Page 3 of The Guardian (Dark-Hunter 20)
Instead of drawing their blood, she drew her own the minute she slammed into a closed iron door that had blended in perfectly with the darkness.
Sonofa ... She hissed at the pain exploding through her skull. Blood poured from her nose.
She kicked at the offending door.
To her surprise, it slammed open, rattling on its hinges. Light flooded into her tiny space, temporarily blinding her. She blinked until her eyes adjusted, then frowned at the sight of some luminescent tubing that provided the light from the slick ceiling above her. How weird. It vaguely reminded her of a glowstick, but this fluid was thicker and a vivid and eerie blue.
Now she could see the dank walls that appeared to bleed and breathe. She curled her lip in distaste. What was that?
Bet it's what smells.
Nah, only demon toe funk could be this abhorrent. And speaking of demons, hers seemed to have vanished completely.
Where are you, you bastard?
Her luck, going for friends.
But that wasn't her main concern. Where was Solin? She'd tried repeatedly to use her telepathy to contact him, but whatever was holding him had somehow blocked that ability. She couldn't even reach him through a dream state. Which, given both of their powers, shouldn't have been a problem.
She hated this feeling of being completely alone. It reminded her of those weeks in her childhood when she'd had no one. The time she'd staggered through the blistering desert looking for water ...
We're always alone. You can be in a crowded room and still feel the bite of loneliness. Personally, I find that it bites deepest whenever others are around. Another thing Solin forever harped on.
He was ever the pessimist.
She turned a corner and froze.
The smelly demon was back.
And as she'd feared, it'd gone for friends ...
A lot of friends. Maybe two or three dozen. And the moment they saw her, their demonic eyes lit up and radiated color even brighter than the glowing tubes. They might as well have drool dripping from their chins.
Run!
She wasn't a coward, but only a fool would face that number without backup. And she wasn't a fool. After throwing her right dagger at the tallest one, she turned and ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could. She hoped that dagger had made contact and brought down at least one of them. But she wasn't going to wait around and find out.
Rule one in pursuit: Never look back.
Instead, she put her head down and kept going as fast as she could. She would have turned into her jackal form, but was afraid she might need her opposable thumbs for another invisible door.
She skidded around a corner, into a new hallway. Here the light wasn't quite as bright, but it was enough to let her see where the walls and doors were.
Unfortunately, it didn't let her see the floor. Or the thing that tripped her.
For a moment, she flew through the air until she landed face down on the ground. Putrid water splashed against her skin as pain throbbed in her knee, stomach, and cheek.
She pushed herself up and wiped away at the foul water and blood. Even though it hurt, she forced herself to start running again.
Pull out.
She could flee this realm for the time being, and then return again to search later. At least that was the thought until she heard something familiar from behind the door to her left.
"Fuck you and your little dog, too."
Solin.
She'd know that acerbic tone and deep Greek accent anywhere. Smiling in spite of her pain, she opened the door, ready for battle.
What she wasn't ready for was the giant ... whatever it was that was trying to eat him. A mass of dark green skin with red markings, the demon turned toward her.
And this one did salivate as its yellow eyes pinned her with a salacious stare that gave her dancing heebie-jeebies. Not on your best day, buster!
"Lydia?" Solin asked incredulously. He was beaten so badly that but for his voice, she'd have never been able to identify him. "Child, what are you doing? Get the hell out of here while you can."
"Not without you." Since she couldn't speak with a voice, she sent her thoughts to him.
"I taught you better than that. Survival Rule Number One."
Save your own ass above all others. She knew it well. But someone following that rule wouldn't tell a rescuer to flee before freeing them.
Classic Solin.
Raising her dagger, she rushed at the demon. He moved a lot faster than something his size should be able to. With an impressive twist, he dodged her attack completely and caught her from behind.
She tried to break out of his hold. It was like being drowned in sticky Jell-o. Smelly three-month-old Jell-o.
He laughed at her useless attempts. If that wasn't bad enough, he licked her cheek. "What a tasty little morsel you are."
She cringed. For the sake of the gods, haven't any of you heard of breath mints? Pardon the pun, but Altoids could make a mint down here.
She jerked her head back, slamming it into his nose, and at least this time he satisfied her with a deep groan.
"You'll be sorry for that." He lifted her off her feet and threw her down on the floor.
Ignoring the pain that said she'd probably broken something, Lydia flipped herself back to her feet.
"Don't do this, Dee. Don't."
She ignored Solin as she and the demon circled each other slowly.
Right when she went in for another attack, the demon vaporized, just like the other one had done. All he left was his stench. That she'd have gladly done without.
She turned to look for him, but before she could do more than draw breath, he appeared behind her and kicked her into the wall.
More agony tore through her body, dulling her sight.
The demon seized her. "It's over for you, kitten." He tightened his grip, squeezing the last of the breath from her lungs.
Her ears started buzzing.
Just as she was sure he'd kill her, she heard a loud shout resonate off the walls. "Release her, demon. Now!"
Definitely not Solin. That deep, gravelly male voice was unique and filled with an unfathomable rage that came from someplace dark inside him. His accent was unlike anything she'd heard before. Lyrically sweet and beautiful, yet at the same time harsh and commanding.
The demon let go and shrank back in terror. That reaction only made her panic more. If something as scary as he was afraid of the newcomer, what chance did she have?
But she wasn't a coward. If she was going to die, it would be fighting to the last breath.
And she'd take as much of him with her as she could.
Coughing, she turned around, putting her back to the wall to confront this new creature. She wiped the sweat from her eyes and focused them on the door where the stranger stood.
Her jaw went slack as her gaze focused on the massive form that was bathed in that eerie blue light.
Holy mother of all electronics ...
I'm so dead.
