Chapter 31
Joseline
The tour bus jostles as things slam into it, the sounds of crunching and creaking metal making my heart lurch. There aren’t any windows in Niki’s bedroom, but I don’t need to see to know what’s going on outside.
Hellbeasts. Several, by the sound of it.
My mind races, gruesome images of what’s happening playing in my head. Each image is more horrifying than the last.
Curiosity tugs at my skin, making it itch, but all I can do is sit on the foot of the bed watching Niki and the baby. Silently, I pray to whoever might be listening that the guys are handling things easily.
Another crash has my heart jumping into my throat, and the tour bus wobbles. My hope plummets, but I try to stay positive. I’ve seen Tobias fight—he’s a force to be reckoned with.
Surely five powerful demons can handle a few hellbeasts.
I hope.
“What do we do?” I ask Niki, keeping my voice low.
I thought I was useless helping with the birth, but that was a walk in the park compared to this. At least I could google answers and make educated guesses. I can’t fight a beast ten times my size, even with a weapon.
If any of the beasts make it onto the bus, I might as well offer myself as a sacrifice, because there’s nothing I can do. Fear and hopelessness take me back to the alley, where I first laid eyes on one of the horrifying creatures, and familiar feelings start bubbling up.
Only this time, I’m trapped in a metal cage. We can’t even make a run for it.
Niki looks at me, her eyebrows pinched together with worry, even though she tries to mask her fear. She squeezes the bundled baby even closer to her, and my chest seizes.
Fuck. I’m probably not helping her by panicking.
I take a deep breath and exhale. If I can get a peek outside, maybe I can come up with a plan. Or maybe, if I can catch a glimpse of the guys obliterating a bunch of evil beasts, it’ll help my nerves a bit.
Hell, maybe I can hijack the bus and leave them all in the dust.
Do I have a CDL? No, but how hard can it be?
“I’m going to go see what’s going on,” I say, sounding much braver than I feel. Truthfully, I want to stay holed up in the bedroom with Niki and the baby, but the anxiety of not knowing what’s going on is threatening to eat a hole through me.
I want to know what’s happening, that everyone’s okay.
That Tobias is okay.
At the thought of him, I drag myself off the bed and swallow my fear.
“Be careful, Jos,” Niki warns, fighting to keep her voice level. “Just look outside. The guys will handle it.”
I nod and attempt a reassuring smile, which I’m sure falls flat.
I trust the band, I do. I know they’re capable, and I know Tobias is a good fighter, but I don’t know how they’ll hold up against an army. If I’m going to die, I’d rather be proactive and try to do something about it, rather than waiting like a sitting duck.
Besides, it’s not just myself I have to think about. I have to think about Niki and the baby too. If there’s a chance, even a tiny one, that I can help or get us out of here, I have to try.
Creeping out of the bedroom, I close the door behind me. Not that it’ll help keep out a giant demon from Hell, but knowing Niki is sealed behind another layer of pressboard makes me feel a little better. Delusional, but better.
My throat tightens as I slowly pad toward the window, my pulse ratcheting up another notch. I try to brace myself for the scene outside. Cautiously, I peek just around the edge of the glass and hold my breath.
At first, I see nothing. The intense darkness swallows everything in the parking lot, making it impossible to see. But then, my eyes begin to adjust. The darkness shifts, rippling like smoke, shadowed figures emerging from the pitch black. A few at first, but they quickly multiply.
My stomach drops.
There are hellbeasts everywhere.
Dark, hulking forms crawling, sliding, and trudging toward the tour bus. Tobias and the other Ennubi are fighting, claws and weapons flying, doing their best to keep the creatures away.
I count the familiar demons, making sure everyone is still on their feet, and my eyes land on Tobias.
Air sticks in my lungs as he slices his way through a massive black form with two heads.
He barely hesitates before swinging his swords toward another and cutting it down.
It’s so dark, I can barely make out his form, tearing through our enemies with ease.
He’s amazing, fighting unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Like something straight from… Hell.
I catch my breath when he staggers, but then he’s right back at it, swinging his swords and downing more creatures. My eyes are glued to the scene, squinting and trying to see better in the darkness, until a giant form slams into Tobias and knocks him to the ground.
“No!” I scream, unable to keep it in.
I feel completely helpless as he crawls to his feet. He shakes his head before throwing himself at the hellbeast, weapons raised, but his movements are slower. Less precise. That last hit must have hurt.
