Page 21 of Prince of Demons (Demon’s Mark #2)

Georgia

S tay, he'd said.

Georgia wasn't entirely sure why the big, scary demon prince had felt it necessary to remind her not to leave the safety of the helicopter and go wandering around this close to an honest-to-god demonic war, complete with giant swords and plumes of magic.

She was perfectly fine hiding in the metal carcass of the chopper, thank you very much!

From her vantage point inside the aircraft, she had enough of a view of the battle to know it was no place for a human.

A thought she tried not to dwell too hard on, considering the many houses off in the distance.

Hopefully the citizens of the little fishing village they'd landed in had all managed to flee.

Shaking, she pressed her back against the wall of the helicopter and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to ignore the screams and growls and clashes of metal outside.

All she had to do was stay put. Either Prince Kesh would win this nightmarish battle and come fly her back, or... Or he wouldn't, and she could try to sneak off in the aftermath and hopefully escape back to a world where she could pretend she didn't see demons, and no one called her 'Breeder'.

A loud crash from the distance made her jump, and she peered out the window, heart in her throat.

On a hill in the distance, four larger-than-average demons were locked in battle, dark magic blazing around them.

Through the sparks and plumes of darkness, she recognized the prince's huge form swinging his sword at one of the other burly demons, while firing dark magic at a second.

From the looks of it, he was trying to protect the fourth demon on the ground.

A twinge of something tight and uncomfortable in her gut made her pull her eyes from him.

Not my circus, not my monkeys. In fact, if the prince happened to get killed, all the better for her and her chances of escaping the lifetime as a broodmare she'd signed up for in exchange for Larry's recovery.

Determined, she flicked her gaze to another part of the battlefield, where two groups of smaller demons were fighting each other.

She had no clue which side was which—apparently demons didn't believe in color-coordinated uniforms. She also didn't have the faintest idea why European demons were trying to invade Maine.

Were demons just late on the whole War of Independence?

Georgia cast another look back toward the houses.

How the winning demons planned on keeping the humans unaware of a full-scale battle was beyond her, but she'd seen them weave their filthy magic around people's minds enough times to know they were capable of distorting reality for the majority of the population.

Judging from the immense power cracking through the air from the hilltop where the prince was currently fighting, he'd be strong enough to make an entire town getting leveled to the ground seem like a gas leak or whatever.

"Mama!"

What... the hell was that?!

"Mama!"

Heart in her throat, Georgia scrambled off her seat and rushed over to stick her head out of the helicopter's open door, drawn by what sounded all too much like a small child crying.

And there, in the middle of the battlefield, between warring demons and magical explosions, stood a little girl. A human girl.

Everything inside Georgia went tight and cold.

“Oh my God! Oh my God, no!" Without thought, she hurled herself out of the helicopter and ran.

By some miracle, she made it to the kid without getting blown to pieces or losing her head to a wayward axe swing. She didn't pause for a second—simply scooped up the girl, turned around, and began running back toward the helicopter.

"It's okay, honey, don't worry. Let's get you out of here," she gasped as she ran, trying to settle the child on her hip to carry her weight. The girl looked to be maybe six or seven, small enough to carry but not light enough to do so at a full sprint without significant strain.

Small, slim arms wrapped around her neck, and Georgia felt the girl's tears soak through her dress. "Mama!"

"I know, honey, I know," she panted, trying to keep her eyes on the fight around them as she ran. "We'll find her, I promise. But first, we've gotta get you safe, okay?"

Out of nowhere, a demon's massive body landed right in front of her, the monster grunting as his shoulder impacted with the ground. Georgia shrieked and came to a skidding halt, clutching the girl in her arms tighter. Shit, shit, shit!

He looked up at her, eyes widening in shock. "Breeder?! What the fuck are you doing out here in the open?" Then his eyes moved to a point behind her, his gruesome—and vaguely familiar—face pulling into a fierce snarl as he leapt to his feet, axe raised high.

Georgia screamed again and stumbled backward, twisting on instinct to shield the child in her arms with her own body—but the demon's axe wasn't aimed at her. A resounding clang of metal above her head shot through her nervous system like a bullet.

"Down!" the vaguely familiar demon growled as he moved forward, shoving her to the ground with one hand before swinging his axe again.

This time, Georgia saw who he swung at. A massive, scary-looking monster with wings and large fangs thrust his sword at her rescuer, the blade cleaving through the space her head had just been occupying seconds ago.

