Page 149 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

My wolf picks up their scent before we see them. Dozens of rodent shifters with backup appear, looking ready to fight, but with Luka and me as the targets.

I knew I shouldn’t have let that slimy weasel go.

I glance around for Luka, but he’s still in his human form. His eyes glow as he fists his hands, concentrating on pushing the shift back.

Dark shadows slide over his face, appearing like thick tendrils around him.

Damn it. He’s suppressing his wolf again. Normally, he can work with him long enough to get the job done, but he must be too close to the edge if he’s not even trying to shift.

Another thing I missed and need to fucking kick myself for.

The rodents shift into their animals. Porcupines, weasels, and a couple of foxes all move forward to attack, but they’re not what has my attention, it’s their backup.

The leopards, hyenas, and damn bears.

The demon, no longer intrigued by their presence, moves forward.

I crouch, getting ready. My flames come to life as I watch the shifters and beast head towards us.

Luka glances up, his eyes widening at the scene before narrowing on the shifters. I see him make the decision, a determined look in his eyes, right before he lets go. He manages to stay in his human form but partially shifts to use his abilities.

His dark tendrils of shadows emerge from his body and whip out at the shifters, who are trying to cage me in with the demon.

My chest turns tight every time I see those shredded shadows. They should be whole, wrapping around his whole body when he shifts, they should be a bright orange, not dark and grey like they were now, but thanks to our fucked-up family, Luka will never have the same bond as I do with my beast nor the ease of the shift that goes with it.

The shadows coil around their necks, snapping them with a flick in a matter of seconds.

And they callmevicious… They’ve never met Luka when he decides to come out and play.

He moves beside me just as the demon reaches out to grab us.

Luka expands his coils to wrap around the beast, holding it in place.

Slipping into the shadows, I become a part of the shadow itself. Moving forward, I travel through the demon, lighting my flames as I slip through its body.

Coming out on the other side, I watch as the blazing blue and white engulfs its body. Luka holds it in place until it falls to the ground, unmoving.

Most of its black skin has melted, leaving a disfigured outline of a cross between a large animal and human.

Shifting back into my human form, I move closer to get a better look. Luka does the same, standing beside me.

He checks me over before focusing on the demon.

Looking down at the disintegrating demon, the smell of sulfur leaks out around it, permeating the air. “Smell that?” “Sulfur?” Luka confirms, leaning down closer.

Black slime starts to seep from its body, leaving holes where it hits the ground.

“Any ideas?” I ask him.

If anyone would know, it would be him. He always has his head in a book. I can’t complain. It’s come in handy more than once and saved our asses a few times.

Luka shakes his head, “We should let the guys know about this, but…”

Kiarra. We all should be focusing on her, not this… demon. It’s just another obstacle in the way. One we didn’t fucking need right now.

He stands, staring straight at me, but he’s lost in his thoughts, so I know he doesn’t even see me.

Luka sighs. “We need to find more information on this thing, and fast. Then we can focus on Kiarra. She’s our main priority.”

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