Page 90 of Another Damned Storm
I shoved it awkwardly into my back pocket and hoped to hell it would actually work in the storm. Then I just stood there, unable to convince myself to flash.
I’m not ready.That was the thought playing on a cruel loop in my mind.
I’m not ready to fight a god.
I’m not ready to go back to the Alius.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to Hook.
I’m not ready.
Hook stepped in front of me, cupped my face in his hands, and looked me square in the eyes. “Yes, you are.” Then he ruined me with one of his kisses because it was soft and heartbreakingly sweet. And it was over a million years too soon.
He pulled back. “Come on, love. It’s time to let your snark shine.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. In a blink, we were standing in the park. Thrain was in the center of a clearing, with dust and leaves swirling around his billowing robe. He had his hands raised toward the sky, and where his eyes should have been, all I could see was a brilliant white-blue glow.
But where the hell was my nemesis, great-grand-daddy Lapalme?
Lightning lit up the world as a half dozen shafts of blinding light hammered the ground around us. Dirt exploded upward, fully grown trees were blown to bits, and those slivers ofsmoldering wood became thousands of tiny projectiles that ripped through my clothes and my skin.
Something skewered my left shoulder, and I let out a grunt. Hook moved toward me, worry creasing his brow, but I held out a hand to stop him. “Immortal, remember?” I yelled over the wind.
Hopefully he couldn’t see how badly my hand was shaking as I reached for the sliver of wood—which was the size of a fucking butter knife—and yanked it out. I didn’t bother waiting until it was fully healed to charge forward, but Hook beat me there, slamming into Thrain with the full force of his body.
They crashed to the ground, rolling and thrashing. When Thrain got the upper hand, pinning Hook, I leaped on his back and jabbed my blade into his neck. Icy blood spilled out over my hand, the sickly gray-blue staining my skin.
Thrain reared back with a howl and twisted, throwing me off hard enough to send me sailing through the air before I slammed into the peeling trunk of another dead tree.
“Fuck!” I hissed. It hurt like a bitch, but it was minor compared to what was happening with my hand.
Thrain’s blood actually grew colder as it clung to me, freezing my fingers until I could barely feel the handle of my blade through the pins and needles. After a few more seconds, they started turning blue, and it felt like a hundred tiny blades were slicing through muscle, joint, and bone.
I moved to wipe my hand on my jeans but caught myself. Then I kneeled and grabbed handfuls of dirt, scrubbing it over my skin frantically as I got to my feet. Where I promptly froze.
Hook had worked with me a lot over the last few months. I knew he was fast, and I knew damned well he was strong, but seeing him in action showed me just how much he was holding back with me.
And what the hell was that beeping sound?
I sucked in air and scanned the ground around me until I spotted the radio. The front cover was cracked and the little plastic antenna was hanging by a wire, but it was still working.
The pattern repeated. Three short beeps, three long tones, and three more short beeps.
S.O.S.
“Shit.” I pushed the button on the side, but nothing happened.
Then a panicked voice filtered through, sounding like it was coming from a tin can. “Salus is under attack. I repeat, Salus is under attack.”
The only thing I could think was that Lapalme had found a way to summon more demons and send them straight to the sanctuary.
I looked to where Hook was battling Thrain. They were neck and neck. Every time the old god landed a blow, Hook gave it right back. When I saw an opening, I swept my leg out, sending Thrain reeling.
Hook seized the momentary advantage and pummeled him into the dirt with one powerful punch after another.
“Careful!” I yelled over the storm. “His blood does weird shit.”
Hook glanced over, then down at his knuckles. They were stained a pale purple, with swirls of his bright red blood mixing with Thrain’s.
