Chapter 22 - Zephyr
Demon after demon came for me. I had fought off several alone before, both utterly alone and taking some down within the group. But it had never been like this.
Demons launched themselves at me, diving in and out of portals as I ran for the exit. I couldn’t fight them all alone. After we had restocked on food the other day, I had gone against orders and snuck back to the very empty villa, retrieving my favorite shotgun. I had brought it back with me. I fired that now with the magic-infused bullets, blasting demon after demon.
But the bullets would run out soon, and I would be left with only a shifted body to fend for myself in. Bullets gave me distance from the demons, but they were faster than I had seen them before.
There were too many to fight off alone.
I sprinted down the tunnel for the exit onto the Green Trail. My only thoughts weren’t even on my own escape but needing to know that Adalyn had gotten herself to safety, protecting our baby and herself.
Panic rushed through me.
Where is my mate? Where is my mate?
A demon grabbed the back of my calve, digging claws in. I screamed, slamming my gun into its face, with no time to accurately aim. The demon flew off, its claws raking down my muscles. Everything hurt, everything burned . I needed backup. I needed to escape. I couldn’t risk leading the demons into the town, but I couldn’t let them stay in the sanctuary.
For years, I had hunted witches, but now the thought of causing the downfall of a sacred place to them made me feel ill.
Stopping almost at the exit, I turned to face the monstrous creatures all crawling towards me. Some slithered, others moved spindly limbs, while others simply danced through their portals, laughing and jeering. They all came for me, their hisses filling my ears.
Wolf, wolf, come and play.
I aimed my gun and set off a round of bullets, spraying black blood everywhere. Demons burst apart, vanishing, leaving only their scorch marks and the smell of burnt asphalt behind. I needed to meet my mate and know she was safe. That our baby was safe.
I had to protect them.
A claw raked down my back and I roared, bucking the demon off who had surprised me with an attack. Claws almost punctured me through, but I wrenched the thing off me, throwing it back into the fray.
“Forgive me, Adalyn,” I whispered, staring helplessly at the growing mass.
I ran, sprinting for the exit. The seal broke, allowing me through. A few demons filtered out after me, but I fired bullets at the loose rocks around the cave mouth. A rumble sounded through the woods, and the entryway caved in, sealing the hellspawn inside.
I had trapped them in Adalyn’s sanctuary.
I could only hope it was yet another thing she could forgive me for.
I thought of her, running for her life, standing alone. If I needed to run from demons…
I tried not to think of any worse scenario she might be in. I couldn’t. The thoughts weighed me down as I dispatched the few creatures who had left the cave with me. Spinning on the spot, I caught the breeze and let it carry Adalyn’s scent to me. It was coming from the town.
Good , I thought. At least there, she might have other chances of being protected if the other shifters spilled out and noticed the heavy demon energy. I could only hope Hec was awake, ever glued to those damned screens, but it would come in useful right now if he was.
Without giving myself another second to hope, I ran for the town, my feet carrying me with a speed I knew was fueled by rage and adrenaline. Nothing would hurt my mate. Even if she hadn’t accepted my claim—or even agreed she wanted me in her future—I knew nothing would keep me from protecting her and the baby of ours she carried.
The night air was too quiet for comfort, as if more demons were just out of sight, waiting to pounce. It unnerved me. But I kept moving, kept running, and kept thinking of my one goal: Adalyn.
Always Adalyn.
My clever witch, my brave, strong mate.
I would leave this damn town in two to send the demons back to hell where they belonged if that is what it took. Nothing in the world could keep me from Adalyn.
***
I followed her scent to Greta’s Emporium, cursing myself for not knowing where she would immediately run to. It was her safe space, full of anything she might need to cast a spell or shield, some sort of protection.
Not to mention the store already held heavy wards.
But as soon as I crashed into the main part of town beneath the cover of the dark night, frantic, my lungs burning, I stopped short. The door had been torn off the hinges. Windows were smashed, books and vials were thrown out, and littered outside the street. I noticed a map and a pendant, all torn and shattered on the floor.
A scream split the night.
It came from the Emporium.
“Adalyn!” I yelled. Only darkness writhed in the store. And it wasn’t until I got closer that I realized it wasn’t simply a lack of light. It was a mass of demons, all of them pressed and packed together in the Emporium.
And in the center of it all, Adalyn stood, her face wet with tears but set into hard determination as she shielded herself, facing down the horde of demons.
They were so close to her. Their hisses and hum of energy made the air vibrate sickly.
Once, I would have killed Adalyn myself, putting her in place of the witch who had killed my brother. An eye for an eye, enemy hating enemy.
But now, I would stop at nothing to protect her. My fearless mate.
A demon moved closer. The remaining mass moved with it.
I could smell blood— human blood. Adalyn bled red like anyone else, despite the magic in her veins.
I didn’t think twice.
A pounding in my head heightened to a scream— revenge, revenge, revenge . My mate was hurt .
I shifted and roared into the night and launched into the store. Demons fell victim beneath my claws as I tore and bit my way through, my only thoughts on getting to Adalyn. Black blood sprayed over books, covered every inch of the floor, and splattered over the walls. They were a never-ending mass of darkness. Poison on the island. I tore out throats and killed and fought my way through. Claws pierced me, blades raked down my sides, and I knew venom would slowly start entering my bloodstream, but I couldn’t care about that.
Not until I saw the first sight of my mate, one hand holding her stomach, the other clutching a pendant. Her shield came from that pendant, and she raised it like a sword, making her way towards me.
I leaped for her, and her relieved smile was the only thing I cared about.
A demon sank its claws into my hind leg.
I let out a thunderous noise of pain into the night, and Adalyn screamed my name.
Get to your mate, get to your mate .
In the distance, more wolves howled in response, and I knew my backup was on its way.
My vision was going spotty, but then her hand reached out, pressed to my fur, and I was enveloped in her shield. A cocoon of protection as I turned back to the mass, getting Adalyn behind me.
And then I didn’t stop until I had torn every last demon to shreds.