Page 54 of Orion: Galaxy Huntress

The demon flashed sharp, shark-like teeth. “If your command is to eat shifter flesh, then yes.”

I swallowed. Hard. Comforting. Very comforting. “Let’s move out then.”

We headed deeper into the woods, destined for the line between the two packs’ territory. Incensum marched beside me in front of his battalion. The demons stomped loudly, chasing away any animal within a half mile range. Fuck, the Lithgow pack would hear us and run before we descended on them, which might force me to have to cross over into their territory to start the bloodbath. Fuckers deserved it since they trespassed on our lands.

Half a mile in, I caught a strange scent. Copper. Blood. Ice. I froze and listened. Soft, sweeping footsteps. Fast. Light. Deadly. Fuck. Vampires. They’d tracked me here, looking for Orion.

“We have company,” I warned the trailing demon army. “Incoming vampires.”

Incensum screwed up his face and growled, “We don’t eat dead flesh.”

Funny, I would have thought dead would be more appealing to a demon, given this crowd looked charred beyond recognition. But what did I know?

“Get prepared to slice some heads off or stake these bastards through the chest then,” I ordered the army at my disposal.

“Yes, friend of Vice.” I’d never get tired of hearing that name this evening so long as I stayed alive and achieved my objective. That included killing vampires now, too.

The footfalls got louder, closer, until we were swarmed by twenty vampires from Reznor’s coven. Not enough to defeat the demon army. Fucking ballsy creatures for even daring to show up with the mercenaries at hand. The vampire leader must be desperate for Orion’s blood.

“Get the fuck off my pack’s land,” I growled, my arm muscles swelling, ready to tear vampire heads from their necks. Rules were that vampires didn’t go near wolf shifter territory. Period. I’d give them one chance, then it was on like fucking Donkey Kong.

“Where’s the fallen star?” Vexlel stepped forward all ice and rotten, dead heart.

Like I would tell him and betray my mate. I’d die to protect her from this asshole who just wanted to drain her and absorb her power. Reznor said his coven leader wanted to extract Orion’s power on the blood moon, so I had to do everything to ensure he didn’t get his hands on her.

“Took off,” I replied. “Left town a day ago. Went east to Sydney.” Send them in the wrong direction. Protect her until the threat of the blood moon was over. Something told me the coven leader wouldn’t let her go so easily. I had to give my mate a head start, to get somewhere safe while I took care of the problem.

“Liar.” Vexlel stepped closer again as if unperturbed by the threat surrounding him. “Tell me where she is or die.”

Who the fuck did this asshole think he was? He was outnumbered. Dead. A fucking pile of ash soon.

“Why the fuck aren’t you killing these assholes?” I growled at the demon army.

Incensum shrugged. “You didn’t give the command.”

Fucking hell. These demons were dumber than a mule.

I went to instruct the demons to kill the vampires when a breeze blustered through the trees as the blood suckers launched at us. An ice-cold hand gripped my throat, squeezing, cutting off my air. I fought for air and release. A couple of the demons were caught off guard too and attacked, their heads severed from their body before they could defend themselves.

The leader seized my hair, yanking my head back, exposing my throat, my thumping pulse. “Where’s the fallen star?”

“I don’t know,” I croaked, unable to breathe.

“Have it your way. I’ll just take the memories from you and find her myself.” Vexlel’s teeth latched onto my throat, and he gulped down my blood.

Memory flashed in my mind as he extracted it from me. Me meeting Orion and getting the vampires away from her. Me staying away from my mate, thinking it a trick of the demon’s. Me unable to fight the call of her kidnapping and going to rescue her. Me sitting around the fire of our camp and fucking all night and part of the day when we didn’t hunt. Down to the location and my track away from our encampment. Fuck.

Getting everything he needed, the leader hissed and pulled away. “Fucking dogs taste like rotten corpses.”

Funny, he smelled like a dead zombie. Asshole. I smashed him in the head trying to get free. He took each blow as if they felt like a hit from a pillow.

Satisfied with the answers obtained from me, Vexlel left me dangling, weak and disorientated in his grasp as he turned to address Incensum. “I’ve captured your commander. I’ll kill him if you don’t assume me control of this army. Surrender to my command.”

The demons growled, snarled and grunted. This was not the way this was supposed to pan out. The Lithgow pack should be dead by now. Instead, I’d been fucked yet again by Vice.

---