"Dunamis?" the bloodsucker said, shocked and reverent. He released Gray as if he were poison and backed away.
They smelled Jewel on him, he realized.
Someone handed him another extinguisher, and Gray popped to his feet. The rest of the dragons descended from the sky and attacked the remaining army on foot. Their steady steam of fire never slowed. Staying low, Gray crept through the rest of the camp, searching through the shadows. Over and over, he repeated the same action: spray the extinguisher, slit demon throat. Sweat dripped from him and soaked his clothing.
He could smell the blood around him, and it made his mouth water. However, he kept a tight rein on his impulse to drink, concentrating instead on the task he'd been given. Eleven times he was forced to exchange one extinguisher for another.
"Damn you, Darius," he heard a male voice lash out.
Gray spotted the speaker immediately. Layel. The vampire king who had saved Jewel's life, as well as his own. Darius suddenly materialized and swooped in. The two men grappled. Gray hated to admit it, but he was torn. He was here to help the dragons, was indebted to Darius, but was also indebted to this particular vampire.
He heard a growl behind him and spun around, spraying foam. The demon hissed and tore at his skin. Wincing, he shouted, "Darius, let him go," then quickly dispatched his attacker.
Darius shot another round of fire, but the vampire king quickly dodged it.
"Do your job, human," Darius gritted as Layel snarled, "I need no help from you, human." "This is an old war," someone said beside him. Brand, he realized. "Do not get in the middle."
The two men continued to fight, and Gray watched helplessly, killing any creatures who came along to interfere. Neither man was winning, for they were equally matched.
"You!" a female screeched.
Gray pivoted, his eyes narrowing. Marina, Demon Queen, hovered in front of him, her red gaze slitted and glowing. She bared her teeth at him.
"You stole Dunamis from me. You are the cause of this hell." She launched herself at him. His fingers squeezed the hose trigger, but no foam emerged. Empty yet again. Great.
She slammed into him, tossing him like a doll. In the next instant, she was on top of him, pounding a fist into his nose. He heard the cartilage snap, felt the sharp sting and the warm trickle of blood onto his Up. Her claws ripped into his shoulder.
Unfucking believable. His ass was being kicked by a girl. Still, he felt the cartilage in his nose move back into place, felt the claw marks closing. One of the perks of belonging to the dark side, he supposed.
He shoved her off him, but she flew at him again. He'd never hit a woman in his life but he was drawing back his fist to do just that when she was ripped off him. Layel sank his teeth into her neck, the action fierce, lethal, and as wild as any animal.
Marina's body jerked and spasmed once, twice, then stilled completely. Her head fell lifelessly to the side. When Layel finished feeding, he rose and faced Darius with quiet fury. Blood trickled from his mouth. He looked around, seeing the many men he'd lost, seeing the dragon army now surrounding him.
"I concede this victory to you, but things are not finished between us."
"They never are," Darius said. "Take the rest of your men and go. And know that I allowed you to leave only because you saved the human."
Layel grinned, the action devoid of humor. "We've done this before. I save one of your humans, and you send me on my way. That will not always be the case. One day, I will feast on your blood. Since you are being so generous, however, I will do you a favor and tell you the nymphs have overtaken Javar's palace."
"You lie. My men guard it well."
"Go and see for yourself. We meant to take it, too, Marina and I, but they beat us there. Our battle was with you, so we left them to it."
A low growl emerged from Darius's throat, and he took a menacing step forward.
"Tell your woman I said hello. I still remember the taste of her," Layel said, his humorless grin growing wider. "Until next time."
The vampire king vanished.
All around him lay demon, dragon, and vampire bodies. The living dragons gathered around Darius. "You," Darius said, pointing to a group of them. Fury darkened his features. "Go to Javar's palace