The demonic creature chuckled. “Killing her gave you such pain. I can taste it.” He licked his lips with a black tongue.
I couldn’t speak, unable to comprehend what had happened. The darkness in me clamoured to fill the void left by my wolf. Nausea slammed through me and I retched, sending a stream of bile to mix with the old blood stains on the tiled floor. I shivered violently. My mate was dead, my pack was gone, and my wolf had been taken from me. I didn’t know how, only that he was gone.
I had nothing.
Slowly, I raised my head. I had no power, I was utterly human.
The demon bared its rows of fangs at me.
I launched forward, sprinting as fast as I could. I ripped the blade from Ember’s chest and skidded between the demon’s legs. It spun, its clawed feet screeching on the tiled floor. Swiping a muscled grey arm down, it tried to take me out with a vicious swing of its taloned hand, but I darted away and slashed the knife across the back of its heels. Nothing happened. Its hide was leathery and impossible to slash open with such a small blade. My heart pounded and breath exploded from me in big heaves as I tried to stand. It was impossible, a wave of dizziness washed through me and my legs trembled too much to support me.
The demon stomped, twisting its huge ugly form until it faced me again.
This was my end.
I fixed my attention on Ember and my vision blurred. I’d never really cried, but for her, for everything we could have been, I did. Pain exploded through my neck and I screamed, agony swamping my back. The demon hoisted me up and the blade fell from my fingers. I couldn’t think past the pain that saturated me. The demon launched me towards the wall. The room spun, the momentum smashing me through the plaster and I exploded into the corridor among a cloud of dust and debris.
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get my legs and arms to respond. My arm was twisted at an odd angle, but strangely there was no pain.
The creature smashed its way through the wall to get at me.
I looked past it, my gaze drawn back to my mate.
Ember’s body was burning, the most beautiful, red, gold and blue flames licking over her porcelain skin.
“No,” I cried. She should be gone—her soul safe. But it had been a fool’s hope that I could save her from him.
Once again, the creature grabbed me by the neck and lifted me. My wrecked body hung limp in its grasp.
It glanced back at Ember.
“You think you saved her?” He pulled me up to his face. “You didn’t. I will wait for her to return, and your sacrifice will have been in vain.”
“Fuck you,” I mumbled and closed my eyes. I was done. I couldn’t move my fingers, or cough away the stink of his sulphurous breath. Even breathing seemed difficult.
A pulse of energy filled the air. It pounded against my ruined body making it sway in the demon’s grasp. I was dropped to the ground, landing with a thud in a crumpled heap. The creature twisted towards the wrecked room just as a bluish white light flared.
A portal flashed into existence.
I’d seen one once before when that betraying bastard Walker had run. My heart lurched and tears rolled down my cheeks. “Impossible,” I whispered. Ember now stood, wholly flesh and blood. Sobs burst from my lungs, my heart squeezing in my chest. I didn’t understand how her gift worked, but I would take the sight of her to my grave. Flames swathed her body and her red hair glowed with stunning hues of red, her irises illuminated with emerald fire. Her hands curled into fists, ready to take on the world.
Those burning eyes flicked from the beast to me, a broken heap of flesh and bone on the ground.
Her fire flared around her body and she sent a column of flames blasting into the demon. It merely laughed. Naked and glorious, Ember lurched forward. “I’ll kill you!” she yelled at the beast, her voice shaking.
Her fury, her need to protect me, pulsed against my blood. I cried out as an echo of my wolf brushed my soul, as if it were reaching for me.
The demon snarled and leaped.
Before Ember could move, a man stepped from the portal. Metal armour glowed almost as brightly as his white hair.