Page 57 of Mortal Demon

CHAPTER22

Riley stepped in front of Colton when he growled. “Wait. There has to be another way.”

Halak bent down and grabbed the teenager by the hair and dragged her against him. “One way or another, the portal needs to be severed between worlds.”

Riley met the gaze of the terrified teen. Mascara and tears streaked down her face. “She is human. Would my blood have closed the portal when I was human?”

Halak flicked a glance at the demon general. “I don’t believe the girl’s blood will sever the ties to our former realm. It could be a waste of resources to sacrifice her. She has a tie to the Haitian village.”

Deruthel glanced at the weeping teen. “That’s why I chose her, but her being human raises a concern. The demon breeders are not working out as we planned, but I kept Breck for a reason.”

Halak glanced at the reaper. “Why? What can he do for us?”

Deruthel motioned to the girl. “Breck, why don’t you show Halak, why I saved you.”

Riley and Colton shared an uneasy glance. Neither of them could fathom a reason the general would keep a reaper other than his ownership of Hakim’s properties.

Breck went to the girl. “Shh. What is your name?” he asked in a reassuring tone.

The girl took several ragged breaths. “Tara. Please don’t kill me.”

Breck smiled at her, exposing his fangs. “I’m not going to kill you, Tara. You are very important to us.”

“Why...” she stammered.

“Deruthel needs something from you,” Breck said.

Tara glanced at the general. “I don’t have anything.”

Breck’s eyes flickered with red. “You do... or you will.” He bit into her neck as she screamed.

Colton rushed at Breck, but several demons grabbed him, holding him in place. “Breck, you prick. I will kill you slowly. I swear to God, you will suffer.”

Breck released the girl, dropping her to the ground. “I didn’t kill her. Deruthel needs breeders, and since the demon ones are not panning out, we will create more female shadows.”

Riley turned to Deruthel. “You planned for this. You saved Breck in case you needed a leashed reaper to bite the women.”

Deruthel met her angry gaze. “I had hoped to find a solution to the demon breeders, but you and Dannika proved that the shadows can transition women successfully. You and your sister are breedable for us. The humans are not viable in their current state. With twenty or so shadow females we can establish the next generation. He glanced at the sicklings, huddling in the corner of the room. “Those things are not sustainable. Kill them.”

The soldier demons descended on the sicklings in force as Tara rolled on the ground, screeching from the pain. The cave turned to complete chaos as demon fought demon.

Colton was released as his captors joined the squad, intent on relieving the sicklings of their lives. Several darted down the tunnels with soldier demons chasing after them.

Riley turned to find Breck watching her. “You are going to die horribly. I would kill you myself but I promised you to Ferguson.”

Halak growled when a sickling ran toward him, evading one of the other soldier demons. His claw whipped out, and he effectively removed the small red demon’s head. “It is unseemly for a king to force us to cull our children, regardless of the circumstances.”

Deruthel nodded. “His mind has weakened with his strength. We must find a way to sever the tie to this realm.”

Halak wiped the blood from his claws on the rock. “Ashkara will feel the ties between worlds breaking. If you do not reinforce your mind, he will take your body. You understand that you will end up trapped in our former world, starving for eternity.”

Deruthel rolled his shoulders. “Ashkara will kill me if he makes it to this world. I will not allow him to crush my mind.”

Halak shook his head. “He won’t crush you. He will transfer you to his current body. That will be a fate worse than death.”

“It is part of our life. That death is the same one we bestow on all our pawns. Our sicklings. It is a risk I must take.”

“So be it. Our species will endure either way,” Halak said.

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