Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
LAITHOG
Blasted . Fucking . DOGS .
Stopping to soul weave the dual vexations to myself and Paisley allowed the demons following us to catch up. And not only did they catch up, they’ve maneuvered themselves around the pickup in a loose circle surrounding us.
It’s less than ideal.
The dry creek bed is the boundary of my mate’s property and the edge of the wards. A tiny bridge, if it can even be called that, is the tangible marker of the boundary. If I hadn’t been so focused on protecting her dogs, I would have noticed her stopping short of the protective barrier.
Now , Rulzik and his demons are between Paisley and safety.
I can sense several of the same energy signatures from town…which means Rulzik possesses a healing relic. There’s no way the lesser demons left the town square unscathed from the sunlight spell. My plan to remove the lesser demons from town failed.
It is of no matter. I’ll kill them all.
And then I’m going to kill Rulzik , permanently this time.
Rulzik doesn’t know that drinking from Paisley’s made me twice as strong as I was the last time we clashed.
A fact I am most thankful for. Especially now.
I’m outnumbered and have a mate to worry about.
Sensing the tension between their beings, the vexations release tiny whines of apprehension. “ Shhhh . All will be well,” I murmur absently as I assess the best way to handle our situation.
“ Laithog …what are we going to do…?” her words trail off. I can smell the fear rolling off her.
Assessing the situation, I make a swift decision. Rulzik doesn’t have any patience and he won’t wait on me much longer. “ Little flame, they have us vastly outnumbered. The only advantage I have is that they do not know I’m far stronger than ever before because of drinking from you. They cannot touch your truck, but that doesn’t mean they cannot use a weapon of some sort to force you to leave its safety. The wards prevent them and their magick from infiltrating it, nothing else. It’s not impervious to bullets or explosions. ”
The color drains from her face as she listens to me speak.
“ I am going to make a hole, and you need to get across the creek. You will be safe from anything present if you can get past the ward boundary.”
The mulish expression on her face tells me exactly what she’s thinking. Releasing a sharp bark, the sound makes her snap her mouth closed, halting whatever imprudent words she was about to speak. “ You will do as I say, as you do not understand the scope of what is waiting for us. There are worse things than death, Paisley . ”
My words are harsh, but she needs to hear them. “ Now . Nod that you understand me. Rulzik has motioned for several of his minions to begin their assault, and we cannot loiter any longer.”
Her nod of understanding is short and sharp as a flare of outrage flickers across the bond. I care not if she’s offended. I will make it up to her later. Taking a brief moment, I gaze upon her precious face before I jerk the door open and slide out, dropping my glamour as my feet touch the hard packed soil on the dirt road. Shutting the door firmly behind me, I step out away from the vehicle , making sure Paisley can see me so she has no excuse not to follow my order.
“ Well , well. How nice of you to finally join us, Laithog .” Rulzik’s oily words grate across my ears, the sound harsh and disjointed.
Bowing slightly, I respond. “ How could I decline such an invitation?”
A trace of insecurity fills me. Paisley is under the impression that the form I currently present to the world is the only one I have.
This is not so.
Stepping towards Rulzik , and without looking at my mate, I allow my battle form to surge forth as I move towards him in a steady, methodical manner. My body thickens to almost twice my normal size. I grow another a foot in height. Razor sharp spikes burst from my forearms, shoulders, spine, elbows, hocks, and the tip of my tail.
A second set of horns erupts from my forehead, curling over the top of my skull. The claws extending from my fingertips double in length and are as hard as diamonds. Black scales emerge from underneath my purple hide, covering my entire body in an almost impenetrable hide, the shining black plates longer relegated to the lower ends of my extremities.
Rulzik no longer looks so smug. I am now slightly larger than he is.
Smirking , I extend my right hand and summon my sword. “ Baldr , Daemonis Carnifex . Veni ad me.”
Dark purple fire shrouds my arm, and I feel the familiar weight of Baldr as he solidifies in my determined grasp. Roaring , I raise Baldr up, the midnight black blade naught but a shadow whistling through the night air, and grasp the comforting weight of the pommel in my palms as I leap towards a fleeing Rulzik .