Page 48 of Claiming Demons

Horus was sneering, simply letting his power wash over everyone, enjoying how it made people kneel before him, although, as Ramsey stalked closer, Horus slipped nimbly to one side, getting farther away again with a laugh.

I understood now. This battle would end one of two ways. Either Ramsey would get to Horus and beat the man to a pulp, or Horus would exhaust Ramsey, forcing him to yield eventually.

I tried to reach out to Ramsey with my aspect of love and connect with him but something blocked me.

Maat stared at me, her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head slowly.

Apparently, her circle was keeping outside influence from affecting the match and she wasn’t happy about me trying to help.

I nodded to her, understanding now.

So, I simply shouted. “You can do this, Ramsey. Crush that little prick!”

And, as if my words had indeed given him strength, Ramsey surged forward. He lunged and managed to get a meaty hand around Horus’ scrawny arm before the man could flee again.

“Now you’re mine!” Ramsey said viciously and punched Horus with his left hand. It was an offhand hit, but still, Ramsey’s punch connected solidly with Horus’ face and sent the man reeling. Horus seemed to bounce off an invisible wall at the edge of the circle and fall to his knees.

His power faded.

Ramsey pounced, driving a knee up into Horus’ chin, and the smaller man flew back and bounced off the circle-barrier once more. This time, Ramsey caught him before he could fall, a thick hand around Horus’ neck, and slammed him up against that invisible wall.

“Don’t youevertreat Ana, or any woman, with such disrespect again!” Ramsey roared, punctuating his rant with punches.

Surely Horus would submit soon. I couldn’t believe he could take much more of this. He seemed completely lifeless in Ramsey’s grip.

Even Ramsey paused. I’d told him not to kill Horus, and perhaps he thought he was getting close.

Tension hung in the air as everyone watched the still scene.

Then, in a flash, Horus’ arm shot up and he placed a hand on Ramsey’s head. “Submit!” he slurred from a broken mouth.

The effect of that one commanding word drove Ramsey to his knees. The big man released Horus, seemingly crushed under some impossible weight.

“Submit!” Horus shouted again, spewing spittle and blood. Whatever was crushing Ramsey seemed to redouble and the large man flinched and was driven a little lower.

“Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit!” Horus roared. Every word drove Ramsey down, though each seemed less impactful than the last.

Ramsey was still on his knees, bent over with one hand on the floor. His aspect had been out and roaring with power since he’d first unleashed it before the fight, but it surged and strengthened in that moment.

The sheer power of the two competing aspects cracked the floor around Ramsey with a sickening crunch, indenting slightly. Then Ramsey surged back up, his hand going around Horus’ neck again. They remained locked, with Horus’ hand on Ramsey’s head, and Ramsey’s hand around Horus’ throat. Their power thrummed and crashed together, and the room seemed to shimmer with the contest of wills.

Then Horus started twitching. His eyes began to bulge, legs kicking. His hand on Ramsey’s head lifted away to scratch at Ramsey’s arm, which was still tight around Horus’ throat. He couldn’t breathe, and he clearly knew he was about to lose this fight. The thrashing increased to a frenzy of limbs, then Horus went still.

The invisible wall vanished — the glowing circle of gold fading — as Ramsey pushed Horus outside the circle and released him. Horus fell, limp. Several gods and daemons went to check on him as Ramsey turned and stalked back to me.

“He’s alive,” Ramsey said, sounding just a bit rough himself.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “He’s an ass, but he doesn’t deserve to die.”

To that Ramsey just grunted.

In the next moment, Horus was up and stalking toward us.

“Little imp is persistent,” Aphrodite muttered.

Horus stopped several paces away. “Ramsey can have you,” he spat the words at me. “It’s clear to me now, you’re just a whore with no taste in men!”

I summoned my sword.