Chapter 20
Tobias
Of course, that fucking brat didn’t listen.
Why did I expect anything different?
She has to be the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met, but there’s nothing I can do about it at the moment. She’s just lucky I made it here before the hellbeast tore her in half.
I was almost too late.
When all this is over, we’re either going to have a very stern conversation about rules, or I’m just going to bend her over my knee and redden her ass for disobeying. Maybe both.
What the fuck was she thinking?
Shadows swirl around me, materializing into another sword in my hand, but before I can spear the hellbeast’s hide, I’m bucked off.
I fly through the air a short way before landing on my feet, whipping around to square off with it again.
At least its attention has shifted from Joseline. Now it’s staring at me like I’m lunch.
“Get out of here!” I yell, hoping Joseline can hear me over the hellbeast’s steady stream of growls and squeals.
The sword I threw is still impaled deep in the thing’s face, perfectly between its eyes, but it hardly seems fazed. Pretty sure they don’t have brains, or they’re located somewhere besides their head.
A third sword materializes in my other hand in a wisp of black smoke, and my fingers tighten around the handle. I take a cautious step to the side as the hellbeast prowls forward, like a stupid, ugly predator trying to catch its prey.
Luckily, this thing is nowhere near the top of the demon food chain. It’s just a pawn. A pathetic peon under the orders of a stronger demon. Hellbeasts can’t really think for themselves, but they can fight and they can be difficult to kill.
“Come on roadkill,” I growl, taking another step to the side. I want to see if Joseline did as told and ran, but my hopes aren’t high. She listens about as well as one of these creatures.
Before I can get far enough to peer around the hellbeast’s massive hide, it lunges, arms and claws outstretched, aiming for my throat. I dodge at the last second, swinging one of my swords down to slice into its arm. Its howl splits the night, and my heart jumps into my throat.
All this noise is sure to attract onlookers. Someone is going to come running and find two monsters going at one another. That, or it’ll attract more beasts; I can’t risk being outnumbered.
This needs to end. Fast.
It swipes with the other arm, claws outstretched and ready to slice me to ribbons, and I take off a few of its fingers with a swing of my sword.
They fall to the ground, followed by a spill of inky black blood.
Rather than wasting time processing its missing digits, the thing leaps forward again, ferociously swinging its limbs at me over and over.
It’s like a mindless killing machine, only focused on one thing: my demise.
I jump and dodge another blow, the sword in my right hand transforming into a throwing knife. Rearing back, I throw the blade, and it pierces straight into the monster’s shoulder. It screeches again but doesn’t slow.
I throw another blade, then another, each sinking hilt-deep into the monster’s hide to no avail. The thing just keeps coming, unbothered by the weapons protruding from its body.
“Fuck!”
I conjure yet another sword, wishing I had time to check on Joseline, but I can’t afford to take my eyes off this thing for a second. I can feel her nervous energy spiking nearby, which tells me she didn’t run like I told her to.
Of course, she fucking didn’t.
At the thought of her getting caught in the middle of our fight, fire explodes through my veins.
With two swords in hand, I vanish in a cloud of smoke, and reappear crouching on top of the hellbeast. By the time it registers my weight and attempts to grab for me, I’m plunging both blades into its back.
The swords sink hilt-deep into the monster’s charred flesh, but it isn’t far enough. I push out more dark magic, making the blades grow and twist inside its torso, until the hellbeast falls forward with a wet crunch. Thankfully, it doesn’t move again.
My eyes flick up from the dead creature beneath me, scanning the alley for any sign of Joseline.
I can just make out a sliver of her dress sticking out of a recessed doorway in the next building.
Knowing I’ve used far too much magic already, and that I’m about to use even more to get us out of here, I slide down from the hellbeast’s form and sprint in her direction.
The woman I find waiting for me hardly resembles the snarky, fiery female I danced with at the club. For one, she looks stone cold sober, staring at me with wide eyes. For two, she looks terrified.
Here I thought she wasn’t afraid of anything.
“Come on.” I offer her my hand, but she just stares at it in disbelief.
“What the hell is that?” Her eyes track down the alley to the crumpled hellbeast, which is already beginning to disintegrate. Once they die, it only takes a few minutes for their forms to dissolve; twenty minutes and it’ll be like the thing was never here.
“A hellbeast,” I say, gesturing to my hand. “We don’t have time for explanations. We have to get out of here.”
Reluctantly, she takes it, and I drag her to her feet in a swift motion. She’s still breathing fast, fear pouring off her in steady waves.
“But what do you… these things just roam around?” Her eyes search mine for any sort of explanation. “How come no one told me? How come…”
“Technically, it was hunting me,” I say, immediately regretting it.
Her brows shoot up toward her hairline, and she attempts to take a step back. “Hunting you? Why is it hunting you?” Realization flashes over her features, and her eyes grow wider still. “Is it hunting the band?”
I want to answer all her questions, to soothe the nerves that are surely eating her alive, but I don’t have fucking time right now. I need to get her away from here; I need to warn Sebastian.
If there are more, I need to get these fuckers off my tail.
“Listen to me,” I snap, my voice sharp enough to get her attention. “I’ll explain everything later, but right now we need to fucking go. One of these things isn’t a problem, but an army of them…” I let my words trail off, hoping she gets the picture.
Judging by her horrified expression, she does.
“Right,” she whispers, her eyes darting frantically around the alley like more creatures will appear at any second. “We should… go.”
“Hold on to me,” I urge, reaching for her hand and dragging her close. I don’t miss the way her breath hitches as her eyes shoot up to lock with mine. “This might be a little uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean?”
I don’t bother answering as a black torrent of smoke whips to life around us, spiraling like a mini tornado. Joseline squeaks and throws her arms around my neck, catching me off guard, and I grab her by the waist.
The air around us squeezes, the blackness growing until the alley completely disappears, and we vanish into the air.