Page 76 of Demon Hunger
The angel, or whatever he was now, wasn’t the only one wielding a weapon forged in heavenly fire.
Drevan knew better than to try to force us to go. Instead, he took another step forward, his semblance changing, the same as Khargon’s. His body stretched to the same height as Jophiel’s—membranous, spiked wings sprouting from his back. Pointed claws, horns, and teeth replaced his normal ones, and his eyes glowed a deep, murderous red.
The first time I’d seen him this way, I’d been terrified, but now, after all we’d been through, all I saw was Drevan, not a monster. In fact, as I gazed at his profile, I admired his animalistic beauty. His slick muscles, the lethal quality of his sharp edges, the aura of power that surrounded him, and the gentle soul that I knew lived in his heart.
Despite all his suffering, despite what being a hell-bound creature meant, he retained a joy for life, and he was capable of love, while God’s messengers could spew nothing but hatred.
Holding Blazebringer firmly, I took a step forward and joined Drevan. He glanced at me sideways, his expression self-conscious about his appearance, no doubt. I held his gaze with tenderness and gave him a nod to let him know I was with him until the end.
His resolve seemed to grow, as if sensing my acceptance of him gave him strength. I had been a fool before. I accepted him as he was. If this semblance had helped shape him, who was I to change anything about him?
Jophiel let out a horrible shriek, worse than any I’d ever heard from any demon. Huddled together, a couple of the reporters who had covered the competition peeked from behind a wall, recording everything. I could only hope that someone had called the local demon hunter league and reinforcement would arrive soon.
“How low you have fallen, Jophiel,” Drevan said, sounding the way I imagined a mountain would if it could talk.
Jophiel’s response was a throaty growl. There was such wildness in his expression that it was hard to believe there was any reason left inside his brain. In fact, I feared there wasn’t. Maybe he landed on his head when they threw him out.
I held my Queller even tighter, worried that, today, he would not be afraid of Blazebringer and nothing would hold him back. If that was the case, so be it. Maybe that meant he would be reckless enough for me to finally be able to find an opening to strike the killing blow.
Without warning and with prodigious speed, Jophiel whipped his firelash over his head and cracked it in Drevan’s direction. The lash moved at lightning speed, but my telekinetic powers were fast too, and I released them in a strong wave, deviating the whip even as Drevan jumped out of the way and ran straight at the angel.
“No!”
Drevan had no weapon that could kill the angel. He was going to get himself killed.
27
“Drevan!”IscreamedasI went after him, my friends at my heels while Khargon took to the air, her leathery wings flapping, and a shrill cry announcing her fury.
Drevan smashed into Jophiel, his massive hands taking hold of the angel’s wrists. Growling into each other’s faces, they struggled, doing their best to overpower one another.
Khargon got there first and flew from the top, claws outstretched, tearing at Jophiel’s face, trying to gouge out his eyes.
I kept charging, praying that she would blind him, except Jophiel flicked one massive oil-streaked wing and sent her tumbling through the air. She crashed against the ceiling, her back smashing into a metal beam with an audible crack. I watched in horror as her limp body plummeted and crashed to the floor.
Drevan let out a pained growl. Spurred by his anger, he seemed to gain additional strength. Rearing up, he head-butted the angel and pushed him back just as my friends and I got close enough to attack.
As they smashed through the already broken wall, Drevan shook the angel’s arms, doing his best to rid him of his weapons. Jophiel attempted to strike Drevan with his wings, the way he’d done with Khargon, but Drevan used his own to strike them back as they continued to wrestle.
I watched in horror as Jophiel began overpowering Drevan. With one swift motion, the angel jerked his right arm downward, breaking Drevan’s hold. Wasting no time, he cracked the firelash. There wasn’t much room to maneuver it, but still, the tip smacked against Drevan’s leg, opening a large cut and issuing a guttural cry of pain. Reaching out, Drevan took hold of the lash and quickly wrapped it around his arm even as it sliced through his skin, searing him with its unnatural power.
He pushed Jophiel away, disengaging himself. Growing in pain, he stumbled back past me, ichor dripping down his leg and arm as he collapsed to the floor. I wanted to run to him, but I had to trust he would be all right. If I came out of this alive, I would take him to my sister Dani. She would know what to do to heal him.
“Surround the fucker!” Sage shouted, running around the angel’s left side.
Benjamin ran toward the right without hesitation, and there was nothing shy or fainthearted about the way he moved or the determined expression on his face.
I squared my shoulders and faced the horrible monster. I entertained no real expectations of living through a confrontation like this, but all I had to do was nick him with my sword. One tiny cut, and he would be done. Even a small wound would be terribly debilitating, and when he was down, I would make sure to finish him.
Jophiel’s eyes flicked from side to side, taking us in. A rumbling surged from his chest. He relaxed and folded his wings. I thought he might speak and say something, but instead, he took a step in my direction. I held my ground, brandishing my sword. Suddenly, both of his wings snapped open again, hitting Sage and Benjamin at the same time.
“No!” I cried out.
My friends went flying through the air and crashed in a heap. I barely had time to spare a glance in their direction, which was certainly not enough to assess if they were all right, especially when I was distracted by Jophiel’s left wing slashing toward me at deadly speed.
My first instinct was to duck, but conquering my fear, I planted my feet and held my sword high, determined to cut his incoming appendage in two, even if it killed me in the process.
I fought the urge to shut my eyes and waited for the blow. I couldn’t say I was surprised when Jophiel’s wing twisted unnaturally as soon as he realized what awaited him. The maneuver was so sudden that it cost him his balance. Grunting, he teetered sideways, and I saw my chance to go for the kill.
