The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,81

I heard the fight grow quiet, almost as if the men had given up. Then, a girl standing only a few feet from us dropped, completely unconscious. That was when I knew for sure. Sia's internal gate had opened. She'd been born an aether vacuum, and for some reason, her body was sucking at all the life of this world.

Like Ayala.

The angelic myth teased the back of my mind, but I was too busy to worry about that right now. I had to do something before it was too late, but the big question was what. My life stung as it seeped from my pores, ripped from me without my permission, yet I was used to this. Pulling aether was how angels and demons fought. Over the epochs we'd lived, I'd grown numb to this feeling. That didn't mean I could ignore it completely; it was still a warning.

Sia was pulling aether. She had no pulse, and she still wasn't breathing, but at this rate, the entire bar would be unconscious in only a few more minutes. Twice that, and they'd all probably be dead. Since I could only assume she wouldn't want that on her conscience, it left me with only one option: we had to move.

"I'm so sorry, pumpkin," I mumbled as I dragged her broken body into my arms.

And I almost let her go again. She was hot. Uncomfortably so. Corpses were supposed to cool with time, and it usually took a lot longer than a few seconds. This? Well, it also didn't matter. So I pulled her closer, ignoring the urge to let go, and then I pushed.

We hit the corridor, and something inside her shifted. The problem was that nothing outside had changed. She was still hot, and in a way that didn't translate well in this space. I felt like I was grabbing a million tiny needles, all of them piercing through my skin where it touched hers, and my eyes were growing heavy as my body weakened. If I wanted to make sure she didn't tumble through the corridor for eternity, I had to finish this!

I pushed again, aiming for the one place where she might have a chance. Together, we stumbled onto the grass just beside the table she'd made in our Vale. Her body hit the ground beside me like a rag doll, but she was here, and just as hot as ever.

"Nick!" I yelled, putting as much into it as I had left. "Sia's hurt!"

Because she couldn't pull aether if she was dead, could she? But if she wasn't dead, she needed to be breathing. Right now, she was in some state that I couldn't comprehend, and the truth was that it scared the shit out of me. So I screamed for my legion again, not caring who answered, and I tried to get her off the ground.

Nick got there first. "What happened?" he asked. "Michael?"

"A stupid fucking bar fight," I said. "Nick, she's not breathing. I think her neck's broken."

He immediately turned to her, shoving his arm beneath her with the intention to lift, then hissed and jerked it back. Her body was getting hotter. The grass beneath her was wilting, and I was pretty sure her shirt was close to melting.

"We have to get her clothes off," I said. "Before they melt onto her, Nick."

"Why is she hot?" he asked.

"I don't fucking know!" I snapped, but I was already moving.

And then Ron dropped down beside me. Without a word, the pair of us began ripping, pulling, and tearing away the fabric. Nick went for her shoes. When a pink hand reached in to take off her necklace, I knew the rest of the legion was here, but I still didn't look up. Her body was still pulling at my life, and I had a feeling the guys felt it too.

As soon as the last piece was gone, Bel shoved his arms under her and lifted, groaning as the heat of her body seared his flesh, but he didn't let go. It was only three steps to the stone table, and he took them grimacing at the torture of holding her, only to lay her down as gently as he ever had. But when he stepped back, I could see the burns on his chest and arms.

"She's draining me," he said.

"She's draining all of us," Sam agreed. "That means she needs aether."

He moved closer to grab her leg and winced at the pain of it, but he was right.