Blood oozed from the minotaur’s wounds as it swung its claws down. The powerful blow eviscerated one woman and cleaved a demon in half. I recoiled and closed my eyes when warm blood sprayed my face.
Before I could clear the blood from my eyes, something hit me so hard, it lifted me off my feet and tossed me aside. I couldn’t see where I was going or how high I flew as wind whipped around me.
“Aisling!” Hawk bellowed.
My breath burst out of me, needles of pain pierced my body, and my lungs compressed when I crashed into the side of a building. Wood splintered, and something gave way against my back, but I didn’t go all the way through the wall. Instead, I hung for a moment before sliding to the ground.
I struggled to gasp in air, but my lungs refused to accept it until, finally, the pressure in my chest eased and oxygen rushed in. I tried to open my eyes, but the blood caking my lashes made it impossible to see. Wiping frantically at them, I listened to the screams and grunts of the battle; not being able to see made it more terrifying.
Hawk!I scrubbed at my eyes and peeled them open again.
I found Hawk immediately as he darted out of the way of the minotaur’s horns. The beast was back on all fours. As it swung its head back and forth, it shoved and threw aside anyone close to it before rising onto its legs again and reaching over its back for Lix.
When it grasped Lix, another demon ran in and thrust a sword into the creature’s stomach. The minotaur ripped the sword free and plucked Lix off its back before tossing him aside. Then it fell to the earth with enough force it dented the asphalt and rattled the glass in the windows beside me.
I pushed myself further up the side of the building when those yellow eyes swung in my direction. My heart plummeted into my stomach as it turned and raced toward me. My hand fell to one of my guns, and I pulled it free. Shooting this thing would be like firing at a freight train, but it wouldn’t take me alive.
My first two shots struck it in the chest and blood spilled free, but it never slowed. The third bullet hit it in the center of the forehead. Its head jerked back a little, but that was the only reaction it revealed to being shot in thefucking head.
My ears rang as I continued to fire until my gun emptied, and I tossed it aside. Lifting my hands, I willed fire into them. My terror must have fueled them as the flames burst free and encircled my wrists. If bullets and axes weren’t any good against this thing, my fire wouldn’t do much, but I’d make this thing scream.
When Hawk raced after the minotaur, the fury on his face propelled me to my feet. I couldn’t let him get himself killed trying to fight this beast. If this thing was going to take me, then so be it, but Hawk would make it through this.
Still a little disoriented from hitting the wall, I stumbled more than ran toward the minotaur, but it was closing the distance between us fast. Three feet away from me, the creature came to a halt and plucked a motionless demon off the ground. I recognized Tusks as the minotaur lifted him and rose onto its hind legs.
Skidding to a halt, I staggered back as the minotaur examined Tusks before throwing the unconscious demon over its shoulder. On the other side of the minotaur, Hawk stopped running toward the beast and ran behind it toward me. The minotaur smacked another demon out of its way and strolled down the road as if it wasn’t bleeding from a hundred different wounds.
I gawked after its fading back as it disappeared around a corner before reappearing on the trail to the mountain. Then, it ducked to enter the cave and vanished.
What remained of my adrenaline rushed out of me, and I nearly went down. I hated the relief that washed over me, but I’d been so sure that thing was coming for me. Instead, it chose Tusks, who would most likely die. I disliked myself for feeling grateful, but I couldn’t help it. I was going to live another day.
Then, Hawk was before me and wrapping his arm around my waist. Unable to stand on my own anymore, I sagged against him. He easily kept me up as he cradled my head with his other hand and kissed my forehead.
“Are you okay?” he demanded.
I couldn’t form words yet. I’d never seen or experienced anything as unstoppable as thatthingbefore. Everyone had warned us, but none of us were willing to listen. Unless we came up with some new way to defeat it, that thing would pick us off one by one, but what could we possibly do to destroy it?
“Aisling, are you okay?” Hawk inquired as he pulled my head from his shoulder and brushed back my hair to look at me.
I opened my mouth to tell him I was fine; I would have told every other living creature I was good, but this was Hawk, and the truth slipped from my lips. “No. I thought it was coming for me.”
“So did I.”
“And when it took him instead…” My voice trailed off.
“I understand,” he said as I’d known he would. “I was glad it wasn’t you too. Come on, let’s get you inside and somewhere you can relax.”
Neither of us would ever relax again in this town, but I didn’t resist as he led me back toward the library.
“What about the dead?” Wren asked.
“They’ll still be there tomorrow,” Randy said.
Chapter Thirty-One
Hawk
I finished tying the rope onto one of the beams in the attic of the home and gave it a gentle tug. “Can you feel it?” I shouted down the stairs to Aisling.
