Page 76 of Bound By Blood
Few could get thedrop on a demon, but Saber had lived with these things, learnedfrom them, and excelled at shutting his emotions off to do whateverwas necessary to kill. He opened his senses up as he sought themonster.
The demon cameback at him, but he heard its movements more clearly this time andsensed a shift in the air as it approached. And when it came, herealized it wasn’t going for him… it was going forher.
Shifting his holdon the sword, he kept it low in the hopes of luring the creatureinto thinking he didn’t know it was coming. The dim glow of theflashlight briefly illuminated the demon’s white-blue eyes beforeit was nearly on top of her.
Saber threw up hisforearm, seeking to deflect the creature. When he did, he causedthe thing to crash into him instead of her. The impact staggeredhim back a few feet, and he nearly lost his grip on the sword.
The first pull ofhis blood sent mind-numbing pain through his system until it feltlike every one of his bones would shatter. As the demon pulled hisblood unwillingly from him, he managed to suppress his instinct togo rigid or scream. Instead, he met the white-blue eyes shining outfrom beneath its hood while it feasted on him.
Its bony legsencircled his waist. Some of them were extremely tall, but others,like this one, were smaller and nimbler. They didn’t weigh as muchand weren’t as overbearing, but they were every bit as lethal.
Its eyes shonewith mirth as it continued to drink. Raising his arm, Saber triedto bury his sword into the demon’s belly, but it caught his wristand squeezed until something broke, and the sword tumbled from hishand. It clattered as it bounced against the concrete.
He was far fromdefeated, but Caro had a chance to escape while this thing remainedfocused on him.
“Run!” he shoutedas the demon’s hand clasped his throat. “Run, Caro!”
CHAPTER 58
Caro gaped at themas the demon and Saber remained locked in this hideous dance ofdeath. His words reverberated around the concrete, her legsscreamed at her togo, but her feet remained locked inplace.
She couldn’t runaway andleavehim here. There were times when she’dconsidered killing him herself, but she wouldn’t abandon him tothis fate. He hadn’t abandoned her.
Besides, no matterhow much her instinct screamed at her to run, her heart told hershe had to try to save him. She just had no idea what to do tohelp.
Saber battered thedemon’s head. The monster made a gross, slurping sound beforebiting down so hard that something crunched.
Caro’s stomachrolled; she didn’t know if the thing had chewed through cartilageor bone, but Saber showed no reaction as he continued to batter themonster attacking him. She choked back bile, but the taste remainedon her tongue as clearly as that awful sound in her ears.
“Run!” Sabershouted at her again.
The idea ofleaving here without Saber was as nausea-inducing as that awfulcrunching sound, but she had to do something fast. More demons andSavages could be coming for them now; they were doomed if theyarrived before they got free.
Breaking free ofthe panic clogging her brain, Caro recalled the sword. She’d heardit fall, but where was it?
She searchedthrough the shadows created by the flashlight’s beam beforespotting it ten feet away, resting near the wall. Finally burstinginto motion, she scrambled toward it.
Her fingersscrabbled over the sword’s hilt until they enclosed it. Hefting thesword in her hand was like visiting a familiar, loved memory. Therewas something so comforting and right about it as she lifted it offthe ground.
She rose andsprinted for the demon and Saber. She didn’t hesitate to thinkabout how this thing would react as she came to a stop, braced herfeet, and plunged the blade into the demon’s back.
The creaturehissed as it launched off Saber and wheeled back with its armsflailing. She kept waiting for it to explode as it writhed on theend of her blade, but unlike the Savages, it didn’t erupt.
Instead, itlurched forward, and bone scraped against metal as it worked topull itself free of the sword. It was surprisingly insubstantial onthe end of her blade. She’d expected a demon from Hell to weighmore, but beneath its cloak, this thing was little more than awraith seeking to unleash death on all it encountered.
And like a spirit,it seemed impossible to kill. But then, this wasn’t her weapon towield, or maybe it didn’t work against demons.
Shereallyhoped that wasn’t true.
The demon launcheditself onto the ceiling and turned its head to look at her. Thewhite-blue color of its eyes had been replaced by red as itglowered at her. That look promised death as something flickered inthe shadows of the hood covering its face. She suspected it was thecreature’s tongue, and her stomach rolled again.
Weak from bloodloss, Saber staggered away from the wall and nearly went down. Hecaught himself before he did.
Bracing his feetapart, he gazed up at the demon. He sensed the murderous intentrunning through it while it eyed Caro; the demon would go afterher.
A drop of itsblood hit the concrete with a plop as the creature hurled itselfoff the ceiling and retreated into the shadows. Saber’s fingersbrushed Caro’s hand as he took the blade from her.
When her eyes methis, they shone with fear and a steely determination he admired.She could have run, sheshouldhave abandoned him and savedher ass, but she’d chosen to stay.
