Page 28 of A Seduction Of Death (Umbra Hunters #4)
TWENTY-EIGHT
Meyer
“ I s that… is that a damn Dragon?!” I practically screech, my mouth agape as I stare at the biggest monster I have ever seen in my life. Its bright blue wings are outstretched, its scales glittering in the sun as it releases a sound that has me damn near peeing my pants.
“Stay down,” Razar snaps, his hand landing on my head and shoving me back into the bushes we’re hiding in.
“Hey, stop it!” I bat at his hand, shoving it off and grimacing when it tugs on my hair. “I want to see,” I whisper as I try to peer over the bush, watching as Nox shouts, his black hair fanning out around him as he slices the head of a Wraith clean off its shoulders. When he has a moment, he stares up at the Dragon and yells something to his dad, who is currently beating the head of a Beastia with his hammer. The Demon King nods and shoots a look at Nox when he tries to go back to the castle.
“Trust your brothers! She’ll be okay,” Orcus yells, his words carrying over the clearing and making me look up at Razar with wide eyes. Oh shit, Nox thinks I’m on the castle wall where the Dragon is currently heading.
“Huh, well, looks like he might not be so mad about me taking you off the wall,” Razar muses, leaning against the tree and crossing his arms over his chest as if he’s watching some show on TV rather than an actual battle with Wraiths, Beastia, and a damn Dragon.
“Shouldn’t we help?” I ask, and Razar scowls and shakes his head.
“No.”
“Uh? Why?” I can't help but snap back, turning and watching as the Dragon dives for the wall, making Hunter’s jump off and run in every direction to avoid its massive claws. “They need help,” I state in frustration, eyes bouncing from the wall to the battle Nox and Orcus are currently waging against the Wraiths and Beastia.
“No.”
I spin and glare at Razar, who lifts a brow at me, then nods back toward the wall just as the Dragon circles and dives back toward the wall again. Only this time, something is launched at the Dragon. Wait… not something, someone.
“Valen!” I gasp, jumping to my feet as I see my Dream Man leap toward the Dragon as its jaws open, a fire’s glow sparking in its mouth seconds before a giant spear sinks into its neck and it roars in pain I only manage to take a single step forward as a big arm circles my waist and yanks me off my feet, his hand covering my mouth when I try to scream.
“Watch and fucking trust us, Pup. We’ve been doing this for centuries,” he whispers, voice deep, hot breath whispering across my neck as I stare at the horrific scene in front of me. “Valen has a talent for killing Dragons. Not even Orcus can take one down as fast as he can.” I relax slightly with his words, but I still feel like I’m going to throw up as I watch Valen grab onto the spear sticking out of the Dragon’s neck and flip up, landing on top of the Dragon with ease. Bright green magic surrounds him, and I can feel something in me shift with the use of his magic.
I cling to the feeling, holding it tightly as the magic expands to encompass the Dragon. I hold my breath as the monster turns, diving to the left while trying to shake Valen off, but somehow, Valen holds on, wrapping his magic around the Dragon's neck and yanking it back until it releases another roar that shakes the ground below. My fingers dig into Razar’s arm as he holds me tight, not letting me move an inch as we watch Valen fight the Dragon. His magic brightens, the Dragon’s neck bowing back as its wings slow, making the monster almost crash into the snow below. It remains in the air somehow, its long, taloned tail swishing forward with so much speed it nearly knocks Valen off.
I shove at Razar’s hand, moving it off my mouth and gasping as Valen slips, his feet skidding along the side of the Dragon's back.
“Razar!” I rasp, unable to tear my gaze from Valen as he falls.
“Watch,” Razar practically purrs back, and if I didn't know better, I could’ve sworn I felt his lips press soothingly to my brow. At that moment Valen’s hands move, his magic following him, slowing his fall while taking the Dragon to the ground with him. My Dream Man lands on the snow-covered ground in a crouch, looking like a cat who simply jumped off a couch, rather than a man who fell from the sky with a Dragon hot on his heels. I hold my breath when the monster crashes next to him, releasing a noise that isn't a growl but a weird grunt. Valen strides to the fallen beast, grabs the spear from its neck with one yank then spins it and drives it through the Dragon’s head, making smoke billow from its nostrils as its golden eyes darken.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, sagging in Razar’s hold as the gates of the castle open and Creed runs out, rushing toward Valen.
“Your turn, Pup,” Raz whispers, and I frown and look up at him, meeting his black-green gaze for an extended moment before he nods to his right, and I glance over, finding the Beastia and two remaining Wraiths rushing for the tree line, Orcus’ Demon following with blades drawn. Oh shit, right. My job is to stop them so Raz can take out the stragglers. Holding my hand out, I take a deep breath and look at the six remaining Beastia.
