Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“There’s one thing,” Osiris says. “I think there was a reason humans were used as riders. However created them did so to destroy a human world.”
“I never thought about it that way,” Lucas says, following along with something I’m missing. “A human rider on Famine attacks the food source. A human rider on Pestilence causes sickness.”
“Exactly. But you put a vampire on one the demons, does the objective change?”
“You mean Famine would be out for blood?” I ask.
“Possibly,” Osiris answers. “Which if that’s true, we have an advantage. Though it’s one that’s incredibly risky to take. As I said, these demons are old and powerful. They can’t be controlled.”
“Right,” I say, knowing there was a reason Lucifer kept them locked up in the first place.
“If this one wasn’t weakened, I wouldn’t have been able to bring it here,” Osiris tells me. “Which is why we need to limit time spend on it.”
“I do not plan on being on this thing longer than necessary,” Lucas promises. He grabs the reins I one hand and pulls me close with his other.
“I love you,” I tell him, throwing my arms around him. My heart pounds in my chest and I’m painfully aware how precarious this situation is. Though playing offense instead of defense for a change feels fucking freeing.
“And I love you.” He kisses me and we break apart. Lucas stays back, letting Osiris and me walk out first. Scarlet and Binx come right along with us, and as soon as we step into the hall, demons come running.
I inhale, holding up the angel dagger, smile coming to my face. Bring it. Summoning an energy ball with my opposite hand, I throw it forward, hitting one of the demons in the forehead. It burns from the inside out, causing black smoke to billow out of its eye. Lunging forward, I jump over the fallen body and stab another demon in the chest. White light glows from the blade and I yank the dagger back and kick the demon to the ground. Before its soul has even burned up, I move onto the next one, summoning hellfire from the cobblestone under our feet.
Two demons run right into the flames, screaming in pain before succumbing to the fire. More demons descend upon us. Osiris takes one out with his staff, stabbing it in the belly and slicing upward so the demon’s intestines spill out on the ground in front of it. He holds out his hand and blows sand at another, causing a sandstorm to swirl around it. Each little bead of sand causes a microscopic burn, and only seconds later, blue hellfire has burned everything, leaving nothing but a pile of bones.
Of course Paimon would send his lowest ranking demons first. Half a dozen more come after us, moving fast with determination. Scarlet and Binx bound forward and I make the mistake of looking back at Lucas. He’s on the horse and seeing him up there, unmoving with eyes void of emotion sends a chill though me—and distracts me.
A demon tackles me, sending me flying backwards. The angel dagger is knocked out of my hand and my head smacks against the stone. Fuck, that hurt. I bring my hands up, burning the demon with hellfire. Shoving my hands against its chest, I send the fire deep inside, and push the burning corpse away before it turns to ash.
I’m back on my feet in no time, throwing energy balls and burning demons left and right. Osiris is taking out just as many demons, and at this rate, Paimon may as well keep sending them after us. We’ll be sure to put a dent in the demonic population at least.
But then I’m suddenly thrust backward against the wall, knocking the wind out of me. Heart in my throat, I think that it’s Paimon, but someone else appear in the hall.
Shit. It’s Uriel.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
“I should have know what you were up to, you abomination,” he sneers and holds out his hand as if he’s going to smite me. “Working with the enemy.”
“Go!” I shout to Osiris, who broke free from Uriel’s grasp in a sandstorm. “Find Paimon!”
Uriel walks forward, face set. “The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?”
“You’ve got it wrong,” I say, realizing what this looks like. “I’m not here to join Paimon. I’m here to kill him!”
“I don’t believe you.” Uriel presses me harder against the wall.
“He killed Julian!” I shout. “And he tried to kill my daughter. He wants to use me to sit on the throne. I’m here to stop him please! You can help me!”
Uriel slows, eyes narrowing. “Give me one good reason why I should believe you.”
“I know what this looks like. I telling you, you have to believe me. I’m here to stop him if I wasn’t why would I be killing his demons?”