Page 79 of Daman

“Interesting choice of weapon,” Viktor told Daman, eyeing the falx sword at my husband’s side. “Is it as light as it looks?”

“It has a little weight to it but not much.”

“Great sword for swift attacks, then.” Viktor nodded. “I prefer that to brute force, though both hold merit.”

“Heavier weapons slow you down.” Daman paused and held out an arm, stopping me. “Wait.” The rest of us stopped. “I sense a group of shades half a mile in front of us.”

“You can sense them?” Lev asked.

“Yeah. It’s how we hunt them. Only powerful demons can shield themselves from me and my brothers.” A pause. “Fuck, they’re coming at us fast. Ready your weapons. Remember what I told you. These fuckers look like black smoke.”

“Well, that’s lovely.” Ivan unsheathed his sword. “It’s not like it’s nighttime and we’re surrounded by shadows or anything.”

A high-pitched wail echoed in the trees around us. Few things unsettled me, but the sound made my skin crawl. Though faint, I heard scampering through the woods. Snow crunched and twigs snapped. The air shifted, becoming thinner. Like all the energy had been sucked away.

Daman shoved me behind him and swung his sword at what looked like nothing. But then I saw it. Orange flames burst upward not even a foot in front of me, highlighting the demon’s grotesque form before it turned to ash.

“Pay attention, War!”

I needed to focus. Daman had said these things were flesh and bone beneath the smoke. If I couldn’t see them in the darkness, I needed to use my other senses. Attune to my surroundings. The scent of charred, rotten meat hit my nostrils, and I spun to the left, slicing my sword through the air.

Contact.

The shade burst into flame.

“These bastards are fucking ugly,” Efrem said, fighting back-to-back with his twin.

Ivan grunted as he swung at one. “They remind me of Lev when he first wakes up.”

“Fuck you.” Lev killed a demon before jabbing another. “How many are there?”

“A lot, so stay alert,” Daman said. “Shades are easy to kill, but they’re dangerous when in large groups. Like a pack of piranhas.” He lopped the head off one of them, the bright burst of orange flames reflecting in the curve of his sword. “When one sinks its teeth into you, the others follow. I’ve seen grown men ripped apart in a matter of seconds.”

“That’s a beautiful mental image.” Efrem stabbed one in the chest, and the demon disintegrated around his sword, ash falling to the snow. “Makes me all warm and toasty on the inside.”

The conversation halted when more wails echoed in the distance, growing in frequency. Their nauseating scent of burnt corpses carried on the breeze, so they were nearby. But where?

Daman pressed close to my side, his gaze darting across the woods. “They’re in the trees!”

Ivan yelled as one jumped down on him, its sharp teeth chomping toward his face. He brought an arm up to shield himself and cried out when those teeth sunk into his forearm. Efrem sliced the demon’s head off and helped his brother stand.

None of us had time to see if he was okay. Because the shades were on us, jumping from the branches. Daman hadn’t been lying when he said shades were great trackers. I definitely felt like we were being hunted.

I tightened my grip on my sword and swung at a dark mass above me, slicing the demon in two. Ash rained down on me before burning away completely. More soon followed, some falling from the trees and others barreling toward us from the ground, their gaping mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth and their claws at the ready.

I killed ten. Twenty. I lost count around the forty mark. Five attacked me at once. I stabbed one and kicked another back before plunging my blade into it. Flashes of orange flames lit the shadows as each one died.

“They just keep coming,” Lev panted, hacking at another.

Enough of this.

I called forth the dragon in my blood, let that wild side of me take over. My body transformed, scales rippling across my skin, horns sprouting from my head, and my fingernails sharpening into claws. I couldn’t breathe ice in this form, but I could shoot it from my fingertips. Sensing movement in front of me, I flung out my arm and sent ice into the air.

The shades froze in place, a sheen of pale blue encasing their dark forms. Within the ice, a faint orange glow could be seen, as if their hearts were on fire. Was that why they burst into flame when they were killed?

I drove my sword into the demon, and as it exploded, it set the others on fire too.

“Fuck, you’re so badass.” Daman grinned. “Remind me to fuck your brains out when we get home.”