Bloodfire (Blood Destiny 1) - Helen Harper Page 0,101

that its feet hygiene hadn’t improved since the last time, and whipped up the piece of material. As I rolled beneath its groin, I also noticed that dangling from its waist was an oddly mechanical looking object. Huh. So that was where the electric screwdriver had ended up. Part of my brain tried to work through what on earth a one-eyed otherworldly monster would want with home DIY but before I could come up with a reasonable answer I was back on my feet facing the ispolin and holding the black cloth in front of me.

I dangled it to my side, daring the monster to come at me again. I hadn’t counted on the blue trail that still snaked its way from it – this time up to the sky to where Iabaru hovered. As I’d picked the cloth up, the smoke had moved with it. The ispolin’s huge eye was caught by it, almost entirely mesmerised. I hadn’t expected it, but it’d work. I threw myself at the monster in a blur, aiming my dirk for one of the gashes on its side from earlier. The silver blade entered the its tough flesh with surprising ease and began to smoke. The sickening smell of burnt flesh rose in the air. It fell to the ground, clutching the wound as I sprang back and watched warily. The same cutting grass that had bothered me earlier, now bothered the ispolin more, and it howled again, deafeningly. This time it was in pain and not rage however. It rolled over and only succeeded in cutting its hide even more. This would be a handy time to have some blackberry bushes around for it to roll into, assuming that Alex’s theory had been accurate.

Its huge arms flailed around in the air and it kept rolling on the ground. I gripped the dirk and was about to attack again when Iabartu materialized at it its head and sank one long taloned nail straight into its one eye, piercing it like a balloon. The ispolin shuddered and went still.

Iabartu looked at me and shrugged implacably. “If you want a job doing, then you have to do it yourself,” she murmured softly.

Without thinking, I threw the dirk straight at her throat. She was too quick, however, and blocked it, sending the whole blade spinning uselessly behind me and far out of my reach. “Now what are you going to do little human?”

Good question. I reached inside myself and unleashed the full force of my bloodfire. This time there would be no holding back. It felt like my insides were boiling but I relished the feeling and allowed it to take over in a way I never had before. My shoulders straightened and I met her gaze full on. She opened her mouth to speak but my flames wouldn’t let her even start her sentence. The time for talking was over. Now I needed my revenge and to do what I could to let John rest in true peace. I attacked.

I had no weapon left, and had to avoid falling on the ground, so I stayed light on my feet and clenched my fists. Smacking into the side of her face, I managed to send her reeling but she recovered quickly and answered with a blow of her own. I felt unsteady on my feet, both from her swipes, the continued blood loss and the ispolin’s attack, but the heat inside me wouldn’t allow my brain to register it properly. I kicked her stomach, thanking the heavens that I was wearing my boots instead of my soft soled trainers, and was rewarded with a pained gasp from her. She shot up into the air, body circling upwards like an arrow. I span around, trying to spot where she was and where she’d land next. Unfortunately, I wasn’t versed enough in the fighting tactics of flying demi-goddesses, and, before I knew what was happening, she was behind me, her slender fingers wrapping themselves round my throat and her nails curving into my skin.

Iabartu’s fingers tightened and she leaned over to my ear. I could almost taste the smell of death from her, it was so strong. This made the unpleasant odour of the cloth pale into weak comparison. “I could use my nails to end this now,” she breathed. “Rip into your windpipe and have you bleed out in half a pathetic human heartbeat.” One fingernail scraped across my skin and I felt it draw blood. Shit. “But