Clutching the child to her chest, she desperately looked for a way to get out of reach of the two fighting demons, but the only available escape route was blocked by more combatants.

Trying her best to stay in control of her wildly beating heart, she held the girl to her chest with one arm as she used the other to scramble backward in search of a safe way out.

"Hold on tight, baby," she whispered breathlessly to the child sobbing inconsolably against her. "We'll make it, I prom?—"

A heavy thunk cut her off mid-sentence as the winged demon's head landed on the ground right in front of her, his glassy eyes staring her right in the face.

The girl screamed loudly and buried her face in her neck, and it was all Georgia could do not to join her.

"Holy shit," she croaked.

A large, clawed hand closed around her shoulder and yanked her to her feet.

"Get in the helicopter," her savior growled.

Georgia stared at him, mouth agape. "W-what?"

"Get in the fucking helicopter, Breeder! Let's go!" Without releasing his grip on her shoulder, he began pulling her across the battlefield, his other hand on his axe as he dragged her along with him.

It took Georgia several terrified seconds before she recognized Prince Kesh's second in command. "M-Mallorn?" Despite his presence in their helicopter on the ride over, the blood and gore covering him had rendered him almost irrecognizable.

He spared her a glance over his shoulder, eyes softening a smidge as he took in her terror. "Yes. Lucky for you." Then, as if he only then noticed the kid clinging to her neck, he frowned. "What the hell is that? Put that down right this instant!"

Georgia stared at him, wide-eyed. "What? No!"

"No?"

"No! She's just a child! I can't leave her in the middle of a battlefield! She'll get hurt!"

The demon's frown deepened. "It's just a human spawnling. There are literally millions of them. One less won't hurt. Now put it down so I can get you back to safety—you don't know what sort of diseases it carries."

"She's not an ‘it’!” Georgia snapped, clutching the girl tighter. "She's a little girl, she's terrified, and she needs me. I'm not leaving her!"

"Breeder, I don't have time for this!" Mallorn snarled. "Your life is infinitely more valuable than a human's." He grabbed the girl by the arm, trying to pry her off.

"Let go of her!" Georgia kicked him in the shin with as much force as she could possibly muster and twisted, shielding the now screaming girl from the demon's grip with her own body.

Mallorn cursed, his eyes narrowing as he reached for her again. "You stubborn little— I'm trying to protect you!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Georgia snarled, tears burning in her eyes.

Beside them, a patch of dirt exploded with the impact of dark magic, showering them in a rain of soil and soot.

"Fuck!" Mallorn spun around, ready to defend them if need be, but the explosion seemed to have been caused by a stray burst of magic aimed at another demon.

"I want my mama!" the girl wailed, making Georgia wince as her voice made her eardrums ache.

"I know, baby," Georgia murmured, rubbing the girl's back as she scanned for a way out.

Mallorn spun back around to her, grabbing her shoulder with a less than pleased look.

"Fine. If you come with me, you can keep the thing.

For now. Just don't expect the prince to be as lenient when he finds out you left the helicopter for the brat.

" Without another word, he began dragging her through the field, back toward the safety of the shielded helicopter.

Georgia stumbled after him, trying to keep up with the demon's long strides. "Wait! Wait, please, I need to find her mom!"

Mallorn's only response was to tighten his grip on her shoulder as he kept walking toward the helicopter.

"We'll find her later," Georgia whispered to the girl, realizing she wasn't going to win another battle of wills with the pissed-off demon right now. "I promise."

Back at the helicopter, Mallorn didn't release her arm until she was all the way inside. He pointed his axe at her, nostrils flared. "If you move so much as a muscle before Prince Kesh is back, I will personally lop off the spawnling's head and eat her in front of you. Do you understand?"

"Oh, my God," Georgia croaked, nausea filling her gut at the brutal threat. "Don't hurt her. I'll stay. Please."

The demon's eyes softened at her terror, and he let out a deep sigh.

"Look... It brings me no pleasure to scare you, Breeder, but you have no idea what would happen if you got yourself killed out here.

The loss of your life... it would be a tragedy in itself, but the repercussions for the kingdom.

.. If the prince gets a Breeder killed, there'll be an uproar and we'll lose all support.

So, as much as it pains me, my pretty, I'll do what it takes to make sure you stay put.

" He gave the child in her arms a hard look.

Georgia gulped and held the girl tighter. "Okay. You made your point. I won't leave again."

"Good." He gave her a lingering look, then jumped back out of the helicopter. "It'll be much easier to court you without having to traumatize you first."