Page 78 of Coerced

From far away, I heard Spin shout, “Incoming!” and the succubus’s control lapsed as she focused on what was going on behind us.

“What is this?” she murmured. “Who dares steal my prisoners?”

I had enough of my own mind back to look over my shoulder. Seven or eight small demons came from the portal with what looked like blankets. They scattered and seemed to be trying to throw the blankets over the rest of my team. Then a man in a gray suit came through, followed by about twenty larger demons. They headed for Rome, who was still fighting the behemoth.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” the succubus hissed, then raised her voice to a screech. “Back off, Hubler! I’m claiming this bounty!”

She pulled my head closer and her breath was warm on my neck. I tried to remember what I was doing, but I never could think straight when I was this close to Gemma. And my brain definitely wasn’t going to work when she was sucking on my earlobe like that.

There was something, though. Something nagging in the back of my mind…

“I’ll have to finish you quickly,” she whispered in my ear. “More’s the pity, sweet angel.”

Angel?Me? No. That’s wrong. Gemma’s the angel.

Gemma…

All at once, Chance’s apathy shattered. I caught her head in my hands and pulled her face away. She tried to catch my eyes in a last-ditch effort to trap me again, but now I shed her power like it was water. Roaring, I crushed her skull until she gasped and collapsed against me.

Shoving her off, I got to my feet and called up my katana. One smooth stroke and her head rolled across the grass.

“Gigi! John!” I shouted orders as I ran. “Get them outta here!”

Convinced that they would be safe - thatshewould be safe - I headed for Rome. The larger demons had him surrounded and hurled spears of darkness that bounced off his shield for now, but he couldn’t afford to fend them off for much longer. He would need all his power to take down the behemoth.

Where’s Spin? He should be shooting those sons of whores!

I couldn’t afford the time to find out. The behemoth had crashed into Rome’s side and tossed him like a dog with a toy. He landed hard, but had the sense to snag the creature’s thick ankle with one hand. Bellowing, he hung on as the behemoth dragged him along at a fast gallop, which had to hurt, but it also kept him alive.

Almost there!I ran hard, my arms and legs pumping like pistons.A few more yards…

Then Rome let loose a missile that sank into the behemoth’s gut. With a loudboom!, it exploded in a shower of blue sparks, and Rome curled onto his side and lay still. Swearing, I slashed my way inside the circle of demons.

“Can you move?” I yelled.

“Can you … buy me … a minute?”

“No! Clem said you can shift, so do it!”

There was a blue flash, then a giant snake slithered its way up my leg. Leaving a trail of blood on my clothes, Rome wrapped himself around my waist and shoulders and propped his head on my neck.

I hacked away and tried to keep one eye on what was happening at the portal, but the demons pressed tighter and blocked my view. There seemed to be no end to them and I was getting impatient, so I lit my katana up. Now, each swing of the blade spat fire into the horde, and the demons dissolved as it hit them.

Rome’s forked tongue tickled in my left ear and I resisted the urge to swat at it. I got the idea he was trying to tell me something, so I did a quick scan of our position.

Demons were everywhere. I couldn’t see any of our people and hoped it meant Gigi or John had ’ported them away, but Gemma’s scream killed that thought. She sounded terrified and ice formed in my gut. Even as upset as I still was at her, I never, ever wanted her to get hurt.

My fault. It’s all my fault if she gets hurt. I asked her to come.

In a hurry now, I hurled fire everywhere and the demons went up like dry wood. I dodged their burning corpses as I ran, half-blinded by the smoke and ash filling the air. All I could do was plow forward in the direction I remembered seeing the portal.

“KERRY!”

“Hold on, angel!” I yelled. “I’m on my way!”

I never in my life moved as fast as I did then. The smoke cleared enough for me to make out the portal, where Gray Suit stood with a few of the lesser demons. He looked over his shoulder, saw me, and flicked his fingers. I juked, expected to see a curse whiz by me, and was confused when it didn’t.

Then power slammed into my side.

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