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It was funny, he’d been kidnapped, and was now being hunted downlike an animal in a maze and yet, with Shaw by his side, Kaleb was kind ofhaving… fun. Damn, he loved the Valkyrie. She made his life better in every wayjust by standing beside him, often looking menacing with a side order of surly.Okay, she wasn’t the chattiest female in the world. Often when she did speak itwas only to issue threats, generally directed at him. But who, in the name ofLucifer, wouldn’t find that sexy as hell?
When Shaw made the decision for them to walk into a blatant trap,Kaleb didn’t hesitate. He had complete and total trust in her skills andabilities. These clones Bartius had produced in a laboratory might have beenblessed with DNA that made them deadly. But Kaleb doubted the clones had thetraining Shaw did, along with centuries of fighting on the Fjornfall Planesunder her belt.
Of course, as the gravel crunched under his shoes, and the thickfog made the narrow hedge rows seem like looming walls about to crush them. Hewas aware these were not ideal fighting conditions. Worse, Kaleb had thefeeling the one place the clones had practised their deadly skills was here, inthis maze, which they no doubt knew every square inch of.
But that wouldn’t matter, Shaw would be ready for anything. Was itthe slightest of sounds? Or the infinitesimal momentary tightening of Shaw’shand on his shoulder before she released him? Kaleb’s own instincts flaring.Danger. Here. Now. Not in front of him. Behind him, where Shaw stood.
Turning fast, the warning he was about to issue freezing in histhroat, as two long swords abruptly thrust through the hedges on either side ofShaw. There was no way she could block both in such narrow quarters.
No. No! The taint of coppery blood filling the air. Shaw!
Chapter Twenty-One
Shaw’s gut clenched as the two long brutally sharp swords stabbedat her from either side. The less than a split second decision to call herarmour was pure reflex. Allowing the blades to actually hit her took a littlemore effort, as her instinct was to jump back out of the way.
Her back teeth reverberating as the point of each blade slammedinto her torso. Making it feel like she was a giant bell they were striking.The tip snapping off the sword coming from her left. Whilst the one from theright faired a little better, skidding off her gold breast plate relatively unscathed.
Quick, like lightning, Shaw grabbed the blades. Ignoring thewicked edges slicing into her hands as she heaved the swords back at her hiddenattackers. Delighting in the grunt of surprise issued on the left, and thesmall shriek of pain coming from the right.
Her hands were both annoyingly now blood slicked. Without thinkingShaw wiped them on the nearest available material, Kaleb’s shirt. Nice to knowhe had multiple purposes. His unimpressed expression looming close suddenly ashe grabbed her by the arm and began hauling her forwards.
It would be nice to track down the clone that sounded like she’dgotten hurt. Thankfully it appeared Kaleb had read her mind as he took the nextright turn. The two of them hustling forward fast through the swirling fog,which abruptly parted and there the hurt clone was, just in the process ofhauling herself to her feet, using the hedge for leverage. Clutching her sidewith one hand, sword in the other, pain etched across her face.
It was the brunette with the mahogany skin tone. Though she lookeddecidedly pale right now. Shaw was guessing she’d broken several of the clone’sribs when she’d grabbed her sword and thrust it back at her through the hedge.
“You!” The brunette hissed with hatred. Actually hissed, perhapssomething to do with the flickering long forked tongue, that appeared and thenjust as quickly disappeared back into her mouth. Yikes, it seems the Fuientistshad stirred that DNA pool with quite a mix of genes when they created theclones for Bartius.
“Us.” Kaleb responded, because it felt like someone should saysomething.
The clone pushed off from the hedging, straightening, issuing aquieter hiss this time, one edged in pain. Then she did something unexpected.She dropped her sword.
Shit, only someone with something much more lethal and deadly uptheir sleeve would throw away their only weapon. Shaw’s gaze locked onto theclone. Looking for the slightest indication of what was to come. There. Thedeep, pain filled breath the clone took, the way her jaw sawed side to sideslightly as if she were trying to swallow… or regurgitate something. BloodyHell. Shaw was flinging herself sideways, grabbing Kaleb, hauling him into herarms even as she presented her back to the clone. Flinching as the splatter ofvenom spat their way landed. Thankfully most fell upon Shaw’s armour, but a fewdrops hit the top of her shoulder and one must have landed on Kaleb who cursedsoundly, reaching up to discover his right earlobe was just plain gone.
Fuck, no wonder it felt like Shaw’s shoulder was on fire. Thatstuff was potentially eating its way through her body. Thank Freyja that only afew small drops had landed. Compartmentalising the pain, Shaw pushed Kaleb intothe nearest hedge, spinning around, calling one of her halberds. Holding itrequired two hands as her grip was still slippery with blood. Continuing herspin Shaw thrust out with the halberd. But venom clone was ready, or perhapsjust got lucky as her next load of toxic venom landed on the staff of thehalberd. Sliding down the metal handle like it was a chute ride, heading fasttowards Shaw’s hand.
Fuck, she had no choice but to release the weapon, watching,seriously peeved, as it sailed away into the fog.
Venom clone smiled smugly. Which confused Shaw for a moment andthen she twigged. This idiot presumed that she was helpless since she was downone weapon. Honestly, had they done no research on Valkyries? The brunette’sthroat working again, more venom? What a one trick clone this one was turningout to be. Though it was a good trick, the stuff burned, itched and felt likeliquid metal was working its way ever deeper into Shaw’s body. But still, otherthan the venom, what could the clone do?
Like all Valkyries, Shaw was curious to find out. Yanking a knifeout from the hidden sheath at her lower spine, throwing the blade straight andtrue. Right into the clone’s opening mouth.
Shaw stepping forward quickly as the clone fell backwards like alog, clutching at the blade, as if intending to yank it out and resumefighting. Nah, not on Shaw’s watch. Calling her remaining halberd magically,Shaw swiftly decapitated the clone in one smooth strike.
“Fucking fuck.” Kaleb moved to stand next to Shaw, staring down atthe dead clone, absently brushing away leaves and other debris that spendingsome time in the hedge had resulted in. “What next, Godzilla girl? You okay?”Lord Lucifer, if he didn’t relish the sight of Shaw in her gold armour, knifepleated skirt and matching knee high boots. She looked as ferocious as hell inthat outfit and he was all kinds of turned on.
“I’m fine. How did my armour hold up?” Turning so he could checkon any damage the venom splatter may have caused.
“Ah, shit, Shaw. Your shoulder, I can see bone.” Studying thelittle pellet like holes dotting the back of her shoulder. They were tiny buthell they were deep.
“Still feels like its burning.” Shaw rotated her shoulderexperimentally, wincing. “What about my armour?”
“Spotless.” Kaleb responded, then leaned closer, groaning.
“What?”
“I can see my reflection.” Lucifer’s left ball sack, grimacing atthe smears of blood streaking his shirt, Shaw’s blood where she’d wiped herhands on him. His hair looking ragged and his face slightly off kilter, thanksto the missing earlobe and chunks of hair that had been sheared off during thevenom strike. Oh well, the earlobe would grow back and the shirt belonged toGalen. So, there was that. But now Shaw was looking at him funny. “What?”
It was official, she’d fallen down the rabbit hole and was in lovewith this damn Demon, because right at this moment, smeared with her blood,dirty and still somehow dimpling, she wanted to… she wanted to, ah, fuck it.Stepping forward to smash her lips against his.
