Then he heard the sound of a loud bike thundering out on the street. It had a hell of an engine and he could hear the quickness of the gears changing as the rider accelerated. Someone knew how to drive. The sound grew louder and louder, until it was almost deafening.
Damn, dude, get a new muffler.
At least that was his thought until it came screaming into the alley in front of him. A gleaming 2000 Honda F6C Valkyrie, it had a throaty sound of pure raw power and a customized paint job of flames painted over the glossy factory black.
The rider wore a solid black Aerostitch-armored suit with a jet-black helmet. The only color on his body came from silver vambraces that ran from wrist to elbow and matching silver panels on his biker boots.
He looked at Fang as he shifted into neutral and the engine went into idle. "You might want to run."
"I don't run from shit."
The man shook his head as he turned the bike off, put it on its stand and swung one long leg over it. "Suit yourself."
Then Fang heard it. . . .
A sound that had haunted him every minute of his time spent in the Nether Realm. One that had made his blood run cold. It was unmistakable and clear, and it brought out the rage that was boiling inside of him now.
The sound of a Reaper. . . .
No, not one.
Many.
That sick tug of dread filled his stomach. He'd thought those battles were behind him. But it was obvious this newcomer not only knew of them. He was getting ready to fight them. "Who are you?"
"Zeke." He held his hand out and his motorcycle transformed into a bright oversized sword unlike anything Fang had ever seen before.
The raven flew from the fence. As soon as it reached Zeke's back, it turned into a woman dressed in a tight leather catsuit, corset, and a long black coat. Her short black hair fell in a sleek bob that framed perfect features and coal-black eyes. Sleek and deadly, she was stunningly beautiful.
She snapped her arms down and as she did so, claws and armor covered her hands.
Zeke looked at her over his shoulder. "She's Ravenna and this is your last shot to get out while you can."
Fang shook his head. "I'm in."
Ravenna raked him with a disbelieving stare. "You a fool, wolf. I'd run if I could."
Then all hell, literally, broke loose as the Reapers arrived. Out of the brick walls and street below their feet, they came out en masse. At least two dozen, though it was hard to differentiate among them. They fought as a cohesive unit and their typical strategy was to overwhelm their opponent, knock him to the ground, and then rip him to shreds.
Fang manifested a sword, not the one Thorn had given him, but another. "Can I kill these?"
Zeke ran one through, then kicked another back. He swung a wide arc, beheading a third one in a single stroke. "Abso-fuckin'-lutely."
Fang caught the first Reaper to reach him and sliced it open. It screamed, collapsing on the ground as another came for his back.
Ravenna caught it from behind. "Don't shift forms," she warned before she swung around to confront another.
Fang hadn't planned on it. As a wolf, he was no match for these. He couldn't bite into them and it left him with nothing else to do except run.
And this time, he wanted them dead. All the months of being locked in hell with them and of being bitten and clawed came boiling up through his body. He wanted vengeance and he was taking it out on every Reaper he could reach.
He slung his hand out intending to blast a demon, but Ravenna caught his wrist.
"That will only make them stronger. Reapers are special. Hand-to-hand only."
At least she told him the rules before he made the mistake. Thanks, Thorn, you bastard. Fang kicked the next one back as Zeke stabbed another. Their numbers seemed to double for a few minutes, as if they were calling in reinforcement.
At least until Ravenna made a high-pitched screech. Wanting to howl, Fang hit the deck as pain tore through his head. It was excruciating. But he wasn't the only one who felt it. The Reapers shrank back, screaming until they finally vanished.