Page 43 of Consume Me
Or me.
The demon presses harder now, every strike aimed to drive me back. To get to her. I block, parry, land a hit when I can, but every blow is measured, restrained. If I go too far—if my claws or teeth touch him—it’s over for Kendall.
And he knows it.
His grin widens every time I pull my punches. “What’s wrong, Amarok? Afraid to fight me for real?”
“Not afraid,” I growl, breath coming hard. “Just waiting for the right moment to end you.”
His eyes flash gold. “There won’t be one.”
He feints left, comes in from the right, and his claw-like nails catch my side—not deep, but enough to sting. I grit my teeth and force myself not to shift. My wolf is a storm under my skin, clawing to be free, to tear this thing apart.
Behind me, Kendall’s voice cuts through the haze. “Noctan!”
I don’t dare look away from my opponent. “Get out of here,” I roar.
“No!”
Her voice is fierce, immovable. Stubborn as the gods themselves.
The demon laughs, low and sharp. “You’re protecting her because of the mate bond, aren’t you? Poor little sentinel, tied in knots over something you can’t keep.”
Kendall steps forward, her eyes locked on him. “I’ve seen what a mate bond can do,” she says. “The curses it can break. In fact, I’ve seen quite a few things lately.”
The demon laughs, head tipped back, the sound scraping down my spine like rusted metal. “And what wouldyouknow of curses, girl?”
Kendall’s blue eyes go ice-cold. “Why don’t I show you?”
Her gaze goes distant, and white clouds in, coating her irises.
The demon’s sudden gasp is the only indication that something is happening between them.
The demon staggers, mid-lunge, his grin faltering as a guttural snarl rips from his throat.
I blink, thrown. “What are you doing?”
Her voice is low, strained. “Giving him a taste of his own medicine.”
He stumbles back a step, then another, clutching his head like it’s splitting open. I yank Kendall out of the way to avoid us both getting trampled.
“And while I love your initiative, I’m going to need you to be a little more specific,” I tell her as we continue to dodge the demon’s chaotic stumbling.
“I’m making him relive all the deaths he’s caused—experiencing them from the victims’ eyes. Just like he’s been making me do for months.”
The demon lets out a howl, writhing, clawing at the wall like he can tear his way out of his own mind. “Stop this sorcery,” he demands.
Black ichor drips from his nose and ears.
I ignore him, looking at Kendall, whose eyes are now coated in white glaze. I grip her shoulders, half-panicked that she’s going to lose herself to whatever she’s doing to him.
“Is it safe?” I ask.
Kendall’s knees buckle, but she doesn’t stop. “It beats the alternative.”
The demon lashes out blindly, his clawed hand whipping through the air. It’s sloppy and reckless, but the strike connects. Kendall is thrown sideways, her body hitting the floor with a sickeningcrack.
“Kendall!” The word rips from me, raw, as I pivot—too slow, too fucking slow—rage choking me like a noose.
