Chapter 28
Dinah was screaming. "I won't do it! No!"
I pulled the trigger and she jerked in my hand, sending the bullet to the left of my head, skimming my skull.
Eligor's voice whispered in my mind. Make good choices. Better than those I made.
"He's gone, the demon is gone!" Dinah screamed. "Don't you fucking pull that trigger!"
Bazixal was gone?
I opened my eyes. Eligor was gone. Gardreel was losing his shit, his face twisted with rage even as his body morphed into that of one of the monstrous fallen. Arms ripped out of his sides, and his body cracked and reformed at different joints.
"I will end you!" he bellowed.
I rolled to my back as a gun was slid across the floor to me. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the gun with my right hand, pulled every ounce of fire I had in me, and sent it down my arm as I squeezed the trigger.
I expected a concussion.
I did not expect an explosion of light and magic. Flames, white hot edging on blue, ripped out of me, connected to the gun, and shot a beam of power straight into Gardreel. His legs and arms flung wide, cracks burst through his skin, and he screamed as his body was torn apart, piece by piece.
The silver strands of other fallen fled his body as he broke apart. That was his source of power. He consumed the other fallen's energy.
I took a breath and the world imploded around me. I was flung backward, felt a bone snap in my leg. Smoke and flames, the house shook. It was like the world was coming to an end. Maybe it was. Maybe we hadn't been quick enough.
Someone grabbed at my hands, pulling me out of the house. A set of teeth were on my good ankle. Then another set of hands.
I was flipped unceremoniously over someone's shoulder, and we were running away from the house.
"Put me down," I rasped out.
"Not yet, lass." Killian didn't sound good, and I wiggled until he was forced to put me down. Emerald was there, right with us and . . . Ruby. She limped along, blood all over her steel gray coat. But she was there, alive. Killian had blood dripping down his face, but there was something else. No time to think on it.
I turned as the house imploded in on itself in a flash bang of epic proportions. I shaded my eyes as the mushroom cloud lifted up and out, consuming the area. "Easter."
"She went out the back with Cowboy," Killian said. "We have to keep going."
"Why?"
The gun in my right hand shivered. "Because that kind of power released was a bit much, between the two of us, and it's wiping out the fallen left and right. And when they go . . ."
The ground trembled. "Right, cracks straight to hell." I got moving, jogging along, away from the site of so . . . so much shit.
We ran, but we were slow. Too slow.
A fallen literally fell at our feet and the ground heaved. He clawed at me. "Forgive me!"
I tried to untangle myself from him, tried to get free. "Go, go!" I yelled at Killian.
"No, lass. Not this time." He held tight to me and kept steady when the fallen tried to pull me down with him. Of course, an opening to the demon realm gave someone another shot at me.
Bazixal reached through. "You're mine!"
Easter was yelling for us in the distance. I saw her try to reach us with her magic. But it was too late.
I grabbed hold of Killian, and he grabbed Emerald. Ruby stuffed herself between us and I let my fire loose. It was the only hope we had of escaping.
But as the flames rose around us, I knew only one thing.
We were too late.