than the demons she’d captured and had dragged back to Hell? Swords still drawn, he stepped forward, preparing to dispatch them all back to where they came from.
…
Morrigan swallowed past the lump in her throat. The emotions churning inside her threatened to choke her. Her baby sister was truly gone. There was no trace of the little girl she’d all but raised.
But there was no time to dwell on that as the first demon launched itself at her. With the dagger Maccus had given her in one hand and her own in the other, she went low, sliding on her knees across the gritty ground. She was extra glad for her leather pants, which weren’t just a fashion statement. They were for protection. She sliced up, disemboweling the demon before popping back to her feet.
Maccus had already dispatched three demons and was engaged with three more. He feinted and stabbed, spun and dipped. It was breathtaking to watch him in this dance of death. Spellbound, she couldn’t look away. He was magnificent.
But what was this doing to him?
Giving a mighty battle cry, she threw herself at a demon, stabbing him in the heart. As he fell, she jumped onto his body and used the momentum to propel her toward another. Blood flew, coating her clothes and skin, flowing to the ground and making it harder to keep her balance. Her hands grew slick. She wasn’t sure if it was sweat or a combination of sweat and blood dripping into her eyes. There was no time to stop, no time to pause for a breath.
Always, she was aware of Maccus. He was a machine. For every demon she put down, he killed at least four, maybe more. The portal remained open. The demons spilling from its depths weren’t ones she recognized. She’d hunted a lot of demons over the years, but not this many.
Lucifer and her sister remained a safe distance away, like spectators at some gladiator sport. Her heart hardened and fury filled it, not only for what had been done to her, but for what they were doing to Maccus.
They were enjoying the bloodshed, hoping he would go over some invisible edge and become a monster.
She fought her way to his side. He whirled, eyes black as pitch, teeth gleaming in a mask of fury. His mighty sword swooped toward her.
He was lost in the bloodlust. There was no way she could duck out of the way in time. The blade whooshed by her—so close a breeze brushed her face—and a scream echoed through the alley. She whirled around in time to watch a demon fall to the ground as if in slow motion.
Then time caught up, and they were fighting once again. He hadn’t been lost at all. He’d been protecting her.
Caught in a web of timelessness, she fought until her arms were like lead and her muscles quivered with fatigue. She lost count how many times she slipped and regained her footing. The stench of blood and other body fluids was overpowering. Sulfur burned her nostrils, and the blood of the demons did the same to her skin. There was so much of it.
How long could she go on? There was seemingly no end to the demons whose bodies littered the area, making it even more difficult to fight.
How many demons would Lucifer sacrifice?
A brilliant light blinded her. She threw her arm over her face to block it while at the same time thrusting a blade into a demon’s ear. The creature screamed and dropped.
Something heavy hit her, driving her hard into a brick wall. She stabbed the creature’s side, but the blade was deflected.
“It’s me.”
Shit, she’d stabbed Maccus. Or tried to. “Sorry,” she gasped.
He chuckled. He actually chuckled. The sound was rough, a bit rusty. She’d smile if she weren’t so tired.
They’d both lost their damn minds.
“No problem.” His big body blocked her view, but the light still seeped into her, even with her eyes closed.
“Gabriel?” she whispered.
“Yeah.”
She was glad to have the wall at her back and Maccus pressed against