Page 31 of A Bond in Flames

The ship rolled again, and I managed to bite back my scream, just. “Can this thing capsize?”

“It’s just a storm. It’ll pass.”

“That didn’t answer my—” Something moved in the darkness, rising out of the sea, then diving back down, something huge. I grabbed Death’s forearm locked around my waist. “There’s something in the water.”

“Where?” he yelled over the furious wind.

I pointed just as it rose out again and gnashed long, sharp teeth, then dove back down. The ship jolted sharply, but this time, it wasn’t the storm. “Oh fuck.”

Death brought my hand to one of the beams beside us before releasing me. “Don’t let go,” he said as he took off his jacket. “Knife,” he said to me.

“What?”

“I need to slow it down, or he’ll put a hole in the hull,” he yelled.

And we’d sink. “What are you going to do?”

“If he’s bleeding, he’ll be more concerned with other predators on his tail than sinking us.” He slid the knife from the sheath strapped to my thigh, then pulled his own from the side of his boot.

“What the hell are you doing?”

He signaled something to the demon captain. “I won’t be long,” he said to me. Gripping both knives tighter, he ran to the ship’s railing, jumped up onto it, then dove into the sea.

I rushed to the edge just as he surfaced, then dove back down. “Holy shit.” I searched the water, waiting, but he didn’t surface again. Clinging to the railing, I ran around the edge of the ship as it jerked and lilted to the side, groaning and crashing down against the waves throwing us about. Death was immortal, but even he couldn’t survive the jaws of a monster like that.

It was so dark, the ocean nothing but swirling obsidian, and I couldn’t see anythi—

The monster rose with a roar, then dove back down—then nothing.

I ran around the ship again, hanging over the edge, desperately searching for Death. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I was shoved back from the edge. I spun as one of the demons pulled me toward the door that led below the ship, the bastard’s yellowed teeth sharp and its bullish face curled in a sick grin. “No, Death can’t die, but coming back after being minced up by that monster out there will take months, maybe even years. He’ll have forgotten all about you by then.”

Another demon joined him. “I got her first. You owe me,” he said to his buddy.

This wasn’t happening. No fucking way. Death had my big knife, but my small one was just as lethal. Twisting from his hold, I pulled it from my boot as I spun around and slashed. He grabbed his throat, roaring as blood sprayed from the severed artery. Spinning back, I kicked his leg out from under him, and he hit the deck. More demons gathered around to watch as I smashed my boot down on his ribs, cracking several of them, then pulled his own knife from the sheath at his hip, a nice big one, and used it to saw off his head, tossing it overboard before it had a chance to turn to ash.

Another came at me, the crew laughing and egging him on. Thank fuck Hemy wasn’t with me right now. If these demons had hurt him… just the thought fueled my rage. The demon lunged at me, and I ducked, spun, and shoved the knife into his side. He screeched as I wrenched it up, then back down, spilling his guts all over the deck. I shoved my elbow into his throat, spinning back to slash it open. The blade’s serrated edge was so sharp and brutal, it half decapitated him with one swipe. I yanked his head back and hacked through his spinal cord and vertebrae, severing his head, and he turned to ash as well.

The next demon stepped forward. “She’s mine,” he spat.

I was conserving my magic. If I had to take them all out one by one, I would, but I wasn’t using my powers until I absolutely had to. I wouldn’t risk draining myself too soon. I lifted the knife—

Death bounded over the railing. He was covered in blood, deep gouges across his chest, and the fury on his face when he took in what was happening would have given me pause if I wasn’t so fucking relieved to see him. “No, demon, she’s mine,” Death roared, so fiercely, I stumbled back.

He strode forward, grabbed the demon in front of me by the throat, and tore his head from his body with his bare hands. The demons around us dropped to their knees, their heads bowed, their fear obvious. Death spun to the captain, who was on his knees as well. He grabbed him by the throat as well and lifted him, shoving him against the mast. “You allowed your crew to attack my consort,” he said in a voice that had more than one demon pissing themselves and several more openly weeping.

It was full of all the things that the God of Death could deliver—horror, pain, terror.

“Has it been so long since I entered the Outer Realm that you forget who I am, demon?” he roared. “Have you forgotten what I’m capable of?”

“No, m-my lord,” the demon stammered.

Death’s hatred swirled around him, the shadows transforming him into the vision of his name, his face a skull, his cloak whipping about. He moved fast, slamming his fist into the demon’s chest. His hand had turned black when he pulled out his beating heart and shoved it in the screaming demon’s mouth before he tore him open, emptying his insides out all over the deck to slide around in the ash already there from the two demons I’d just killed. Death got in his face. Holding the demon’s gaze and ignoring his muffled screams, Death gripped his throat tighter.

The demon shook his head frantically, his eyes pleading for mercy, but Death had no mercy to give and tore his head from his body, tossing it on the ground before he turned to ash as well.

Finally, he turned slowly, his cloak whipping around him in the storm. “If any of you look at my consort, I will kill you,” he said, and then he pointed to one of the demons standing out of the circle—the only demon who hadn’t been cheering when they’d all surrounded me. “You’re the captain now. Keep your crew in line.”

Then he took my hand, shoved the door open, and led me below deck.

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