I didn’t know what drove me, but I unwrappedone arm from his neck and gripped his forearm. Fire erupted from mypalm, swelling his flames to higher levels and causing them toilluminate the clearing around us as if it were the fourth ofJuly.
Somuch powerin him. It licked over my skin, burning through my body and makingme shiver. His other arm tightened on my waist as he held me to himand the fire continued to flow around the clearing.
The Chosen bond makesdemons stronger.Kobal had told me this, had told me itwas part of the reason Lucifer was looking to separate us, but forthe first time, I truly understood it as the flames danced over ourhands and around our wrists. Working together, the power grew andcoalesced around us in a bond that electrified my skin.
The cloaked figures screamed as they fledinto the woods, moving with the easy grace of ghosts or wraiths,but our fire wouldn’t have destroyed either of those things in theway it had destroyed these things.
Like a bucket of water had been thrown onhim, the flames stopped flowing from Kobal as they drew back intohim. With his flames harnessed once more, mine sputtered out.
I could barely think as my mind spun overwhat had happened. “The Chosen bond makes us stronger,” I managedto choke out.
“Yes.”
“Is that why your flames don’t burn me?”
“Part of it. The other is I can control mypower more than you can. If I don’t want to burn something, Idon’t.”
“Amazing.”
I slid my legs from around his waist andstepped back as I surveyed the damage to the clearing. Grass thathad been green was now black, and fresh saplings were burnttoothpicks. There were scorched marks on the earth from thecreatures Kobal had set on fire. Some people huddled near thevehicles, some were crying, others tended to the injured, and morelooked about ready to start shooting at the first thing thatmoved.
“What were those things?” I asked.
“I have an idea, but without seeing the faceof one, I’m not positive.”
I shuddered at the sounds of sobbing andwhimpers of pain filling the air. I took a step toward where Vargaslay on the ground with Bale at his side, but Kobal pulled me backagainst him.
“She’s taking care of him,” Kobal said.
I searched for Hawk and Erin, but I couldn’tsee where Hawk had fallen through all the smoke drifting around us.Kobal kept me close to his side as he approached Corson. The demonwas wearing two red earrings that hadn’t been there the last timeI’d seen him.
“Canagh demons,” he said before Kobal couldask.
“What are those?” I asked.
“You would know them better as incubi andsuccubae,” Kobal replied.
“Are you serious?” I blurted before Irealized it was a stupid question. With everything we’d seen, itshouldn’t surprise me they were real too.
I didn’t get a stupid response from them atleast. They both simply stared at me before turning away.
“We need to assess the damage. Gather theothers as you go,” Kobal said to Corson.
Kobal kept me near his side as Corson splitoff to patrol the camp and we moved in the other direction. Icontinued to search for Hawk and Erin but didn’t see them anywhere.An uneasy feeling was growing in the pit of my stomach when westopped at the truck we’d arrived here in.
Vargas stood by the truck, leaning against itwith his hand on his head and a disposable ice pack against histemple. His right eye was swollen nearly shut, and blood trickledfrom the corner of his lips.
“Three vehicles have been destroyed frombullets in the engine or gas tank,” Morax said, his tail thumpingagainst the ground as he walked over to join us.
“Did they kill anyone?” Kobal inquired.
“No, but they did take five of the humans,”Bale said.
“We have to find them!” I blurted.
“We cannot delay the mission for fivehumans,” Kobal replied. “There is far too much at stake. Everysecond that passes could mean another seal is being opened.”
“Two of them were Hawk and Erin,” Balesaid.
