“Who are you?” she gritted out.
The demon had dark green hair cut short in spikes around his head with very pale—almost white—skin and he didn't answer. They reached the bedroom door and Lily wrapped her legs around the frame then tightened her grip on the knife and stabbed at the hand holding her hair. The demon shouted as he released her.
Adrenaline pumping furiously in her blood, Lily darted for the bathroom with a hysterical cry. She threw the bathroom door closed behind her with a sharp snap only to have it burst off the frame in slabs of broken wood as the demon charged at it.
Screams tore from her throat as the demon charged again at the door, tearing it almost completely off the frame. He glared at her with raging fury that left her gasping in fear. He took one long step through the door then his bloodied fist from where she'd cut him curled into a fist and uppercut her in the gut. All the air wheezed out of her stomach and sharp pain throbbed. Lily fell to the floor desperately trying to suck in air; the knife fell to the floor as she held her stomach.
A large foot came into view and kicked the knife across the bathroom floor. Lily didn't even care. Her mind was screaming at her to breathe. When the demon grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her once again, she fell forward onto her stomach and he started dragging her across the floor. Her feet locked on either side of the bathroom door with a tight grip, stalling the demon's progress. He let out a fierce growl that made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.
Then he pulled back and let fly a kick so hard that when it landed on her back she screamed feeling as though her spine just got split in half. Hacking coughs racked through her, making her stomach muscles tighten in reflex and hurting her all the more. All her energy was sapped. She lied there uselessly as he dragged her into the living room and towards the door.
“Where are you taking me?” she whispered between unsteady breaths. She didn't expect him to answer and he didn't.
She stared up at the ceiling watching it pass by in increments. They made it over the doorway and started down the hall. Her breathing finally started to return to normal, which gave her a boost of energy. It wasn't much of one, but it was there. Lily forced her legs to work and awkwardly came to a stand. With a hard shove, she pushed her back against the demon. He didn't even budge.
Turning around on her, his eyes feral, he let his fist fly. The blow caught her cheek and she expected to see stars but all she saw were black dots coloring her vision. She knew she hit the floor but everything went hazy from there.
The last of her adrenaline rush vanished. She lay clumped in a pile on the floor steadily trying to suck in air through her nose as the pain from her mouth, shoulder, and stomach suddenly came at her with full force.
She heard something but the more she blinked her eyes the worse the black dots clouded her vision until she didn't know if she was still staring at the carpet or not. A hand curled around her hurt shoulder and she cried out as burning agony scorched the hurt muscle there. She couldn't do it anymore, was sick of being tired and scared. The black clouds took over her vision and Lily let it take her wherever it wanted to go.
CHAPTER 31
Telal had no magic left from the poison eating away inside him. If he didn't get it out of him soon then he'd never be able to use magic again; it would suck away all of his natural powers.
Each step felt like he was dragging a mountain behind him. He'd never felt so weak in his life. Whoever these demons were, they were good, real good. Telal stopped at the top of the stairs that led to the rec room to catch his breath.
A feminine scream pierced his ears and he took off. No thoughts of his injury ever entered his mind, no thoughts to the poison draining him, or the blood slowing him down. He just moved. He didn't bother with stealth anymore. He charged in like a bull.
He went through the doorway just in time to see a green-haired demon's fist crash into Lily's face. Even as he flinched, a fierce rage stole through him, tightening his muscles for action, pumping his blood fast to make him move quicker, and the protest rose inside him like a roar.
Telal let that roar fly and channeled it at the demon. The demon jerked around, startled and Telal charged letting his war cry go. He didn't just slam into the demon but barreled into him like a supernatural linebacker. They soared through the air for a good ten feet before landing with the demon’s back smacking hard against the floor.
Telal had no questions in his mind, only purpose. To kill. And he used his fist, pummeling the demon again and again. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was like a blood thirst being quenched. All he could see was his woman being hurt, being met with another's brutal anger. Bones snapped and cracked under his fist; blood splattered his hand and still he kept going.
He couldn't be sure how long ago the demon had stopped struggling for his life before he finally scooted off of him, panting and raging still. Pulling a knife from the demon's own belt he took it in his good hand and impaled the demon's heart just in case.
Stumbling away from the dead demon, Telal crouched down next to Lily. It wasn't until he saw the rise and fall of her chest that he knew for certain she was alive. He gently touched her shoulder shaking her to try to wake her, but she didn't even make a sound.
With the only thought of getting them out of there on his mind, he closed his eyes ported them out of there. He kept a small secluded cabin in Northern Georgia. It hadn't been used in more than five years. Dust had collected in a heavy layer along the floor and furniture. Telal pulled Lily up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. The top comforter was covered in that layer of dust so he pulled it off the bed and laid her on the clean sheets.
His knees shook as he stood and it took everything in him not to collapse. But he had one more trip to make. Closing his eyes, he ported back to his headquarters. Kearnyn sat on the floor his head bowed forward, his skin paler than normal.
“Kearnyn?”
The vampire was slow to respond but eventually his head lifted and his unfocused gave settled on him.
“I've got to get you out of here.”
Kearnyn nodded then his head drooped back down. The ten steps it took to reach him felt like ten miles. When he finally neared him, he touched his shoulder.
“Rosa,” Kearnyn whispered.
“What?”
“Take me to Rosa.”
Telal didn't question it. He literally didn’t' even have the energy to. He just ported Kearnyn inside Rosa's shop and didn't even stay for longer than a second before he ported back to the cabin. Once there, his knees gave out and his cheek crashed against the dirty floor.
He felt blissful lying on that rotten floor. He didn't even remember falling asleep.
CHAPTER 32
Rosa's ears twitched as she heard a sound from the other room. Grabbing her pepper spray from her bedroom, she slowly made her way through the workroom. She'd closed shop to get some work done on the weapons so no one should be here. She felt with some certainty that she could handle a robber if that's what it came down to. Not only did she have her pepper spray, but enough spells in her mind to make him change his mind and back away.
She peered around the beaded doorway and into the living room. A man lay on the floor unmoving. In a second, it hit her. The pepper can fell from her numb fingers. She ran to him sliding on her knees.
“Kearnyn? Kearnyn baby? What's wrong? What happened?” Tears filled her eyes as she gently rolled him onto his back.
He groaned but his eyes didn't flutter. She blanched at his stomach, her mind going into freak-out mode at the sight of all that blood.