My stomach knots, nausea slamming into me. There’s nothing I can do to help him, and going outside right now is out of the question. I would only be a distraction, and none of them can afford that.
It’s best if I just stay in the tour bus, but that doesn’t make watching any easier.
I’m so focused on Tobias and his movements that I don’t notice a rogue hellbeast crawling closer to the bus, until it leaps at the window. I barely take a step back before the glass splinters in front of me, the cracks spiderwebbing.
I stubble backward, fear lancing through me like ice, as the beast rears back and hits the window again. The glass cracks further, threatening to shatter, and I know it won’t hold much longer.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
If only I had a weapon. Preferably a gun, not that it would help much. I’ve never shot one before.
Whipping around, my eyes land on the kitchen counter.
I sprint over, ripping open one of the drawers and pulling out the biggest steak knife I can find.
It looks tiny in my hand, and I don’t even know if it’ll be enough to pierce the beast’s thick hide, but it’s my only option. Much better than nothing.
Gripping the handle until my knuckles turn white, I turn back in time to see the monster punch a hole through the glass. Shards explode into the bus, raining over the furniture, and my gut twists. My mouth goes dry, my throat tight.
The stench of rotten egg farts fills the space, and I fight the urge to gag. I don’t remember the one in the alley smelling so bad.
Giant hands with foot-long claws slam into the walls, creating deep divots as the thing starts hauling its way inside.
Holy fuck.
I am now the only thing standing between this beast and Niki, and the only way anything is getting through that door is over my dead body. Stealing my nerves, I prepare to fight or die, and stand up straighter.
The hellbeast roars, the sound so loud it threatens to pop my eardrums. I whimper, pressing my empty hand to one of my ears, but I refuse to lower the knife. Feeble though it might be, it’s the only protection I have.
The creature tears its way into the bus, punching out more glass from the window as it crawls through the opening.
Squeezing inside bit by bit, it knocks things to the ground, tips over Niki’s recliner, and shreds the couch with its claws.
It’s so big that it can barely turn to face me, the points of its misshapen head scraping the roof of the bus.
Shards of glass crunch beneath its charred-looking feet as it moves, its beady black eyes laser-focused in my direction. I suck in a sharp breath as it takes a step toward me, the bus rocking with its weight.
There’s nowhere for me to run, nowhere to hide.
Behind me, I hear the baby crying from the bedroom, and my stomach twists. Bile burns the back of my throat, but I swallow it down.
This can’t be how things end.
We fought so hard, overcame so many obstacles, to get here.
Now, everything is about to be ripped away.
The hellbeast growls as it nears, its mouth hanging open to reveal a black tongue and teeth like razors. Its torso is scratched and bleeding, black blood oozing out and dripping to the floor.
I swallow hard, bracing myself, ready to strike. If I only have one chance to wound it, I’m going to make it count. If I’m lucky, maybe I can blind it. Maybe I can—
The monster readies to pounce, but black smoke explodes in front of me, filling the bus. I recognize it instantly, and my heart lurches painfully as a demon appears before me.
Not just any demon.
My demon.
Tobias stands between me and the beast, serrated swords in hand, but before he can fully orient himself, the creature punches him in the gut, knocking him off his feet. He slams back into the wall with a grunt before launching himself forward again.
My eyes stay glued on him, and I slump with relief when he sinks his swords into the monster’s face. With a sickening, squelching noise and a spray of oily black blood, he twists the weapons, and the hellbeast crumples, dead.
Air rushes out of me, and the knife in my hand clatters to the floor. That gets Tobias’ attention, and he whirls around to face me, his worried eyes locking with mine.
For the first time, I get a good look at him, and my stomach sinks.
He’s in really bad shape.
His clothes are torn, revealing vibrant red gashes and cuts all over his navy skin. His mask is cracked, showing bits of his face, and there’s so much blood. Smeared on his shirt, splattered across his skin, dripping from his blades.
How much of it is his?
“Tobias,” I say breathlessly, looking him over. “Are you okay?”
His weapons disappear and he rushes forward, pulling me against him. I instantly sink into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief into his shoulder.
“Fuck, I was so worried—” I start, but stop abruptly.
Warmth spreads across my chest, and not the fuzzy kind. Looking down, I find my shirt soaked through with blood. The front of his shirt is drenched, more red than should be possible bleeding through the material. It’s seeping from a deep gash over his ribs.
