away at his coherent thought. He ripped through the next demon, feeling fire lick his hindquarters and ignoring it. A blow clocked him behind his ear, knocking him into the brittle grass.
He caught a glimpse of Barbara, surrounded by a ring of fire growing into a bonfire. She howled in pain, trying to break free, but something held her in place.
A zip of blue magic cut into the fire, dimming the flames somewhat. Emery swore, his and Penny’s hands moving. Their magic wasn’t counteracting the demon fire as they’d planned.
These demons were more powerful than any they’d seen so far. They were mighty in a way his pack wasn’t, in a way that only Roger’s strongest shifters could combat.
They were outranked. As much as he hated the thought, they needed the help of those elves.
Devon struggled up, running to help Barbara.
The demon closest to Barbara blew up. Its head flew in an arc and parts sprayed everywhere. The fire surrounding her winked out, leaving her lying on her side, a bloodied, charred mess of flesh and fur.
Devon looked back in surprise. Charity stood straight and tall, dark bags under eyes the color of a bright blue crayon. This time, the strange color didn’t roll over her irises and disappear. This time, it stayed.
Fear squeezed Devon’s middle. He hoped to God that was normal for a fae.
“Sword,” she said, her voice scratchy, damaged.
Yasmine dropped her pack and started digging through it.
The next demon reached them before her hand was filled. Steve surged forward, but he was too late. Charity rose her hand in the air. Sunlight sparkled overhead. For a moment, Devon thought her power had misfired—that the light would do nothing to combat the demons—until sparks started to spit from false sunlight. Miniature lightning bolts rained down, striking the demons and sizzling through their bodies. They shook and screeched, arms out and bodies convulsing. The second the magic wore off, the wolves were there, perfectly synchronized, tearing them down.
The elves slowed in their advance, fifty yards away, watching Devon’s pack with obvious interest.
“Devon!”
Devon glanced back at Yasmine, seeing her pointed finger.
A crew of six vaulted over the hedge behind them, lithe and graceful, with swords in their hands and sleek chain mail to match. Blond or brown hair blew out behind them, and their swords flashed as they descended on Devon’s pack.
Devon turned, his teeth bared, ready to meet the assault head-on, but their magic reached him first. His own magic was boosted by its soothing yet immensely powerful waves. His heart leapt.
The warrior fae had come.
They ran past him, straight at the demons. Their swords flashed, perfectly complementing their fighting movements in a deadly dance.
Hand newly filled with her sword, Charity fell in among them, not even seeming to notice they were strangers. One of them hesitated a moment before skewering a demon with his sword, as though this was the first foe he had properly fought. Charity wasted no time in helping him out, lopping off the creature’s head and turning for the next efficiently. Another fae slashed at a demon’s leg. An electric hole blasted through the demon’s middle, although this time Charity wasn’t the one who’d put it there. Penny was replicating Charity’s magic. Steve fell onto the demon a moment afterward, ripping through its neck.
Two fae working seamlessly together rushed a squat demon with fire curling out of its mouth. The first slashed as the other waited just behind him. The demon dodged and struck. The second fae stepped forward and swung, severing one of the creature’s limbs. The demon roared and struck again, only to be blocked by the first fae, while the second danced around and plunged its sword through the demon’s side.
Cole swung his great arm and smacked the head clean off the demon as he passed, aiming for another of the creatures.
The two warrior fae jumped back as the creature fell, eyes wide, following Cole with their gazes. It seemed like this was the first time they’d seen a shifter of Cole’s caliber in action. Maybe he was the first shifter they’d fought beside, full stop.
Everyone knew the warrior fae no longer left the Flush.
The elves watched it all from a safe distance.
Charity slashed through another demon, and Devon fell in beside her, carrying it to the ground and ending its struggles. A burst of fire shot at Devon, but before it could land, Charity blew the demon who’d attacked him sky-high. Her magic felt ragged and raw, but she wasn’t