all about Jackson, as something enormous and heavy dropped out of the sky to land behind him, with wings of. She knew without a doubt. i terrifyingly large proportions. The wingspan of it must have been at least twelve feet wide.
Its
wingspan
.
It was a creature as ugly and horrific as any demon she’d ever seen illustrated in fantasy. Its gnarled hands, giant wings, and massive body looked as though it had been carved directly out of stone.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, fear freezing her to the spot, gripping her so thoroughly she couldn’t even scream. But what terrified her, mobilized something else.
Sargent.
The dog, she realized, had been barking viciously since the start of the fight, but Jackson had not commanded him or signaled him to move and Sargent had fought his ingrained nature in order to obey his master’s training. But he must have decided enough was enough when the demon creature fell onto Jackson’s back. He tore through the undergrowth, all savage teeth and snarls. He leapt for the first assailant, his teeth finding a mark on the man’s left thigh and latching on ferociously. The titan, for all he was built like a linebacker, bellowed out a roar of agony even as a massive burst of red energy was exploding out of him. The demon had wrapped an arm around Jackson’s throat, yanking him up from the ground and back against his massive stone chest. He’d been holding him still for the blast his partner was about to release, but Sargent’s interference pulled the energy off center. It still hit Jackson at full burn, but the off-centeredness of the shot may very well have saved Jackson’s life as his clothing burst into flame. His pants, vest, gun belt … it was all incinerated on contact from the front, the fabric trapped between his body and the beast’s was all that remained.
Of all the times she had imagined scenarios where she might see Jackson naked, this one had certainly never crossed her mind. His skin was burned, but nowhere near what it should have been for having his clothes catch fire. It was red, more like a decent sunburn thananything. Pulled back and up, his back bowing, every single muscle, of which there were considerably many, stood out in stark relief, portraying quite clearly just how much he was putting into the struggle with the new adversary. Far leaner than those he fought, she didn’t see how he could possibly survive against so much weight, strength, and inexplicable power.
A percussive blast exploded out from him, sending his enemies flying, Sargent dropping to the ground with a pained whine. But before either of his adversaries could impact anything, Jackson landed on his feet, reached out with both hands, each targeting an enemy and his fingers fisting hard. Each male body jerked to a halt in midair, both trapped by an unseen force, both struggling as if to breathe. Neither could move. Jackson stood with his thickly muscular legs braced apart, his body straining outward in both directions as if the effort to hold them took monumental strength. Then he whipped his left arm toward his right until his fists slammed together. And as he did that both suspended bodies careened into each other, a loud, sickening smack filling the air. He let them fall, leaping forward to get between Sargent and them when the dog tried to jump back into the fray.
“Out!” Jackson commanded roughly, a hand pushing toward Sargent and the telekinetic power he wielded snatched Sargent by his collar hard enough to halt him, forcing him to listen to the command. Then he turned back to the male who had wielded the deadly red energy, grabbing his enemy’s head between his hands. “Suck Ether,” he hissed as he wrenched the man’s head around 180 degrees and s are you talking about?”upihoved his face into the dirt. Then he sent another of those percussive blasts into his enemy’s body, this time blowing him apart on a molecular level.
Marissa watched the man disintegrate into thin
Its
wingspan
.
It was a creature as ugly and horrific as any demon she’d ever seen illustrated in fantasy. Its gnarled hands, giant wings, and massive body looked as though it had been carved directly out of stone.
“Oh my god,” she whispered, fear freezing her to the spot, gripping her so thoroughly she couldn’t even scream. But what terrified her, mobilized something else.
Sargent.
The dog, she realized, had been barking viciously since the start of the fight, but Jackson had not commanded him or signaled him to move and Sargent had fought his ingrained nature in order to obey his master’s training. But he must have decided enough was enough when the demon creature fell onto Jackson’s back. He tore through the undergrowth, all savage teeth and snarls. He leapt for the first assailant, his teeth finding a mark on the man’s left thigh and latching on ferociously. The titan, for all he was built like a linebacker, bellowed out a roar of agony even as a massive burst of red energy was exploding out of him. The demon had wrapped an arm around Jackson’s throat, yanking him up from the ground and back against his massive stone chest. He’d been holding him still for the blast his partner was about to release, but Sargent’s interference pulled the energy off center. It still hit Jackson at full burn, but the off-centeredness of the shot may very well have saved Jackson’s life as his clothing burst into flame. His pants, vest, gun belt … it was all incinerated on contact from the front, the fabric trapped between his body and the beast’s was all that remained.
Of all the times she had imagined scenarios where she might see Jackson naked, this one had certainly never crossed her mind. His skin was burned, but nowhere near what it should have been for having his clothes catch fire. It was red, more like a decent sunburn thananything. Pulled back and up, his back bowing, every single muscle, of which there were considerably many, stood out in stark relief, portraying quite clearly just how much he was putting into the struggle with the new adversary. Far leaner than those he fought, she didn’t see how he could possibly survive against so much weight, strength, and inexplicable power.
A percussive blast exploded out from him, sending his enemies flying, Sargent dropping to the ground with a pained whine. But before either of his adversaries could impact anything, Jackson landed on his feet, reached out with both hands, each targeting an enemy and his fingers fisting hard. Each male body jerked to a halt in midair, both trapped by an unseen force, both struggling as if to breathe. Neither could move. Jackson stood with his thickly muscular legs braced apart, his body straining outward in both directions as if the effort to hold them took monumental strength. Then he whipped his left arm toward his right until his fists slammed together. And as he did that both suspended bodies careened into each other, a loud, sickening smack filling the air. He let them fall, leaping forward to get between Sargent and them when the dog tried to jump back into the fray.
“Out!” Jackson commanded roughly, a hand pushing toward Sargent and the telekinetic power he wielded snatched Sargent by his collar hard enough to halt him, forcing him to listen to the command. Then he turned back to the male who had wielded the deadly red energy, grabbing his enemy’s head between his hands. “Suck Ether,” he hissed as he wrenched the man’s head around 180 degrees and s are you talking about?”upihoved his face into the dirt. Then he sent another of those percussive blasts into his enemy’s body, this time blowing him apart on a molecular level.
Marissa watched the man disintegrate into thin
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