Chapter 25
25
KATERINA
A lexei lay crumpled in the dirt. Thank the Saints, he was still alive—his chest moved, air rasping in and out—but he wouldn’t be for long, without more antivenin and Baba Petrova’s magic. But Baba was with the other Dimis and their Shadows—scattered throughout the village, protecting the Vila and the elderly, the non-magical folk who had few defenses against the Grigori. And if Katerina used her remaining syringe of antivenin to save him, she would have none left for Niko.
Would she have to stand here and watch Alexei die?
The demon that had taken his father’s form loomed over the fallen Shadow. Next to him stood Gadreel. Tall, slim, and clad in black, his face all sharp angles and his eyes a brilliant blue, he looked more like a well-bred nobleman than a threat. But Katerina knew well how dangerous he was.
He had lured them to the forest’s edge, while their fellow warriors were occupied elsewhere. With such a large show of force, he could divide his soldiers, sending half into the village to wreak havoc while the rest remained with him. It was a trap, and the two of them had run right into it.
She didn’t understand how so many Grigori had broken through their wards. Usually, the demons preyed on unfortunates who wandered off on their own, who traveled between villages selling wares or visiting relatives. For them to enter Kalach this way was unprecedented.
Was it her fault for burning so brightly, as Baba had insinuated? Or hers and Niko’s, because of what they’d done?
Gadreel grinned at her, teeth gleaming in the moonlight, and rage surged through Katerina anew. This creature wanted her? Well, then, he could have her. She would show him how powerful a Dimi could be.
Eyes fixed on the Fallen Angel of War, she opened herself up to the power of the Light. It filled her, electrifying every synapse, and the demon’s tongue slipped out, tasting her magic as it rode the air.
“Yes,” he hissed. His lips rose, showing even more of his venom-coated teeth, as his form slid sideways, taking the shape of her Shadow.
“See, he can still be yours,” he said, his smile widening in a parody of Niko’s mischievous grin. “When you are mine.”
In the form of his black dog, Niko stood between them, his outraged growl filling the air. He had his calling, what he was born to do: protect her from demonic attack when she opened herself up to her magic; defend them both from evil. And she had hers.
“I will never be yours,” she said, and called on the power of the sky.
It broke open at her command, rain lashing the trees. The wind roared, sending huge branches hurtling downward. The Grigori shrieked, and she redoubled her efforts, harnessing the wind to drive a massive branch through the air like a battering ram.
Niko , she whispered, mind-to-mind. Hold.
He braced, pressed tight against her. Just as it had on the road to Drezna, a luminous glow encased his form, holding the demons at bay. I am your Lightbringer , he whispered back. Nothing will harm you while I live.
Katerina didn’t have time to wonder about the evolution of her Shadow’s gifts. If he was right, and they were a response to the growing demonic threat, then she had even more reason to fear. They all did. She gritted her teeth and drove the spear forward, impaling one demon after another as they closed ranks in front of Gadreel. They screamed in agony, and Niko echoed them, his howl triumphant.
Gadreel roared in rage as his soldiers fell. Niko growled back, advancing toward him—but the demon held his ground, his roar growing louder still. Her concentration shivered, shook. What if he made good on his threat, ripping out Niko’s heart?
Their bond trembled as her resolution faltered. To hell with the Grigori soldiers. All she wanted was to put herself between Niko and the monster, to save him at any cost.
Katerina. His voice rose in her mind, tight with uncertainty. What ? —
Gadreel was laughing now, fury transmuted into a victorious, scornful barrage of sound that filled her ears and crawled over her skin, stinging like nettles. He charged Niko, and they met in midair, her Shadow’s teeth grazing the demon’s throat as Niko fought to bring the monster down.
The sight snapped Katerina out of her haze. If Niko were to perish because of her, she would never forgive herself.
Summoning all her strength, she reached for the spark of the rowan-fires, burning a half-mile away. The inferno rose to her call, flaming sticks flying through the night on the back of the wind. Fists clenched with the effort, she guided the missiles to fall amidst the Grigori, where they ignited in a blaze worthy of poisoning a thousand demons. The Grigori wailed in agony, and Niko howled again. Victory, my Dimi, he said.
For a single, burning instant, her eyes flickered shut. When she opened them again, Gadreel had vanished. And Niko flung himself forward, shifting from dog to man, grabbing his knives from the ground as he went. He cut through the remaining Grigori like a whirlwind, dodging their blades, giving a ululating battle cry as Katerina’s storm raged higher, a maelstrom of hail and leaves and flame.
She stood where she was, wind and fire whipping into a frenzy around her, watching her Shadow paint the night with demon blood.