Page 53 of Bitten By Desire

Chapter 18

The Battle of the Base

I knew the surprise had worked because of the gaping stares around me. Two of them stood immediately, almost knocking over their chairs as I wiggled my fingers in a wave. My instinct was to shout commands, but I already knew that was a waste of time. I had to stick to the plan.

Immediately, I felt Hazel’s invisible shield surround me, sure I was the only one who could see the glimmer of the magic as I stepped down onto a chair and then the floor while six demons and the general watched my every move, speechless.

“I know you’re all looking for me,” I said. “So, I figured I’d come to you when I heard the fae laid a trap by calling you all here.”

That shook them into action as they spun, searching the corners of the room. But I continued speaking calmly.

“Yes, they’re coming. And I’m done running and hiding. Let’s all settle this together tonight. What do you say?”

Sirena, the demon who’d injured Daphne, lunged for me, but I expected it and danced out of the way using some of the moves from my training with the nymph she’d hurt. I elbowed her in the back of the ribs for good measure.

My friends appeared from the shadows, diving into the chaos and commotion. Daphne and Tabitha jumped one of the demons, tackling him to the ground in a flurry of punches. Julian sped around to the woman closest to me and tossed her across the room where she landed hard against the floor then stood easily and raced back toward the table. Hazel shot a beam of green lightning at the demon across from me, causing him to arch in pain. Sam and Lydia surrounded two more of the board members while Lorraine joined me, our backs to each other for protection.

The fae joined as well just moments later, stunned looks all around when they noticed their setup had been crashed and hijacked. But they dove in anyway, darting about the room with deadly accuracy as magic, fire, and fists flew so fast and furiously that it was impossible to keep track of everything.

A fairy dove for me, and Lorraine snatched it by the arm, swinging it away with a battle cry. I chanced a glance and found claws had elongated from her fingers and torn into the shoulder of the ethereal creature.

Someone lunged at me, knocking into the shield Hazel had given me so hard that it sent me sprawling. I pushed to my feet as Grival, the large demon man I’d spied on stalked toward me.

“Come willingly, and no one else need be hurt,” he said.

I used telekinesis to send him flying across the room and into a pair of fae who’d been about to jump Hazel from behind as she slung magic at another demon. To the left of them, Julian fought with the general, whose skin had turned again to granite. The clang of their two bodies colliding could be heard above the cacophony of the rest of the tumult. Julian had meant to go after him, aiming for the head, where our research showed the word imbued with the magic to keep him alive was etched. His goal was to scratch or destroy the general’s Achilles heel. But when the enormous man hugged Julian to his chest, crushing him as he reached for the monster’s head, I swept my hand through the air, forcing his arms apart, to release my vampire.

I’d helped Julian for at least a moment, but I’d ignored the approach of two more fairies who’d trapped me between them. One attacked, meeting the invisible shield with a frustrated cry. Then the other one pressed a long-fingered hand against the energy, and a shock zapped through my entire body as the magic collapsed.

It snatched my arm and yelled “Stop,” just as the other grabbed hold of my opposite side. The first one froze, but the other set a hand over my mouth and started to drag me toward the exit as Tabitha screamed from across the room.

I looked up as time seemed to slow. All around me, bodies clashed, black and red blood smearing clothing and floor. Tabitha’s arm had been twisted behind her back by one demon as a second outstretched her hand, ready to unleash some sort of power. What it was I could only imagine, but it couldn’t be good.

Daphne stood, breathing heavily over the broken body of a fairy, face down with a river of blood flowing out around them both. Her blood slid down too fast and furiously to join in from huge gashes torn in her side and thigh.

A fairy danced on the chest of a demon whose entrails had been torn from his body. His killer cackled gleefully with triumph as Hazel’s electric green magic struck it from behind.

As the fairy holding my mouth went to pull me through the exit, a blur of silver fur and teeth took her to the ground beside me. Sam’s massive jaw stretched over her throat and bit down before I could so much as get to my knees. The fairy’s head rolled, stopping to stare at me, shock forever engraved on it.

But her body hadn’t stopped. She clawed at Sam’s side, making him cry out in pain. And Lydia appeared beside him, ripping off the offending arm then snapping the twig-like body in half to release a geyser of black.

I vomited then dragged myself to my feet as Lydia saw to Sam’s injury, murmuring, “Nice job being a hero, Wolf.”

Forcing myself back toward the fray, I had to pull up short when the demon Sirena blocked me.

“Come with me,” she said, and I shook my head, backing away. “Would you rather be at our side when we rule or a mindless servant of the fairy queen?” she asked sharply.

“Neither. And I know what you plan to do—harvest me,” I countered, throwing the word at her that had cut me so harshly when I’d overheard the conversation in the other dimension.

“We all do what we must, Pet. But that wouldn’t kill you. Your consciousness would remain even if we had to put you in a new body or machine.”

I backed up another step as she matched me. “Come any closer and you’re the one that’s going to need a new body.”

“Then I’ll have to do this the hard way,” she said with a sigh. She charged.

Throwing out a hand, I meant to send her crashing across the room like I had her counterpart, but she was ready and skidded a few feet before billowing blue fire from her mouth straight toward me. I dove out of the way and then she was on me, wrestling me to the ground with strength I couldn’t hope to match.

She leered down at me, her eyes black as coal. “This will only hurt for a moment.” She lifted her fist and aimed for my face. Before her knuckles could meet my cheek, she let out a tiny gasp, and her body seized as a small trickle of blood slipped from the corner of her mouth.

---