Chapter 208 Chapter 208
His reaction drove the other demons to act. Wild magic surged around her, overwhelming her with its intensity. She had never experienced so many demons using their destructive magic at the same time—it was like a bomb that had gone off next to her, and had she been standing, she would have probably been knocked off her feet. The devastating wave of elemental magic shot past her and Maxwell, targeting the area near the windows.
A terrifying screeching reached her ears, followed by howls and snarls. Her pulse raced when she tried to see what was happening, sitting up with Maxwell hovering over her. The scene she lay eyes on caused bile to rise in her throat. A large group of low-class fire demons attempted to enter the house from all sides. They were like a hungry pack of wolves, coming in all shapes and sizes. Some reminded Valerie of hyenas, others looked more like dogs or even reptiles. They shared one similarity—their bodies were on fire, burning brightly. The orange and blue flames looked bizarre in the darkness of hell, illuminating its eternal blackness.
Valerie didn’t see Mason among the low-class demons, but she knew that he was behind this ambush. He was probably waiting for the right moment to strike, and since he had caught them off guard, the advantage was on his side.
“Stay close to me,” Maxwell told her when he pulled her up and took her wrist to lead her away from the shattered windows. The army of fire demons tried to pour into the house, their flames flickering over the window sills.
Liam and Brian did all they could to keep the angry flames under control, their magic being the most effective against fire. Vaughn used his wind to steer the hot smoke away from them while Shawn had no other choice but to fight fire with fire. Whenever his magic collided with a demon, the sheer force of the impact hurled it back. That way, he was able to prevent some of their enemies from entering Maxwell’s home—but not all of them. Several monsters slipped past him, Liam and Brian, and were met with Benjamin’s, Nicholas Clarke’s, and Xander’s combined forces. Wade’s thunder lit up the room as it crashed into a fire demon. A horribly loud screeching followed his attack, and the fire demon quickly retaliated.
Within minutes, the living room had turned into a chaotic mess. The furniture was destroyed, some walls were charred, and the door leading to the hallway had been knocked down from the other side. The demons had invaded the entire house. There was no place to hide.
Maxwell’s light magic tore through a demon that tried to snap at him, turning it to ashes. His ruby eyes constantly flitted around the room. He was on high alert and ready to defend her and himself at any given moment. Valerie couldn’t say how relieved she was that he was with her—the situation scared her since she knew that she wasn’t exactly a good match for a group of vicious fire demons.
The unnatural heat that built within the living room was hard to bear. Hot sparks exploded next to her when her magic cut into a demon that had tried to sneak up on her. Its beady eyes stared at her, greed and bloodlust reflecting within their black depths. She summoned more light in her palms and shot another powerful beam at it. The fire demon didn’t survive—it was turned into smithereens, leaving only ashes behind.
“We shouldn’t stay in this room,” Maxwell said when more demons entered through the windows. The situation became too hard to control, and too many fire demons managed to get near her. He didn’t like that at all.
Liam heard his words and agreed with him. “Retreat into the hallway. We’ll distract them for you,” he shouted as he continued to douse the flames with his water. He did all he could to prevent the entire house from catching fire. Steam rose and mixed with the smoke.
Maxwell took her wrist and pulled her along into the hallway. They left the chaos of the living room behind, but even here, they encountered fire demons that had found other ways into the house. A hyena jumped out of the bedroom, snapping at Valerie’s leg.
Light engulfed her and drove the monster back. Maxwell snarled, his rage consuming him. His body exuded red light that flickered ominously as he intercepted the demon when it advanced once more. It didn’t get close to her before it got speared by a beam of light. The screech it let out as it died drew the attention of other enemies nearby.
“Shit, what now?” Valerie hissed and looked around for a possible escape route.
“We need to find out where Mason is hiding,” Maxwell muttered as he led her into the nearby bedroom. “He incited these demons to attack us, so he must be close.”
“It won’t stop until we find him,” she concluded with dread. Remembering the fire demon made her tremble in horror. She recalled the desperation she had felt upon facing him all alone. The sight of the flames covering his entire body had been terrifying. She wanted to forget about it, but it was burned into her mind. It had been unbearably hot and painful to be trapped by flames within her own home.
With her rising fear, she sensed Maxwell’s rising fury. The demon was about to burst with rage, and even to her, his expression looked ferocious. Wrath brimmed in his eyes. His pupils had shrunken to the size of a needle, and his silver chain reflected the light his hands emitted. The sinister sensation of his bloodlust seeped into her heart through their bond—it used to scare her, but not anymore. She’d long since accepted every part of him, be it the positive or the negative.
Suddenly, Maxwell shoved her, making her fall with a strangled cry. She landed on the ground with him next to her. A ball of hot blue fire had crashed into the ground where they had been standing just seconds ago. Wide-eyed, she stared at it and quickly got up. Maxwell stepped in front of her and blocked her view. She knew exactly who had attacked them since she would recognize his fire magic anywhere.
“Mason,” Maxwell snapped.
Mason’s lips formed a smirk as he jumped through the shattered window and entered the bedroom. He was accompanied by two more demons that appeared like panthers, set ablaze by their fire magic.
“Did you miss me?” he mocked and tilted his head. His eyes moved from Maxwell to Valerie. “It’s unfortunate you survived this far. I rarely have to take care of problems myself. Consider yourselves lucky.”