Page 67 of Wicked Savior
He raises an arm and brings it down.
I launch one canister toward the ceiling where it detonates. Blood rains down on the two beasts below, and we collectively hold our breath.
They stop eyeing Ishkova like he’s their next meal and swiftly turn on each other. Their ravenous teeth tear into fur and limbs. Each one fighting to get to the blood that’s driving them mad. One of the beasts falls to the ground, unable to get up, and the other beasts sinks their teeth into its belly. It stops and backs up, spitting out the chunks it just ate.
It circles the beast on the ground, smelling the fur, then the belly. A deep howl erupts from its throat, and it snarls at Ishkova.
It knows the beast is its sibling and refuses to eat it.
“Twenty to thirty seconds,” Ishkova calls from the ceiling. “Unfortunately, once we shoot the canisters, we’ll have to close the portals. We’ll be blind. If the distraction doesn’t work and we open the five portals simultaneously, we could have a massive problem on our hands.”
Disappointed, I lay the launcher in the crate.
A whistle blows. “This will be a tight run. It’s already pissed off and ready to pounce, but we’ll be facing a lot more than one on the day. Everyone ready?”
The five flyers get into position, but the beast never takes his eyes off Ishkova. Tense, I grip the bars in front of my seat.
“Begin!” Ishkova orders.
The five fly in tight formation, faster and faster, but the beast only tracks Ishkova. I pull out my gold knife and hold it by the blade, ready to throw it the instant it goes after Ishkova.
“Now!” Ishkova yells.
All five flyers dive and place their canisters. The beast leaps straight toward Ishkova. I raise my arm and toss it as hard as I can.
A blue tail whips in front of the beasts and impales it on an impossibly long stinger.
“Ishkova, move!” I scream.
With a hard push of his wings, he whirls around, withdrawing his tail from the beast, and the gold knife embeds itself in the exact same spot.
Relief drives me to my knees.
“What the hell?” Ishkova roars, furiously rushing over to me. “I’m a general in Lucifer’s army. Do you think I didn’t see the beast tracking me? It was my battle, and you almost took it from me.” He pulls my knife from his belt and moves his finger to the blade.
“Don’t. It will kill you,” I reveal. “It’s why I screamed at you to move.” When he holds the knife out, I take it from him. “And you’re right. I should have never interfered. You’re a season warrior, and a high-ranking demon. I apologize.”
He eyes the gold knife in my hand. “Don’t interfere again, or I’ll have you removed from the arena. Understood?”
Humbly nodding my head, I give him the only answer he wants. “Understood.”
Cormal chuckles softly behind me. “Killing Lucifer’s second-in-command would have earned you a hell of a lot of enemies. Ishkova is well-respected.”
Rolling my eyes, I turn to him and mockingly wave my knife in his direction. “Don’t tempt me.” I slide into my seat.
He takes a step back. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen what that knife can do.” With an elegant twist, he unbuttons his suit jacket and sits down beside me. “Do all the women in your family get a knife, or is this something special between you and your mother?”
Pulling my brows together, I look at him in confusion. “My mother designed them and had one made for each of us. Why?”
He gives a lazy shrug. “Just curious. It’s the only weapon you both carry.”
I blink at his statement. It is the only weapon we both carry. Cormal recognized it as the same. And so did… Gabriel when we were in the cave.
ChapterThirty-Six
EVREN
Numb to the world around me, I can’t help but wonder what lengths Gabriel took to get rid of my mother. Unlike me, she had no human form and no way to shield herself outside of the cave. She could spell a structure to provide her cover and hide her god status, but on the move, she would be nothing but a target. He knows more than he’s saying.
