The Power
Page 50
So I toyed with them. Pure daimons I took out with a dagger quickly, but I waited for the halfs that were turned—the ones who were trained Guards and Sentinels. They knew how to fight. I went hand-to-hand with them, exchanging blows until each punch started knocking around the bitter emotions gnawing away at my heart. Every so often I caught a burst of power—Alex or Aiden using the elements—and each small surge of energy fueled me.
I turned, coming face to face with a female half with blood smeared across her mouth. One eye was gouged out, probably from coming face to face with another Sentinel. Real attractive.
Grinning, I lowered the daggers.
The half daimon opened her mouth just as blood burst from her chest. The pointed end of a Covenant dagger appeared and then retracted, and the half daimon dropped.
Solos stood behind her. Scratches cut deep into his left cheek. “Sorry. I owed her that.” He gestured at his cheek with the bloody end of the dagger. “Not looking to have a matching set.”
“No doubt.” Wiping my arm across my forehead, I glanced down at my chest. Flecks of blood covered me. “What the hell happened?”
“That cell outside of Rapid City grew—shit.” Solos dipped down as a daimon launched itself at him. He rose, slamming the dagger up. “As I was saying,” he said, shaking out his damp hair. “Fucking pure Guards couldn’t tell when they came to the gate—they were turned Sentinels. Let them right in and then the rest came out of the woods.”
Over his shoulder, Alex delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking the teeth out of one of the daimons. “What about the outer walls?”
“Overrun.” He grunted, catching a daimon and tossing him my way. “Complete loss, man. Complete loss.”
Catching the daimon with one hand on the shoulder, I introduced chest to dagger. Glitter bomb ensued.
“Oh, shit,” Solos said.
I lifted my head, unable to figure out his expression as he wiped at the blood on his face with the back of his hand. Yanking the dagger out, I spun around and jerked to a stop. Nearly fell the fuck over. No way. My fucking eyes were deceiving me, because there was no way Josie was standing right in front of me.
Josie
My grip tightened on the dagger I’d picked up from the . . . the man in white. The man who lay unmoving on the ground with his throat absolutely ripped apart. I could see his trachea. I didn’t even know what a trachea looked like, but I was pretty sure I could see it. Or his larynx. It had only been after I walked past him that I realized he had daggers and I needed daggers.
I felt bad poaching the dagger from him, but it was heavy and warm in my hand as I forced myself forward, knowing I was making the right choice. I was not a weakness that needed to be hidden away.
I was a mother-freaking demigod.
Like a real demigod, not a ready-made microwave dinner like Alex and Aiden. I was, like, a casserole that took all day to be slow-cooked in a Crock-Pot kind of demigod.
I could fight.
I was not weak.
I could hold my own.
As I stared at the bodies on the ground, some moving or crawling, and some with the pallor of death seeping into their skin, I wasn’t entirely sure this was wise, because I . . . I’d never seen anything like this. It was a war zone. Shouts rattled my bones. The metallic scent of blood mingled with smoke. Cries followed my footsteps as my heart pounded.
This wasn’t training. This was real. This was what these people lived under the threat of.
Smoke plumed from burnt patches in the soil. I could see Alex and Aiden, fighting side by side, a dynamic duo—an extremely attractive and agile dynamic duo—and further up, there was a half-naked Seth, standing beside Solos. I twisted to the right, my heart stuttering in my chest. Something stared at me.
Something as white as a sheet of paper, with all-black eyes and teeth that looked like they belonged on a demonic dog.
Holy crap, what in the hell was that? I stumbled back out of surprise and then understanding struck me. A daimon—holy crap, that’s what a pure-blooded daimon looked like! I could see a daimon for what it was now, and oh my gods, they were not pretty.
It sniffed the air like a dog, legs tensing. Then the thing launched off the ground like it had rockets under its feet, coming right at me.
Darting to the side, I spun around as its bare feet kicked up loose soil and dirt. The thing twisted and shot toward me.
This isn’t training. This isn’t training.
Air froze in my lungs as I planted my left leg behind me. I’m not weak. The daimon landed right in front of me. I can hold my own. I sprang forward, using my back leg to propel me. Pulse pounding, I held tight onto the dagger as I whipped around the daimon. Our arms brushed, and I dipped down, swiping out with my legs.
The daimon went down, sprawling onto its back as I popped up. Instinct took over, and I raised the dagger. I didn’t think as I brought it down, slamming it into the chest. The dagger went through the torn shirt and into the chest cavity as if the daimon’s skin was made of water. There was little or no effort behind it. I couldn’t believe it. The dagger went clean through, nearly to the ground.
It jerked, back bowing, and then imploded in a shower of glittering dust. It happened so fast I nearly fell forward, catching my balance before I stumbled through whatever was left of the daimon.
“Holy crap,” I whispered, and then coughed out a startled laugh. I did it. I totally did it, and Seth—he thought I couldn’t do this, take out a daimon. But I did it!
