I managed to scramble back to my feet andmade it two steps before something hit me again. I cried out, myhands hitting the ground and barely keeping me up as more bloodtrickled from my scraped knees.
Across the way, I caught a glimpse of Corsonpulling himself off the building and struggling forward. His stepswere sluggish, his body bent forward and his arms out before him ashe pushed onward against the invisible barrier trying to hold himback.
I pressed my hand against the asphalt, takinga deep breath as I tried to calm my rioting emotions. Fear fueledthe fire, but intense emotion was what I had to draw on to dig intothe life force flowing all around me. Unfortunately, fear was atthe forefront of my emotions right now.
Taking another deep breath, I closed my eyesas I sought the vast conduit of life flowing through the earth. Thethick slab of asphalt beneath me blocked some of its flow, but aspark flared across my fingertips.
Kobal had once said this would be my mostpowerful weapon, and though I’d gotten better at wielding it, Icouldn’t get the flow of life to build further in me as terrorcoursed through my body in jolting bursts.
Azote turned back to me, his gaze landing onthe golden-white sparks dancing across the tips of my fingers. Thelook of longing that filled his face was so raw it stole my breath.He groaned in anguish as a tremor worked through him.
I’d once speculated that Lucifer had becomeso twisted and ruthless because he’d somehow lost his connection tothe innate flow of life all the angels felt. Looking at Azote’sface now, I knew I’d been right.
Maybe the fall from Heaven had started thecorruption of the angels, but the severing of their link to allliving things had completely broken them. Which meant Lucifer mayhave been telling the truth about me after all. I could becomeevil; the possibility was within me.
Azote’s gaze came back to me. The awe andyearning faded away to be replaced with a look of hatred so deep itrocked my soul.
“It’s true!” he hissed.
I swung my other hand up, and with a scream,released another ball of fire. I was tired of these pricks, everylast one of them. He raised his hand up to knock the ball away, butit still caught hold of his sleeve and licked toward his face.While he was distracted by the flames, I rolled over and leapt tomy feet.
Just keeprunning.
I didn’t look back as I ran; I was almost tothe edge of the parking lot when I felt a hand grasp my neck. Ididn’t have time to blink before I was lifted off my feet.
***
Kobal
At the top of the hill, my breath rushed inand out of me as I looked down upon the brightly lit truck stopless than half a mile below me. Moving too fast, I’d left Balebehind, but I knew she was coming. A burst of flame drew myattention to where River lay on the asphalt at the feet of someoneI couldn’t make out against the fire coming from her hands.
River scrambled to her feet, fleeing acrossthe lot. Corson staggered forward, seemingly released from someinvisible barrier that had been holding him back. He raced for theone who had been attacking River, his claws out as he leapt up anddrove his hand down. The flames extinguished and whoever it wasspun to face him. River’s attacker screamed in agony when Corson’stalons tore through their side.
Corson swung up again, but without evenmoving a muscle, River’s attacker threw Corson into the air andaway from them. Corson hit the pavement and skidded backward on hisass toward the building. Spinning back around, the creature wentafter River once more.
I almost bellowed her name before biting itback. I’d give anything to let her know I was coming for her, butright now, I couldn’t give up the element of surprise.
I was halfway down the hill when I realizedher attacker wasn’t a demon but the fallen angel, Azote. His blackwings briefly fluttered when he turned his back to me and hissilver hair shimmered in the light flowing over him. His handencircled River’s neck, lifting her off her feet. Rage causedflames to erupt from my hands and circle my wrists.Noone would ever treat her in such a way and liveto tell about it.
My muscles swelled and heaved as the houndsclamored to get to her. Able to move faster than me, they wouldreach her before I could. Throwing my left arm out, a surge ofpower slid over my body and down to my fingertips when I set themfree. The female, Phenex, erupted from me first in a ball of fire.Flames encircled her as she hit the earth, even her eyes held firewhen she lifted her head to look at me. Crux, her mate, followedclosely behind her.
Turning away from me, the hounds becamesurging balls of fire that vibrated the ground with their heavyleaps and bounds as they ran across the earth toward River. Flamesand sparks trailed behind them, growing dimmer as the fireenveloping them began to extinguish itself.
Azote pulled River back and tossed her awayfrom him. She bounced across the asphalt before staggering back toher feet and taking a few sideways steps. Falling to the ground,she crawled forward until she made it to the edge of the parkinglot. With his hands clasped behind his back, Azote whistled as hestrolled after her, playing with her like a cat with a mouse. Azotehadn’t seen the hounds yet as his back remained to them, but whenhe did this game would end and he would do what he could to takeRiver away from here.
She threw herself forward, her hand fallingonto the earth. I saw her body shudder as her head lifted and hereyes widened at the hounds barreling down the hill toward her. Ishould have shown them to her before. She had no way of knowingthey were her protectors, not a new attacker.
Azote took another step toward her as sheflipped onto her back. Golden-white sparks of light danced acrossher hand before she turned her palm toward him and released theflow of life she’d harnessed in a powerful blast the likes of whichI’d never seen from her before. The stream of light slammed intoAzote’s chest, flinging him across the parking lot. His armsflailed in the air before he crashed onto the pavement. He skiddedon his back into one of the gas pumps.
My heart soared at River’s growing ability towield her lethal power at the same time it sank. Her ability waseffective against the fallen angels.
Which meant it would work against Lucifer;she could face him.
The hounds raced past River with a bellowinghowl that rattled the windows of the truck stop and reverberatedthe ground beneath my feet. Azote rose to his feet just as Phenexreared back on her powerful hind legs and leapt forward.
CHAPTER 26
River
