Page 67 of Immortal Throne

Borca swooped up my familiar and shoveled him into his open mouth, the big bulb of his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed.

A bone-shattering scream ripped from my lips. I screeched at Borca and something broke inside me. Something hidden deep within snapped and a long-slumbering power unfurled. Magic rose up, hot, sticky, and powerful.

Chupey was all I had. All I loved in this world, and right now he was inside the giant.

Power ripped from inside my body and clamped onto the monster in front of me.

Borca froze as if suspended in time.

I had no idea what I was doing or how I was doing it, but the power was coming from an untapped well inside of me, one that I’d never accessed until now. I’d stunned Mobius yesterday, and tickled Zane with my magic this morning, but this was different, this was next level, and I had no idea how to wield it.

Dazamon.

This was the power of a Dazamon. And it ripped uncontrollably from me, clamping Borca in place as I closed the distance between us.

Since Borca was still kneeling, his face was close enough to reach. I planted my foot on his outstretched hand and launched myself toward his face. I slashed and stabbed and hacked at his throat, over and over again, as blood sprayed out and soaked my clothes.

I cut a seam into the side of Borca’s neck until I could reach in and pull Chupey out.

When my fingertips brushed against a familiar shape, I seized it and pulled with all my strength. In an instant, my familiar’s limp body fell to the dusty ground covered in blood and saliva.

Please don’t be dead.

To my relief, Chupey stirred, and a low whine escaped his snout. I slid down the giant’s neck and landed a few feet away, near my demon dog. As I scooped him into my arms, he felt so much smaller to me then, fragile, and my heart ached.

I’d almost lost him.

Chupey shook and hacked against my chest, drawing in deep shaking breaths, and in that moment, my invisible hold on the monster shattered.

Borca bellowed, rearing back and spraying blood from his massacred neck. Somehow, I hadn’t hit anything vital because he didn’t fall down and die.

And he wanted revenge.

He threw out his meaty fist. I tucked Chupey closer, curled myself around him, and rolled out of the way just as Borca’s fist pounded the dirt, right where we’d just been.

As Borca swiped the ground with his hand toward us, kicking up dust, I pushed Chupey to safety.

That left me in the monster’s path.

“Go!” I barely got out the word before I was slammed by Borca’s attack, The air punched out of my lungs as I was tossed sideways.

“Sloane!”

I could’ve sworn I heard Ryker’s frantic cry, but pain wracked my body and I hit the ground hard. Maybe I’d imagined Ryker’s voice. All I knew for sure was that every time I breathed in, it felt like I inhaled broken glass and my head whirled from the lack of oxygen flowing to it. But when a massive dark shadow traveled over me, I knew I had only seconds to move again, or risk becoming flattened like a pancake.

Pushing to my knees, I spotted Borca’s fist barreling down on me again, so I twisted out of the way, crouched, and launched my battered body at his hand. I slammed into his fist. Before I slid off, I stabbed my daggers into his hand, using them like little pick axes to stay in place.

I sure as fuck wasn’t graceful.

Hanging onto my daggers for dear life, I scrambled to adjust my grip on my weapons and get my bearings. By some miracle, I hoisted my tired body up his wrist as he lifted his arm again. He roared and the booming sound bounced off the area all around me.

Embracing the entirety of my demonic magic, wearing it like a shield and energy booster, I climbed up the creature again, using my daggers to help me while hurting him in the process. His blood coated every inch of me, making my grip slippery and harder to manage.

Still bellowing, Borca tried to grab me with his uninjured hand. Fear gripped me as I looked down at the ground too far away to jump and live. I had nowhere to go.

But I didn’t have time to think about it because as his fingers reached for me, my hold on one of my daggers slipped, and I was forced to launch myself at his chest.

I smacked into him hard, enough to temporarily darken my vision. I blindly stabbed out with my other knife, embedding the blade in his abdomen. With no time to catch my breath, the blade began to slice downward, taking me with it.

---