It was time for Kat to go.
Run. I spoke to her in my true form. Run now, Kat. Don’t look back. Run !
All I heard was the car door open and then everything was lost in the sound of the Arum howling. The other one was back and the remaining one was circling me. I darted to the right as one of them released a dark essence, a ball of shadow-filled energy that would be fatal if it hit me. I spun out as it shot over my shoulder. Like a thick glob of oil, when it smacked into one of the fallen trees, the energy ripped it in two.
Damn.
Pulling the Source, I formed a ball of iridescent light in the palm of my hand and then hurled the plasma ball right back at them.
The Arum weren’t as fast as me, but they were avoiding the balls, and I knew, in my bones I knew what they were doing—wearing me down, tiring me out, like we were boxing. We all were moving, darting back and forth. My hold on my true form flickered.
The Arum seized that one moment of weakness.
One rushed me from the front and, as I braced myself for a full-body attack, the other sped up. I twisted, trying to keep it in sight. A second where I took my eyes off one, and I made a huge mistake. Twisting at the waist, I threw out another blast of energy, but it fizzled out before reaching the Arum, skidding across the road in a shower of sparks.
Shadowy arms went around my neck from behind, immediately chilling. Ice drenched me as I reached up, allowing fingers to form. I wrapped them around the arm choking me, but he brought me down to one knee.
“Ready to beg?” the Arum in front of me taunted, taking human form. “Please do. It would mean a lot to hear the word ‘please’ leaking from your lips as I take everything from you.”
Light crackled all around me as I lifted my head. Still in my true form, I called on the Source one last time.
“Silence to the end, eh? So be it.” The Arum stepped forward, lifting his head. “Baruck, it is time.”
Baruck forced me to stand. “Do it now, Sarefeth!”
There was no way I was going down like this. No way in hell. Dee was at that party with Adam. They’d find her. And Kat was out there, somewhere and too close. Hell no. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t going to happen to my sister. This wasn’t going to happen to Kat. Energy built and expanded just as the one in front of me—Sarefeth—shifted into his true form, nothing more than smoke. I drew on the power as he slammed his hand against my chest, into my chest. My back bowed as I ground down. Pain exploded in every cell, startling me. Never had I felt anything like that. It seized every part of me, forcing a scream out of me as I briefly shifted into my human form.
Without any warning, the Arum in front of me, the one named Sarefeth, jerked his hand free from me and spun away. Pain still rippled throughout me, causing me to shift back and forth between forms, but I…I had to be hallucinating, because I saw her.
Kat was standing a few feet behind Sarefeth, like some kind of warrior princess, hair wild and red dress torn, the obsidian blade glowing red in her hand. Then Sarefeth exploded, breaking into pieces and floating up to the sky.
Baruck released me as I shifted back into my true form. I tried to push past the pain of the feeding as Baruck started toward Kat, but the Arum changed course, shifting into nothing more than a shadow, pulling the darkness into him, fleeing toward the other side of the road like a coiled snake and disappearing into the night.
Then Kat was at my side, on her knees. “Daemon—Daemon, please say something.”
My light flared, throwing off heat that had to be too intense for Kat. I slowly became aware of my hands pressing into the cracked and burned pavement. I thought I heard Kat cry, and that— that forced me to pull it together. I shifted into my human form and reached out, grabbing her arm as she started to scuttle away.
“Daemon, oh God, are you okay?” She was back at my side, her palm pressed to my cheek. The feeling of her hand… God . “Please tell me you’re okay? Please!”
Slowly, I lifted my head and placed my other hand over hers, the one against my cheek. “Remind me to never piss you off again. Christ, are you secretly a ninja?”
Kat laughed and sobbed in the same breath, and then she threw herself at me. I caught her and barely stopped myself from tumbling over backward. My hand delved deep into the mass of hair that had fallen free, and I held her just as tightly as she clung to me. She pressed herself to me like she was trying to become one with me, and even though my skin felt raw, the pain was nothing compared to the feeling of her right in that moment.
I pressed my forehead against her shoulder. “You didn’t listen to me.”
“I never listen to you.” She squeezed me hard before pulling back. Her gaze roamed over my face. “Are you hurt? Is there anything I can do?”
“You’ve already done enough, Kitten.” Gathering my strength, I pushed to my feet, bringing her along with me. I took in the destruction around us. “We need to get out of here before anyone comes.”
Stepping back, I summoned the Source one last time and lifted my hand. Trees lifted off the road and rolled to the sides, clearing a path, and then we made our way back to the car. It roared to life as soon as I turned the key. I glanced over at Kat. She was shaking in the seat. “Are you okay? Hurt in any way?”
“I’m okay. It’s just…a lot, you know?”
A lot? I coughed out a laugh, but there was no humor to it. I hit the steering, frustrated. “I should’ve known there would be more coming.” I should’ve been more prepared. “They travel in fours. Dammit!”