Page 79 of Craving Demons

“Come at me, you big fucker.”

The lion charged me and I stood my ground for a moment until it leaped. Then, I threw myself on my back and thrusted up with the knife as the lion passed over me. The blade sunk deep and tore open the beast’s belly. The lion let out a shriek of pain, then slammed into and through a wall like I’d done moments before.

I rose slowly and went to its still-flailing body. Kneeling next to it, I pushed it over, reached into the bloody gash in its chest, and yanked out its heart.

The creature finally stilled, dead, and I huffed a relieved breath then tossed away the massive organ.

I staggered to my feet yet again. I could feel the last of my strength ebbing away, but lying down wasn’t an option. I had to help Ramsey. Thenwehad to help Ana. Who knew what was happening to her?

That solidified my resolve, even as I felt the last of my physical strength leaking out of me.

RAMSEY

Nemain wasquick but not as fast as me. She was a daemon of war and chaos, but I was a daemon of conflict itself. She knew battle and strategy, but I knew how to land a punchandI was stronger. The issue was the damned massive snake trying to take chunks out of me with its huge fangs dripping with sickly green venom.

I’d researched the chimaera once. I’d been challenged to fight one, but eventually declined. Any one of its beasts I could take, but altogether it would be too much for even me.

But my in-depth research had given me a unique knowledge of these creatures. And when it came to the snake, I knew I couldn’t get bit, not even once. Just a scrape of that venom would knock me on my ass and kill me within a few minutes. A full-on bite and my life would be measured in mere heartbeats. So, getting away from it was my main objective.

My research had also told me chimaera’s were not invincible as most people thought and could be defeated. It was just incredibly hard to do so since each of the three separate beasts had to be killed. If any remained alive, the others would heal and remerge, and it would live.

Luckily, the snake didn’t see Nemain as an ally. So as long as I kept her between me and it, she was the one who’d have to worry about it. But she knew that too and was trying her best not to get into that position.

Which meant I couldn’t spare a thought or a look for my two companions. I had to hope they could handle themselves since I had my hands full. My other significant issue was the Celestial Laws which forbade Empyreans from killing each other. I could hurt her as much as I wanted, but killing would get me a very nasty punishment in one of the lowest of the low underworlds for a few centuries, if not millennia.

Yet, I didn’t think Nemain cared, given how she was fighting. She was out for blood.

Nemain slashed with her one remaining knife — I’d disarmed her of the other one at the start of the fight.

I dodged the slash and caught her hand, twisting it behind her back. I had her now! I shifted, forcing her toward the snake as it struck. She launched herself up, kicking the beast’s jaw — knocking it away from her — even as she flipped over me. The motion tore her arm from my grasp and now she was behind me.

“You’re mine,” she whispered as I felt the knife slide into my back.

I spun instantly, tearing the knife from her grip, but it also hurt like the bite of Ammit as the move twisted the blade, tearing my flesh.

I reached around and yanked out the knife, which was both a good and bad thing. Bad because the large wound was now free to bleed. Good because now I had the knife.

But before I could bring it to bear on Nemain, she’d kicked my legs out from under me. I fell, landing hard, my head hitting something, jarring it and making me see stars for just a moment, but that moment was enough.

I regained my feet as the snake launched itself at me. I reacted with all my razor-edged, battle-honed instinct and shoved the long knife up through its bottom jaw. I hit it so hard the jaws snapped shut, pinned closed by the knife.

But drops of venom sprayed down on me, burning my skin where it landed and I had no clue what effect that would have. My research hadn’t said how effective the venom was if it just dropped on your skin. It might do nothing, or it might still kill me, just slower. Also, I no longer had the knife since I really liked it where it was, keeping that beast’s mouth closed.

I spun and blocked a punch from Nemain, managing to counterstrike and land a solid blow on her shoulder. She staggered back. I could have followed up, but instead, I took that moment to get a sense for how the other two guys were doing.

Not well it seemed. A headless goat was tearing up one side of the room. Fen was down, his body shifting between man and wolf.

Fuck me, if he lost control, we were all screwed.

Grey was limping toward me. He looked rough, but there was a grim and determined smile on his face.

I met his glance just for a moment, long enough for recognition to pass between us, then I shifted slightly so Nemain wouldn’t see Grey’s approach, ensuring that her back was fully to him.

She came at me again and I tried to push-kick her. She dodged with a quick hop back. Right in the direction I wanted.

Grey caught her and landed a crushing punch to her neck, and she staggered back toward me, stunned.

“I can’t kill you, but the laws say nothing about standing here and watching you get trampled.” I picked her up and threw her toward that thrashing goat. She landed exactly where I’d hoped, right next to its flailing hooves. The next wild kick of those steely feet hit her solidly in the head, killing her.