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Authors: Elisabeth Naughton
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condensed in his chest. He whipped the parazonium from its scabbard and turned to face the coming doom. The daemons were now in a full-out charge, headed right for them. “Run, already!”
There was no time to look and see if Gryphon and Isadora had listened. The first daemon flew through the air, blade swinging, claws thrashing. Demetrius’s parazonium made contact with the daemon’s sword, the vibration of the hit ricocheting down his arm. Five, maybe six, he could handle on his own. But not the forty or so that were out here. And wasn’t it just his dumbass luck that he hadn’t paid attention to where he was opening the portal in the human realm, had simply opened it to the last place he’d come from. Which had been days ago, at the half-breed colony, when he’d been here with the other Argonauts helping to fend off a daemon attack.
A scream rang out. He stabbed the daemon in the chest and pulled his blade from the unholy’s body as he whirled around. Gryphon and Isadora were thirty feet from him, flanked by two massive daemons. In a daze he watched one daemon swipe out with razor-sharp claws, saw Gryphon go down. Isadora stepped closer to Gryphon’s body, wielded the knife like a pro, and though he was momentarily shocked by her courage and skill, he knew that wouldn’t keep the beasts back for long. The three daemons making a beeline for her didn’t look like they cared about her bravado or the puny weapon she held in her hand.
Demetrius’s chest pounded, his throat closed. He’d never reach her in time. His mind tumbled with options, but when the daemon smacked the knife out of her hand and her body spun from the blow, he didn’t even think.
The magick that was as much a part of him as his eyes and hair and teeth, but which he denied at every turn, gathered in his hands. A chant rose in his mind, circled, and swirled until the words poured from his tongue without encouragement.
“Earth, wind, water, fire, grant to me your growing power.” He felt the force push through his hands, zing out his fingertips. Imagined his arm shooting across the distance and his hand wrapping around the daemon’s throat. Sensations rippled through him. The instant he felt contact, he clamped down and yanked.
The daemon lost its footing. Jerked back ten feet before it slammed into the ground. Isadora scrambled to her feet. The daemon jumped up with murder in its green eyes as it searched for whoever had grabbed him.
He homed in on Demetrius and charged. Demetrius had just enough time to brace himself. He darted a look toward Isadora and the remaining daemons closing in tight. The daemon launched just as Demetrius swung out. His parazonium caught the beast across the chest, tore into its thick flesh. Demetrius swiveled out from under its weight.
“Isadora! Run!”
Blood spurted over him as the daemon hit the ground and rolled. From the corner of his eye Demetrius saw Isadora sprinting toward the trees. But the monster was up again, charging, blocking his view of her, teeth bared, fangs unsheathed, eyes a blinding glow in its grotesque head.
Isadora screamed again. A loud crack resounded through the chill night air seconds before the daemon slammed into Demetrius, knocking him to the ground. His head hit hard, stars fired off behind his eyes, but panic over what he couldn’t see happening only yards away had him swinging out again and again with his blade.
He couldn’t make headway. Didn’t have enough time to focus and draw on his magick. The creature knocked the blade from his hand. Metal pinged against rock as his parazonium clanked across the ground. The beast reared back, blood-coated claws seconds from annihilation.
“Stop!”
The daemon above hesitated. His gruesome head swiveled toward Gryphon and Isadora and the daemon who’d shouted the order.
Demetrius looked too. Ten or more daemons had gathered around Isadora, blocking his view. The daemon kneeling on the ground nodded toward the beast that still
There was no time to look and see if Gryphon and Isadora had listened. The first daemon flew through the air, blade swinging, claws thrashing. Demetrius’s parazonium made contact with the daemon’s sword, the vibration of the hit ricocheting down his arm. Five, maybe six, he could handle on his own. But not the forty or so that were out here. And wasn’t it just his dumbass luck that he hadn’t paid attention to where he was opening the portal in the human realm, had simply opened it to the last place he’d come from. Which had been days ago, at the half-breed colony, when he’d been here with the other Argonauts helping to fend off a daemon attack.
A scream rang out. He stabbed the daemon in the chest and pulled his blade from the unholy’s body as he whirled around. Gryphon and Isadora were thirty feet from him, flanked by two massive daemons. In a daze he watched one daemon swipe out with razor-sharp claws, saw Gryphon go down. Isadora stepped closer to Gryphon’s body, wielded the knife like a pro, and though he was momentarily shocked by her courage and skill, he knew that wouldn’t keep the beasts back for long. The three daemons making a beeline for her didn’t look like they cared about her bravado or the puny weapon she held in her hand.
Demetrius’s chest pounded, his throat closed. He’d never reach her in time. His mind tumbled with options, but when the daemon smacked the knife out of her hand and her body spun from the blow, he didn’t even think.
The magick that was as much a part of him as his eyes and hair and teeth, but which he denied at every turn, gathered in his hands. A chant rose in his mind, circled, and swirled until the words poured from his tongue without encouragement.
“Earth, wind, water, fire, grant to me your growing power.” He felt the force push through his hands, zing out his fingertips. Imagined his arm shooting across the distance and his hand wrapping around the daemon’s throat. Sensations rippled through him. The instant he felt contact, he clamped down and yanked.
The daemon lost its footing. Jerked back ten feet before it slammed into the ground. Isadora scrambled to her feet. The daemon jumped up with murder in its green eyes as it searched for whoever had grabbed him.
He homed in on Demetrius and charged. Demetrius had just enough time to brace himself. He darted a look toward Isadora and the remaining daemons closing in tight. The daemon launched just as Demetrius swung out. His parazonium caught the beast across the chest, tore into its thick flesh. Demetrius swiveled out from under its weight.
“Isadora! Run!”
Blood spurted over him as the daemon hit the ground and rolled. From the corner of his eye Demetrius saw Isadora sprinting toward the trees. But the monster was up again, charging, blocking his view of her, teeth bared, fangs unsheathed, eyes a blinding glow in its grotesque head.
Isadora screamed again. A loud crack resounded through the chill night air seconds before the daemon slammed into Demetrius, knocking him to the ground. His head hit hard, stars fired off behind his eyes, but panic over what he couldn’t see happening only yards away had him swinging out again and again with his blade.
He couldn’t make headway. Didn’t have enough time to focus and draw on his magick. The creature knocked the blade from his hand. Metal pinged against rock as his parazonium clanked across the ground. The beast reared back, blood-coated claws seconds from annihilation.
“Stop!”
The daemon above hesitated. His gruesome head swiveled toward Gryphon and Isadora and the daemon who’d shouted the order.
Demetrius looked too. Ten or more daemons had gathered around Isadora, blocking his view. The daemon kneeling on the ground nodded toward the beast that still
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