Empowered by my proven badassery, I headed toward the group, where they were still fighting the remaining daimons. Seth took out a daimon, and like the one I got, it exploded into a strange shimmer. My gaze connected with Solos’s.
I turned, coming face to face with a female half with blood smeared across her mouth. One eye was gouged out, probably from coming face to face with another Sentinel. Real attractive.
Grinning, I lowered the daggers.
The half daimon opened her mouth just as blood burst from her chest. The pointed end of a Covenant dagger appeared and then retracted, and the half daimon dropped.
Solos stood behind her. Scratches cut deep into his left cheek. “Sorry. I owed her that.” He gestured at his cheek with the bloody end of the dagger. “Not looking to have a matching set.”
“No doubt.” Wiping my arm across my forehead, I glanced down at my chest. Flecks of blood covered me. “What the hell happened?”
“That cell outside of Rapid City grew—shit.” Solos dipped down as a daimon launched itself at him. He rose, slamming the dagger up. “As I was saying,” he said, shaking out his damp hair. “Fucking pure Guards couldn’t tell when they came to the gate—they were turned Sentinels. Let them right in and then the rest came out of the woods.”
Over his shoulder, Alex delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking the teeth out of one of the daimons. “What about the outer walls?”
“Overrun.” He grunted, catching a daimon and tossing him my way. “Complete loss, man. Complete loss.”
Catching the daimon with one hand on the shoulder, I introduced chest to dagger. Glitter bomb ensued.
“Oh, shit,” Solos said.
I lifted my head, unable to figure out his expression as he wiped at the blood on his face with the back of his hand. Yanking the dagger out, I spun around and jerked to a stop. Nearly fell the fuck over. No way. My fucking eyes were deceiving me, because there was no way Josie was standing right in front of me.
Josie
My grip tightened on the dagger I’d picked up from the . . . the man in white. The man who lay unmoving on the ground with his throat absolutely ripped apart. I could see his trachea. I didn’t even know what a trachea looked like, but I was pretty sure I could see it. Or his larynx. It had only been after I walked past him that I realized he had daggers and I needed daggers.
I felt bad poaching the dagger from him, but it was heavy and warm in my hand as I forced myself forward, knowing I was making the right choice. I was not a weakness that needed to be hidden away.
I was a mother-freaking demigod.
Like a real demigod, not a ready-made microwave dinner like Alex and Aiden. I was, like, a casserole that took all day to be slow-cooked in a Crock-Pot kind of demigod.
I could fight.
I was not weak.
I could hold my own.
As I stared at the bodies on the ground, some moving or crawling, and some with the pallor of death seeping into their skin, I wasn’t entirely sure this was wise, because I . . . I’d never seen anything like this. It was a war zone. Shouts rattled my bones. The metallic scent of blood mingled with smoke. Cries followed my footsteps as my heart pounded.
This wasn’t training. This was real. This was what these people lived under the threat of.
Smoke plumed from burnt patches in the soil. I could see Alex and Aiden, fighting side by side, a dynamic duo—an extremely attractive and agile dynamic duo—and further up, there was a half-naked Seth, standing beside Solos. I twisted to the right, my heart stuttering in my chest. Something stared at me.
Something as white as a sheet of paper, with all-black eyes and teeth that looked like they belonged on a demonic dog.
Holy crap, what in the hell was that? I stumbled back out of surprise and then understanding struck me. A daimon—holy crap, that’s what a pure-blooded daimon looked like! I could see a daimon for what it was now, and oh my gods, they were not pretty.
It sniffed the air like a dog, legs tensing. Then the thing launched off the ground like it had rockets under its feet, coming right at me.
Darting to the side, I spun around as its bare feet kicked up loose soil and dirt. The thing twisted and shot toward me.
This isn’t training. This isn’t training.
Air froze in my lungs as I planted my left leg behind me. I’m not weak. The daimon landed right in front of me. I can hold my own. I sprang forward, using my back leg to propel me. Pulse pounding, I held tight onto the dagger as I whipped around the daimon. Our arms brushed, and I dipped down, swiping out with my legs.
The daimon went down, sprawling onto its back as I popped up. Instinct took over, and I raised the dagger. I didn’t think as I brought it down, slamming it into the chest. The dagger went through the torn shirt and into the chest cavity as if the daimon’s skin was made of water. There was little or no effort behind it. I couldn’t believe it. The dagger went clean through, nearly to the ground.
It jerked, back bowing, and then imploded in a shower of glittering dust. It happened so fast I nearly fell forward, catching my balance before I stumbled through whatever was left of the daimon.
“Holy crap,” I whispered, and then coughed out a startled laugh. I did it. I totally did it, and Seth—he thought I couldn’t do this, take out a daimon. But I did it!
Empowered by my proven badassery, I headed toward the group, where they were still fighting the remaining daimons. Seth took out a daimon, and like the one I got, it exploded into a strange shimmer. My gaze connected with Solos’s.
