Page 110 of A Luna's Dynasty
He backhanded Caspian across the snout, then turned back to Lita. “Ready to go?” he asked, as if they were headed to a picnic.
Lita tried to crawl, tried to summon the fire, but nothing happened. She was spent. That was the point of the crystal. It was to drain her of her magic so she couldn’t fight. This was wellthought out. Abaas hoisted her onto his shoulder. “We’re going to have so much fun,” he purred.
Behind him, Caspian struggled to stand, eyes pleading with Lita. Abaas started into the woods, Lita limp and helpless in his grip. Caspian, battered but unbroken, limped after them.
Abaas carried Lita through the woods. He moved fast, never breaking stride even when she mustered the energy to kick and hit him. He would only chuckle, as if her fight made him happy. Over his shoulder, Lita could see Caspian was still following, coming at them faster now.
Abaas let out a sigh and gingerly laid Lita back on the ground. He turned and glared at Caspian.
“Let’s make this quick,” Abaas said, voice bored. “I’d rather not be interrupted by her boyfriend.”
He stepped back, hands on his hips, and watched her with a predator’s lazy confidence. Behind him, the forest filled with low growls and the red gleam of demon wolf eyes. There were at least a dozen, maybe more. Caspian burst into the hollow, hackles raised, lips peeled back in a snarl. Two demon wolves flanked him immediately, their teeth bared.
Lita braced herself, pushing up on her uninjured arm. Her fire was almost gone, but she could feel a stubborn ember burning in her chest, a last, desperate hope.
Abaas tilted his head. “Still trying to fight, princess?”
Seraphina?!she yelled into the darkness of her mind. Nothing.
She met Abaas’ gaze. It was tender, almost as if she were someone precious to him. And for a second, she saw not a monster but a man who had been broken and rebuilt into something terrible. It almost made her pity him.
Almost.
She called the fire.
It hurt this time. It clawed through her veins, scorched her lungs, but she forced it up, forced it out. Her hands blazed blue and gold, the light illuminating the hollow like a miniature sun. Abaas smiled, unimpressed.
She hurled the flames at him. The inferno hit Abaas square in the chest and wrapped him in a cocoon of white-hot fire. For a heartbeat, he vanished inside it.
Then he stepped through, completely untouched. The flames licked at his skin, but he didn’t even flinch.
Abaas dusted an imaginary fleck from his shoulder. “Did your mother not tell you? I am the son of Mephisto. An original demon. The flames of a tier-three god are … underwhelming.” He shrugged. “But I like the effort. Honestly, you are adorable.”
She shifted tactics. “You might be immune, but your little army isn’t,” she spat, turning her palms to the demon wolves closing in on Caspian. She let the fire go, hard, reckless. The wolves screamed, their fur igniting in blue and gold flames. The clearing filled with the stench of burning fur and the shrieks of dying monsters.
Abaas watched, fascinated. “So much fire. So much anger. We’re going to be perfect together.” He didn’t care at all about the wolves she had injured and killed.
The remaining wolves regrouped, circling Caspian. Abaas raised his hand, and they lunged in unison. Caspian met the first with a brutal snap of his jaws, tearing out its throat, but the second caught him from behind, dragging him to the ground. Lita saw blood spray, saw Caspian’s body go limp.
She screamed, and the fire leaped higher. It danced over her skin, spiraling out in a storm. The wolves hesitated, but only for a second as new wolves emerged and went after Caspian to finish him off.
Abaas’ voice slithered into her mind, amused.We can make this easy, or we can make it hard, princess. I’d prefer easy. But I’m not picky.
Lita grinned as she gathered all her strength. She was not going to just sit here and watch. “Nothing in life has ever been easy for me,” she whispered. “Why start now?”
She forced herself to her feet, pain slicing through her like knives. She called for Mira, and this time, the answer was immediate.
The shift tore her apart and rebuilt her in the space of a heartbeat. One second she was on her knees, the next she was on all fours, black fur bristling, claws digging into the earth. She was bigger than the demon wolves, stronger, and there was a new power humming in her bones.
She hit the first wolf like a freight train, jaws crushing its skull in a single bite. Blood flooded her mouth. The next wolf latched onto her haunch, but she spun and flung it into a tree, bones snapping. She barely felt the pain. She was pure fury, pure survival.
Three more wolves attacked at once. She dodged, bit, clawed, but they kept coming, their red eyes shining with hate. One managed to get its teeth into her shoulder.
“Princess, I hate causing you harm. I’ll make sure to heal you up when I get you home.”
Caspian, battered but alive, leaped back into the fight, his blond fur streaked with blood. Together, they tore through the pack, leaving a trail of corpses.
But there were always more.