“Stop,” I whisper, then frown when nothing happens. “Fuck, see?!” I growl, looking up at Razar, who looks unimpressed.
“What are you trying to stop? Our tiny monster? Command them, Pup. Now!” he demands, and I curse, looking back at the Beastia who are almost to the tree line only a couple hundred feet from us. I lean back into Razar’s hold and try to ignore the rush I feel as his hand moves from my waist and skates up my torso until it rests just above my breasts. “You are your magic. Now use it as you wish,” he reminds me in a hushed voice, and I close my eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat as my hand shakes in front of me.
Stop!
I speak the word, don't yell it, but shove the command forward and gasp as I feel the rush of magic launch through me like a wildfire, lighting up every molecule inside. I take a deep breath, then another, as Razar’s hands fall from my body. Gathering what courage I have left, I crack an eye open and grin, finding the Beastia frozen a few yards from the tree line.
“Ah-hah!” I cheer, jumping on my toes in excitement as I look at Razar. I frown when I find his eyes not on me nor the frozen Beastia but beyond, lips parted, nostrils flared. “What?” I ask in confusion, looking back toward the clearing and castle. “Did I fuck it up or something?”
“Or something,” he agrees, pushing the hood of his cloak off, his black hair drifting in the cold breeze as he steps forward and shakes his head. “You stopped them all, Pup. Not just the Beastia. The Wraiths, the Hunters and Rangers, the Demons… fuck. Even Father.” Razar runs a hand over his face, looking far too pale as I look back toward the clearing and groan.
Shit, he’s right. My gaze moves from the Demons in the clearing, the silent and still smoking body of the Dragon, and then finally to the eerily quiet castle beyond. The world is still. The silence is almost unbearable as I look around, and dread sinks into my gut.
“Oh,” I whisper, wrinkle my nose, and look at the hand I had outstretched and shake it a little. Shit, am I faulty or something? “My bad,” I admit, tugging at the strand of hair falling over my face. “Uh, that's not a good thing… right?” I ask, cringing when Razar gives me a disbelieving look. I mean, it can't be awful. I did stop the Beastia like we originally planned; I just happened to freeze everyone and everything else along with them.
“Not bad. But not good,” he grumbles as he yanks his sword from his side and strides toward the Beastia, slicing their throats one by one, then moves to the Wraiths and frowns, slicing their heads off and making me feel a little nauseous by the sight and smell of blood erupting from them like a geyser as I walk toward him.
Grunting, he leans down and swipes his sword through the snow, cleaning off the black blood with a sigh. “Well, that was easy and rather boring,” he says with an almost pout on his full lips as he stares at the Wraiths and clenches his fists at his sides. I nod in agreement, still unsure what to say as I look to where Nox stands, frozen like a statue, ax in the air mid-swing.
“So, he’s not going to be happy,” I mutter, reaching up and patting his warm cheek, making Razar laugh. I blink in shock at the sound and turn, watching as the slightest smile plays on Raz’s lips. “Holy shit, you know how to laugh?” I ask and then instantly hate myself when Razar’s face morphs into a scowl.
“I do not laugh. That is an absurd waste of time and emotion.”
“What? How is it a waste? You’re ridiculous.”
“I am not,” he disagrees, looking more than a little affronted by my words, and I roll my eyes.
“Whatever. How do I unfreeze them?” I ask, nodding from Nox to Orcus before turning and narrowing my eyes; I find the figures of a frozen Creed and Valen standing near the now-dead Dragon.
“I don't know. It's your magic. Undo it,” Raz says unhelpfully, making me groan and roll my head back on my shoulders as I stare at the clear blue sky.
“But I don't know how. I’ve only ever frozen the Beastia, and you killed them the last time, so I didn't have to worry about undoing anything.” Razar simply blinks back at me as he reaches over his head and grabs his hood, tugging it over his hair until it rests low on his brow. “You suck,” I grumble under my breath as I shake my hands out at my side, trying to figure out how to get everyone moving again.
“Undo… restart… uh, move!” I snap, hand held up before me as I try to get that weird tingly feeling back. The soft winter breeze shifts some of my hair, making it tickle the back of my neck as I groan and close my eyes, digging deep to undo the magic. “Come on,” I whisper, my hand outstretched as I take a deep breath, then pause and frown at the snap of twigs behind me.
My eyes fly open, and I turn on my heel just as a growl erupts from Razar, and he races for me. His big hand wraps around my bicep and practically tosses me behind him as a very large, very angry, almost deformed-looking Beastia slowly emerges from the trees about fifty feet away.
