Page 45 of Wicked Savior
“Aim for the head,” I tell him with a chuckle. With only a few strides, I eliminate the distance between Evren and me and grin down at her.
But her eyes aren’t on me. They’re on the bodies littering the street and sidewalks, and the trail of body parts leading away from them and farther into the city. She’s chewing the inside of her cheek and guilt is rolling off her in waves.
I lean down and pull her chin up until her eyes meet mine. “Gabriel did this, not you. Don’t let his deeds make you feel guilty.”
She blinks. “You don’t understand…”
Gabriel’s minion lands in front of us, and I push Evren behind me.
“We’re overrun. Hurry up,” he orders, then shoots into the sky.
My jaw clenches, but I grab Evren close and follow the little asshole.
When we catch up to him, he’s hovering over a little downtown area where a swarm of beasts are circling ten angels. The warriors are picking them off one by one, but for some reason, they aren’t making much progress.
“Are you going to help them?” the angel hisses from beside me.
“Did you see that?” I ask her, pointing to a spot where two beasts are standing together.
Her mouth is open. “It replicated itself.” The scientist in her is nearly vibrating, but this time, in fear. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Anywhere.”
The angel beside us huffs. “Aren’t you going to do something?”
“We’re waiting on you. Lead the way,” I say with a bland smile, well aware he’s too scared to go down there.
“I need to find Gabriel,” he says haughtily.
Tempted to knock his head off, I restrain myself and flip him the bird.
“Let’s go, Evren,” I tell her, leaving him to do whatever the hell he’s going to do.
Evren nods and grips her dagger tighter. When we land, she moves into place between the beasts and the humans clustered to the right of the square, prepared to protect them if any get past me.
With her out of the way, I release the power I’ve been holding back to immobilize two of the beasts while I take on the third. My sword slides between its eyes, and it drops to the ground. The minute it does, a row of beasts swivel around to face me. When they start rushing forward, I pull the two strands of power and slam the beasts into the group.
Several fall, giving me a precious few seconds to focus my attention on those that are still standing. I whirl, sword thrusting, dancing in and out of their reach. I wince. Or almost out of their reach. I slap a hand across the claw marks on my right side and cauterize the wound. Blood only makes them more animalistic.
With the first ones down, the next group approaches. Needing a brief second, I wave a hand and open the ground to take out the first couple. They drop into the deep hole, and I close the ground. Swiveling to face the next two, I dispatch them easily.
A black blur plows into me, driving me off my feet. The beast lands on top, its jaws open wide. I conjure a hellfire ball and toss it in its mouth, then use my strength to hold its jaws shut while it burns through the roof of his mouth and into his brain. It takes at least a full twenty seconds for this one to die. Too long. The others could have replicated by now. I shove the dead carcass off me and reach for my sword, only to find it gone.
The minion from earlier is holding it above his head. “I’ve got it.” He calls out to the other angels. “Our swords don’t seem to be near as effective as yours. It’s only right that we have the best sword to defend ourselves.”
I laugh and stand up. “You mean defend the humans, right?” I look past him to check on Evren. She’s still in front of the humans, her feet shifting from side to side. There’s one dead beast beside her.
“The sword only answers to me,” I inform him. “And if we didn’t need every single one of us right now to clear this town, I’d kill you for touching it. It’s mine. I don’t share.” I hold out my hand in the sword’s direction and it appears in my hand.
Infuriated, he stalks toward me and raises his sword. “We’re angels. Chosen and beloved. It’s disgusting that we have to work with you.”
“Careful,” I caution him, my patience wearing thin. “I saved their lives. Something you were too afraid to do.”
He glances nervously at his fellow angels. “I told you. I had to find Gabriel.” He points behind my shoulder.
Unwilling to let any of them at my back, I step to the side and eye Gabriel. “Is this the type of angel you’re mentoring these days? A cowardly little shit who is too afraid to step into a fight?” Between one blink and the next, I move until I’m standing at Evren’s side.
The little shit glares at me.
“We cleared out the other streets. These were the last of them,” Gabriel’s clipped voice rings out over the square. “You can go now.” His eyes linger on Evren, but he waves a dismissive hand toward us both.
