Bat Out of Hell (Promised to the Demons #2) - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,69

is breaking, Celeste," Variel said. "It's really a shame we hid you away."

"Dawn?" Piers said. "Those clouds are as thick as an impending snowstorm."

"Ah, well, that's what we would call dawn back home," Variel said. "The wonderful gray glow of sunrise softly stirring the black waters."

"That actually does sound very pretty," I said, now wishing I could see it.

"We'll be there before you know it," Piers said. "Variel can fly much faster than Bevan. We should have done it this way from the start, but I didn't know--shit!"

"Piers!" I shrieked.

We were both screaming as Variel suddenly started dipping, and then the wind jerked him sideways, off course. He fought to regain his direction.

"I'm losing control of the wind!" Piers said. "It's the edge of the magical world! Damn, it's true!"

Worse--much worse--I suddenly felt myself losing control, and changing back into a girl in my panic. My body suddenly exploded out of Piers’ pocket, thankfully to appear caught tightly between the two men. Piers and I almost knocked our faces into each other.

I quickly wrapped my limbs around him and my teeth started chattering.

"Can you manage two people, Variel?" Piers shouted as Variel seemed to be concentrating hard just to keep some control of his flight.

"I should say that having such a nice round ass pressed against me only encourages me to live!" Variel said.

As he careened toward the island, he said, "Piers, you can't cast any magic at all?"

"If I could, I sure as fuck would!"

"I see," Variel said, as he plunged himself into the trees.

He was trying to break our fall with his own body so it didn’t affect the humans in his care. He caught the trees with his wings, striking them on branches, tearing him up and slowing our fall. Variel crashed to the ground on his feet. The spikes of his tail slammed into the ground and propped him up as he wavered. Small branches had punched right through his wings in spots, and scraped him badly all over.

"Variel!" I squirmed out from between Piers and Variel and rushed to check out his wounds.

"You are unhurt," he said. "That's all I wanted... Don't worry, I've survived much worse. When I was a younger demon we used to have duels and tournaments that could have easily killed me.”

"If you're sure the medicine can wait? Some of these wounds look bad!”

"Get my knife," Variel said. "And just get Piers free so we can find Bevan."

I quickly cut the ropes free and Piers slid down, pulling the pack of supplies from his back to his chest.

Variel looked a little disoriented. I was definitely worried as Piers tried to lead the way and the demon moved much more slowly than usual. If no one had magic, Piers and I weren't much use.

Still, he forged on, not complaining, trying hard to keep up. We were soon stopped by the body of some canine beast with its head bashed and gashes on its side. The evidence of violence startled me.

“It’s a good sign,” Piers said. “It shows that Bevan could take of any predators he encountered.”

“What made those gashes?” I asked. “He didn’t carry any weapons.”

“Maybe his fangs,” Variel suggested.

“They do look more like claw marks,” Piers said. “Like you might see from a demon or even a large cat. The blood is drier than the blood on his head. Hmm…”

I hugged myself, growing more nervous as we reached the steps. There must have been fifty steps, and Variel looked up at them and pressed his wing to his head. Blood was trickling down his wings and spotting the tiles of the temple courtyard.

"Variel, just rest," Piers said. "That's an order. We'll go check out the temple."

"I've failed you."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "You've already done more than enough." I kissed him, and he lingered on it a moment, but not in a hungry way--more as if he thought it could be a final kiss.

I was determined to stay optimistic, but this place truly gave me the chills. Piers put the coat over my shoulders, and now I was glad he brought it.

We started up the stairs. Piers stopped and held out a hand. I took it. He gave me a small smile that was trying to reassure me. I remembered that Piers was no stranger to battles.

My feet hardly seemed to feel the steps. I wanted to see Bevan so badly that I just sprung right up them.

As soon as we stepped inside the temple, the air changed. A cold,