“Oh shit!”
“Undo the magic now!” Razar snaps, hands fisted, as he moves himself between me and the new threat stalking toward us. This Beastia is enormous, bigger than any I’ve seen before besides Razar’s and, for a moment, I think it’s the same one I saw on the battlefield with Inanis in my dreams right after I died. But it doesn't have the scars, and it's not the right color. Plus, it has goddamned horns on its head, making it look even scarier!
“Razar, what is that?” I ask as the Beast steps closer, its brown spines long and glistening with poison in the sunlight.
“It’s Inanis’ personal pet. And I thought it died over a century ago. Jesthren must have called it to this realm when he sent in the Dragon,” Razar explains. Thick black saliva drips from its pointed teeth as its soulless black eyes move from Raz to me, then back again. “Pup, I really need you to free Nox so I can shift and fight this thing,” Razar clips out and I nod, raising my hands again as I take a deep breath.
“Wake-up, wake-up, wake… shit, Razar!” I scream as the Beastia lunges for him. I gasp, stumbling back a few more feet as Raz side-steps the monster with ease, his body trembling just as his torso curls in on himself, black spines erupting from his body, a low growl on his lips. Seconds later, I’m standing behind Razar’s Beastia, as the spines on its back raise up, making him look even bigger than usual.
The brown monster attacks, lunging for Raz faster than I can see, its teeth wrapping around his neck and making me scream as I bring my hands up, trying to command it.
“Stop! Stop!”
Nothing… nothing is working! I can feel the magic coursing through me, but it's not working on it! Like a rag doll, Razar is tossed through the air and rolls across the snow, crashing into some trees with a loud crack. “Raz!” I try to run to him, but the brown Beastia is faster, jumping in my way. Its soulless eyes are locked on me, its maw gaping open, showing me its sharp teeth.
“You fucker!” I snarl, grabbing my blades, letting the magic in my hands move to the blades before releasing them and grin in sick satisfaction when they land their mark, one sinking into the Beastia’s neck, the other its front right paw, making it release a roar so loud my ears ring. My hands move to grab another blade, but before I can release it, Razar jumps around me, his big black paws digging into the snow as he attacks, diving toward the Beastia and pushing it back into the trees and away from me. Their growls and snarls are loud as I rush to a still-frozen Nox.
“Wake the fuck up!” I scream at him, shoving my hands to his chest, panic washing through me as I throw myself at him in a desperate attempt to get him to move, but he’s like a brick wall! “Dammit, move!” I growl, shoving him with my shoulder, trying to dislodge his big feet that seem frozen to the ground, then gasp when he actually moves.
“Wait, that worked?” I say then gasp as I fall forward, Lennox grunting in surprise then promptly cursing up a storm as he stumbles back, arms flailing out to his sides as we fall to the ground in a crumpled heap of tangled limbs. I groan when my hip hits the frozen ground, but I don't complain. I shove my palms to his chest and sit up, watching Nox’s angry eyes turn confused and look around.
“M-Meyer? What the hell?” he asks, arm snapping around me as his ax falls to the ground at our side, tugging me so that I’m straddling his hips.
“No shit. It did work!” I whisper in excitement as I pat Nox’s chest.
“How the hell are these Beastia dead?” Orcus asks, hammer still in the air as he looks around in confusion. “They…? Oh,” he says and smiles at me when he sees me sitting on Nox’s lap. “Your handy work?” he asks, and I nod, earning an even bigger smile. “Well done!” he praises, and I practically beam up at him. Yeah, I totally fucked some shit up, but my basically father-in-law doesn't think that, so we’re going to roll with it.
“What are you… how am I… wait?” Nox stutters, shaking his head and bringing a hand up to rub at his temple. “My head hurts,” he grumbles before his eyes widen on the dead Beastia and Wraiths a few feet from where we’re sprawled on the snow. “Little Demon,” he growls, hands moving to grip my hips tightly between his big hands. “What the hell are you doing off that damn wall?”
“No time! Big Beastia in the trees, and Raz needs help! He said it was Inanis' pet,” I rattle off, looking up at Orcus.
“Pardon?” he says, and then we all freeze as more loud growls echo from the forest behind us, the trees shaking as something big connects with them. I jump to my feet, ready to run to Razar’s side, but Orcus is faster. He shoves me back down into Nox’s waiting arms as he barks out a command in a language I can't understand before racing to the trees, his Demon guard rushing after him.
“I can help!” I yell while trying to escape Nox’s impossibly tight grip.
