Page 197 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

Phineas made the symbol to retreat.

But I couldn’t. I couldn’t abandon her, not again. My angel needed me.

I stumbled forward, tripping over the bodies of slain demons. More born were already swarming, failing to learn from the ruthlessness of my previous slaughter.

Phineas’s hand hadn’t stopped making its symbol, and yet, something strange happened to his glamour. It was trembling. He was closer now than before, moving strangely slow.

Weapons flew at my head. My shadows worked subconsciously, impaling born and shielding me without my direction.

Suddenly, a body appeared from under Phineas’s glamour and hurtled toward me—a girl with long blonde hair wearing a lilac dress, face stricken with fear.

I nearly fell to my knees again, unsure if what I was seeing was real or a vision from beyond the grave.

Perhaps I’d died, and Evie and I would spend an eternity haunting Etherdale together.

“Angel?” I asked, voice strained as Evie slammed into my chest.

I covered her with a protective shield, inhaling her soft floral scent and listening to her heartbeat here in the flesh rather than through our bond.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “I can’t use my magick.”

The sound of her voice snapped me the fuck out of it. I didn’t care how she was here or what had happened to our bond.

All I knew was that I had to get Evie out of here.

While it was impressive I’d made it this close to Nighswander Estate, that also meant we had a way to go to reach turned territory.

My shadows covered Evie the moment I lifted her into my arms, roaming over her protectively. She was alive. Of course, she was alive.

I took off, running on pure adrenaline and cosmic gratitude. I prayed for us as the sweet girl in my arms clung to me, trusting me with her life like the perfect, good girl she was.

Born soldiers didn’t know this city like I did. I confused them with my route, zigzagging down side streets, moving through back entrances of buildings.

When a group caught me in an alley, a primal noise escaped from deep in my throat in warning. They would not fucking touch her. Never again. My shadows swarmed like a plague of locusts. As they fell, something sharp landed in the back of my shoulder.

I quickly pulled out the knife, the blade laced with blood onyx.

Fuck.

My already drained power took a hit. Without the weapon still lodged in my flesh, I’d heal. I wouldn’t go into full paralysis. But it would be harder to recover while this overextended. And we still had seven blocks to go.

All I could do was run, not nearly as fast as I had before. Firebirds landed on nearby buildings. Soldiers poured in from all directions. Orders were shouted—to close up the perimeter, to box us in. I could hear them calling me the bastard lord.

I could hear them saying myname.

I panted. Evie gasped in my arms. I held her tight.

There were too many born, and I was too drained to fight my way through all of them.

With heaving lungs, I deflected poisoned weapons. I kept Evie safe as she trembled. They were toying with me, only attacking from a distance as they let me see just how surrounded I truly was.

“You crazy motherfucker!”

Evie and I looked to the sky. Harmony and Blade sat atop firebirds. As soon as I saw them, Blade leaped from his creature to Harmony’s. The abandoned firebird dove for me as weapons and magick flew.

I didn’t think twice. I used the last of my strength, covered by my friends, as I mounted and took to the clouds. Fiery wings spread wide, blessed by Helia’s rays.

We were pursued immediately by the borns’ sky fleet. Blade peppered them with his lethally sharp shadows that flew through the air at impossible speeds. Demons rained down from the sky.