Page 43 of The Fallen
“It seems Jacob had some secrets. Secrets he’s not afraid to let other people know about now,” Dean Hayes says over her shoulder.
My stomach twists itself into knots as we hurry across the quad to the administrative building. We barely make it half-way across the deserted area when Asenath jerks me to a stop, his gray body a blur as he reaches around me to yank Ben toward us.
Ben crashes into me and the only thing keeping us on our feet is Asenath’s strong arms wrapping around us.
“Shit!” I yelp as Asenath practically tackles me to the ground. The impact jars me but not nearly as bad as the explosion of earth a few feet beside us. Dirt and rock rain down on us, but Asenath’s bulk protects us from most of it.
“What the holy fuck?” Ben yells, pushing against Asenath. I twist around, looking towards the others to find Mr. Muscles shielding Dean Hayes. The runes inked onto his skin glow a vibrant purple, flaring brightly as he throws out a bolt of lightning.
“Oh my God, Mr. Muscles is Thor,” I mumble.
Another bolt of lightning goes flying from his hand, the scent of ozone heavy in the air.
I wince as Ben’s fingers dig into my arm.
Dean Hayes is beside him, her eyes deadly calm as she watches something behind us. Her power thrums in the air, and with a flick of her wrist a chunk of earth goes flying toward whatever enemy they are fighting.
“Get off me, you oaf,” Ben yells out, and I turn to see him kick his way out from beneath the Asenath. Our demon growls something, but lets Ben go. What is that crazy ass doing?
I feel a tug, like a sudden cramp of the muscles over my chest, and my power flares in answer, ripping a gasp from me.
“When our binding is complete our powers increase tenfold. It seems your lover is already a powerful mage in his own right. A strong ally and a formidable enemy,” Asenath breathes against my ear.
I watch in slack-jawed amazement as his power builds, flames crackling across his body before they coalesce into a spinning ball between his palms. With a shout, he launches the fireball and it streaks across the quad before slamming into. . .something.
“What the fuck is that?”
Asenath gets to his feet, pulling me up with him as I stare at the monstrosity writhing on the grass. “That,” Asenath says grimly, “is something that resides in the Rift.”
My stomach drops as the thing gets to its feet, shaking the fire from its body, and I can get a good look at it.
Oh, we are so fucked.
CHAPTER 7
That’s what lives in the Rift?
The creature is at least nine feet long and insectoid, with jointed legs protruding from its torso. Huge claws snap the air impatiently, large enough to pinch any one of us in half. It rears up, tiny legs on its underside undulating. I follow the wave of legs as it flows up the creature’s body all the way to its gaping maw.
Its head is an amorphous mass of thick shell, with nothing denoting eyes or even ears. Its mouth protrudes forward and rests slightly beneath its head, the jaws opening and closing in three huge segments ringed in jagged fangs.
Terror courses through me, making my hands feel numb, as the thing swings its head like a pendulum before seeming to focus on our group. It skitters forward, only to crash to the ground as another fireball hits it, the flames racing across the creature with awhoosh.
“Take that youTremorswannabe!” Ben shouts, pumping his fist in the air. His excitement cuts off when the creature lets out a warbling screech and lurches toward us, not seeming to care that it’s dragging three of its legs.
“I love your enthusiasm, Ben, but could you please not draw the horror-movie monster to us?” I need to move, to run away, but my feet are frozen in place. Even though the sound of the monster is like a freight train roaring towards us, I can’t seem to convince my legs to start moving.
Great, in a fight or flight situation, my body decides to go for option number three; freeze.
“Humans.” Asenath growls low in his throat before wrapping an arm around me and tossing me over his shoulder. I brace myself against his back with an indignant sound of protest. He ignores me, his very nimble tail thrashing in annoyance before Ben lands on his other shoulder.
With a huff of irritation, he sprints away from the scampering ‘roid-filled bug, and I damn near wet myself when I see a second one on the other side of the quad. Its shriek of rage is cut off when Dean Hayes launches a huge boulder at its head, ripping off one section of its mandibles in a spray of green slim.
Gross!
We make it to the closest building, Dean Hayes and Mr. Muscles close behind, tossing huge mounds of earth and lightning at the things until they step foot on the smooth stones that make up the walkway encircling the quad. Asenath sets us on our feet, standing close enough at my back that I can feel his thigh brush against my ass. Surprisingly, not only am I not upset at being hoisted like some damsel in distress, but he’s a comforting presence behind me.
With a grunt, Mr. Muscles crouches and touches one of the many obsidian stones that sit on the perimeter of the yard. Power swells; a vibrating, prickly feeling that makes my hair stand up. Then, that power rushes outward, the obsidian stones flaring as a hazy light forms around the quad.
