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A flash of white appears before me, making me jump and stumble backwards, but a familiar hand reaches for my arm to steady me. Black swirls trail up his arm toward his shoulder, curling across his chest in an indistinct pattern.
“A-Azarius,” I mutter, my eyes climbing to meet his, but I don’t find any hint of relief or excitement there. His brows are drawn low over his piercing blue eyes, and there’s a scowl on his face.
“What the hell are you doing here, Devyn?” he growls.
I open my mouth to answer, but no words come out, and I give him a quick once over to assess the damage. He looks rough.
Really rough.
A gash rakes down the side of his face, dripping blood onto his chest, and one of his horns is snapped off an inch above his forehead. Scratches, scrapes, and bruises mar his chalk-white skin.
"I…" The words still won’t come, and the fighting around us makes my thoughts spin.
I can’t focus, but at least Azarius is alive. He’s safe for now.
He glares at me expectantly for an answer, his fingers tightening around my arm. “We told you to stay on Earth. You need to go…now!”
I'm not sure how I got here or why I came, but one thing is certain: I'm not leaving. Not when my men are fighting for their lives and there's a bone-chilling fear creeping up my back.
But even if I stay, what can I possibly do to help?
I'm helpless against a Malev. With no magic, I'm useless.
Before Azarius' blazing gaze can blink or look away from me, a dark figure slams into him, sending him flying sideways and his hand is ripped away from me. A scream tears from my throat.
Their bodies are a tangle of limbs, claws tearing into flesh, and all I can do is stand idly by and watch my mate take blow after blow.
“Help!” I scream, knowing it’s useless. If anyone were free to help, they would already be there.
My eyes sweep frantically across the battlefield, looking for help, anyone that can come save Azarius, but there's no one. Everyone is engaged in a fight to the death, neither side having an advantage.
In fact, there seem to be more Malevs than monsters.
My heart drops through my ass.
Where are all the monsters?
Didn’t Rafe spend months–years–assembling the monsters to stand together and take on the demons that threaten to overrun this realm?
Where the fuck are they now?
A copper blur swoops in from the sky, cutting off my train of thought and slamming into an enormous figure with four arms and a flattened head. I recognize the familiar wing shape instantly, and my heart flutters.
Elio.
I watch him fight with the Malev, exchanging blow for blow, before he falls to his knees and two of the demon’s arms grab hold of one of his crumpled wings and pull with impossible strength. The appendage rips from Elio’s back with a nauseating sound that turns my stomach, and I fight the bile climbing up my throat.
No.
No, no, no.
My mouth falls open in a silent scream…
I wake on a choked sob, my eyes flying open to stare at the ceiling of Ignatius' bedroom. My heart throbs painfully in my chest, and even though I know it was a dream, I can't scrub the images of my injured mates from my mind.
They're hurt. They need help.
I clutch my chest, attempting to alleviate the pain, but it doesn't help. Another sob wracks through me, shaking my shoulders, and there's suddenly a form in the doorway.
