“What did you want me to do?” Greg said, his voice rising. “It’s what I have and what I know how to use.”
“You brought an axe!”
“I don’t know how to wield an axe!”
“And what do—?”
Keisha stopped yelling once we heard them. The shuffling of wings, the screeches. Bats appeared in the sky, close to the ground, as a new group of demons rushed to our alley. Even if we had time to hide, it wouldn’t matter. They knew we were here.
I couldn’t count fast enough, but there were easily eight wingless demons coming toward us and about five bat-like demons hovering above us.
Holy shit.
“What do we now?” I asked.
“Charge!” Keisha shouted.
She shot two arrows at the bat-like demons. Both fell to the ground dead. Then she unsheathed her long sword and engaged in battle, while I stared amazed at how warrior-like she was.
At once, the demons spread out and hovered around her. Two demons charged at the same time. Keisha stepped aside and ducked while they stumbled into each other. Taking advantage of the two seconds of confusion, she swung her sword and slashed open the back of one of the demons causing it to fall on its stomach, shrieking. Before she could even blink, the other demon was on her. Keisha parried a strong blow and dodged another. The demon kept coming, and Keisha kept stepping back, avoiding it.
The demon swung its claws toward Keisha’s chest, but Keisha was able to deflect it. With a low growl, she kicked it back using as much force as she could. The demon staggered back, and taking advantage of its confusion, she lunged at it. But the demon had already recovered and waited for her. It stepped aside and lacerated her left shoulder with his sharp claws.
I gasped and she sprang at it, as if nothing had happened. It parried her attack, and after she landed a blow that made it raise it arms to ward the weapon off, she spun around and cut its stomach open. Gooey blood gushed out of the wound as the demon fell on the ground writhing.
She barely had time to catch her breath as more demons came at her, and one of the bats dove at Raisa and me. Greg shot it, and Raisa yelled when it fell at our feet, swiping its claw one more time before dying.
A wingless demon was able to weave past Keisha and Greg, who were deep in combat—Keisha with her sword, Greg with his fists and attempting to use the axe. The demon snarled at Raisa and me. Raisa hid behind me, and I raised my dagger trying to remember how I had fought against this kind of demon before, when Brock had Morgan and me as prisoners at that abandoned school.
I inhaled deeply. I could do this. I really could.
The demon charged, and I stepped aside, pulling Raisa with me. Because of their bulk, these demons were slow, and if I wanted to win this fight, I would have to play the speed game. I just hoped I was fast enough.
I pushed Raisa to the side, and she stepped away and fell flush against the wall. I adjusted my grip on the dagger. The demon came at me. I stepped aside again, but this time it saw my move. It reached with its arm and pulled me to it. I yelped as my back pressed against its chest, and it snapped its teeth near my neck. I was sure it would bite me and rip my throat out. I elbowed its stomach. That didn’t do anything. So I did the next natural thing. I turned the blade of the dagger around and pierced its stomach. The creature screamed in my ear, and I thought I would faint from its fetid breath. Its hold on me loosened enough for me to elbow it again, push against it, and set myself free.
I turned to it with the dagger high and aimed at its chest. The demon growled. Advancing, it swiped its claws toward me, but I ducked and stepped back until I had my back to a wall. With what sounded like a growling laughter, the demon lunged at me. I kept my dagger high, stabbing the air and hoping the demon was dumb enough to run toward it. But it just swatted its hand at mine. What looked like a simple slap forced me to stumble to the side. The dagger went flying, and I fell to my knees. The demon grabbed me by my shoulders and yanked me up. It opened its mouth, and I closed my eyes and waited. It howled and let me go.
Wide-eyed, I leaned against the wall so I wouldn’t fall again and looked at the demon, wondering why it hadn’t taken my head off with its big mouth. Then its body fell forward with my dagger buried in its back.
A guy stood behind him.
“Hi, darling. Did you miss me?”
5
Dark jeans, black T-shirt, black leather jacket, and a smug grin. As stunning and strong as I remembered him, Micah stared at me with his deep, dark eyes.
My heart almost jumped out my open mouth. My throat felt dry.
“Ah …” I didn’t know what to say.
I hadn’t heard anything in three months, and then I met with Victor, the Fates, and now Micah in a matter of two days. And let’s not talk about the demons running around New York City. Oh, and my suspicion that Omi was in the city.
Micah took a step toward me, and I held my breath. “Too stunned to say hi. I know I’m good-looking, darling, but I thought you were used to that by now.”
I shut my mouth and glared at him. God, he was cocky and petulant, but I had missed his incredibly sexy accent. I would never admit that to him, though.
A demon jumped at him, but Micah ducked as if it was the simplest thing he had ever done. He whirled around, grabbed my dagger from the other demon’s body, and when the demon came at him again he simply cut its throat. Blood spilled from the cut, splashing all over my pants, and the demon fell back, making a terrible gurgling sound.
One of the winged demons turned to us. It looked at Micah and hesitated. It seemed unsure about attacking him. Micah, on the other hand, looked sure of what to do. He stepped forward and killed the demon, piercing the dagger into its chest.
Two other demons fought Keisha. Maintaining his regal pose, Micah struck one of them, and Keisha killed the other.
She looked at him confused, but only until the sound of metal rattling caught our attention. I glanced around. Raisa was still where I left her, shaking with fear, and Keisha was now stepping over the bodies of a few demons walking toward Greg, who had fallen over a garbage can, his hand over his chest.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
Keisha knelt beside him. “What happened?”
Greg closed his eyes for a second. “I-I couldn’t keep them off.”
I approached the scene, Micah by my side.
“Let me see,” Keisha said, pulling his hand from over his wound.
I gasped and clamped my hand over my mouth. Blood oozed from what look like ten thick holes, as if a demon had buried its claws in Greg’s chest.
“I know it’s bad,” Greg mumbled.
“No, no. You can make it,” Keisha said. She looked around as if asking for help. Unfortunately, I couldn't do much. I wasn’t a doctor yet, and we had no supplies. I didn’t have materials to stitch him up, and he was losing blood fast.
Taking off my scarf, I knelt beside him and applied pressure to his wounds. It was the only thing I could think of, but I knew it wouldn’t be enough.