Page 36 of Claim the Twilight
“No!” A gust of wind hit me in the face, and the world slowed in what I recognized as me blur-moving across the street.
The cold one leapt in slow motion, its trajectory aimed at the Diago kid. I got to her first, shoving her out of the way, taking her place, and swinging my sword up. Only a blessed blade could kill the cold one, but I could wound it and slow it down.
Another gust of wind and the world sped up. The cold one’s eyes widened as it finally saw me in its path. Too late. It screeched as my weapon sank into its belly. Inky blood spurted out with a ripe pop. I yanked my blade free and darted clear as the beast fell.
It hit the ground on all fours, seeping life’s blood all over asphalt as it turned its massive head my way, jaws dripping with saliva, red-rimmed eyes fixed on me.
It made to pounce, but a figure slammed into it, knocking it to one side.
Ezekiel dropped out of blur mode and shook out his fist. The cold one staggered to its paws and attacked him, but the vampire king was ready with an uppercut that whipped the beast’s head back and knocked it several feet away and onto its back.
Someone cried for help, and I scanned the street, locking on to a young man with hairy arms and a wolven face who was clutching a squirming bundle to his chest.
Ezekiel and I broke into a sprint toward the man, but Ordell beat us to it, jumping between the tulpa and the cold one to engage the beast in a grapple. “Stand down!” he growled.
The beasts trembled as if fighting the command.
“Stand down!” Ordell bellowed again.
The beast tore itself free of Ordell and bounded into the nearest building. Loviator’s hold on these creatures was too strong now, and even their creator, Ordell, couldn’t help wrestle them out of it.
“Watch out!” Ezekiel shoved me to the side to avoid being swallowed by the rolling black blob.
The air crackled with energy around the mass as it pulsed and swelled, creating a barrier between me and Ezekiel. It twisted toward me, and even though it had no eyes, I felt that it could see me.
Dread bloomed in my belly, but a spot of heat flared in my chest and trickled through my limbs like liquid conviction that this creature wouldn’t hurt me. I locked my knees as it rippled and leaned closer, its inky surface pebbling and dimpling as if trying to take a new shape.
“Get away from her!” Ezekiel yelled.
I caught movement in my periphery, and the blob shifted its mass toward it. Toward Ezekiel.
An inky appendage shot out of the creature and latched on to Ezekiel’s face, holding him aloft by his head.
The connection I’d felt to the blob died. “Get away from him!” I swung my blade, heat shooting through my arms and into my hands. My blade lit up, flames licking at the steel as it sliced through the blob’s inky appendage.
The creature screamed and contracted its mass, releasing Ezekiel before popping out of existence.
I dropped to my knees beside Ezekiel, who was wiping the gooey residue off his face. “Hey, you okay?”
“What did you do?” He looked up at me in confusion. “I saw fire.”
I opened my mouth to explain, but another flash of blue lit up the night, spitting out two more cold ones.
“Fuck!” Ordell ran toward us. “We can’t fight these beasts without blessed blades. And I can’t control them, not like regular cold ones. They’re under a strong compulsion. We have to get as many tulpas to safety as we can. Kaster and the white wings can cut the beasts down when they show up.”
I hated to run, but it was the only choice. We were outnumbered, and the fire thing my sword had done couldn’t be relied on. It was something I’d have to think about later. Right now, we had to save as many lives as we could.
It looked like some of the tulpas were already making a getaway in their vehicles. I even spotted a couple of bikes. “We can get some of them into the van and?—”
The roar of an engine cut me off, and headlights appeared down the road. They swerved to the left to reveal another set of headlights, the beams sweeping over the road and lighting up the gore-spattered street and the monsters responsible.
The vans came to a halt, and people poured out of them. Gray-skinned with dishwater eyes, they carried axes, bats, and steel pipes.
“Ghouls…” Ordell let out an incredulous laugh. “Fucking hell.”
“Not just ghouls but vampires too,” Ezekiel said with pride.
I spotted a few familiar faces from the Sangualex. Wayne, Charlie, and Atlas—Kaster’s voice.
