Chapter 7 - Damian #2
Sophie only stares at me with wide, doe eyes of uncertainty, and I have no idea what comes over me—perhaps a surge of protectiveness toward my fated mate—but I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead.
“Don't go outside. No matter what you hear.”
She stares at me innocently through the veil of dark lashes, nodding timidly, brows furrowing slightly as I remove my hands from her shoulders and step back.
Whatever animosity was between us is only slightly soothed, and right now, I have the demons to worry about.
But I don't stop staring at Sophie until I'm at the door, swiftly turning on the porch and rushing down the stairs.
Only when I'm around the corner do I shift into wolf form, landing on cushioned paws that feel firmer than they've ever felt, my heart pounding with adrenaline and a strength so profound that the river speaks to me again.
I take a deep breath and feel my wolf lungs filling with the elemental power of water while the river gathers to my command, swept up by the motion of me passing by.
I peel my teeth back as if I'm smirking proudly, my chest puffing out with that same pride as the river follows me, bending to my will, crossing the banks where it usually rests.
Nothing can stifle my power, not even the barriers holding the river to its flow.
The scent in the air shifts to the potent evidence of my wolves, along with the pungent smell of grease and gore and death.
My heart hammers against my wolf's ribs, and I thunder forward, where some of my soldiers are snarling at the obsidian apparition floating in the air.
Coiled like smoke and hovering above the ground, the demon lashes forward, hitting one of the soldiers. The others lunge for it, but I howl as I bring forth the power of our dormant magic.
Water sloshes forward, shaped like a majestic dagger that pierces through the demon. It screeches when it's hit, the black smoke cracking apart and shattering into tiny pieces. I stop with an abrupt halt, my wolves gathering in front of me with awe in their eyes.
“Our magic has reawakened!” I shout to them through the mind link, a growl vibrating in my chest. “Get ready to fight, Red Moon!”
The smell of the demon doesn't disappear, and my hackles rise as I sense the reappearance of the ghastly beast. I press my paws into the ground, and my soldiers do the same, as we raise every droplet of water from the earth’s surface.
When the demon takes form in the air again, my soldiers leap forward, penetrating it with the droplets formed like bullets in the air.
I only have a brief moment to be proud that my wolves have regained their ability to wield water, because another warning screech slices through my right ear, prompting me to snap my head in the direction of another demon entering pack territory.
My wolf eyes fly wide when I realize it's headed toward my cabin.
“Sophie!” my inner wolf roars, my ears perking up, fur prickling with attention as I spin on my hind legs and race back toward the cabin as the demon soars forward through the air.
I chase the underworldly creature until it circles the roof of my cabin as if it found its target, and I let out a roaring howl when I hear the front door slamming open.
“Sophie! No!” I howl, but of course, she can't hear me through the mind link.
The demon gives another warning screech before black smoke curls into a tornado that descends to the front of my house. I kick myself forward, rounding the side of the cabin, only to come to an abrupt stop when I see Sophie standing on the porch.
My jaw drops, because what I'm looking at isn't the Sophie I know.
No.
She's standing there with her arms spread out to her sides, curls ablaze with crimson fire that spreads down to her fingertips, her eyes burning pits of red. Every inch of her burns, as if she'd been set alight, but the fire isn't alarming; it isn't consuming.
Instead, it's a fire she's able to use as she lifts her palms in front of her, forming a triangle with her forefingers and thumb. From it, fire shoots through, directed at the demon that rears its ugly self toward her.
The demon stands no chance, burning midair, ashes flitting to the ground along with a sizzling sound.
The fire covering Sophie disappears, her eyes returning to their normal shade of brown, full of fear.
She meets my wolf eyes, and I shift back into human form, but it's not fear for my shift that has her panting or sweating with fright.
Tears stream from her eyes, and she spins around and bolts into the cabin, slamming the door shut and leaving me standing there, frozen, in shock.
Did I just witness Sophie killing a demon?
Yes.
Yes, I did. But how?
Is this what the research team meant when they suspected that fire was awakening? Is Sophie linked to the Ashclaw Pack that's been extinct for decades?
It's impossible. Sophie is human.
And that human just used explosive firepower to burn a demon into nothing but ashes.
While I'm reeling from the shock, I know what I have to do. I need to go in there and check up on her.