the walls, as far as I could see at a glance, not having the time to look closely. There seemed to be artworks as well, some sort of 3D paintings or flat sculptures adorning the stone.
My gaze caught on something in between the statues. No way. This could just be my saving grace.
I veered toward that wall, sprinted even harder, the things chasing me now almost breathing down my neck. I nearly crashed into the stone with how fast I came in, but I managed to grab hold of one of the two swords displayed on a wall mount, wrench it away from its fastening, and turn with it just in time to face the first beast lunging at me.
Oh, my God.
I froze in terror, my mind simply blanking at the sight of the creatures. A far cry from hellcats, these...things were an abomination, something straight out of a horror flick or the worst kind of nightmare.
In the split second of suspended time as the nearest of them pounced right on to my raised sword, I caught a glimpse of unnaturally long limbs, dark gray skin, a body structure somewhere between canine and feline, with a twist of vomit-inducing strangeness.
The next instant, my arms jolted from the impact of the creature upon the sword. Pain reverberated up from my wrists, into my shoulders, and I barely held on to the blade. A yowl echoed in the hall, ear-splitting and nauseating. Black blood splashed onto my face, my hands, a body thumping to the ground—right before the next beast lunged.
I didn’t know what I was doing, I had no idea how to wield a sword, all I knew was that hacking and slashing and waving that thing around was better than rolling over and letting myself be eaten.
I managed maybe three hits before the pack toppled me to the ground. A jaw clamped around my ankle and pulled me off balance even as I flailed with the sword to keep another beast at bay. I cried out, sharp, ripping tears shooting up from my leg before everything hurt in a kaleidoscope of pain as I hit the hard stone.
Growls and teeth and blood and claws, closing in and crashing over me in a wave of death impending.
A sharp word echoed in the hall, rose above the snarls, and whipped the beasts on top of me like a physical lash. With a keening whine, the creatures fell off me, scattering like cockroaches when the lights turned on.
Breath heavy, my body aching in a hundred places at once, I pushed myself up, the sword still in one hand. My left leg, the one that had been attacked by the beasts first, almost gave out under me. I grabbed on to the nearest statue in order not to fall.
Blinking against the pain and the drops of blood running down my forehead, I stared at the demon who’d just saved my ass.
White-blond hair fell down to his shoulders, framing a face of ethereal, light brown beauty. Goddammit, were all demons that appallingly attractive? Figured. He could have stepped out of one of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien adaptations, all masculine elven grace and subtly arrogant posture.
Dressed in a mix of elegant robes and fighting gear, he stepped closer, the light of the torches and chandeliers gilding his hair. Azazel and Azmodea both had an impressive amount of power radiating from them, but this guy...he was something else. Such ancient, ancient strength and energy rolled off him, I resisted the urge to fall to my knees and cower. It was similar to looking at a mountain range that has been on Earth for millions of years, indomitable, unmoving, unperturbed by the passage of days and the hustle of life, only with this demon that feeling was multiplied by a thousand.
“How intriguing.” His voice a deep bass, he tilted his head in a distinctly non-human way. “You are not a half-blood. Nor a damned soul.”
Rustling behind him, a tentative female whisper. “My lord…”
The demon held up a hand, and whoever had spoken behind him fell silent.
Another step closer, and the powerful being was right in front of me, his violet eyes holding me spellbound.
“Tell me,” he said—and honest to God, I was ready to tell him anything and everything— “who are you?”
“Zoe,” I whispered.
“And who are you?”
“I...I’m Azazel’s...wi—”
I hadn’t even heard him approach. One minute my entire world was zeroed in on the demon in front of me, the next instant a hand clamped over my mouth and pulled