Dragon Awakened(39)

Then all hell broke loose.

The first demon launched at her, the others following. Cyn shoved her to the side and Catalyzed. She hit the floor as Glesenda, already a deep yellow Dragon, blocked another demon. Ruby’s Dragon strained to be released, and then she Catalyzed. Power surged through her, along with a general pissed-offedness. Like hell they were going to keep her out of the fight when the damned things wanted her.

A smack drew her attention to a demon flying through the air right past her. It hit the wall and slid down, grimacing in pain. Then it jumped back to its feet, no worse for wear. Cyn’s Dragon sent a burst of black smoke at the horrid thing. It dodged it, then reached for Cyn with its unearthly long arms. Cyn shot it again, the smoke like an arrow this time. The damned demon was fast, but not fast enough. Spike after spike lanced the demon’s shoulder, its leg, and finally plunged into what might have been its heart. It dropped to its knees where a final arrow disintegrated the creature.

Fight. Kill.

Would she ever get used to hearing a separate entity inside her?

The harbinger still looked like an old man, but it sure didn’t act like one. It leaped high into the air, aimed at her. Claws sprouted from the toes of its bare feet, claws that slashed down her scales. She bumped it, sending it skidding across the floor. It darted for her tail, and she remembered how the demon in the library had gotten hold of Cyn’s neck by skittering up his back. She lashed just as it reached her tail, leaving a welt across its face.

It lifted its upper lip, revealing an even set of pointed teeth. She sent a blast of fiery Breath at it, burning off its clothes and pushing it back. Before it circled back to her, she flicked a glance at Cyn, who was facing off with another demon. He lunged, his fangs cutting into the demon’s shoulder. It screamed and shot away, dark red blood pouring from the wound. Immediately it readied itself to attack again.

The third demon jumped on Glesenda. She whipped her spiked tail up and lanced it as it scurried along her back. It screamed, falling to the floor where it gained its footing and darted forward to bite Glesenda’s leg.

Ruby’s focus shifted back to the singed harbinger, its mouth curled in a macabre smile. Naked, it looked less human and more demonic. Its corded thigh muscles tightened as it readied to launch at her.

Ruby acted first, charging with her teeth bared. It stood defiantly until a second before she would make contact. Anticipating that it would dart to the right, she changed direction. Her teeth connected with flesh. It howled in pain. Before she could go for another attack, its rubbery fingers clamped her snout closed. She jerked her head back and forth, but the thing clung like a leech. Even crushing the demon between her and the wall didn’t dislodge it, though the attempt gave her a screaming headache.

The harbinger’s claws slipped beneath her scales, stabbing her flesh. A roar bellowed out of her, pain and rage, and this time she slammed the thing against the unpadded door. It fell to the floor, and she bashed her hand down on it. Her talons sank into its flesh all the way through to the floor. It screeched and wriggled and then bit her wrist so hard that she had to pull back as pain radiated up her arm. The demon bounded to its feet again.

Damn it, they were as hard to kill as cockroaches. A black arrow streamed past her to the demon, which dodged it by a hair. Cyn’s arrow hit the wall and left a seared mark that smoked. The demon raised its hands, razor-sharp talons ready to slice. Its eyes shifted from her to Cyn, who had come up beside her. She heard Glesenda still fighting but didn’t dare take her attention from the demon in front of her.

“Ruby, back up. I’ll handle this one.”

I want it.

Her Dragon took over, lunging at the demon. Her fangs sank into flesh. Its claws ripped the delicate skin around her nostrils. Warm blood gushed down her mouth and tasted of copper. Her blood. She fought through the pain, tearing into the demon, hardly able to hold on to her own creature.

“Damn it, Ruby!”

His long, elegant neck flashed in front of her, and then his gleaming white fangs as he snapped the demon into two pieces. Its eyes widened in shock at the dark blood pouring out of the lower half of its battered body. It fell to the floor and disintegrated.

She felt blood pouring from her nose and the sting of a hundred razor blade cuts. Her Dragon’s rage at Cyn, for taking her kill, suffused her more than the pain. Was the red she saw her blood or her rage?

“Get control, Ruby,” he said in a low voice, his fiery eyes holding her gaze.

The bucking horse threatened to explode into a frenzy.

Back down!

She fought it, pulling the reins. Her Dragon started to throw her soul back, as it had in Cyn’s room, and she struggled to overpower it.