Binding Ties The Sentinel Wars - Shannon K. Butcher Page 0,111

over her. Her bones vibrated with the strength he housed. The air around her crackled in anticipation.

Lyka shoved her shoulder under her brother’s arm and bodily hauled him along with her. He did his best to support his weight, but he was in bad shape. She could feel his strength fading.

She had not come all this way just to watch her brother fall now.

Joseph’s power seethed and boiled at his end of their connection. She didn’t know how much more she could take, but if ever there was a time for her to get tough, this was it.

She sucked a huge mass of power into herself and used it to clear their path to the door. Demons flew back as if they were bowling pins struck by a wrecking ball. Their bodies hit the opposite wall with a wet thud, splattering reddish black blood everywhere.

The remaining demons smelled the blood and went berserk. They turned their attention toward the new source of food and descended on their kin like vultures.

Lyka used the distraction to jerk her brother through the doors and slam them shut.

Joseph was just outside the doorway, finishing off the last of the demons left alive. There were piles of dead foes in his wake. His sword was bathed in their blood. He was shirtless, his muscles glowing with sweat. With each heavy breath he took, his lifemark swayed.

She rushed into his arms, leaving her brother to hold himself upright. Her naked flesh felt good against Joseph’s, like she was finally coming home after a lifetime of being without one.

He pulled away and inspected her wound. Concern lined his face.

“It’s not that bad,” she said.

“It’s not good.”

“I’ve had worse from sparring practice. Let’s just find the young.”

Eric limped toward them. She hadn’t noticed it at the time, but he’d taken a hit to the leg from one of those swords. Blood seeped down from his thigh to his foot.

“How bad?” she asked.

“No worse than yours,” said Eric. “They split up the young. I know where some of them are being kept, but didn’t see where the two boys were being held.”

“I’ll find the boys,” said Joseph. “You and Eric get the rest of the kids and head out.”

“There are too many demons here. And Treszka’s still out there.”

“Treszka?”

“The demon-queen bitch who rules this place,” said Eric. “She’s got juice, so be careful if you see her.”

“I can’t kill her,” said Lyka. “My vow forbids it.” Even now her vow to that demon was pounding on her, demanding that she hunt the queen down and deliver her.

A strange look crossed Eric’s face. “How long have I been gone? Is the moon full yet?”

“Yes.”

He nodded slowly in resignation, but refused to look her in the eye. “I don’t think I can kill her, either.”

It must have torn up Eric to admit that he was too weak to do the job. Her brother was a proud man, a strong warrior. For him, being unable to fight meant he really was as bad off as he looked.

“I’ll take care of her,” said Joseph. “But first we find the kids and get them to safety.”

Lyka didn’t want to split up. She didn’t want to be separated from Joseph and unable to help him when he ran into trouble again.

He gave her a smile that brightened his eyes. “We’ll be together soon, love. Until then, I’m still here.” He stroked her temple, then pressed his hand over her heart. “And here.”

If he kept this up, Lyka was going to disgrace herself by crying in front of her brother. It was the kind of thing he’d never let her live down.

She sniffed and turned to Eric. Standing right behind him was Treszka.

A dozen of those disturbingly human-looking demons appeared behind her, gathering around their queen. One of them had several short strips of silver duct tape clinging to its patchy fur—the remnants of its bindings.

It was the one she’d vowed to help claim Treszka as its own to possess as its mate. And now Lyka’s chance to fulfill that promise was standing right in front of her.

Treszka flipped back her long black hair to reveal that gaping mouth in the top of her head.

Before anyone could react, she sank her black fingernails into Eric’s shoulders and bit him with that horrible maw, ripping a chunk of flesh from his neck.

A look of shocked horror covered his face. She let go of him. Blood spurted several feet into the air with each beat of his heart.