“You’re welcome?” Nate wheezed, clutching his bleeding arm.
Her expression flickered, something unreadable.
Then she slapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble.
“Buy me a drink after this.”
He brightened instantly. “So, youarein love with me?”
“Don’t push it.”
We were holding our ground, but barely.
Then I heard it.
A sharp gasp.
I spun just in time to see Caleb stumbling back, clutching his shoulder, blood streaming down his upper arm. Apparently a demon had gotten through his guard, the shapeshifters taking advantage of the fact that we didn’t know each other better…
Jaden reacted instantly. The ground beneath the monster behind Caleb split open and erupted, swallowing the demon waist-deep in stone. Caleb didn’t even flinch, he just raised his gun with his good hand and shot it point-blank in the head.
The body slumped and he wavered.
“Stay still,” Jaden said, moving towards him. He reached out—
Caleb bared his teeth at him. “Don’tbaby me.”
“You’re bleeding all over.”
“Then you should step back if you can’t handle it.” Caleb snorted defensively.
Jaden sighed. “Stubborn bastard.”
“Overgrown rock,” Caleb shot back. But he let Jaden steady him.
Good. Several down, only one visible demon still standing.
I exhaled, trying to control my nerves.
Malakai stepped in closer, blood threads tightening protectively around us both, like a spider web spun just for me.
My double flickered back into view ahead, smiling with my lips. It was sickening.
“Pathetic,” she crooned in my voice. “You let the Demon King’s offspring leash you like apet.”
Malakai stiffened.
Before he could react, I lifted my sword, aiming at the creature.
“Please,” I muttered unfazed. “You thinkthisis a leash? Let me educate you.” I whipped my other arm at the shapeshifter, and fire ignited along the way, lashing like a thick rope. I forced the flame to encircle its throat, tying it firmly, before I tugged on my end. The demon hissed as it desperately tried to resist but stumbled forward and landed on its knees.
I curled my hand into a fist, making the flames dig into the creature’s throat, earning a screech from it.
“Thisis the suffocating feeling of a leash,” I smiled coldly at it, tightening the hold further, causing it to choke and claw against my flames in vain. “And you’re looking awfully pathetic, poor thing.”
“I’ll kill you,” the fake me hissed, before losing the shape of my face, its voice shifting into something unnatural as it struggled to maintain its appearance.
Malakai hummed darkly. “Talking to a fake version of you is getting tiresome.”
