Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

T hat's what lives in the Rift?

The creature is at least nine feet long and insectoid, with jointed legs protruding from its torso. Huge claws snap the air impatiently, large enough to pinch any one of us in half. It rears up, tiny legs on its underside undulating. I follow the wave of legs as it flows up the creature's body all the way to its gaping maw.

Its head is an amorphous mass of thick shell, with nothing denoting eyes or even ears. Its mouth protrudes forward and rests slightly beneath its head, the jaws opening and closing in three huge segments ringed in jagged fangs.

Terror courses through me, making my hands feel numb, as the thing swings its head like a pendulum before seeming to focus on our group. It skitters forward, only to crash to the ground as another fireball hits it, the flames racing across the creature with a whoosh.

"Take that you Tremors wannabe!" Ben shouts, pumping his fist in the air. His excitement cuts off when the creature lets out a warbling screech and lurches toward us, not seeming to care that it's dragging three of its legs.

"I love your enthusiasm, Ben, but could you please not draw the horror-movie monster to us?" I need to move, to run away, but my feet are frozen in place. Even though the sound of the monster is like a freight train roaring towards us, I can't seem to convince my legs to start moving.

Great, in a fight or flight situation, my body decides to go for option number three; freeze.

"Humans." Asenath growls low in his throat before wrapping an arm around me and tossing me over his shoulder. I brace myself against his back with an indignant sound of protest. He ignores me, his very nimble tail thrashing in annoyance before Ben lands on his other shoulder.

With a huff of irritation, he sprints away from the scampering ‘roid-filled bug, and I damn near wet myself when I see a second one on the other side of the quad. Its shriek of rage is cut off when Dean Hayes launches a huge boulder at its head, ripping off one section of its mandibles in a spray of green slim.

Gross!

We make it to the closest building, Dean Hayes and Mr. Muscles close behind, tossing huge mounds of earth and lightning at the things until they step foot on the smooth stones that make up the walkway encircling the quad. Asenath sets us on our feet, standing close enough at my back that I can feel his thigh brush against my ass. Surprisingly, not only am I not upset at being hoisted like some damsel in distress, but he's a comforting presence behind me.

With a grunt, Mr. Muscles crouches and touches one of the many obsidian stones that sit on the perimeter of the yard. Power swells; a vibrating, prickly feeling that makes my hair stand up. Then, that power rushes outward, the obsidian stones flaring as a hazy light forms around the quad.

"Holy shit, it's an entrapment spell," Ben breathes out beside me. He laces his fingers with mine, his palm warm and just slightly damp with sweat.

"Stare in awe later. Right now, we need to move," Mr. Muscles rumbles.

"Boys, there's an entrance to the tunnels in the Yellow wing right through that breezeway. Professor Gallahan's —" Dean Hayes gets cut off when the first creature slams into the spell, lightning arcing across its shell. Backing away, it shakes its bulbous head before it darts forward again, crashing into the obsidian block.

That's our cue to leave.

Ben squeezes my hand hard enough to hurt as we stumble backward into Asenath. I look up at him, his crimson eyes narrowing as he stares at the massive creatures. His gaze flicks to me and he gives me the barest of nods before he steps around us, striding confidently towards the monsters trying to tear down their cage. I don't know how Dean Hayes will react to fighting monsters alongside a demon, but I guess I'll find out if we survive.

I can't help the giggle that escapes me. Despite his swagger and the power radiating from him, I can't get over the fact that his tail is peeking out from beneath the folds of a sheet dotted with cartoon dicks.

How am I just now realizing which sheet he wrapped around himself? And why has no one else said anything about it?

Ben yanks me backward, and I follow after him as we race down the breezeway to a second quad that makes up the Yellow wing. Our breathing is loud to my ears, even louder than the pounding of our footsteps echoing off the stone. We spill out of the breezeway, almost colliding with each other as we try to remember exactly where Professor Gallahan's office is.

I'm practically hyperventilating by the time we make it to the office, my lungs feeling like they are on fire. Ben isn't much better. He leans against the wall, sucking in gulps of air, his wide eyes meeting mine.

"I think this calls for a weeklong fuck fest," I say with a smirk. Who says a life-and-death fight has to kill my libido? Ben's burst of laughter brings a full smile to my lips, and I can't help but close the distance between us.

"If you touch him, your death will be much slower," a low voice growls out

I jerk around with a curse, my heart in my throat. Jesus, at this rate I'm going to drop dead from adrenaline induced heart exhaustion.

