Page 44 of The River of Hatred

Ithuriel sighs behind us. “Don’t be vu–”

“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupt. “I’ll show you vulgar when I slurp your dick down like it’s a straw in my mango and passionfruit bubble tea.”

The angel sputters. “I– I have no idea what you just said.”

Oh, you know enough.

“Can I watch?” the little vixen purrs.

“No.” I shake my head. “You’ll be too busy sucking me off while Itha buries his face in your juicy cunt. We’re gonna make our own human centipede.”

Jessica gags and I can’t hold back my laughter.

“You didnotjust say that!” she shrieks, drawing the executioner demon’s attention away from the stumbling sinners.

“Howdy!” I wave at him.

“Stop that!” Itha hisses. Spoilsport.

Suddenly, the demon charges, his target our angel companion, his massive jagged sword raised high.

“Fuck!” I growl, tapping Jessica’s leg to let her know she needs to dismount and arm herself. Ithuriel’s sword is already in his hands, the cleanest object in this filth-covered butchery.

As the demon reaches us, he flaps his ragged wings, the gust of air knocking Jess back on her ass. Hissing, I cover her, while Itha takes the first blow, a brutal downward strike, clearly aiming to cleave the angel in half, like he’s used to doing to the sinners. Itha dodges in the last possible moment and the sheer force of the blow cracks open the ground where he was standing just a second ago. Shards of bone and rock fly from the impact area, pebbling my wings as I summon and spread them to protect our girl.

The demon takes another overhead swing, but twists the blade mid-motion, slashing sideways.

“Itha!” I scream, reaching my hand for him as if I could pull him away from the blow. The angel stumbles back, the tip of the demon’s greatsword cutting a line into his mighty armor, splitting open his pale skin. He then grabs my Starlight’s throat, lifting him off the ground. His claws must be as hot as molten metal, because Ithuriel’s skin starts sizzling and smoking at the point of contact.

Just as I summon my axe, the demon slams my angel onto the ground, cracking the stone beneath them. As Ithuriel lies unmoving, an unholy growl releases from my throat.

I hurl my weapon into the demon’s side, aiming for his ribs. The axe embeds itself into the demon’s dirty ochre skin and the beast roars in pain.

“That’s right, motherfucker!” I spit. “You’re in for a world of hurt!”

I sprint at the executioner, grabbing onto the axe’s hilt with both hands and using the momentum of my body to dislodge it from between the demon’s ribs, swinging to the ground and landing on my feet. I throw a glance at the immobile angel before I launch another assault on the monster who dared to hurt him. As I aim for the legs and neck, Jessica joins the fight.

“Get away!” I yell at her. One hit of the demon’s massive fists and she’d be dead.

“No way!” she shouts back, darting around our nemesis. “If he gets to you too, I’m fighting him alone anyway.”

Growling, I start swinging faster, not allowing the demon a moment of respite during which he could turn on the human girl. There’s no way I’m letting her get killed now. Not when I haven’t fucked her yet. Not when she means so much to Itha. To… me.

As the demon leans down to charge me, the mortal jumps onto his back, her scimitar driving into the base of his skull. My mouth opens in shock. I knew the humans could fight; I sparred with Lana enough times to see it for myself. But damn, the Fallen of Purgatory clearly trained all of them to be badass.

I spin at the last moment, avoiding being crushed by the falling demon, Jessica’s scimitar sticking out like a conqueror’s flag. She blows the wild strands of her hair out of her eyes and places her hands on her hips.

“I guess I saved your asses this time, eh?”

I whistle a low tune. “Fuck yeah, you did.”

Sobering, she runs to the prone angel. “Itha!” she gasps, crouching over him to pat the side of his face. He coughs, silvery blood spilling out the side of his mouth.

Damn it. He’s going to need to phase to his ethereal form.

“His organs are crushed,” I tell the mortal. “He needs to turn incorporeal, and when he does, he’ll likely not have the strength to return to a human form until we reach topside.”

Jessica’s lower lip trembles and her fingers flutter in the air above the angel once blood begins to spill from his nose and ears too, not knowing where to touch him.

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