“By the several dead bodies, it looks like you’ve helped far more than I had anticipated,” Nox grumbles, shoving to his feet and keeping me clasped in his arms. “And you can’t help with that monster. It's more than just a Beastia. Not even Inanis can command it with magic.”
“What's going on? Meyer? What the hell are you doing out here?” Creed asks, sprinting up to us with Valen on his heels. My Dream Man’s black eyes move to me and he arches a dark brow, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks around at the dead Beastia and Wraiths.
“She convinced Raz to go over the wall,” Valen says, taking in our surroundings with all-knowing eyes before he glowers at Nox.
“Ha! I win the bet. I totally called him caving to her the second she batted her eyelashes up at him. Sucker has it bad and is hiding it under that resting bitch face of his.” Creed hoots in excitement as I keep trying to wiggle out of Nox’s arms.
“We need to help Raz!” I grind out, my anger growing at their lack of urgency.
“He’s fine,” Creed says with a wave of his hand, and I eye him, wondering if I can kick him in the balls from here.
“Father is with him, and Inanis’ pet isn't a match for him,” Nox agrees as I stomp on his toe, making him curse and finally release me.
“He was already hurt before I woke you up!” Valen and Nox furrow their brows at that, and Creed tilts his head to the side as if he doesn't believe the words coming from my mouth.
“Hurt? How?” Valen questions as Nox spins, scoops up his ax, and runs toward the now quiet trees.
“He was standing between me and the Beastia and wasn’t shifted. It took him too long to shift, and the Beastia got the upper hand and bit his neck.”
“Shit!” Creed rasps, eyes jumping to the tree line as voices filter through.
“Shift so I can heal you, idiot!” Nox growls, emerging from the trees with a fuming black Beastia at his side. Soulless eyes meet mine, and I rush forward, ignoring Creed and Valen’s demands to stop. I know they don’t trust Razar’s Beast, but I do, and that’s all that matters.
“Razar!” I gasp, my hand outstretched, as I reach for him.
“Don't!” Nox warns, trying to step between us and earning a loud and terrifying growl from Razar’s Beastia. Nox gives Raz a shocked and almost hurt look as the Beastia shoves him out of the way, and I smile at the big Beast as he trots to me, pressing his big, bloody muzzle to my hand.
“Hey, are you alright?” I ask him, leaning forward and pressing my forehead against the small part of his nose that doesn't have any spines covering it.
“Meyer! For the love of the Gods. You’re going to give me a damn heart attack!” Nox grinds out, stepping to my side, his hands falling on my hips. “That’s not Raz, Little Demon. It's his Beast. Two souls, one body. He tends to listen to Raz, but that’s no guarantee,” he whispers, and I nod, looking at the Beastia and stroking its coarse fur on the top of his nose.
“I know.”
“Dammit. Razar, shift now! I’m not going to command her away from you, but I’m losing my fucking mind.” Razar’s Beastia stills, his eyes darting to Nox as a deep rumble breaks from his chest. Nox curses and steps back when Raz snaps his teeth at him, making me frown and reach out. I grab him by the muzzle and shake my head as I turn his enormous black head back to me.
“No! That's not nice. He just wants to heal you. Now shift and stop being an ass!” I demand. Orcus whistles low under his breath as he walks around Nox, giving me a wink and nodding toward the castle, signaling his guard to head back. I hear him tell a few to do a perimeter sweep to ensure there are no more Wraiths or Beastia and Valen points them toward the castle's west side.
Nox pulls me back a few feet, and we watch as Razar slowly shifts back into his human form. Valen is by his side in an instant, an extra cloak in hand to cover Razar as he stands on shaky legs.
“Son,” Orcus whispers, walking over and leaning down so only Nox and I can hear. “The dungeon was breached. This was a distraction,” he says, and I can feel Nox tense behind me as I stare up at the Demon King.
“Arch?” I whisper, eyes moving to Raz as he shakes his head at whatever Valen and Creed say to him.
“Alive and still there. Your Senior Drakos was able to stop the Wraiths that slipped through our notice. But we need to figure out why Jesthren keeps coming back. We are missing something here, and we need to figure it out before he finds what he’s looking for.”
“I'll come with you,” Nox says, hooking an arm around my waist as he presses a kiss to the top of my head. “You want to come, Little Demon?” he asks, and I blink up at him in surprise.
“Yes, uh…” I start to agree, then look back at Razar, finding his dark eyes on mine. “No. I’m going to stay with Razar. But will you tell me what you find when you’re done?” I ask, and Nox nods, kissing me once before looking up at Orcus.
“Let me heal Raz, and then we can go.”