it back. Morerose to fill its place.
Kobal’s head spun in my direction, but Iremained on the porch. If I went down those stairs, he would comeafter me, and someone could die because of that. No matter howbadly I wanted to run across the clearing to my friends, I wouldkeep my word and stay where I was. However, I hadn’t said Iwouldn’t help in some way.
More people fled past me as one of thosecreatures made a grab for Erin. I was about to pull the triggerwhen Hawk leapt up and smashed his elbow into the side of its face.The overwhelming strength of the blow caused the lanavour’scheekbone to cave in. Before I could process what I’d seen Hawk do,someone staggered into me and knocked me into the wall of thebar.
I shoved the girl away from me as Erin,Vargas, and Hawk made it to the steps. “Hurry!” I yelled to themwhen one of those floating freaks closed in on them. I fired ahasty shot that dug into the ground before its feet, causing it todrift back.
I took hold of Erin’s arm and dragged hertoward the door when she stumbled on the steps. “Are you okay?” Idemanded.
“Yes,” she replied. “They’reeverywhere!”
I lifted my head to take in the clearingagain. Blood pooled around the bodies littering the ground. Kobalstood on the opposite side, having battled his way through thecrush of lanavours to the demons gathered there. Flames slitheredover his body, lighting his dark hair and causing his amber eyes toglow hotter than the fire encompassing him. He hadn’t unleashed thehounds, yet.
Corson stood beside him, carving his waythrough the crowd with his talons while Verin and Morax workedbeside them. Morax swung his tail, knocking over three of thelanavours hovering close by. Bale and Shax were on the oppositeside of the clearing, trying to keep a group of humans protected asthe lanavours circled them.
