Page 44 of Secondhand Garagyre

OnceIhave them secure inside the yard,Igently lower them to ground and dig my keys out of my pocket.Unlockingthe door,IurgeMerryandPippininto the house. “Merry,Pippin.Gotobed!”Ibark, running through the house to my bedroom, their little feet rapping out a rhythm on the hardwood floor.

Followingmy command,Ihear them clatter up the doggie steps onto the bed asIdart around the end of my bed.Tothe gun cabinet disguised as an armoire.I’mnot even sureLaithoghas figured out whatIhave hidden in it.Pressingmy thumb to the biometric keypad,Ipause briefly and sigh in relief when the less than a second later the light turns green.

Pullingthe door open,Igrab mySpringfieldM1Asemi-automatic rifle with a thermal scope attached to the picatinny rail.Ican’t see in the dark, butIdon’t have to be able to see in the dark.Thisscope will show me anything with a heat signature.

Grabbingmy gun belt,Istrap it on and holster myKimber1911 .45acp on my right hip, checking to make sure the clips for it are secured in their slots.Snatchingup my hunting vest,Ishrug it on and stuff every single extra magazineIhave for this gun in the pockets.I’venever been gladder to of been raised in ruralTexasthanIam right now.

Daddydidn’t raise no sissy.

Slammingthe door closed,Ihurry around the end of the bed, kicking my cute booties off asIgo.Pullingthe bedroom door closed behind me,IcloseMerryandPippinup in the room they are the most comfortable in.Theydon’t like the sound of gunfire and it stresses them out.Rushingback through the house,Istop in the mudroom, lean my gun up in the corner by the back door and put my work boots on, lacing them up tight.Idon’t need to trip on something as simple as my shoelaces.

I’mfighting demons, for fuck’s sake.

Snaggingmy rifle,Ijerk the door open and rush out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

Laithogis going to lose his shit.

MaybeIcan get a spanking out of this…

Potentialsilver lining.

Chapter Forty-Five

LAITHOG

Baldrtrillsthrough the air asIbehead the demon that shot some sort of projectile at my fleeing mate.Sneering,Ibriefly glance inPaisley’sdirection.Relieffills me whenIsee the end of hervehiclecross the protective boundary.ThedemonIjust beheaded turns to ash asIwhirl, usingBaldrto block a blow from the demon, trying to rip my wings from my back.

Lashingout with the spiked end of my tail,Iimpale yet another demon, his body turning to ash as his life-force leaves this plane and the ashes sink into the soil beneath my clawed feet asIspin between two more demons, head butting one whileIbackhand another.Thedeadly spikes running along the back of my hands and wrist catching it under the jaw.

Killingit instantly.Anotherone defeated.

Onlythe night gods know how many more are left.

Moreand more demons appear out of the night, trying to overwhelm me with sheer numbers.Theymight have been successful beforeImated a human, but nowIhave far more stamina…and speed.Comparedto the rate of motionI’mmaintaining, it’s almost as if my adversaries are moving in slow motion.

Ican virtually see their blows before they happen.

Roaringout my rage at the sheer audacity they have to challenge me,Itake a deep breath and exhale a stream of black fire, turning in a circle, incinerating every demon within the wingspan length of my body.

Theremaining demons step back, glancing back and forth between themselves.Tryingto decide if whateverRulzikpromised them is worth attacking me again.I’mstill grossly outnumbered and the small wounds they’ve managed to inflict will start taking a toll sooner rather than later.

Ineed to finish them…quickly.

Aderisive snort escapes me as smoke twist and coils out of my nostrils.Ican’t allow these demons to escape.They’llonly cause death and destruction elsewhere if they live. “Well.Whatare you waiting for you, witless worms?Comeand get me…or are you too scared of a loneGaragyre?”Ijeer, taunting them and pricking their pride.

Demonshave always been susceptible to the seven deadly sins.

Pridebeing the worst of the seven.Especiallyif the insult is coming from a species they feel is lesser than.Theremaining demons let out sibilant hisses as my words stoke their ire to a fever pitch.Shrieking, they launch themselves at me in unison and the battle begins anew.

UsingBaldr,Iblock the swing of two swords while the claw on my right wing rips through the throat of another, and my tail disembowels a fourth.Shovingthe two sword wielders back witha heave,Isnap my wings out and slam them down, leaping into the air, grabbing a fifth demon by the hair and ripping his throat out with my fangs.

Spittinghis mangled flesh out,Iretch a little.Demonblood is still as vile asIremembered it.Droppingthe body,Iwatch as his body turns to ash on the wind.Pumpingmy wings,Ihover over the snarling mass of demons, taking long, slow deep breaths asIforce my heartbeat to slow.Theflap of wings catches my attention right beforeI’mjoined in the air by half a dozen winged demons.

“COMEONTHEN!MEETYOURDEATHONMYBLADEORBYMYFIRE!”Ibellow.Propellingmy wings down in a sharp motion,Ishoot up into the sky, gaining altitude and speed rapidly before tucking my wings close to my body and diving straight down towards the horde of demons trying to keep up with me.

Openingmy mouth,Irain blackGaragyrefire down upon their malevolent bodies without mercy, ignoring their shrieks of suffering as they die.Snappingmy wings out,Igroan at the pressure it exerts on my wingjoints asIcome to an abrupt stop, swingingBaldrin an arc and lacerating yet another demon.

Aloud crack splits the air and one of the demons beside me falls to the ground, the back of its head missing portions of the skull.Secondslater, another crack sounds and another demon falls from the air to the unforgiving ground below.Theexplanation for this hits me just as a wave of icy determination fills me.

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