Outlaw (Wolves of Royal Paynes #4) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,94

couldn't be mad at the results.

With deadly efficiency, Faust shot the guards standing between us and the opening to hell.

A beam of bright red light shot from the gate. The heat pouring from it made the air wobble and shake.

The gate wasn't supposed to open for another three minutes. "It's early," Huntley cursed.

"He said give or take," Jagger replied.

"Go." I pushed Quinlan to the gate. He scrambled forward with the others, stumbling over the dead and dying to snag one of the medical kits.

The remaining soldiers who'd survived the blast didn't get to their feet quickly enough to avoid Knox's throwing daggers. His supply had to be near depleted by now, but we were near the end. Do or die time.

Pierce roared and surged toward Quinlan. His face contorted with anger, fear, but also affection. It was the last emotion that boiled my insides.

Faust fired, hitting Pierce at the bicep and through his right shoulder, but Pierce was too juiced up on demon blood for the bullets to stop him. Quinlan looked up from the medical kit, face covered in sweat as his eyes widened long enough for him to grab his whip and unfurl it by his side.

Storri dropped to the ground a second before Quinlan's whip flew through the air, slicing ribbons up Pierce's cheek. He pulled back, controlling the whip like an extension of his body. The end wrapped around Pierce's ankle, and Quinlan tugged, cutting through Pierce's pants and into his skin. As fast as he'd been moving, he fell like a meteor. "Stay," Quinlan ordered before turning his back to the shifter, showing Pierce just how much Quinlan feared him.

This wasn't in the plan. We knew Pierce would be here, but not what Thalasso would do to reward him. It was better this way, with him at full strength, I didn't have to feel anything but joy when I pounced, cracking his body beneath my fists. He fought back at first, but not even demon's blood could match how much I desired for him to be dead.

I couldn't lose myself, couldn't pound Pierce into an unrecognizable pulp like I wanted. The only reason Thalasso hadn't attacked himself was how close Quinlan stood to the gate. If Quinlan jumped now, it would close.

I fought the urge to watch him and make sure he didn't do anything stupidly heroic. Thalasso surged forward. He didn't have an ocean's worth of water to create an army again, but he was still a pissed-off demon king.

Pierce wheezed. Something rattling in his throat. He looked up, lifting his chin to see over his head, back to Quinlan. He moaned. "Take care of—"

My roar erupted from me like a physical being. All the pain and grief, losing years with my mate, haunting his dreams and trying to turn him from me. I wouldn't let my mate's name be this piece of shit's last words. I clenched my fist and dropped it like a hammer on his nose. He grunted once before dying on the ground surrounded by the very people who once would've given their lives to save his.

Thalasso snarled, cursing in the same rumbling language Claus spoke. He stood too close to Quinlan, who, despite the heat, edged closer and closer to the cement ridge of the gate. The beam of light was darker now, hotter too, as hellfire surged toward the gate out of hell.

"Great job, everyone," Thalasso shouted. "You've killed all the people who were going to die tonight anyway."

Of everyone, I didn't expect Storri to growl in reply. "Not quite."

"You think you can kill me, little angel?" Thalasso crooned. "With what?" His eyes dropped to their hands, and he laughed. "Razors?"

As realization dawned, Thalasso's mouth twisted. He flew forward but came to a sudden stop when Claus dropped from the sky, grabbing the other demon around the throat. I knew it killed him not to take a moment to gloat and banter, but he refrained. He squeezed the grip he had around Thalasso's throat and dragged his kicking body toward the blistering opening. "Now or not at all!" Claus shouted.

Thalasso thrashed in his grip, weakening Claus's hold.

I lunged for the demon's leg, lifting as Faust lifted the other. Knox and Huntley grabbed hold of his arms, the four of us stretching him out like drying leather. We maneuvered his head over the gate, forcing Claus to straddle the stone circle with Thalasso's head held firmly. Jagger swung his sword through the air, piercing through Thalasso's stomach with so