Page 74 of Hellish Witch

His claws yanked free in a flare of agony as he was knocked aside, his words cut off.

The overwhelming pain finally triggered the monster inside me.

That starved power burst free. It lashed outwards, invisible whips striking into friend and foe alike.

I cried out, blood pouring down my side. Darkness bled everyone on the plains.

Shock gripped me as I took in the downed orc. An enormous hellcat pinned him to the dirt, her claws mauling his chest as the demon screamed.

Narrowed blood-red eyes met mine.Go, before your power knocks you out. I’ll hold them off.

The sound of a familiar raspy voice snapped me out of the shock, my power stuttering right along with it.

“Thank you,” I choked out, unable to process that the violent voice in my head this past week had actually beenher.

And what it must mean.

I lurched towards the portal before the darkness inside me could surge with a vengeance. Or the rapid blood loss could take me down.

The shadow-walkers swayed back to their feet as I staggered past, too many wounds cracking open their flesh.

A few of the stronger orcs recovered too, growling aggressively as they snatched up their weapons and faced off with Cookie and the injured shadow-walkers.

Guilt strangled me as I limped up to the pane of swirling colours, its magic already tugging me closer. Reeling me in like a fish on a hook.

I clutched my side, trying to stem the bleeding. Pain bit chunks out of my energy as my body frantically tried to repair itself.

My vision swam dangerously, but I managed a final glimpse of the proud hellcat baring her fangs at the advancing horde, and stepped back into the portal. “I’ll see you again…my familiar.”

Chapter 26

The world dissolved in a fizz of inexplicable sensation. Every part of me disintegrated, nothing but ash for a disorienting second before I was slapped back together and spat out.

I stumbled out of the portal, gasping for air.

Tiny needles stung my skin, and my limbs failed to respond for a few sluggish beats while my body remembered how to be a functioning whole.

Pain throbbed through my side and down my back. Warmth pulsed through my middle, contrasting the icy breeze whipping my hair into a frenzy around my face.

Sounds and scents overwhelmed me: the honking of cars, the acrid burn of exhaust smoke, and the tang of old piss. A colourless moon hung heavy in the night sky, devoid of stars and suffocated by clouds.

The human realm was just as intense as I remembered.

I reached over my shoulder, gripped the first arrow’s shaft, andpulled.

Agony sucked at my shoulder blade as I wrenched the metal tip out, causing more damage than when it had gone in. I screamed against clenched fangs, ignoring the wet heat rushing down my back, sticking my top to my skin.

My ragged panting layered the night, and I dropped the arrow, its clatter on the paving stones echoing around the alley.

I reached for the second with a shaky hand, this time closer to my spine. The angle meant I couldn’t pull it out straight.

This would not be fun.

I sucked in a breath and yanked before I lost the nerve.

Another rush of wetness preceded agony, like being jabbed with a hot poker.

I would know.

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