Page 72 of Till Death

Bertha skittered away from me.

The demon bent to huff out a scalding hot breath beside my ear and I snarled.

Half a beat later the creature yelped and dropped down like a load of stones on top of me. I struggled to free myself and when I finally managed to gain a little breathing room. I saw the hilt of my sword sticking out from its back and Kay standing over me wide-eyed.

My shoulders sagged.

“Are you out of your mind?” I gasped.

“I think what you want to say isthank you,” she said.

I wanted to clutch her tight and never let her go. Right now was not the time and I rose to my feet, wobbly and forcing my tears away as I looked around at our wounded and hopefully not dying.

There was one enemy here that mattered. Amon.

How would I get to him if his minions kept us isolated?

Amon—the guy with the gold watch and the Average Joe gig down pat. The guy who liked to torture his kids for sport.

And yet…something Amon said kept pushing at me from the depths of my mind. That insistent and niggling feeling I affectionately liked to call my intuition. The voice in my head urging me to remember bits and pieces of his speech was no longer hysterical or bitchy but somehow louder than before.

He’d said a lot of things because, let’s face it, the guy liked to hear himself talk. One of those guys who would rather listen to the sound of his own voice than anything else. He was the poster child for egomaniacs everywhere.

But he’d made a good point with his talk about balance. About it having to be—

“Both sides,” I whispered.

“What was that?” Marla asked.

A demon roared in pain way too close for my liking and I glanced over my shoulder to see Eli spear one through with his sword, kabob style.

Sean sputtered again and now Tamara was the one cursing. “I don’t have enough of my magic left to heal him. The wound is bad and the arteries won’t close,” she muttered to Marla.

“Hey, we’re doing our best. He’s still here.”

For now.

My lungs strained to hold back a scream that would have done nothing except make me lightheaded.

We were outnumbered and the demons kept coming while we struggled uselessly.

I had to do something. A powerful bond tied us all together and that was the only reason we’d gotten this far, but it wouldn’t take us to the end.

Wyatt reared up and yelled in fury and frustration as one of the monsters dove for Sean’s chest. He blocked them at the last minute as I begged for help that would never come.

Someone, please.

Another demon charged through the front doors, crashing into Eli and sending the two of them toppling back. The demon bounded awaysecond later and dove for the others tearing through whatever or whoever was in its path.

Eli hurried to rise and kept his back to us as he regained his footing. I was forced to my feet as well, scrambling to get hold of Bertha and raise the sword above my head and slicing it down. Rinse and repeat. Sean’s blood made my skin sticky and I mentally screamed at Amon with as many disgusting insults as I could manage in the moment.

We couldn’t keep this up.

There was no time to regroup and think of a plan. Not when we fought with the last of our strength, Eli and I side by side cutting at the demons brutally.Savagely. My heart pounded and my arms and legs ached from a thousand cuts.

The angel was fearless. He kept his focus on the fight while mine shattered.

He threw everything into his defense of these people and gave barely any thought to his physical wellbeing.

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