Page 109 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck

I blinked in shock over who he was and what he’d just said. “Devil Dave?”

I’d not seen the man since Astria was first born and he’d given me the rundown on containment pendants. I had no idea he was in Grimm Cove.

He looked at me and grinned. “Hey, Rachael. Good to see you again. Let’s catch up after we’re done killing these guys.”

All I could do was nod as I tried to process everything that I’d had dropped on me.

Nile smirked. “None of you are powerful enough to cross the threshold. Soon we’ll have drained this one. She’ll be a husk. A shell of her former self, begging for death. And then you’ll all see what happens when you cross a man like me.”

Robin went nuts, banging like mad on the dome.

Nile took notice. “Interesting, Goodfellow. Do you have feelings for her? I saw the way you looked at my niece during the trial. Have a thing for her daughter?”

“He better damn well not,” said Drest, as he stared over at Robin.

“End this,” said Bram.

Nile rolled his eyes. “Be gone, vampire. You have nostakein this matter.”

“Ha, he made a funny,” said Elis as he emerged from the crowd. “Can we kill him now and be done with this? He’s giving me the creeps. Quick question, though, what gym membership does he have because…whoa. Impressive.”

Lightning slashed out of the sky and went right at Elis. He jumped out of the path at the last second, narrowly avoiding being struck. He glared at Nile. “Not cool,roid-rage. You know, they say steroids make your muscles big, but other things not so big. That true?”

I met Demi’s gaze again and smiled warmly at her, wanting to keep her calm for what I was about to do. “I love you.”

“Mom?” she asked, swaying as she did.

I broke Drest’s hold on me and launched myself at the energy wall.

He shouted for me, trying to catch me but wasn’t quick enough.

I expected to bounce off the power or worse. When I went through it, unharmed, everyone including me was shocked.

Gil jerked, clearly caught off guard, and then made a move to take hold of me.

I caught him by his hair and ripped him back from my daughter. I twisted him around and then stepped back, giving me some space before I kicked him. “Keep your hands off my daughter!”

He was launched backward, through the dome’s energy wall, just as Drest was retrieving the discarded sword from the ground and bringing it up.

I went right for Demi, drawing her against me.

Drest impaled Gil on the end of the sword. He then lifted the sword with Gil still on the end of it, assuring Gil wouldn’t be walking away from the battle. Drest snarled as he held the sword that was still rammed through Gil. “Wrong choice, coming after my family. I hope you rot in hell.”

Stratton pulled Gil off the sword in a way sure to do more damage to the man, not less. He nodded to his cousin. “I’ll handle him. And just so you know, that means I’m going to go make sure he’s dead and can’t ever come back. Torid, hungry?”

Torid leaped up from the ground, nodding eagerly.

Gil gargled blood, looking horrified, as he tried but failed to hold his insides together.

Nile seized hold of me from behind, trying to rip me away from my daughter. I kissed Demi’s temple and looked directly at Drest. I then shoved her at the dome of power, praying my instincts were right. That Drest would keep her safe.

She fell through it, into her father’s arms.

He swept her up, cradling her to him.

She put her cheek to his chest and reached for me. “Mom!”

Drest shook his head, staring in at me. Horror filled his blue eyes. “Rachael.”

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