weapon above her head, which she loses in the next second when the sword in her hand magically transfers to his. One swipe and sayonara, Elena.
I scream despite my feelings toward her. Did she deserve to die? Yes. But now I’m alone with the demonized version of Calvin. He’s still keeping me frozen. I can’t recite a spell; I’m at his mercy. He steps into my personal space, and my nostrils fill with the stench of sulfur and death.
“Now, where were we?” He grabs my chin roughly, lifting my face.
Despair and fear seep into my thoughts as the demon lowers his lips to mine. Freezing magic or not, I’m going to barf all over him. Then my heart skips a beat, lurching forward not out of panic but elation. Saxon is here. He came.
“Aurora!” he shouts, not far from where I stand.
The demon lets go of me to peer over my head.
“Ah, how providential. Your vampire lover is here. Good. I get to do what my vessel couldn’t.” He shoves me to the ground. “Get comfortable, wifey, and watch me tear your mate to shreds.”
39
Aurora
Saxon becomes a blur on a collision path to Ashmedai. He doesn’t know he’s not facing Calvin, but a demon who has a sword hidden behind his back. I’m free from his hold, so I do the only thing I can. I hex Saxon before he gets within reach of the deadly blade. The blast is weak since I tapped into my powers not too long ago. It only sends him back a few feet.
I brace for the demon’s retaliation, but all he does is stare at me, surprised. “Ah, wifey. You’re defending me?”
“I’m nobody’s wife, asshole.”
Saxon shakes his head and then glances at me, confusion etched on his handsome face.
“That’s not Calvin. That’s a demon,” I say.
Saxon unsheathes his katana, getting ready to face his adversary properly. “Even better. I love a good fight.”
“There won’t be much of a fight, I’m afraid. I just got hitched and you’re keeping me from enjoying my bride.”
Saxon peels his lips back, showing off his fangs. “The only thing you’ll be enjoying is the bite of my blade as it slices you in two.” He attacks, but Ashmedai simply sends him flying back with a flick of his wrist.
“Arrogant fool. I’m an archdemon, master of greed and wrath. No bloodsucker is a match for me.”
No.
But one thing I know is that what can be summoned can be sent back. I search for the grimoire, finding it next to Elena’s bag. I crawl toward it, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Through the bond, I tell Saxon to keep Ashmedai distracted while I perform the spell. I don’t know if he can hear my thoughts, but I hope he gets an idea of what my plan is.
The sound of battle recommences, and it’s an effort to not look back to see how Saxon is doing. But I have to reach the grimoire. When Saxon cries out in pain, I feel it deep in my bones. I stop and glance over my shoulder. He’s clutching his right arm, but he’s on his feet. Blood seeps through his fingers, though. It’s just a flesh wound, Aurora, just a flesh wound. You need to get the grimoire to help Saxon.
I finally reach the old tome, bringing it onto my lap to frantically search for the summoning spell I used earlier. I remember I had to say the demon’s name out loud, which I do in a whisper. The pages flip to the correct one, but a second later, the grimoire flies out of my hand into Ashmedai’s grasp.
“Oh, no, darling. You’re not sending me back.”
I watch in horror as the grimoire bursts into flames, turning quickly into nothing but pieces of ember and ash floating on the wind.
“No!” The word escapes from my lips in a desperate plea.
With his eyes now completely black again, Ashmedai throws his head back and laughs. The sound is as unpleasant as nails scratching a blackboard. It makes me want to crawl out of my skin and die. No. I won’t let these soiled, dark thoughts spread like a disease in my mind. He might have destroyed the grimoire, but he hasn’t destroyed my will to survive.
Roaring as loud as I can, I transmute every ounce of power I have left in me into a ball of lightning. It shoots from my outstretched hand, hitting him straight in his chest. A huge burst of light follows, combined