but to fight the demon; that I knew. He carefully nursed anger inside him, using its strength to focus his attention on the woman, his intentions quite clear even to me - he would die trying to protect me.
I didn't ask myself why a man who a few minutes ago walked away from me, not to mention so callously killed others in the past, would risk his own life to protect me, a stranger; I just accepted that he felt that way, and started frantically looking around for something he could use as a weapon.
Thank you for not arguing with me.
Hey, I may not be comfortable with taking down Satan's BFF, but I'm not stupid. You have a whole lot more experience fighting people like that woman than I do.
"She is your Beloved? " the demon asked, speculation rife in her eyes as she tried to look around him to see me.
Alec hesitated for two heartbeats before answering, "Yes. Bael will not have her."
I held my breath for a moment, gently feeling around the edges of his mind, relaxing when I realized that he believed he was lying.
"That she is bound to you will make your destruction that much sweeter, but it means little else to Lord Bael. If you wish to amuse me for a few minutes before I take her, then I will indulge you."
Her blade flashed, causing Alec to leap back. I felt the sting of pain in his mind, and knew the demon's sword had slashed him. How bad did she hurt you?
Not badly. Stay back.
Alec, you can't fight her. You don't have a weapon. She'll just carve you up like a rotisserie chicken.
I would thank you for your faith in my abilities to protect you, but I'm a little busy at the moment.
I searched desperately for something that he could use for fighting her. I'm sorry. All I can find are rocks.
The demon laughed as her sword danced around Alec. He moved steadily backward as he dodged the worst of the sword cuts, shielding me with his body. I could feel the pain each time the sword struck true, driving my own level of frustration sky-high.
I don't need rocks. Just stay behind me, out of her reach.
Without warning, the woman suddenly lunged forward, the sword she wielded piercing clean through his body, popping out his back.
"No!" I screamed, flinging my handful of rocks at her head as I jumped forward.
"Stay back!" Alec yelled, twisting to catch me as I tried to fling myself on the woman.
She snarled words that hurt my insides, tearing away something within me. My inner devil screamed in agony, and as Alec's hands closed around my waist, reality seemed to shift and refocus itself, a buzzing sound like that of a thousand hissing voices filling my ears, and I froze, locked in position, as the buzzing grew louder and louder until it burst out of me.
A high, horrible scream tore through the air, followed by the metallic clang of an object hitting the ground. The buzzing in my head faded to nothing, leaving me reeling against Alec, staring in stupefaction at the sword lying on the rocky ground before us.
The woman was gone, a faint black whiff of smoke slowly curling around itself the only indicator of her presence.
"What . . . what happened? " I asked, instinctively clinging to Alec as he bent to pick up the sword. He looked at it curiously for a moment, then turned his head to consider me.
"I believe we just received confirmation of our suspicions. You destroyed Bael's wrath demon."
"I did? How? I was just standing here - "
"I think . . . I think I used you." He looked back at the sword in his hand. "Just as if you were a Tool of Bael, I used the power you harness to destroy the demon's form and send it back to Abaddon."
"Are you saying I've got some sort of demonic powers ? Because I may be a lapsed Catholic, but that's going to definitely send me screaming to the nearest priest."
"No, you don't have the power itself," he said, now examining his stomach.
"Aieee!" I screamed at the blood that soaked the lower half of his shirt. "Oh my god! Lie down! No, don't move! I'll get a . . . a . . ." I spun around, searching for something I could use to stanch the flow of blood. "Good lord, what sort of place is this that they don't have a first