“Tobias,” I gasp, pushing away to get a better look at the injury. It’s a jagged cut through the muscle, and my stomach turns when I think I see a bit of bone. “You’re hurt.” I sound like an idiot, but that’s all I can manage. Fear has my brain short-circuiting.
I drag my gaze up to his face again, and my knees nearly give out beneath me. His eyes are unfocused, his expression unclear.
“Joseline,” he whispers, swaying on his feet before he drops like a stone. I'm barely able to get my arms around him before he hits the ground, and I lay him down ungracefully, doing my best to keep his head from cracking against the floor.
No.
No, no, no.
“It's not… that bad…” He groans before squeezing his eyes shut. His adrenaline must have finally worn off. That, or he’s lost too much blood to keep going.
I press my hand against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but crimson liquid immediately pools around my fingers. I need gauze or bandages or something.
Fuck, I can’t keep my hands from shaking.
Birthing a baby I’ve proved I can handle, but this?
Tobias needs a doctor. A hospital.
More blood spills out of him, despite the pressure I apply.
“You better not die on me,” I say through gritted teeth, bunching up his shirt and applying pressure to the wound again. “Do you hear me? No dying.”
He pries his eyes open to meet mine, and I expect some kind of sarcastic comment. Some wit, some banter.
“My soul can’t die,” he says, his voice raspy. “If I’m sent back to Hell, I’ll… I’ll find you…”
“No. No, no, no. Don’t say that.” I shake my head adamantly, fighting to keep my voice from wobbling. “Tell me what to do. What do you need?” I try my best to stay calm, despite the blood pounding in my ears.
Desperate to see his face, I use my free hand to pull off his mask and toss it aside. I instantly regret it. There are cuts everywhere, and his lip is split. He also looks way too pale.
His eyes flutter, and I place my hand against his cheek.
“Stay with me,” I demand. “You’re going to be fine. Do you need energy? Will that help?” I ramble, desperate.
My thoughts and emotions tangle, crashing over me in waves I can’t decipher. I have no idea what I’m doing, I just need this asshole to be okay.
I need him to stay.
With me.
“What do you need, motherfucker? Answer me!” My voice is loud, and it wobbles, but I don’t care.
“You.” He attempts a smile but winces instead. “Just you.”
Yeah, the blood loss is clearly affecting his brain.
“Quick, take my energy.” I grab his hand and press my cheek into his palm, hating how cold his fingers feel. “Take it.”
“I… can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” I want to shake him. Why is he always this fucking stubborn? “Take it, take it all.”
“Jos—”
“Don’t you dare argue with me.” Tears burn my eyes, but I barely notice them. “If it will help, take it. I don’t give a fuck about your pride or anything else. I just need you to stay with me. I… I need you.”
He hesitates like he still wants to argue, but then he cups his hand behind my neck and drags me down until our lips touch.
It isn’t passionate or hungry like all the other kisses we’ve shared; it’s slow, careful, sure.
As his tongue tangles with mine, I feel the energy leaving me.
Like I’m crashing from an adrenaline high, and I’m suddenly ready for a nap.
I summon every ounce of energy I have, pushing it to the forefront, begging him to take more. Whatever he needs, I’ll give him. Whatever it takes to keep him alive.
He saved me when I didn’t know I needed to be saved, and now it’s my turn.
The only thing I can focus on is how much I need him to be okay. How badly I need him to survive. Who would have thought this asshole I couldn’t stand would become I constant in my life I don’t want to live without?
Definitely not me.
My head is swimming, the rooms swaying when I open my eyes again. I’m disoriented, my eyelids impossibly heavy, and muffled voices nearby catch my attention.
“We need to go,” someone barks, but I’m hardly listening. I’m focused on Tobias and the way his eyes are closing. The way his breaths are slowing.
Why are his eyes closed if he just took my energy? Shouldn’t he be awake? Shouldn’t he be okay?
Someone heaves me off the ground, and stars flash in front of my vision.
“Tobias,” I whisper as my body goes limp. It feels like I’m floating away, soaring up to the clouds. My thoughts tangle, and nothing makes sense, but I’m vaguely aware of someone carrying me.
“Joseline.”
The voice is familiar, but I can’t tell who it belongs to. I can’t tell anything as unconsciousness encroaches, eating away at my mind.
I manage to hang on for a few more seconds, but then everything goes black.