Page 75 of To Crave Darkly
My breath was tight in my lungs and my heart lurched in my chest as adrenaline kicked me into action. This was what I had been training for.
My eyes scanned the night sky, looking for the demons that I knew he had sent for me. Clouds had burst from nowhere and with no moon or stars, dark wings stood out like obsidian shapes against the carbon sheet of the night.
I didn’t know where they’d come from. The square was littered with monstrous creatures of all shapes and sizes. They were creatures so foul that they could have only sprung from the pits of Hell. I could smell the brimstone in the air and the suffocating stench of it brought tears to my eyes.
I sprinted towards the action unfolding in front of me. My boots pounded against the earth and my thighs screamed at me to slow down but I had to help my team. I reached for the scythe nestled against my back, its weight in my hand giving me comfort. I could do this.
I cut across the square and skidded to a halt at the edges of the fray. Right in the middle one man took on four, no, five of them. I knew who that was, even from all the way over here.
“Jasper!” I called out to him, but he was too preoccupied to hear. I darted forward. I slashed at the demons as they poured from the sky. My blade snagged them as I arced my scythe through the air, their screams a symphony that fuelled my rage. But they just kept coming. More spotted me and turned in my direction.
Shit!
I was getting closer to Jasper. But there were too many of them. A huge shadow swept through the group to my left.
Alec. Thank God. His huge Hound barrelled through the swarm like a battering ram, taking them down with sheer brute force. He was massive. I’d never seen his Hound before, and I was in awe of the sheer size of him. He must have been as big as a fucking horse. His eyes still glowed amber in his canine face and I gulped at the vicious looking fangs in his mouth as he tore some demons to shreds. I could see lights flashing off to my left where Fenris battled with Saskia by his side, barbecuing the fuckers to ash. Cassian had taken to the skies to battle them in the air, his dragon lighting the night sky with bright blue flames. I had been right; he was magnificent to see. I could see his body shimmer in the low light as he twisted and turned through the heavens.
In the moment I had paused to find my team, demons had surrounded me and now stared at me like I was their next meal. They were ugly, hideous things. Their black eyes bulged from their heads, and rows of razor sharp teeth glinted behind lipless mouths. These were the minions that Lucifer had sent to fetch me. Where was Orion? He said he would be here. Our soul bond chose that moment to pulse and I knew he was close.
“Come with us and no one else needs to get hurt,” one of the creatures said. He took a step forward and I could see he was about a foot bigger than the others. Perhaps this meant he was the one in charge.
“So you do talk. I have to admit I was curious. With mouths like that I didn’t think you’d be able to.”
I counted eight of them. I was seriously out matched here. But I felt my demon screaming to come out to play. She was hungry, and these beasts looked like a mighty fine feast.
The leader snarled, clearly not impressed with my attempt at small talk. “You can come quietly, or you can fight us, and we will slaughter everyone here.”
Nope. Not gonna happen. I was not going with them, nor was I letting my friends die. I fell into a defensive stance like Cassian had taught me and looked the leader square in the eyes.
“You want me? Then come and get me.”
The minions gave out a wet screechy cackle. Was that supposed to be laughter? God, it was awful. If this wasn’t an I’m-about-to-die-horribly situation, I would have laughed at the way they bared their fangs like creatures in old-school horror movies.
They advanced forward. I rolled my shoulders and opened the door for my demon. She burst forth and together we fought like warriors who battled monsters on a daily basis. We were a well oiled machine, and we were a force to be reckoned with.
The next seconds were a blur of hacking, stabbing and draining the sins from these creatures. I had lost sight of my team. I didn’t have time to check again. They just had to be alright.
My scythe cut through the air, decapitating limbs and removing heads. My free hand claimed the sins of the creatures attacking me and I devoured their energy. I consumed everything I could get my hands on until I was overflowing with dark energy. I twisted and turned to avoid the slashes from their claws, my moves fluid and precise as I destroyed the horde before me.
It was only when the silence hit me that I finally stopped.
My heartbeat, which was frantic and thumping before, was now beating a slow, steady pace. An eerie calm settled deep in my soul and I realised I didn’t feel separate from my demon.
We were one.
For now, at least. I could still feel her in the back of my mind. We still had some way to go before fully becoming unified, but we were getting there. I was starting to feel more comfortable when she took control and that felt like another part of my puzzle clicked into place. I was starting to feel more complete.
My eyes took in the scene before me. It was carnage as far as I could see. Smoke billowed up into the sky, swirling into grey clouds against the starless night. Screams drifted across the breeze and bodies littered the ground like broken dolls.
A slow clap sounded from behind me and I turned to find its source. Standing in the middle of the battlefield was a man dressed in a three-piece suit. His clothes might not be the most appropriate attire, but he commanded my attention. He always commanded my attention.
Orion.
Our connection pulsed and I ran over to him. It was like coming home and my heart soared at the sight of him.
“You really are magnificent, my sweet,” he whispered softly before placing a soft kiss against my temple. “I am so proud of you.”
Pride shone down in his eyes and warmth swelled in my chest at his words. “I’ve missed you.”
