Her breath sucked in, and the hair around her face waved as light washed over her. The wall of energy behind us grew until it swept thirty feet across the hill in both directions. It would not stop our winged enemies from diving down on us, but any who touched it would be destroyed.
Humans, demons, and Hell creatures surged forward to battle with each other. I fought my way through a wave of barta demons, making sure to keep them away from River as I tossed them ruthlessly aside. River and Raphael edged forward with us as we gained ground toward Lucifer.
I seized one barta and smashed it into the ground before decapitating it. When I lifted my head to take on the next one, I discovered the rest of them had switched course. Instead of coming for me, they were barreling toward a group of humans led by Vargas, Erin, and Lix.
“River!” I shouted. “To the right!”
Spinning, she placed her other hand on Raphael’s arm before releasing a wave of energy on the creatures. Raphael’s power fanned hers, making it more white in color than gold. Some of the bartas fell to their knees immediately and started shredding their chests open. Others kept going for a few feet before they started screaming.
I grabbed the horn of a púca before it could stab me and snapped it off in one quick twist. I threw the horn aside as the creature reeled back, screaming as it spewed black blood everywhere. Lucifer rose to stand on the seat of my throne, spread his wings, and gave them a solid flap. The grass around the throne bowed down beneath the breeze he created as he rose gracefully into the air.
Shoving aside a lower-level demon, I broke free of the craetons and covered the ten feet separating me from Lucifer in two bounds. Leaping onto the seat of my throne, I launched myself into the air after him. My hand snagged his ankle. Bailey cried out as my weight jerked Lucifer down a foot.
Using Lucifer’s leg as leverage, I swung my other hand up and sank my claws into his stomach. I dug deeper into the soft flesh there to get a better grip on him. He grunted and beat his wings faster as his warm blood pooled in my palm. I formed a ball of fire in my hand and kept it trapped against his stomach to keep Bailey protected from the flames.
Lucifer yelped, and his feet kicked out. One of them caught me in the jaw and jarred my fangs together, but I didn’t release him. My fire licked straight into his stomach. The cooked meat aroma of his roasting flesh and sinew filled the air as his skin sizzled and popped.
Lucifer grunted, closing his wings protectively in, but the gesture did nothing to help him protect himself as he dropped five feet. Unfurling his wings again, he swung the sharp tips at me. I dodged the first one and released my hold on his calf to lunge for the second. My blood-soaked hand slid down the tip before I got a firm hold on it. I increased the fire against his stomach until its glow could be seen behind his ribcage.
“You want him, varcolac,” Lucifer hissed. “Then catch him.”
Before I could respond, Lucifer threw Bailey away from me.
“No!” I shouted and released my hold on his wing so I could swing out to catch the child, but Lucifer had thrown him out of my reach.
Bailey shrieked, his arms and legs flailed as he plunged toward the ground, almost thirty feet below. River released Raphael and raced toward Bailey, but she would never make it to him in time.
“No!” she screamed.
Then, a black blur swooped into view, catching Bailey seconds before he hit the ground. To my amazement, the child laughed as Caim landed with Bailey tucked against his chest. River skidded to a halt, her head turned back to Raphael and she glanced between him and Caim.
“Go!” Caim shouted to her. “I’ll protect the child.”
She hesitated for a second before running back to Raphael. Returning my attention to Lucifer, I grinned at him and released a ball of fire that tore all the way through his stomach. The tops of the trees could be seen through the cauterized bits of flesh flapping over the hole I’d created in him. My fingers dug into the bottom of that hole and the charred skin there.
His wings drooped enough that I once again grabbed the silver tip of one and yanked on it. I didn’t care what it took, I would not let him go again. He would pay for everything he’d done, for every hurt he’d inflicted on River. Killing had always been a necessity for my survival; killing him would be a pleasure.
A series of blows rained against my face as Lucifer unleashed his telekinesis on me. The impact of the blows caved my left cheekbone and knocked all my teeth on that side out. Blood filled my mouth, and I spit out my teeth, but I maintained my hold on him. Pulling on the wing, I attempted to drag him down while he continued to try to rise with his one free wing.
A fist of air assaulted my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. Tired of this game we’d played for too long, I lifted my hand from his stomach and aimed it at his face. He swung his wing protectively in front of him to shield himself from my fire.
Instead of trying to torch him again though, I set Phenex and Crux free.
Phenex burst out of me first. Her claws left bone-deep gashes across Lucifer’s chest and wing. He screamed as his wing dropped down. He tried to grab her, but her momentum had already carried her over the top of him and toward the ground. She landed on all fours and bounded into the battle below.
Crux followed behind her. Lucifer’s fingers tore at his belly, spilling blood as the hound soared past him. Leaping over Lucifer, Crux spun in the air and clamped his jaw down on his wing. Twisting to the side, Crux’s weight bent Lucifer backward as he pulled on the wing.
The hellhound weighing more than both of us, Lucifer couldn’t resist Crux’s pull on him with his one free wing. More telekinetic blows pummeled my body as Lucifer started to flip over, bringing me with him. The sky and trees filled my vision before gravity took over and my body slammed against Lucifer’s so that his feet were in my face.
He continued to beat at me with his telekinesis. My right eye swelled until it became only a slit, and my ribs broke with an audible crack. Sensing my pain, Crux gave a ferocious shake of his head. Half of Lucifer’s wing tore apart and blood spilled free. The jagged remnants of delicate wing bones protruded into the air.
Crux hit the ground seconds before Lucifer and I did. My numerous broken bones protested the impact of the unforgiving dirt, and pieces of my ribs dug into my lungs as I rolled off Lucifer and staggered to my feet.
***
River
My heart lodged in my throat as I watched the battle between Kobal and Lucifer unfold. When they hit the ground, Crux kept his hold on Lucifer’s wing as he dragged him back and shook it violently. An invisible burst of energy hit the hound, knocking his head to the side with enough force that he lost his hold on Lucifer.
