When his gaze met mine, I felt hisdesperation to get out of here as keenly as my own. Backing aroundanother row of shelving, we entered a more open area where I couldget a good blow in against the creature stalking us from behindanother row.
A small, fish-like creature flopped past us,an escapee from one of the jars determined to get to the exit. Ididn’t blame the thing, but I highly doubted we’d make it therewithout being attacked by the beast across from us. Pooh turned thecorner, its four-foot-wide shoulders hunching up as it drew backits head and bellowed. We were a good fifteen feet away from it,yet my hair blew back from my face as its fetid breath washed overme.
Lifting my hand, I released a ball of firethat hit it dead center in the chest. The blow staggered it back astep as fire licked over its coarse fur, but instead of engulfingthe creature, it shook off the flames like a dog shook off raindrops. Releasing another bellow, it charged at us with a speed thatbelied the size of its large body.
Leaping to the side to get out of the way, Iseized Hawk’s arm and jerked him into another shelf. The shelfrocked precariously, the contents of the jars sloshing back andforth. Hawk pulled me away before I could go over with the jarsfalling and shattering onto the ground behind us.
Pooh had charged past us, but now he turnedto look at us once more. Its snout pulled back to reveal itslengthy fangs. It stomped its foot like a bull and charged usagain.
“Nuke it with some life,” Hawk said andclasped my hand.
The flood of his life filled me, but firecontinued to lick across my fingers as fear ruled me. My heartraced too fast; adrenaline had my muscles quivering. I tried toconcentrate on bringing my other ability forth, but flamescontinued to leap over my hands and around my wrists.
“River!” Hawk shouted.
We flung ourselves to the side secondsbefore Pooh would have eviscerated us with those six-inch-longclaws. Another shelf of jars crashed to the ground, but this timeneither of us were able to avoid the foul liquid as it splashedover our feet and the bottoms of our pants.
I tried to dodge the creatures slitheringfree, but I stepped on the tentacle of one that looked like thelove child of an octopus and a stingray with its flat body andtentacles. It screamed and jerked its tentacle out from under myboot. It slapped against my boot to show its irritation beforeslithering away. At least none of them tried to attack us; theywere far more focused on escaping.
Bending, I snagged a jagged piece of glassoff the ground. I spun as Pooh came at me again and ducked backwhen it swung at me. Its claws made a whistling noise as theysliced through the air. Jumping repeatedly back, I barely managedto avoid its lethal blows as it continued to swing at me. Itrelentlessly pushed me backward through the jar-lined aisles.
When I darted to avoid what would have beena fatal blow, the world around me faded away and my ability tookhold of me. Instead of the rows of shelves and the walls of thetent, all I saw now was the monstrosity across from me comingpersistently onward. Seconds before they occurred, its movesunfolded in my head. I ducked its next swing, dodged to the rightto avoid the follow-up blow, and leapt into the air before itkicked one of its legs at me.
On the downward descent, I screamed as Iswung out with the piece of glass. I drove the shard straightthrough its temple. Blood from my sliced palm and the piercingwound I’d inflicted on the creature sprayed over us both. Thecreature howled as it threw itself back. I tried to move to theside, but I was unable to avoid the paw descending toward me. Whitelights exploded before my eyes when it bashed against the side ofmy face.
Lifted off my feet, I was thrown ten feetacross the room. The air rushed out of my lungs, and pain lanceddown my back when I smashed into the glass case of the beardedwoman. I gasped to get air into my empty lungs as I fell to thefloor, but my lungs refused to let air in. Struggling against theunconsciousness trying to claim me, it took me a minute to breatheagain and for my vision to clear enough to see the tent oncemore.
The bearded woman acknowledged me now as hereyes followed my movement with an enthusiasm that led me toconclude being in this cage was her penance for some atrociousdeeds done while she’d still been a human.
I hadn’t asked Kobal about it, but maybe thesouls sent here could retain their human forms. Or perhaps this waswhat they looked like before the demons started feeding on them andturned them into wraiths. If that was the case, I now understoodhow painful it was for the souls considering how twisted and warpedthose wraiths had been when I’d gone with Kobal to watch himfeed.
My arms wobbled, and my head pounded, but Imanaged to get my hands underneath me and shove myself into aseated position. Pooh’s claws fumbled with the shard of glass asthe creature tried to tear it from its temple.
Hawk charged around a corner with anotherpiece of glass in hand. Leaping forward, he crashed onto the backof the “bear” and wrapped his arm around the creature’s neck.Jerking back, he pressed the glass against Pooh’s throat and sliceddeep.
It threw itself back as blood sprayed fromthe gash across its throat. Hawk somehow managed to release it andjump out of the way as the thing flipped itself onto its back in anattempt to squish Hawk beneath it.
I forced myself to my feet and took astaggering step toward them as Pooh finally succeeded in yankingthe glass from its temple. Its eyes shone brighter than rubies inthe sun when it spun to face us.
“Shit,” I whispered when I realized it maybe bleeding profusely, but it wasn’t done.
CHAPTER 18
River
It launched itself toward me with awet-sounding bellow. I danced backward to avoid its swiping grasp,but it moved far faster than I’d expected, given its condition, andmy head felt like someone had bashed it with a hammer. Its clawsenveloped my ankle, jerking me forward and knocking me off myfeet.
My back crashed onto the ground, and I onceagain lost the ability to breathe. My head swam sickeningly, but Imanaged to remain conscious as I kicked out at the creature. Itsclaws sliced through the skin around my ankle; blood spilled downmy foot to drip onto the ground. Pooh grunted excitedly. It jerkedme up and down as it dug deeper into my flesh.
Fire burst over my fingertips, and Idirected a blast of it at the creature once more. It had as muchimpact on it this time as it had the first time. Hawk jumpedforward to try to help, but Pooh swung out with his free hand andbackhanded Hawk across the face. Flung off his feet, Hawk crashedinto one of the glass cages. Some of the prisoners rose from theirseats to rest their palms against the glass as they eagerly lookedon.
I kicked out again, swinging my free leg inthe air and catching hold of the arm holding my ankle. Instead ofknocking its hold on me free, it dug deeper into my muscle. Itwould slice my foot off if this kept up. I kicked frantically as Itried to calm my racing heart in order to draw on the life aroundme.
Another loud roar filled the air, but thisone hadn’t come from the creature holding me. The walls of the tentvibrated with rage, and for the first time, I saw dread in the eyesof the thing holding me.
I didn’t have time to register what wasgoing on before Kobal came around the end of the aisle and rantoward us with a speed I’d never imagined possible. His thickmuscles bunched and flexed; his eyes were a brilliant amber as hecharged the creature.
My back crashed onto the ground, my teethbit into my bottom lip when Pooh abruptly released me, apparentlyhaving decided fleeing for its life was the better option. I didn’tblame it; I half wanted to flee from the fury in Kobal’s eyes too.Kobal leapt forward, soaring across the distance separating them,and landed on Pooh so forcefully they staggered into the gallaposdemon’s cage.
