Page 12 of Till Death

It paid to be sure. After what I’d seen in my Trial, after losing her, I couldn’t bear to have it become reality.

“She’s still in Divine Magic,” Michael answered softly.

“Great, then that’s where I’m heading.” We weren’t too far away, either. Sadly, each step had pain radiating up from the wound in my leg. I bit the inside of my cheek to try and keep it from showing on my face.

Michael tried to protest but one glance from me had him smartly shutting up.

A split-second of a tingle at the back of my neck was all the warning I had before another demon came out of nowhere. Not an original sin demon but equally massive, with red eyes flashing angrily at the group of us.

Muscled, too.Damn. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Our gazes locked and I knew the time had come to get back in the game for good. And the look I received in return said the thing wanted to spread me on a cracker for lunch.

I’d show him where to shove his cracker.

These demons didn’t scare me anymore. Not really, when it came right down to the bare bones of the situation.

It roared and came at me. I lifted my sword above my head and slammed it down on the thing’s shoulder with enough force that I lost my balance. A claw flicked out and caught me in the side just as I went down on one knee. Pain radiated from where I’d cracked the bone on the cobblestones.

The others swarmed around us but there were more demons behind this one to capture their attention.

Pretty soon my strength would give out. I knew it. This thing knew it. I struggled to stand again and the demon kicked me backwards. Skidding along the sidewalk was one way to exfoliate. Not my favorite. I landed against a tree trunk hard enough to lose my breath for several more seconds.

There was no Cole to intervene this time. Even Eli and Michael, for all their strength, had their hands full with the sheer number of Halflings and demons and evil souls rising from Hell.

“Jade! Watch out!”

Eli’s terrified voice reached me just in time to avoid the next swipe of the demon’s claws. I sucked in a sharp breath, rolling out of the way and tightening my grip on Bertha when I rolled. I gave myself credit, though, because I came up swinging.

“Time to die,” I told the thing.

It didn’t listen.

They never did.

I lunged forward with the sword and the demon pulled away at the last minute. I managed to get one good cut in before it reared back and hissed at me.

“Oh, you’re mad?” I ground out, my jaw clenched. “Well, you can join the club.”

My heart galloped as I sliced. Plunged my blade between its ribs and watched it go down before dissolving into ash.

Another wave of Halflings joined the party out of the shadows. They filled the street with roars and screeches, their bodies bent out of shape. The stuff of nightmares. These ones didn’t seem to want to run into the city right away.

No, they were focused on the other Archangels. Onme.

Panic clawed at me at the thought of Kay facing these creatures on her own. Arianna looked like she’d been through enough on her own, her tight jeans and typical band tee ripped and stained. Her heavy makeup had been smeared but it did nothing to dispel the air of power around her. Unfortunately, she only had Sean with her. Who was stationed with Kay?

I forgot the exhaustion and the pain in my leg underneath the crushing weight of fear. You’d think I’d be used to it by now. After everything I’d been through, from my death at Ed’s hands, going to Hell—twice—to the Trials, to this current moment, I should be able to spit in the face of fear.

Why didn’t I feel like that?

My gut sank clear down to my boots and the rest of me wanted to follow. I didn’t have time to focus on it, though.

I grunted in annoyance and took down another creature.

Time for me to channel Cole’s uncontrollable temper. It got the job done.

The Halflings continued to bombard us, drawing our attention back to them again and again. They scaled the sides of buildings. They rained fire down on us. One of the Archangels at Michael’s side was hit and went down on his knees screaming.

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