Page 267 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Kai moves in front of me. Glancing at Luka and over at Rion, he gives them both a look before turning to me.

“Stay where Rion and Luka can see you. If you get separated, take this and ring the last number.” He hands me his phone. “The portal will open at your location and get the hell out of here.”

“Kai—”

Kai takes my face in his hands. “Please, just listen to me this once.”

I won’t leave them unless I have to, then I would come back with help. But I nod my head, knowing he needs this right now. The tension in his body eases.

“I love you.” He walks backwards. “Be careful.” He looks at Luka and Rion. “All of you.”

Turning around, he heads straight into the chaos. Just before one of the small hybrid beast attacks, he transforms.

His body erupts into flames, engulfing him whole as he expands and grows. A large dark body comes into view, the flames slowly disappearing to reveal a hound with two heads. Nearly the size of Axel’s dragon, his body is laced in flames. They run down his back, mirroring the orbs of fire that light his eyes. He’s magnificent.

A Descendant of Cerberus.

I can feel his power from here. It pulses out around us, much stronger than in his human form.

I glance at Luka. “Has he always been this…”

“Huge? Two-headed?” Luka smiles at my shocked expression. “Wait until his upgrade is unleashed.”

“That’s not the upgrade?”

He slices through the hybrid beasts like they're nothing, viciously attacking anything that gets in his way as he moves toward the large demon.

“No. He’s always had two sides, one more vicious than the other. He doesn’t usually like to unleashthatside, but I guess he’s not holding back anymore.”

A glint of silver distracts me as Rion slides two long black swords out from his back.

How did I not notice he had them?

“We can’t let them have all the fun now, can we?” Rion smiles before looking around for a target.

With my ability brimming inside me, I pull it to the surface, hoping this works. With a thought and the power behind it, I call the shadow beast to me. A couple of seconds pass before it appears beside me, making me smile.

Luka pulls me behind him, thinking it’s a threat. I pat him on the chest, walking back around him. “It’s okay. It’s with me.”

Looking at the shadow beast, I focus on that connection and tell it what I want it to do. As soon as the thought leaves me, it moves, slipping into the shadows and out to the crowd where a pack of hybrid beasts are backing a group of supes into a corner.

I hear a slash of metal and turn to find Rion taking on three of the hybrid beasts. I step forward to help, but Luka stops me. “He’s got this. Watch.”

Rion slices one in half, turns to catch another by the throat, then rips it out. He drops its body to the ground just as a third tries to jump off the wall beside it and spring at him.

Just as the beast is over Rion, he kneels, twisting around, and thrusts the sword up into its stomach. Rion swiftly moves to the side, allowing the beast to drop to the ground beside him. He looks up, catching us watching, and winks before turning to another beast heading straight for him.

“See.” Luka bumps my shoulder. “We can take care of ourselves. We’re not that useless.”

“You’re far from useless.”

A loud shriek blares out, making me cringe. Luka flinches at the sound, reaching a hand up to cover his ears. He pulls one hand away, glancing down at it and finding blood.

What the hell?

I move to inspect his injuries when his eyes widen, staring at something in front of us.

Turning around, I watch as more and more hybrid beasts appear. It’s as if they’re climbing out from the large demon itself. They head straight for us.

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