Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark #2)(69)
Author: Gena Showalter

“No. That’s not how this will go down.” He flashed to the girls, dislodging Sirena as he covered both humans with his own body. The serps immediately bounded into action, exhaling their toxin before sinking fangs into his arms.

A burning in his veins, a release of the venom.

The moment the creatures pulled back, intending to make another play, he tossed both females at Axel, as planned. The angel’s wings whipped out, and he darted into the air, leaving Koldo alone with a horde of enraged Nefas.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE done that,” Nox said, reaching up to grab the hilt of a sword he’d strapped to his back. “I was willing to be nice. Now, not so much.”

Sirena withdrew two short swords.

The four Nefas warriors dropped their food and withdrew guns.

Lefty and Righty unsheathed their claws.

“We should take this somewhere private,” Koldo said.

One word from his father. “No.”

Very well, then. Koldo extended his arm and summoned the sword of fire. The flames burst forth, a mix of yellow and blue, crackling. He would be battling his enemies in both the natural and the spiritual realms. It wasn’t ideal, but it also wasn’t impossible.

Most of the humans in the park gasped at the display of aggression and weaponry. Some ran. Some sat down as if they were about to be entertained with an after-dinner theater performance.

The Nefas flashed to Koldo’s sides as the demons converged. He swung the sword left and right in quick succession, going for his father first, but the male flashed a few feet away to avoid being hit. At the same time, the others lashed out at him. He dodged one, two, three, but not the rest, and took the impact in his arm, side and leg.

A bullet grazed his shoulder. A sharp sting caused him to hiss. Bleeding, he flashed behind Nox, and swung his sword. But his father sensed him and also flashed, leaving three of his men vulnerable. The sword slicked through their bodies. Two of the Nefas went down face-first, dead. The other whipped around as he fell and squeezed off another shot. This time, Koldo flashed before the bullets could nail him.

Lefty realized he was close enough to strike and swung, his wing slicing out, reaching…missing. Koldo flashed to the other side, struck—decapitating a Nefas. But Lefty and Righty were familiar with his brand of fighting and anticipated his landing.

The moment he was busy swinging his sword at someone else, they flew up and over, kicking him in the face. He stumbled backward. A chorus of “ooh” and “aah” erupted from the growing crowd.

Sirena flashed behind him, catching him before he could straighten, but rather than stab him, as he expected, she pressed her body against his, and dug her nails into his neck. Nails that seemed to leak a boiling liquid straight into his veins. Her grip was strong. Impossibly strong.

Hot breath fanned over his skin as she said, “I’m going to relish cutting your female to ribbons and sucking out her soul.” She jumped up to lick his cheek with a long, hot stroke. “You’re mine, and don’t you ever forget it.”

As she spoke, the serps wrapped their tails around his ankles and jerked. He slammed his elbow backward, drilling Sirena in the stomach as he fell. They both went down. As breath exploded from her in a pained rush, he tried to turn, determined to end her. But the demons still locked around his ankles gave a vicious tug, and he skidded away.

Lefty and Righty were there, kicking and punching at him. All the while, the remaining Nefas flashed in and out, punching and vanishing, punching and vanishing. Sharp stings erupted over every inch of him. He rolled over, and the demons clawed at him as he tried to sit up. He let them, wanting them close enough for contact—with his weapon. They scratched and bit at him, lost to their need for revenge, unaware he was raising his sword of fire.

He killed three before Sirena regained her composure and approached him alongside Nox. But when Sirena raised her arm, as if to strike him, putting herself in harm’s way, Nox shoved his daughter out of the way. She slammed into the two demons approaching his other side, the three tumbling to the ground, away from the strike of Koldo’s sword. Still Koldo carved through the demons at his feet. Fetid steam rose, and black blood spilled. The grass sizzled.

A booted foot propelled into his side. Nox’s.

He rolled to avoid another kick, and saw a glint of metal in the corner of his eye. One of the Nefas was lifting a sword, preparing to behead him. Again, Koldo rolled, the tip of the weapon slamming into the dirt, dark grains flying in every direction. He flashed to a stand a few feet away, just behind his father. He swung, and the fiery tip slicked just above Nox’s shoulder, headed for his heart, before the male flashed away.

A whoosh of wings penetrated his ears, followed by another. Malcolm and Magnus landed a few feet away from him, Jamila behind them. Grunts began to split the air. Metal slammed against burning metal, clanging. Koldo spun, and saw that the Sent Ones were engaged in a fierce battle. Malcolm and a Nefas. Magnus and a Nefas. Jamila and Sirena. The Nefas could have flashed away for good, but Koldo knew their mind-set. Knew they liked to remain in a battle as long as possible, inflicting as much damage as they could, only leaving at the threat of death.

The serps were in the process of slithering away as quickly as possible.

Nox hadn’t returned.

Malcolm attacked with hands gloved in spiked metal. The Nefas warrior he fought had leaking holes all over his body. The male staggered backward, and Malcolm eagerly chased. But Magnus beat his brother to the prize and used a whip to decapitate the creature before he could flash away.

The two nodded at each other in a job well done.

Jamila was obviously weaker than Sirena, and was tripping more than she was swinging. Koldo pulled a dagger from an air pocket and flashed behind his sister—his sister!—and grabbed her just as she had grabbed him.

He lifted the weapon, determined to plunge it deep. He wouldn’t waste time with threats. Growling with frustration and rage, Sirena performed her final flash before he could strike. The only other remaining Nefas disappeared a second later.

The sound of police sirens caught Koldo’s attention.

The crowd looked around, their smiles giving way to frowns. The clapping tapered off as the onlookers realized the authorities wouldn’t have come for a performance.

Acting quickly, Koldo and the other Sent Ones picked up the pieces of the deceased and tossed them into air pockets, then stepped into the spiritual realm. As policemen rushed into the area, the crowd bolted with confusion, and the Sent Ones faced each other.