Alex 002

Alex 002
With a hold on Thorn, I transported us into a corner of the lobby in the hotel Selma had selected to stay. There were already members of Thorn’s brotherhood in the surveillance room and dotted throughout the hotel waiting for us. I drew in the power that escaped on the transport and then blocked Thorn and our essence. We didn’t want to give away we’d arrived to anyone who was working with Selma.
“You said you didn’t know much about the vampire, but do you think she would sink low enough to work with demons to trap Paige?” I asked as we walked toward the surveillance room, only to come to an abrupt halt. Snapping my hand out, I took hold of Thorn’s arm.
He spun back to me. “What?”
“Magic and—” Doors crashed open. “—demons,” I called over the noise of all different types and sizes of demons rushing into the room snarling, growling. “Ready?”
“Always,” Thorn yelled. His eyes changed to red, while mine shifted to purple as I called my powers forward. Thorn grabbed the guns from his hips and fired at the fast-approaching demons. A lot fell to the floor, but not enough. I swept my hand out, picking up at least ten of them, flinging them into the wall. Bones breaking echoed around the room. My lips moved over a spell, and knives shot out of my palms, aiming at the closest demons.
Thorn’s gun fired over and over until he ran out and threw them to the floor, grabbing two others. I shot off another spell, telling him, “They shouldn’t run out of bullets.”
His grin over his shoulder was wild and wicked since his teeth had sharpened from his ghoul side. “Thanks.” He went back to shooting everything he spotted while I blinded the monsters with a sunshine spell. They screeched and screamed, covering their eyes, giving Thorn more time to shoot a lot of them. When that spell faded, I had another ready. The floor liquefied, and demons sank into it, crying out in surprise. They clawed at the ground once it solidified.
I moved my eyes to the door when another wave of demons crawled, ran, and flew in. They were stronger ones. When a ball of fire flew my way, I swiped it to the side and shot off my own. It hit him, only he smiled as the flames ran over his body.
Fuck.
Since fire didn’t work, I formed a spell for ice and engaged it. The demon’s eyes widened. He dodged right, but I already had another two erupting from my palms. One hit him. He howled in pain and sank to his knees, frosting over.
A hit to my back had me stumbling forward. My back burned. I crafted a spell to heal whatever had me in agony. Pain still laced through me as I turned to see Grace standing there smiling.
“Now,” she yelled, and two other witches stepped up to her sides.
Anger had my feet lifting off the floor, had me spreading my hands, had wild wind whipping around me. My lips moved, but no sound came from them as I locked onto their own spell and broke it apart inch by inch. I managed to glance at Thorn, checking he was okay. His eyes were wide watching me. He wasn’t focused and demons approached.
“Behind you,” I said, my voice hard.
He spun in time to decapitate the two heads off the demon, then sliced another down the middle. He must have lost his guns at some point to be using the swords he’d had strapped to his back.
The witches staggered a step forward, bringing a smile to my face. “You won’t best me,” I told them.
Grace’s brow dipped in concentration. She changed up her spell, and I quickly countered it with my own alteration, using my hands in the air, drawing patterns and swirls.
Grace let out an agitated scream.
“Where is Selma?” I demanded.
Grace swiped at her forehead and laughed. “Not here.” She smiled. “She was never here,” she said, her voice different.
“That’s Selma’s voice,” Thorn called. He leaped to the other side of me and attacked the demons there, his blade effortlessly cutting through an acid ball shot his way.
“Do you know where Selma is?” I asked.
“She had other orders,” a new voice said. A man stepped out of a darkened corner. He licked his lips, his eyes glowing red. “You have delicious power.” He looked at Grace. “I want them both.”
“The mage is strong—”
“You promised to make it happen,” the demon roared.
Grace frowned and nodded.
The demon smiled and gazed up at me. “I’ll be seeing and playing with you both soon.” His eyes shifted to the others in the room. “Those who drag them down into Hell will be rewarded.” Then he vanished.
Grace cried out. A fog floated up around her, and she laughed maniacally.
Jesus, she was gaining more power.
“You don’t have to do this,” I told Grace.
“I feel amazing.” She smiled, then pulled the witch to her left close and sliced her throat open. Grace’s lips moved. She grabbed the other screaming witch and stabbed her in the heart.