Page 46 of Demon Bound

One of the Paladins ripped her baton out of her hand. Another one took hold of her arms from behind her and hauled her to her feet. She struggled to pull away from him, knowing perfectly well that there was no point. People on the sides of the boardwalk were staring.

Another Paladin was helping Nirlan to his feet. He wasn’t dead, but he looked much worse for wear. He remained doubled over for a long time before pushing away from the Paladin and coming toward her. There was a large burn mark on the chest of his overcoat, the fabric blackened and fraying at the edges.

He stopped in front of her. “It’s a good thing the gods saw fit to bless you with beauty,” he said. “Otherwise, no one would be willing to put up with you.” With that, he leaned in and forced his mouth against hers. Raiya flinched away, but Nirlan followed her, grabbing the back of her head to hold her against him. He smashed his lips joylessly against her, just to show her that he could do as he wished with her. By the time he pulled away from her, she was crying.

“Tell me where the demon is,” he said.

“Go to each and every hell and find him yourself.”

Nirlan’s eyes glinted with anger. Before he could respond, there was a rush of air above them. Everyone looked up.

A massive shape dove down from above. It collided with one of the Paladins, smashing him to the ground.

It was Azreth. An enormous pair of vibrant magenta wings, shaped like those of a dragon, had sprouted from his back, and the glow of his eyes lit his face in the darkness. He was snarling as he drove his fist through the Paladin’s cuirass.

The Paladin holding Raiya released her, shoving her away as he drew an iron blade. Azreth whirled toward him, grabbing the man’s arm before he could swing the sword. He yanked, twisting the Paladin’s elbow at a stomach-turning angle before tossing him aside. The Paladin went flying across the path and sprawled against the side of a building, groaning in agony.

Chaos erupted. Bystanders screamed and ran. The Paladins backed away, scrambling for iron weapons. One of them threw a spear, which Azreth narrowly dodged. Another drew a bow and started to aim an arrow at him. Azreth simply picked up one of the other Paladins and threw him into the archer.

The remaining Paladins seemed to think better of facing him. They began to run.

Azreth turned to Raiya. Someone else’s blood spattered his body, though the rain was already washing it away. Not long ago, she would have thought him a terrifying sight. But right then, she’d never been happier to see someone.

He looked her up and down, then turned to Nirlan, who had been surreptitiously backing away. Azreth strode after him, unhurried.

Nirlan made a desperate swipe toward him with his knife. As the point of the blade crunched against Azreth’s skin, Nirlan slipped in the mud and fell. Cringing, he twisted to look towardRaiya. His perfect hair was soaked with rain, and his elegant cloak was twisted beneath him and covered in road muck. “Raiya! Help me!”

Azreth paused, glancing in Raiya’s direction, almost as if asking her for permission. She raised her eyebrows. He was allowing her to decide Nirlan’s fate.

Nirlan smiled nervously, as if they were old friends and this was all a simple misunderstanding. “For the love of Astra, call him off!”

She didn’t even stop to consider the possible consequences, because she was furious and frightened and her blood was running hot.

Raiya looked at Azreth, and she nodded her approval.

Though he didn’t quite smile, Azreth seemed pleased. He bent toward Nirlan.

Nirlan bared his teeth in fury. “You traitorous—”

Azreth’s hand made contact with Nirlan’s throat. And then, something went wrong.Azreth shouted and recoiled as if he’d been burned. He fell to his knees and clasped his own neck. Nirlan scrambled away.

Raiya ran to Azreth’s side. When he pulled his hand away from his throat, there was a black mark in the shape of a hand in the same place he’d touched Nirlan. The runes on his palm glowed a violent red, and steam wafted off them.

Raiya could see Nirlan slowly gaining confidence as he came to the same realization she was coming to: the binding, even only half-made, prevented Azreth from harming him.

Nirlan ran to one of the dead Paladins and picked up the man’s iron sword.

Raiya’s hand clenched in Azreth’s cloak. “Azreth—”

He picked her up by her waist and tucked her against his chest, raising his enormous wings behind him. He paused long enough to pick up her fallen baton and press it into her hand asNirlan approached with the sword. Then he flapped his wings, bent his knees, jumped, and suddenly they were airborne.

Raiya wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as the ground fell away. Wind rushed in her ears and rain pelted her as they shot into the sky. Below them, a crowd was staring up in awe and terror. She could see Nirlan at the center of it, sword in his hand as he watched them escape. He motioned to a few of the Paladins that were still nearby, and they started following in the direction Azreth was flying.

Raiya turned her gaze toward Azreth. His long arms held her close against his chest, and she felt surprisingly secure.

“You have wings,” she said breathlessly.

“Yes.”

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