Page 81 of Dark Angel

He goes to approach her when she grabs two daggers from her thigh sheaths and tosses them through the air. They sail past Jordan into the foreheads of two Infernals who were on his heel. He looks down at them, clear liquid spilling down their faces. Grabbing a dagger, Jordan’s hurled backwards by another bout of shadowed mist.

Landing with a thud on the ground, Kora comes to stand over his body defensively. The Infernal goes to choke her when she swings her body around, clasping the creature’s forehead backwards and slicing a horizontal cut along its oesophagus. Essence pours from the wound like sap.

Jordan is both shocked and impressed with her speed and precision.

“Get up!” She yells down at him.

Jordan does as another demon approaches them, fighting it to the ground. It claws at his back, the fabric of his shirt ripping open as he wrestles his weapon against its leathery flesh. Thrusting the dagger into its chest, the Infernal lets out a sour cry of pain. Shoving it further into the creature’s cavity, Jordan watches the life drain from the Infernal’s eyes.

Wiping his forehead, Jordan whips his head around. “How many are there?” He asks loudly, although he doesn’t really want to hear her answer.

“There seems to be more appearing every second.” Kora shouts back to him.

Another creature stalks up to him. Its gaze locks onto Jordan as it outstretches its hands. Dark shadows creep along the ground, cupping around Jordan’s throat. Tendrils divide like claws, pressing into Jordan’s neck. Jordan throws a dagger, and it narrowly misses the creature suffocating him from afar. The shadows press down on his windpipe, cutting off his breathing.

Jordan grabs another knife from his sheaths, throwing it viciously. Missing a second time, he grunts, the feeling of blood filling his headovercomes his senses. His lips are puffing and bluing as he struggles to inhale oxygen.

The Infernal is now in his face, laughing darkly and maliciously. Jordan tries fighting out of the shadow’s grip when the demon stumbles into him. The tendrils diminish and Jordan sucks in as much oxygen as he can muster. Stars leave his vision as the creature slumps on top of him like a dead weight.

Pushing it off, Kora is standing beside him once again, face to face with an Infernal. Jordan raises his weapon, which is aimed at the demonic creature glaring down at Kora when he realises it’s speaking to her.

“Little one, you cannot defeat us.” It snarls at her in a scratchy voice.

“I am not little!” She shouts back at it.

The Infernal lets out a noise, “Our master sent us here to show you what you are up against.”

Kora frowns at the creature. “Up against? You think we don’t know how to defeat your kind? This is what we train for. This is the reason for our entire existence!” Shouting back.

The Infernal steps forward, causing Kora to step backwards in response. A roguish grin widening on its terrifying face, “Our master doesn’t wantyouinterruptinghisplans.”

“What plans?” Kora half yells.

“The plans to take his rightful position and overrule Earth as a Dark Angel.”

Kora looks sideways at Jordan, who is defending himself against a different demon, protecting her as she talks to the creature before her. “Dark Angels live in the depths of the Beneath. They don’t stalk Earth. Only Infernals do, their little hand puppets that we train to kill!” Kora yells out angrily.

The blackened eyes of the Infernal narrow on hers. “You think a Dark Angel wouldn’t want to come here and return this realm to itsright fruition? He will become the seventh Dark Angel of the Beneath when his sacrifices are complete.”

“Sacrifices?” Kora echoes.

The Infernal grins, tilting its head in a menacing way. She feels the shock wave running through her, the creature’s hands pulling apart, sending waves of screeching noise towards her.

Kora crouches to the ground, covering her ears tightly.

“Do not stand in his way, little one.” It hisses.

Kora grunts, glaring up at the creature controlling her, “How can I when I have no idea who your master is?” She hisses back.

An evil cackle escapes its twisted mouth. “You think he doesn’t know about you, Angelus Purus. You think he hasn’t been watching you all these years? Watching your every move. Knowing every ability you harness. Figuring out who’s closest to you.” It snarls sharply with its hissing tongue. “Your precious Daisy. Your precious brother trying to protect you from everything. He failed to tell you about Colton, did he not?”

Kora removes her hands from her ears, tears of anger stinging her widened eyes. “How do you know about him?” She gasps out in shock.

Another blood icing cackle is thrown her way. “Who do you think our master is?” It hisses sharply like a serpent, followed by a vicious laugh that echoes through the deserted park.

Kora’s lips part when a dagger flies through the air, embedding itself into the head of the Infernal. Clear blood oozes from its mouth as it sinks to the ground like the rest of them.

“No!” Kora cries out, rushing over to the Infernal’s limp figure. “Colton. Is he your master? Did he send you here?”

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