Page 66 of Corrupt Shadows

“Put me down, demon,” I order, kicking my legs.

He smacks my ass cheek hard, the crack of his strike reaching my ears before the sharp sting registers. Lorcan offers no other response as he barrels toward the front door.

“It would feel so good to wring your tiny neck,” he grumbles quietly, seemingly to himself. My head throbs as the blood rushes to my brain in this awkward upside-down position. I grab onto his belt loops as he rushes with inhuman speed out the front door, through the hallway, and out of the building.

“Wait! Stop!” I shout.

Lorcan continues striding forward.

“Where are we going? We can’t just leave. I have to fix it. I need get home.” I choke on a sob. “Gomez. He-he could be hurt.”

“Cease your blathering and listen.”

I huff and wipe my blood- and who-knows-what-else-covered hand onto the back of his shirt.

“It won’t be long before demons fall on this place. They are all too eager to hunt you.”

My heart lodges in my throat, and I whimper. “That doesn’t make any sense. How would they even know I’m here?”

“They knew you were here the moment you breeched the veil. The only reason they stayed away this long is because of my presence. Although, by now, I’m positive my brother is twisting their minds, turning as many as possible against me and, as a consequence, you.”

“Put me down!” I attack his lower back with my fists, but he doesn’t flinch. “Lorcan! You don’t understand; Gomez needs me!” I shriek.

He continues forward but finally breaks the silence. “No, I will not. You don’t know how to listen and therefore cannot be trusted to stay out of danger.” The anger seeping off him is palpable.

Rain pelts my back, and a deep rumble of thunder booms not too far away from us. A demon steps out from behind a parked car. The horrible creature has short, sharp horns all over its head. It lifts its nose in the air, inhaling audibly. Drool leaks from both sides of its gash-like mouth. A tongue slips out of the hideous opening and licks its barely existent lips. An abnormal half-hiss, half-purr sound issues from its gaping maw.

I stare at the horrific creature. Lorcan’s long, determined strides quickly put distance between us and the apartment. It appears he is impervious to the rain and our dangerous predicament. Doesn’t he sense the demon behind him?

“Um, Lorcan? There’s something following us,” I whisper-shout.

“I’m aware,” he says. “If they don’t keep their distance, they will answer to me.”

“But—”

Lorcan stops, rolling me from his shoulders abruptly. I stumble and slip on the rain-soaked street.

“I’ve had enough of your nonstop whining, witch. You have two options,” he states without emotion into my mind while walking away from me.

My heart hammers against my ribs as the demon tracking me gets closer. My gaze darts from Lorcan’s back to its hungry eyes zeroing in on the blood splattered on me from the fight in my apartment. There’s now at least a hundred yards between me and safety.

“Either you come with me…” He pauses, chuckling sinisterly. “Or you can fend for yourself among the demons.”

I know he’s the safer option, but my pride doesn’t want to go down without a fight.

My hair lifts, floating slightly off my shoulders as the electricity in the air builds to a fevered pitch. Lightning strikes too close for comfort, the brilliant purple-blue bolt connecting with the hood of an SUV. The windows blow out all at once, glass flying like shrapnel and cutting into my face and neck. Several more demons of varying shapes and sizes crowd around me now that their king isn’t nearby.

The demon closest to me grabs a fistful of my hair. A scream tears from my throat as it yanks my locks viciously. My magic surfaces, but before I unleash it, one of Lorcan’s shadows grabs the creature by the throat. It shakes the demon once, snapping its neck—the bones protruding next to its jaw—before tossing it at the others.

“That’s the last one I will save you from. Remember, this batch of demons was sent by my brother. They will not back down.” Lorcan turns to face me from a block away, his arms crossed over his chest. “Will you unleash your magic to save yourself? Or is it too much for your fucking pride to admit that you need help?”

I shove my soaking hair out of my eyes. More demons are gathering around me to take the place of the demons now occupied with the corpse. A fearful sob passes my lips. My chest feels as though it’s cracking open from the force of my terror.

“Wait!” I scream, sprinting after Lorcan.

The demons in the crowd speak over each other, muttering about how they will be rewarded for spilling my blood. The demons give chase, but it matters not when Lorcan sends a blast of a shadow magic toward them, obliterating every demon within a mile. Their shrieks of pain and bodies thudding to the earth echo in the resulting silence. Lorcan presses his fingertips under my chin, his extended claws pricking my skin.

“Close your mouth, baby. You don’t want to give me any ideas on using it here in this gore-covered street.”

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