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“He killed it!” Breckett said, his voice holding an obvious note of relief.

Jessamine sniffed, an eyebrow raised. Which, for her, likely meant she was impressed.

Arabella frowned.

Even with the magical fae sword, it was strange that a creature of legend could be felled so easily—with only a single strike. This was a demon thatmadeother demons. It was the thing that haunted dreams, the fear that lurked in corners of forgotten memories. Had it just grown out of proportion in the thoughts of so many?

She hauled herself off the ground, summoning the shadows once more and lacing them around her entire body. It hid the trembling of her limbs somewhat. Why was she so fucking exhausted?

Beside her, Jessamine and Breckett got to their feet.

“That’s it?” Jessamine said.

Hadeon shrugged.

They watched as the zaol’s ashes hovered in the air for several moments too long.

It was then Arabella realized there wasn’t any wind. But the ashes swirled in aimless circles before stilling and shuddering. Then something like a heartbeat swelled inside the surrounding shadows, which were leached from the nearby trees. The darkness flowed toward the ground beneath the ashes before it twisted in the air. As the ashes met the shadows, there was a hissing sound like a sword pulled from a forge and plunged into water.

Then two feet formed on the ground. Unnaturally long legs of sinew melded atop them as its body slowly reformed.

Breckett cleared his throat. “I don’t think it worked.”

“Excellent observation,” Jessamine said as she shoved him back toward the trees. “Run!”

For a moment, Breckett hesitated, as though he wanted to help.

“Get out of here,” Arabella called over her shoulder. “Hadeon and I will catch up with you.”

Jessamine couldn’t use her magic, and Breckett’s magic wouldn’t be helpful against the zaol. Not if Hadeon wouldn’t accept the help, and she had to put all her focus on absorbing the greater demon’s attacks.

Without another word, Arabella pulled the shadows from the earth around her. They hummed a delicious tune. But as she pulled the darkness into her, she noted a strange sticky sensation. As though the inky tendrils had a film atop them—something dark and menacing that filled her along with the power. Her senses became sharper and, along with it, her emotions heightened. It filled her with a sense of unyielding rage like she’d never known.

“Protect Breckett,” she said in a voice that was far colder than her own.

Jessamine hesitated before nodding and running after Breckett.

Then Arabella turned to face the zaol.

Chapter Thirteen

ARABELLA

Arabella watched the zaol weave shadows and ashes together, reforming its body.

A sudden conviction filled her.

“Greater demons can’t die here,” she said, ignoring the faint trembling in her arms and legs. “The underrealms are their homeland… I think it will just reform.”

All around her and Hadeon were the charred stumps of the trees. One-quarter of the trees in the oasis had been felled in a single blast of the zaol’s magic. Now, they had no coverage, nothing to hide behind.

They had to face the demon head-on.

Hadeon’s gaze swiveled between Arabella and the zaol, his sword in his fist. “Do you have a suggestion, Enchantress?”

She sifted through their options.

“I don’t suppose you could fly while carrying us? Even if you bring us one at a time, we could flee and get ahead of the zaol—” she began, but he interrupted.