Page 53 of Bound

The stench of burned flesh filled the air. The dog spirit barked wildly, its teeth bared.

The demons shrieked with disbelief and laughter. Except for the one who had ordered the net to fall.

“Only his arm,” the shade demon yelled. “He’ll get through that in a second! Attack!”

Several of them started to fly toward him. Ruby ran ahead, throwing herself over Slate’s arm and slicing at the ropes.

Slate snarled. He was already ripping with her, his fingers blistering and his claws cracking as he tore the net from his skin.

The dog spirit barked louder. Ruby could barely hear it over the demons shrieking, which got closer and closer until?—

The net snapped. Slate roared so loud her ears rang and leaped over her, covering her with his body.

He shoved her into his chest. For a moment, Ruby saw nothing but pale skin and listened as he twisted and clawed at the demons descending.

Then his arm shifted, and Ruby could see it all.

There were three demons left. A fourth was crumbling against a tree, crisping the leaves as it burned to dust. A fifth was in Slate’s crushing grip, scrabbling at Slate’s burned hand. The dog spirit was barking madly, trying to bite a demon and only succeeding in bumping it backward.

One of the remaining demons screeched and dove at Slate’s back.

Ruby slammed him with a fireball. It was so sudden and so bright it made everyone in the clearing glance her way, even the demon getting his neck wrung.

The demon that was hit with Ruby’s fireball screamed and fell to the forest floor. Its skin started to crack, its bones caving in until there was nothing left.

Ruby panted, shocked. She had never cast something so powerful in the mortal realm before. And it had come soquickly, no build-up of warmth, just immediate inferno.

But there was no time for surprise. She turned to the remaining two demons, who had hesitated at her fireball.

“I will give you one chance to retreat,” she said gravely.

The pair looked at each other. Then they shrieked and ran at her.

“Ruby,” Slate growled.

Ruby concentrated. Flames welled in front of her palms and shot out to coat the demons, who stumbled to their knees and turned into dust.

Just one demon left now. Ruby turned toward the last demon, who was getting its neck crushed in Slate’s grip.

The demon clawed at Slate’s hands, even as its arms began to crumble.

“You… betrayed us,” it choked. “Supposed to be… guide to lost souls. But you were too busy sleeping. Want… you… to suffer… as we…”

Slate’s fingers closed around a fistful of ash. The demon was dispersed in the wind.

The dog spirit bounded up, barking. It was shockingly loud in the suddenly quiet forest.

“Hush,” Ruby told him. “It’s all?—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish. Slate grabbed her shoulders then her chin, twisting her to examine her.

“Are you hurt?” he demanded.

“AmIhurt?” She touched his arm, which was still smoking with burns. It had traveled all the way up his black markings and onto the pale skin above his elbow. “Slate, your arm is charcoal!”

“It will heal.” Slate cupped her face, his dark eyes boring into hers like he was trying to sense if she was lying about not beinghurt. Heat radiated off his palm, his skin crisping against Ruby’s cheek.

Slate hissed in pain and dropped her face angrily. “Damned shades.”

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