Page 85 of Death Deals

I rushed toward Eli and grabbed his outreached hand. The current from the vortex pulled him with immense force, and I held onto a piling to keep us both from getting swept away. Suddenly, another hand clamped around Eli’s arm and yanked. It was Andre. With his help, we were able to haul Eli out of the dangerous water and back onto the dock.

He sputtered and coughed out mouthfuls of water.

Seeing he was okay, I turned to Andre. “Get Cole out of here. He’s still too weak to fight, and I’m sure he won’t take no for an answer.”

To my surprise, he didn’t argue. Only nodded once before running off.

Monnie’s furious bellow shook the night. The bullets didn’t seem to be enough to stop him, only annoying him further. He leaped into the air and slapped his hands on the wooden planks hard enough to splinter the wood. A burst of black smoke erupted from his palms, and the ground shook violently under our feet.

In horror, I watched as claws gripped the sides of the dock by Eli’s feet. A gray head popped out of the dark water, then another and another.

“Halflings!” Arianna’s shriek ricocheted from behind us.

Eli and I scrambled to our feet and dashed away from the docks as the grotesque monsters pulled themselves onto land and ran for us. A gust of hot air rushed past us, making us stumble, and stinging the side of my face. Arianna used a tunnel of flame like a whip and lashed out, catching the first wave of Halflings and throwing them back into the water. The stench of burning flesh perfumed the air, but as more of the Hell creatures surfaced, she waved her hands and another mini-tornado formed, her lips moving at a feverish pace.

“The Archangel is mine!” Monnie’s command to his minions cut right through me. “The rest—kill them all.”

Eli’s spear reformed in his grip, and he threw it toward one of the Halflings rushing toward Sean and Kay. The thing squealed and dropped, the weapon embedded in its back. Kay shot the thing in the head just to make sure it was done for.

“Now you’re getting it,” Sean said as he reloaded.

Screeches filled the night as more of them came at us. The air blurred in front of us, and suddenly, Halflings were being thrown left and right.

Vampires. And a huge lot of them. Queen Imani was among them. She punched a creature through the chest and ripped out its heart as it collapsed before throwing me a pleased smile.

Well, shit.

Andre was by me then and pushed something into my hand. It was a short sword, much like the one in his own grip.

“Ready?” he asked.

Now I was. It wasn’t an angel sword, but I’d make do. I gave him a firm nod.

We raced into the thick of the fight together.

I cut down any Halfling who dared creep a little too close. No offense to Cole, but I did way better with a sword than a gun.

As more claws grabbed for me, I swiped the blade through the air. I gutted one creature, but another ducked low and grabbed me around the waist. I fell back, my head colliding with the ground. Colors exploded before my eyes, but before I could readjust myself, another Halfling was wrestling the sword out of my hand.

Fear galloping through me, I tried to roll and grabbed the weapon with both hands, but the Halfling on me pinned me down and before I knew it, the sword was ripped out of my grasp. I kicked out and grabbed onto the creature’s shoulders, trying to wrench it off me, but it wasn’t letting go.

Not knowing what else to do, I punched the thing in the face repeatedly. It hissed at me, teeth bared. I continued to hit it with all my strength, my knuckles crying out in protest as it mashed with bone and flesh, but when black ooze coated my hand and its hold on me lessened, I stopped. Instead of a face, I was staring at a concaved mess of blood, skin, and bone.

I wiggled out from under it and searched the ground for my knife. Through the throng of clashing vampires and Halflings, I saw the glint of metal ahead.

With my power still on the fritz, I needed something to help me fight, so I pushed myself through the chaos, dodging claws and wild punches. When I reached it, a Halfling jumped onto my back, bringing me down to my knees. Its piercing screeches made my ears ring.

I thought about Ricky and what he would say if he was here right now, sparring with me. Practicing, like we used to. Although I had no memories beyond the one, I had a feeling he’d probably reprimand me for my lack of form.

“When you’re stuck and find yourself backed into a corner, forget everything else. Do what you need to get out of there.”

And that’s what I was good at, wasn’t it? Thinking on my toes and sayingfuck itto the rules.

Surviving.

I ducked, curling my body in, and flipped the Halfling onto its back. At the same time, I snatched the knife and plunged it into its chest. It squirmed, screaming, so I gave the handle a good, hard twist. It stopped moving.

Kay’s scream rose above all other noise, freezing me to the core.

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