Page 85 of Eclipse Born

We burst through the doors of Purgatory to find a scene straight out of hell.

The flashing strobe lights painted the carnage in disorienting bursts—red, white, black. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, some moving, most not. The air was thick with the coppery scent of blood and the sulfurous stench of demons. The bar itself was in ruins, shattered bottles leaking alcohol that mingled with blood on the floor.

Humans screamed, trapped in the massacre, while supernatural patrons fought desperately to hold back the tide of demons. In the center of the chaos, Juno—already bloodied, her dark skin stark against the crimson splashed across her face—was fending off a monstrous, horned creature twice her size. Its skin was scaled and blackened, like coal that still held embers within.

I didn't hesitate. I drew both silver blades and charged into the fight, the Heavenly Lash still secured at my hip. The first demon I encountered barely had time to turn before my blade sliced across its throat, black ichor spraying in an arc. It stumbled back, gurgling, before I drove my second blade through its chest.

Sean was right behind me, the Colt in one hand, a wicked-looking knife in the other. He fired with deadly accuracy, each shot finding its mark in a demon's head or heart. “Juno!” he shouted over the noise. “Eight o'clock!”

I spun to see three demons converging on Juno, who was still locked in combat with the horned monstrosity. Without thinking, I reached for the Heavenly Lash, and it uncoiled in my hand with a mere thought, extending to its full length. The golden energy crackled along its surface as I swung it in a wide arc.

The Lash cut through the air and connected with the nearest demon, wrapping around its waist. With a sharp tug, I pulled it toward me, directly into the path of my waiting blade. As the silver pierced its heart, the demon convulsed, orange light flickering beneath its skin before it collapsed into ash.

Cassiel moved like a hurricane, materializing beside Juno. His twin celestial blades—which I hadn't even seen him draw—shimmered as they carved through demonic flesh. Every strike was precise and lethal. The horned demon lunged at him, and with a mere flick of his wrist, Cassiel severed its head in a single, fluid motion.

Another charged, massive and hulking, but Cassiel didn't flinch. He stepped forward, driving his blade straight through its chest. Light burst from the wound, spreading through the demon's body like cracks in glass until it seemed to burn from within.

“Damn,” Sean muttered, breathless beside me. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

Cassiel merely raised an eyebrow before spinning to behead another creature mid-leap.

I turned to face a new threat—a demon that had once been a woman but now moved with the jerky, unnatural motions of a puppet with too many strings. Her eyes were solid black, her mouth stretched in a grin that was too wide for her face.

“The marked one,” she hissed, her voice layered with multiple tones.

I faltered, a sudden image flashing in my mind—chains wrapped around my wrists, fire licking at my skin, a voice whispering:

You are mine.

Pain seared through my skull, like molten metal being poured directly into my brain. My vision blurred, the present moment overlapping with fragments of memory that couldn'tpossibly be mine. The demon lunged, taking advantage of my distraction.

“Cade!” Sean's voice cut through the fog. I snapped back to reality just in time to see the demon inches from my face, claws extended. Before I could react, Sean was there, driving his knife through its throat. Black blood sprayed across my chest as the demon fell.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sean barked, his eyes wide with concern beneath the anger.

I gasped, shaking my head. The memory faded, but its residue lingered—cold, crawling under my skin like insects. “I don't know,” I managed. “Something's... happening.”

Sean's expression hardened. “Well, fight it. We can't afford to lose you right now.”

He was right. I tightened my grip on my weapons and pushed through the disorientation. All around us, the battle raged. Hawk had taken up a position near the bar, firing methodically into the horde. Sterling fought back-to-back with a werewolf I vaguely recognized as one of Juno's regulars. Skye had found a vantage point on the upper level, picking off demons with remarkable accuracy.

But there were so many. For every one we cut down, two more seemed to materialize, pouring through doors and windows, some even seeping through vents as black smoke before reconstituting into physical forms.

I caught sight of Juno again. She was struggling now, her movements slower, blood staining her side. I pushed through the crowd toward her, cutting down anything in my path. The Lash responded to my intentions almost before I formed them, extending and retracting, wrapping around demons' limbs or necks before I severed them with my blade.

A particularly large demon, with horns curling from its temples and skin like cracked obsidian, barred my way. It grinned, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.

“We remember you,” it growled. “The taste of your fear. The sound of your screams.”

My head throbbed, another memory threatening to surface. I refused to let it distract me this time. With a thought, I directed the Lash toward its legs, the golden energy wrapping around its ankles. I yanked, and the demon crashed to the floor. Before it could recover, I was on it, driving both silver blades into its chest in an X pattern.

The demon shrieked, its body arching as light burst from the wounds. But instead of dissolving, it grabbed my wrists, its touch burning like acid.

“He's coming for you,” it spat, black blood bubbling between its lips. “And when he finds you, he'll tear down that pretty little wall in your mind. Then you'll remember everything.”

Another flash of memory hit me, screaming, darkness, something clawing at my heart, trying to burrow inside. My vision blurred completely, black spots dancing at the edges. My knees buckled, and I would have fallen if not for Sean suddenly appearing at my side, hauling me up.

“Stay with me,” he grunted, firing the Colt over my shoulder. A demon dropped, its head a ruined mess.

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