Page 85 of Castor
As Castor attacked again, Phoenix caught his wrist and twisted, sending him to his knees and prying the dagger from his hand. As he cried out, I sprang into action, and the demon threw me to the side without even touching me. He was the only one of us still at his full strength.
The breath left my lungs as I hit the ground hard. I tried to move, but my body had reached its limit. I couldn’t even lift my arm.
Castor’s green eyes shifted to me as he stood on his knees, the red hair I loved so much matted with sweat and blood. Phoenix held a blade to his neck. It was like time slowed. Our gazes held, and the world around me grew quieter. All I saw—all I knew—was him.
I loved him.
Why didn’t I tell him those three words this morning as we packed our bags? Why didn’t I say them in the shower last night when I had him pinned to the wall, our lips locked and our bodies joined? Now, I might not ever get the chance to tell him how I really felt.
Phoenix was about to kill him. My heart, my soul, screamed.
“Castor!” I gritted my teeth as I forced my muscles to move. Tears stung my eyes, and I roared as I pushed myself to my feet.
I refused to watch him die. I barreled through the demons separating me from him. And through the sea of enemies, Castor’s green eyes found mine again. He mouthed three words:
I love you.
“No!” I cried, my vision blurring. My world was imploding. “Castor!”
“What the hell is that?” a demon with a deep voice exclaimed. “Is that a fucking dragon?”
Phoenix looked toward the barrier, and I followed his gaze. A massive dragon broke through the surface of the water and rose into the air, water slinging from his wings. Blue-and-green scales covered his body and sharp ridges trailed down his spine. When he roared, every demon around me stopped fighting and stared in horror.
Tatsuya!
More followed behind him.
“What’s that in the water?” another demon yelled.
A dark mass swiftly moved toward the beach. Seconds later, horns broke through the surface of the water as warriors from my clan rose from the sea in their hybrid forms. They started attacking demons standing close to the water’s edge.
My heart nearly burst with relief. With happiness.
My brother had come to help us.
Chapter Seventeen
Castor
The arrival of the water dragons turned the tide in the battle.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I swiped my dagger from Phoenix and jumped to my feet. Exhaustion weighed me down, but the boost of morale gave me new strength. It gave me hope too.
The largest of the dragons landed on the edge of the beach and sent demons flying with the whoosh of its tail. An orange glow appeared between its teeth as it opened its mouth and scorched another group of enemies. The scent of their charred bodies joined the smells of salt water and blood-soaked sand.
The warriors in hybrid forms stormed the shore, their movements fluid as they cut down any enemy in their path. Each of them appeared differently, some with longer curved horns atop their heads and others with smaller. Some had blue reptilian eyes, others yellow. All had shades of blue-and-green scales, meant to help camouflage them in the sea. The army moved like a well-oiled machine. Efficient and quick in their attacks.
The remaining demons didn’t stand a chance against them.
Phoenix stared with wide eyes before frantically looking around, visibly struggling with what to do.
“Not so cocky now, are you?” I asked.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, shaking his head. “I calculated everything! The dragons have always remained neutral in our conflicts. And I thought there weren’t so many water dragons.”
Now that he mentioned it, I looked again at the dragons. Some of them resembled Kyo. However, many had paler scales with different shades of blue mixed in. Like ice.
Ramiel landed beside Phoenix, his chest smeared with red from the numerous deep gashes Alastair had given him. Areas of his black wings were bloody and shedding. “We need to leave. There are too many.” He didn’t wait for a response. He shot up into the sky, taking the other fallen angel with him.
