Page 35 of The Demon Prince's Accidental Mate
“He intervened,” was the only reply.
“Oh, Belial,” the gray-clad man said, shaking his head. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The only warning any of us had was a rushing of air. Then the knife was suddenly gone from my throat. The man behind me grunted in surprise and gravel sprayed. I didn’t wait, turning and running behind an air conditioning unit as the sounds of combat filled the night.
Peering over the top, I saw the outline of someone huge and hulking taking on the man who’d held a knife to my throat. There was something odd about the newcomer, but it wasn’t until he moved that I could see he was balanced slightly forward over his toes—because he had a tail as a counterweight. Horns thrust up from his skull as well, short ones maybe a couple of inches in length. And, as he moved into the light of the oval, I could see his skin was red.
Belial?But it couldn’t be. That thing wasn’t human. Not really. Yet my link with his mind proved itwashim. I could feel his presence, his closeness, and his rage, a towering pillar of fury that all but consumed him.
He easily defeated my captor, breaking an arm and throwing him through the shimmering oval by one leg. Then he turned to confront the narrow-faced newcomer, who held a staff in one hand, the tip of which was glowing.
“Enough,” the gray man said, pointing his staff toward me, the tip glowing a brighter yellow-orange.
I ducked down, out of the way.
“Don’t try it,” Belial snarled.
“Are you really willing to risk which one of us is faster?” the man asked.
Unable to not see what was happening, I peeked over the lip. The staff was swirling with flame on the end. Belial, meanwhile, was still off to one side. He stood with arms and legs apart, glaring at the gray-clad man. His focus was absolute.
But he couldn’t get toward me. The distance was too far.
Something had to change.
Before I could second-guess what I was doing, I burst from behind the air conditioner, heading in a line toward Belial’s side of the roof. He must have realized what I planned in that split second because he, too, was moving, even as the flame shot from the staff’s tip.
It hit the gravel near my feet, and I was flung forward, showered in bits of exploding stone that cut up the backs of my legs and arms. But then the blast of heat was gone. Falling, I rolled hard, coming up just in time to see Belial collide with the gray man. They went down in a heap—right through the portal.
The second he went through it, I could no longer feel him. His mind was gone from mine. The presence ripped away, leaving me feeling shockingly empty.
“Belial!” I shouted, on my feet and running toward the shimmering purple oval before I knew it.
Was he alive? What was on the other side of the magic door thingy? I skidded to a halt in front of it, but I couldn’t see through. Just a black haziness awaited me. I looked around.
“Fuck.” What was I supposed to do? Wait around? Would Belial come back? What if there were more intruders? I couldn’t fight them off, not on my own.
The doorway started shrinking. I was running out of time.
“This is stupid,” I told myself, hopping back and forth from one bare foot to the other, ignoring the sting of the stone, some of which I was sure had embedded into my skin. “So very stupid. You’re an idiot. This is not smart.”
I couldn’t stay. Which left one choice. I had to go. At that point, Belial was my only hope for survival.
“Fuck me!” I yelped, and, closing my eyes, I ran through the rapidly shrinking opening, hoping I hadn’t just killed myself.
Chapter Nineteen
Lily
Ialmost immediately tripped over something and fell.
Crying out, I flung my hands forward to try to brace my fall. The ground was damp and slick, and my palms couldn’t get a grip, the force of my fall spreading them wide until I faceplanted on what felt like concrete.
“Ow,” I groaned, the noise echoing weirdly.
The sound of a fist hitting flesh nearby brought my focus back abruptly. I blinked my eyes and sat up.
We were in a tunnel. A deep rumble filled the air, and my body, the vibrations of millions of gallons of water rushing past an unmistakable sensation. I knew then where we were.
