Page 56 of The Nephilim's Finesse

A bolt of azure magic shot over my shoulder, slicing through three demons at once. Hazel. I caught a glimpse of her braided hair whipping around her as she wove another spell. Trevan and Blaze continued to fight back-to-back behind her, a study in contrasts—Trevan's dark hair and broad build against Blaze's light, willowy form. They made a good team. The ground around them was littered with corpses.

Andrew had dragged a shivering Charlie to safety, shielding her behind a wall of splintered furniture, a witch hiding next to them. A scream tore through the air, high-pitched and terrified. I whirled to find a lone demon clutching the witch in his grasp, long claws tearing her open.

Before I could move, a roar shook the very foundations of the buildings. A massive and towering shadow fell across the demon, all muscle and fur. Andrew. In the hybrid form of him and the giant lion-man, Sabnock. In this form, none would get past him.

"Kneel, you pathetic worms, or face my wrath!" His voice was a bone-jarring bass as he repeated his commands in the ancient language of the infernal.

The demon dropped the bleeding witch and fell to his knees, trembling. The rest of the horde followed suit, cowering under the demonic presence of Sabnock. Even the remaining vampires bowed their heads. That was the last thing they did, as we cut them down without mercy, vengeance burning in our hearts for the lives they had destroyed today. By the time the last creature fell, the exhibition hall was in shambles, with bodies and debris littering the floor.

Mike rushed to Charlie's side, folding her into his arms. She was shaking like a leaf, tears streaking down her pale cheeks.

"It's okay," he soothed. "You're safe now."

Her fingers curled into his shirt, clutching it like a lifeline. Mike stroked her hair and whispered reassurances until her trembling eased.

When I looked up, Sabnock was gone—only Andrew remained, concern etched into his features, watching the witch.

"Is she—"

"She'll be fine," Azariel said. "Just a minute." She laid her hands on the witch's body and healed her.

Relief washed over his face. He ran a hand through his hair, dislodging strands of gold. "I didn't mean to scare everyone. I just...when that demon grabbed her, I lost control."

"You did what needed to be done." I bobbed my head. “We have to clean up this mess.”

“Shit, what are we telling the humans?” John asked, his green eyes full of uncertainty.

The humans stared at us with a mixture of fear, awe, and disbelief etched on their faces. Their wide eyes flickered between the dead vampires strewn about and the magical beings standing before them, weapons still drawn and magic crackling at our fingertips.

Mike stepped forward and gave an exaggerated bow like the Joker often did, which he portrayed. "We hope you enjoyed the show!" His usual mischievous grin was firmly in place, though I could see the tension in his shoulders. This had been too close a call.

The humans were silent for a long moment. Then Charlie let out a loud whoop, clapping her hands enthusiastically. "That was amazing! So realistic!"

Her enthusiasm seemed to break the spell, holding the other humans immobile. They also began to cheer and applaud, smiles growing on their faces.

"Incredible special effects!" one man shouted.

"How did you do that?" asked a child, eyes shining with wonder as he took in the scene.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Mike and Charlie's quick thinking saved us from a lot of difficult explanations. The humans thought this was all part of some show. Mike gave another cheeky bow, lapping up the praise and admiration.

My gaze wandered over the dead vampires and demons again, a frown creasing my brow. This attack had been brazen and unexpected. The vampires rarely revealed themselves so openly, let alone attacked a large group of humans and magical beings together. Something had changed.

“If you excuse us, we have to get rid of…” Mike indicated to the bodies, which the humans thought were actors. The audience laughed and turned around to enjoy their evening, chatting eagerly about the brilliant show they’d just witnessed. The humans could continue enjoying their "show," none the wiser about the dangers lurking at the edges of their vision.

I moved to help the others clear away the evidence of the real magical battle that had just taken place. Luckily, nobody from our side had died. We healed the ones who were injured, but it was nothing serious.

We hauled the vampiric bodies into a dark alleyway behind the hall, out of sight from prying human eyes. John stood guard for any intruders. The witches and fae soon arrived to dispose of the corpses. I wrinkled my nose at the stench of death and decay already seeping from their forms.

"Well, that was certainly an exciting show!" Mike said brightly, clapping me on the shoulder. "Shame we had to cut it short. The humans seemed really into it."

I grunted in response, still preoccupied with the implications of this attack. Mike's humour was misplaced. The vampires and demons had directly challenged us, and we couldn't afford to take this threat lightly.

Azariel seemed to share my concern. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Something's not right here," she said, scanning the alleyway. "Vampires don't normally attack so openly. And I’ve never seen such demons roaming free."

“What has changed?” asked Hazel.

"A new leader," Andrew suggested, frowning. "Eldred said that we were better off with him, as the other leader would be more cruel. As much as I’d rather deny it, I guess he was right."

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