Page 27 of Camael
The teams split off like the well-oiled machine they were. Amelia followed Camael through tunnels that got progressively older and creepier. The brick walls pre-dated the Louisiana Purchase. Her heartbeat kicked up the further they went. She jumped at every movement waiting for the next attack.
She didn't have to wait long. The demons that emerged from the depths were walking evidence that Hell had an R&D department with a serious imagination. The first one looked like it had been carved from volcanic glass. Its form caught and distorted light. Each step it took left smoking footprints of molten stone. The air around it wavered with heat that could melt steel. But the worst part? The damnthing sang. It had a deep resonating tone that made her bones vibrate and her brain rattle in her skull.
Behind it came something that had apparently decided organic matter was for amateurs. Its body was made up of impossible angles and intersecting planes. It shouldn’t have even been able to move. Looking at it was like trying to solve a quantum physics equation while drunk. Amelia threw a spell at it, but it managed to dodge it.
She switched gears and used her hybrid magic. She carved paths through their ranks while the angels’ blades sang songs of destruction. Her power covered their blind spots. It should have been easy to see everything in the tunnels, but it wasn’t.
For every demon they put down, another appeared. It was like trying to bail out the Titanic with a teacup. And Lucifer’s power was spreading. The nature of magic in the city was changing. Where there had been balance, there was now malevolence.
"I don't know how to find all the infected areas in time," she admitted as they reached yet another junction. "There could be hundreds of minor contact points we can't detect until they've spread enough to merge."
"Like cancer," Camael growled as he separated a demon's head from its shoulders. "It only takes a few cells to start, but once they multiply..."
"Game over." The words tasted like ash in her mouth as understanding hit her. "We're playing whack-a-demon while Lucifer's poison spreads through the city's spiritual DNA."
Abraxos landedon Crescent City Arcane's roof like violence given form. The bookstore's wards hummed beneath his feet as he scanned the streets. Something waswrong with the magical currents that ran beneath the Quarter. They felt sick when they shouldn't. Amelia had stopped Lucifer from infecting the nexus points last night.
Movement caught his eye as Sarah emerged from the shop's back door. The female moved with purpose. Her dark hair was pulled back as she took a bag of trash to the dumpster. The intelligence in those gorgeous eyes of hers hit him harder than celestial steel as she spotted him.
"Your timing's perfect," she called up. "Something's trying to corrupt the ley line beneath the store. It’s different from last night."
He dropped to street level with practiced grace. His red wings filled the narrow alley before he tucked them away. "How long ago did it start?"
"About ten minutes ago." She led him inside, where books lined shelves in organized chaos. "The wards are holding, but whatever this is, it's not normal demon activity."
Abraxos pulled out his phone, wondering if he shouldn’t have ignored the last messages. A curse lingered on his lips as he looked up at Sarah. "Lucifer's trying a new approach," he explained as he followed her through the stacks. His senses were already mapping the power flows beneath their feet. "He's going subtle instead of using brute force."
A crash from the street made them both spin toward the front windows. Three demons that looked like overgrown lizards were approaching the store. Their bodies jerked as they tested the wards.
"Friends of yours?" Sarah asked. Her voice carried an edge of steel as she moved to reinforce her protections.
"More like distant relatives I try not to claim at family reunions." His blade materialized in his grip as the first demon breached the store's threshold. "Get behind me and run to safety when you get the chance."
Sarah backed away, but her chin lifted with that stubbornpride that drew him like a moth to flame. "This is my store. I'm not abandoning it."
The fight that followed would have made excellent footage for supernatural security cameras. Abraxos moved like the warrior he was. His blade carved paths through demon flesh while Sarah remained safe behind a shelf of ancient texts.
"On your left!" Her warning cut through the chaos just as one of those bastards tried to flank him. Her voice was a balm to his ragged nerves.
His blade found its mark. He was too distracted by Sarah because a demon slipped past his guard. The thing moved with impossible speed and headed straight for Sarah. Abraxos felt his heart stop as those claws reached for her.
"Sarah!" He moved faster than he ever had. His red wings propelled him across the space. His blade took the demon's head clean off, but not before those claws had torn through the sleeve of her shirt. It left furrows in her arm. The sight of her blood, even just that small amount, made his vision go red. He took out the remaining demons in less time than it took for her to suck in a pained breath.
The demon's remains hadn't finished dissolving before he had her in his arms. He checked the scratch. It was shallow, thank the heavens. The fact that they'd drawn her blood at all made his warrior's soul howl for vengeance.
"I'm fine," she insisted, though he could feel her trembling slightly. "It’s just a scratch."
"That's it." His voice dropped low as he kept her pressed against him. "You're coming back to the mansion with me. Now."
"But the store-"
"Will still be here," he cut her off. "But you won't be if one of those things gets lucky. I can’t be here all the time. We have to stop Lucifer. The mansion has the strongest wardsin the city. I'm not asking, Sarah. It’s my job to keep you safe."
She must have seen something in his eyes because she didn't argue further. "At least let me grab my stuff first."
His answering smile was pure predator. "Two minutes. Then we're gone, whether you've got your favorite book or not."
The moment stretched between them. It was heavy with possibilities and things unsaid. The scent of her blood kept him focused. He'd lost too many people he cared about to demon claws. He wasn't about to add her to that list.
