Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,25

shot at me in rapid fire. Winter Fae. I dodged and ducked as the frosted missiles soared at me, a few nicking my arms. I hissed as the frozen daggers pierced my flesh. Son of a faery! I never expected them to burn so bad. I slid across the floor, avoiding her icy assault and sprang up in front of her. She threw her hands up and spat, and a thin block of ice materialized between us.

I punched at the frosty wall, but by the time I cracked the surface, the faery darted across the room. I grunted as I glanced at the clock and raced to catch her. She obviously knew what I was. My powers were pretty bad ass, but not if I couldn’t capture my opponent in my gaze. Once I trapped them, it was all over, but this girl was sprinting around the room like a freakin’ gazelle.

I called on my warlock magic, searching my core for the missing spark, but came up empty. My mystical tattoo stared back at me, the triangle and swirls practically laughing. The stupid thing was definitely busted.

I dashed toward the Fae and she splayed out her fingers once more, pointing at the floor. Ice coated the cement, and my feet slid out from under me. I hit the slippery surface with a crack, the pain shooting up my tailbone.

My head craned back, and I caught a glimpse at the ticking timer—only four minutes to go. My mind whirled to the last time my magic had made its appearance. That damn succubus henchwoman had tried to knife me in the gut. It was kill or be killed. This Fae girl was all defense, and if I didn’t feel personally attacked, my magic didn’t come out of its hiding spot.

How was I going to win this?

Come on, Azara, quit stalling. Talon’s voice rang out clear as day and I twirled around, sure he had somehow appeared in the room. There was no one there but the nimble-footed faery and me. You’re running out of time!

“I know that!” I shouted.

The faerie eyed me from across the room, her thin brows knitting. I didn’t blame her, I must’ve seemed like a total nutcase.

Two short buzzer blasts spun my attention to the floating timer. It stopped at three minutes and thirty-two seconds.

“What’s going on?” the girl called out. A swirl of thick smoke crawled up her legs until it blanketed her entire body, and she disappeared.

What the hell’s bells?

“There’s been a substitution. Same rules apply,” a robotic voice announced, only a moment before another figure appeared from a cloud of dense fog at the opposite side of the room.

My jaw dropped as the smoke lifted and revealed the two-headed duodo demon. The buzzer shrieked, and my heart leapt to my throat. I only had a second to notice the timer start ticking down before the demon attacked.

The bull-like creature galloped toward me on all fours, its two heads snapping razor sharp teeth. From my limited experience with the demon, it was more beast than man. With very basic intelligence and an insatiable blood lust, this monster only had one thing on its mind.

Eating me.

I lurched to the side as it charged, diving to the floor. It wasn’t able to stop and bashed its two heads right into the wall. It backed up and shook out its twin skulls, leaving a pair of huge gaping holes to adorn the SIA’s torture chamber.

It only took a minute to reorient itself toward me. With a growl, it stomped its front hoof on the cement. I took the momentary pause to come up with a plan. There was no way I could beat this thing with brute strength. I needed my magic. Glancing at my dead tattoo, I cursed it again. Not even a flicker.

One-minute remaining.

The creature snorted and lumbered forward for a few steps before picking up its pace. This was it. I only had one option, and it was a hell of a risky one. The duodo lunged, and I backed up against the wall. Calling on my inner demon, I summoned her to the surface. Dark tendrils of power filled my core, creeping into all the nooks and crannies.

A burst of energy flowed through my muscles, and my insides buzzed with power. I hazarded a quick glance at the charging demon but kept still. I fixed my gaze on the beast’s right head, the dominant one, and locked on its dark eyes.

My demon clawed its way