Page 268 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

I turn back to Luka, reaching up to check his ears, now dripping blood, but he stops me.

“I’m fine. They’ll heal. Let’s focus on them.” He nods his head to the beasts.

He’ll heal,I remind myself, giving him once last quick check before stepping back.

Turning around, I feel my powers take over as I let go. My dark inky shadows slide over my skin, growing and expanding before they encase my entire body. They reach out like long sharp limbs, striking down the small beasts coming for us. Slicing through them like blades, the shadows pick them off one by one.

Just as we think we’re gaining on them, another loud shriek sounds out, but this time it’s much louder. Luka grabs his ears, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

I move toward him when the sound cuts off, followed by a loud crash that quakes the ground beneath me.

My eyes veer toward the source, finding the large demon head-to-head with Kai’s hounds. Axel is above them, shooting flames down around them, hitting the demon whenever an opening appears.

I release a harsh breath, the tightness in my chest easing slightly, seeing them hold their own against it.

I check for Luka and Rion, seeing them both back to fighting now that the shrieking has stopped.

Knowing both are safe, I glance around, looking out for a familiar blue flame when I spot it in front of a half-destroyed building.

Jax is holding his own against a half a dozen hybrid beasts while protecting a group of young shifters. He rips through them, burning them with his blue flames.

Focusing back on the beasts in front of me, I hear a loud rumble, like thunder, distracting me. The air shifts as if it’s being pulled into a vacuum.

Seconds later, a loud boom comes from the skies and the vacuum pops. It strikes, hitting the large demon, slightly tipping it forward. The energy from the vacuum keeps going, sending a rippling effect around it, destroying everything it touches.

The demon catches itself, sending out another loud shriek, but this time it doesn’t stop. Luka and Rion grab their heads, trying to cover their ears.

The hybrid beasts move forward, unaffected by the sound. I frown, only noticing that neither am I. Pushing the thought to the back of my mind; I focus on the beasts gaining ground on my mates.

I pull up more power, ready to strike when more and more beasts appear. They keep coming the longer the shriek blares out. Quickly glancing around, I find the tables also turned on Jax. He becomes inundated by a large pack of the beasts.

I go to move toward him when a slash of metal sounds out. Turning back, I find Rion using both weapons to hold them off.

Why isn’t he shifting?I glance around for Luka but can’t see him in the chaos.

Panic and dread sets in the longer I don’t find him. My dark shadows curls around me as I keep searching, waiting for my command.

A rush of breath leaves me spotting him kneeling and bleeding from multiple claws marks across his stomach. His face is in pain as he covers his ears, wincing against the loud shrieking. His hands are drenched in blood, making the panic inside me build once more.

Terror strikes me frozen as two beasts sneak up behind him. I glance at the distance between us, knowing I’ll never make it to him in time, nor will he hear me shout out to him.

Not knowing what else to do, I focus on the beast instead.

Reaching deep inside me, I search for a connection similar to the one I have with the shadow beast but find none. Moving quickly, I try to feel for a spark similar to Malik’s, but instead of a spark, I find a flicker. It’s so small I barely feel it as it brushes up against my senses.

I take hold of it in my mind and pull. I yank on it, feeling my power wrap around it and drag it to me.

Focusing on the beast, I aim everything at it, hoping I can stop it in time.

“STOP!” My command rings out, and it halts its advance… along with every other hybrid beast around us.

Suddenly, the shrieking stops. I glance over to see one of Kai’s hounds has its teeth latched onto to the front of the large demon’s neck while the other hound’s head latches on from behind.

With the shrieking stopped and the hybrid beasts frozen in their spots, Luka and Rion slowly make their way over to me.

They each take a hand and squeeze it tight. I check over them and see them already starting to heal.

We look over at Kai’s hound just as the demon starts thrashing, trying to escape Kai’s hold. But it’s no use. Kai’s hounds have latched on tight, and they aren’t letting go. The demon’s fight is coming to an end.

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