Jacob steps out of the shadows of one of the classrooms, and terror skitters down my spine. Something is very, very wrong. He looks like Jacob, but that feeling of wrongness makes me back away from him, grabbing Ben and pulling him behind me.

Jacob smiles, a stretching of lips that seems to stretch farther than lips should, and it makes my mouth go dry. That smile isn't natural. Isn't human. And neither are his eyes. He stares at us without blinking, head tilting to the side like some marionette whose head no longer connects to its string.

"I told you, Issac, you aren't the prize I'm after," Jacob singsongs before his unblinking eyes focus on Ben.

Ben lets out a quiet whimper, all the bravado and confidence of being a human flamethrower going out the window in the face of whatever the hell is standing in front of us.

Despite fear making me feel like I'm going to choke on my own tongue, I narrow my eyes at Jacob. "I admire your dedication to following your delusions, but I'm afraid that's going to be a no."

Jacob's lips twist into a snarl and he flicks his wrist in our direction. Power lances out, wrapping around my chest and physically tossing me to the side. Ben yells as I slam into the ground, my breath whooshing from my lungs as I land on my back, barely managing to keep the back of my skull from smashing into the pavers.

I force myself to roll to my side, my chest heaving as I try to suck oxygen into my aching lungs. Jacob crowds Ben, stroking a hand up and down one of Ben's arms. His fingers run across Ben's jaw before wrapping around his neck.

Why isn't Ben running?

I see red.

The anger rushes through me as I haul myself to my feet and I can feel my blood pressure spiking. The wild fury brushes against my power, and I can feel the binding spell connecting me to Asenath and Ben flare brightly. I call that power to me, and it comes easily — as easy as the air I'm breathing.

I can practically see the summoning spell in front of me, the magic shifting and swirling into glyphs. The magic pulses through me, little nips of electricity skipping across my skin and standing my hair on end.

Jacob's head whips in my direction, eyes glowing a neon green, like one of the glow sticks I can buy from any outdoor store.

Fuck.

His power hits me like a truck, lifting me off my feet and slamming me into the side of the building. My breath explodes from my lungs, my ribs screaming in agony as Jacob's power holds me a good foot off the ground.

The floating glyphs of the spell flutter and dissipate like so much smoke.

He saunters over to me, his head still doing that weird tilting thing and his lips spread in that uncanny horror-clown rictus. My gaze flicks toward Ben, who's standing frozen where Jacob left him, his own eyes darting wildly.

"Run, Ben," I cough out, but all he does is look at me from the corner of his eye.

"As much as I would love to chase my pet," Jacob gloats with a laugh that's just this side of being maniacal. "I really don't have the time, so he's being a good boy and staying put."

The pressure on my chest increases, making it almost impossible to breathe. It's too difficult for me to concentrate enough to tap into the power that's pulsing right beneath my skin.

"Poor little Issac, thinking he can take what's mine. Entitled little brats should get punished," Jacob coos.

"Why do all this?" I gasp out.

"You were merely a distraction, and you played your part perfectly."

"Issac!" Asenath's voice seems to come from a long way off.

All I can see is the neon green of Jacob's eyes as if through a tunnel. Feel his power as it slithers down my throat, choking me.

The power binding Asenath and Ben to me flares and then Asenath is there, his grip on my shoulders keeping me from sliding down the wall. I suck in a deep breath, my throat on fire and my ribs feeling like someone hit me with a baseball bat.

Asenath stares down at me, his crimson eyes squinted in a mixture of confusion and concern and I can't help a snort of laughter. The expression looks odd on him. It isn't funny, nothing about this situation is funny, but it doesn't stop the giggle bursting out of my lips.

My attention shoots to where Ben is, but find the spot empty. "Ben?" I ask, my voice coming out as a hoarse croak.

"It's just you here." Just me? How can it be just me? Jacob and Ben were here only seconds ago.

Footsteps thunder towards us, Mr. Muscles and Dean Hayes appearing behind Asenath. "Where's Ben?" Dean Hayes asks, looking around.

"Jacob," I say, pushing away from the wall. Asenath's hands drop away, but he stays close to me. His solid presence at my side is comforting and I lean against him, exhaustion making my muscles weak.

Dean Hayes shares a look with Mr. Muscles before turning back to me, her lips pressing into a thin line. "We discovered something concerning Jacob."