Page 37 of Prince of Demons
He looked up at her, eyes widening in shock. "Breeder?! What the fuck are you doing out here in the open?" Then his eyes moved to a point behind her, his gruesome—and vaguely familiar—face pulling into a fierce snarl as he leapt to his feet, axe raised high.
Georgia screamed again and stumbled backward, twisting on instinct to shield the child in her arms with her own body—but the demon's axe wasn't aimed at her. A resounding clang of metal above her head shot through her nervous system like a bullet.
"Down!" the vaguely familiar demon growled as he moved forward, shoving her to the ground with one hand before swinging his axe again.
This time, Georgia saw who he swung at. A massive, scary-looking monster with wings and large fangs thrust his sword at her rescuer, the blade cleaving through the space her head had just been occupying seconds ago.
Clutching the child to her chest, she desperately looked for a way to get out of reach of the two fighting demons, but the only available escape route was blocked by more combatants. Trying her best to stay in control of her wildly beating heart, she held the girl to her chest with one arm as she used the other to scramble backward in search of a safe way out. "Hold on tight, baby," she whispered breathlessly to the child sobbing inconsolably against her. "We'll make it, I prom?—"
A heavy thunk cut her off mid-sentence as the winged demon's head landed on the ground right in front of her, his glassy eyes staring her right in the face.
The girl screamed loudly and buried her face in her neck, and it was all Georgia could do not to join her.
"Holy shit," she croaked.
A large, clawed hand closed around her shoulder and yanked her to her feet.
"Get in the helicopter," her savior growled.
Georgia stared at him, mouth agape. "W-what?"
"Get in the fucking helicopter, Breeder! Let's go!" Without releasing his grip on her shoulder, he began pulling her across the battlefield, his other hand on his axe as he dragged her along with him.
It took Georgia several terrified seconds before she recognized Prince Kesh's second in command. "M-Mallorn?" Despite his presence in their helicopter on the ride over, the blood and gore covering him had rendered him almost irrecognizable.
He spared her a glance over his shoulder, eyes softening a smidge as he took in her terror. "Yes. Lucky for you." Then, as if he only then noticed the kid clinging to her neck, he frowned. "What the hell is that? Put that down right this instant!"
Georgia stared at him, wide-eyed. "What? No!"
"No?"
"No! She's just a child! I can't leave her in the middle of a battlefield! She'll get hurt!"
The demon's frown deepened. "It's just a human spawnling. There are literally millions of them. One less won't hurt. Now put it down so I can get you back to safety—you don't know what sort of diseases it carries."
"She's not an ‘it’!” Georgia snapped, clutching the girl tighter. "She's a little girl, she's terrified, and she needs me. I'm not leaving her!"
"Breeder, I don't have time for this!" Mallorn snarled. "Your life is infinitely more valuable than a human's." He grabbed the girl by the arm, trying to pry her off.
"Let go of her!" Georgia kicked him in the shin with as much force as she could possibly muster and twisted, shielding the now screaming girl from the demon's grip with her own body.
Mallorn cursed, his eyes narrowing as he reached for her again. "You stubborn little— I'm trying to protect you!"
"Don't you dare touch her!" Georgia snarled, tears burning in her eyes.
Beside them, a patch of dirt exploded with the impact of dark magic, showering them in a rain of soil and soot.
"Fuck!" Mallorn spun around, ready to defend them if need be, but the explosion seemed to have been caused by a stray burst of magic aimed at another demon.
"I want my mama!" the girl wailed, making Georgia wince as her voice made her eardrums ache.
"I know, baby," Georgia murmured, rubbing the girl's back as she scanned for a way out.
Mallorn spun back around to her, grabbing her shoulder with a less than pleased look. "Fine. If you come with me, you can keep the thing. For now. Just don't expect the prince to be as lenient when he finds out you left the helicopter for the brat." Without another word, he began dragging her through the field, back toward the safety of the shielded helicopter.
Georgia stumbled after him, trying to keep up with the demon's long strides. "Wait! Wait, please, I need to find her mom!"
Mallorn's only response was to tighten his grip on her shoulder as he kept walking toward the helicopter.
