Rane’s Mate(51)

The werewolf turned and placed another knife in her hand and then ran for a demon’s head. The small demon was still stalking her and she chanced a quick look around for help, but everyone was fighting a demon.

Faith and Kane had three circling them. Rane and her brothers had five and they weren’t doing so good. Jack and Della were currently surrounded by eight demons.

She groaned, straightening her shoulders and telling herself to suck it up because she had to help the others. She could do this. She took another glance around then roared, attacking the small demon, slashing and twirling. Her height actually came in handy as she could sneak under things. She jumped on his body and stabbed his chest, moving the knife around until she found his heart. He clawed at her back until she heard the pop, then his heart froze, and she shattered it into a million pieces.

Two minions came out of a room, and she ordered them to “Kill demons, kill demons, take off their heads. Help me take off their heads.”

They attacked the demons. Kirby could hear the demons were trying to change her orders, but it was too late. She finished the demon and turned to help the wolf who had given her the new knife. She then turned her focus on Rane and her brothers. Hayden was barely standing, and both Rane and Logan were covered in blood and cuts.

Kirby ran, jumping over bodies, and continued to tell the minions to kill the demons. She pointed to the ones she wanted, ordering them to “Kill them, get their heads, kill them.”

Kirby reached her brothers just as Hayden fell to the floor. She screamed as the demon was about the rip Hayden’s head off. Kirby barreled onto Hayden, and he helped her gain her balance as she was slashed across the back by the demon’s sharp claws. Rane heard her scream, which only seemed to make him angrier and give him a second wind.

Kirby ran under hands and climbed up the front of the demon while two minions were being killed. She stabbed the demon’s heart as his tail stabbed her in the leg. It was still embedded as she turned, but Hayden cut if off. Hayden was white and barely alive.

Calling to any leftover minions, Kirby told them, “Come now, kill the demons.”

Six flew in and went straight for the demons surrounding her.

She repeated her orders again and again. “Chop off their heads, kill them.”

Kirby went for one of the two demons going for Logan, who didn’t look in much better condition than Hayden. She turned as a werewolf woman came in the door with fifteen other werewolves and roared. The female werewolf went straight to Hayden, finishing off the demon that was about to pick Hayden up.

Kirby was so shocked she lost her concentration and the minions changed directions, going for them again. She shook her head as Logan of all people yelled, “Focus, Kirby, focus.”

She turned back and chanted, “Kill the demons, go for their heads.”

Running for her brother, she swerved around one demon’s tail, chopping it off as it tried to wrap around her leg. Another demon’s tail came around her arm, embedding into her. She moaned as she cut it off, pulling the arrow head out and climbing on the closest demon’s back, all the time still chanting to the minions.

Kirby knew she was tiring because she started to feel the demons’ thoughts through the mind link she had with the minions. The demons were whispering in her head, telling her to kill the werewolves and other nasty things that they wanted to do to her.

Finally reaching the top of the demon’s back, she hugged his neck and pulled the knife toward her, screaming as she fell to the floor. Crawling over to the other demon, she went through the whole process again of climbing up his back. She was exhausted and it was slippery now as blood covered her body. Kirby slipped and was dangling off the demon’s back. Rane roared as he came up to her, which helped give her renewed strength, and she climbed the last bit up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her arms with the knives in them toward her.

Kirby fell to the floor onto the dead bodies of thousands of minions and demons. She crawled over to Logan who was now leaning against the wall. No, it wasn’t a wall, it was a door. Her brother groaned and slowly, together, they opened it and stared in shock at a small room where four children were huddled together, hiding in the furthest corner—two boys and two girls, ranging she guessed from the ages of three to eight. Four bowls sat on the opposite side of the room that smelled of feces and urine. Kirby choked on a sob as she took a deep breath, stood up straight, which was extremely painful, and dropped the knives that were in her hands.

Kirby held her hands up in the universal sign of surrender. She knew her voice was rough from yelling and she must look like feral. Sighing in relief as a big, beautiful tree bark wolf who she knew was Rane came up next to her, she rested her hand on him, using him to hold her up, as she said, “Hi there. I won’t hurt you, I promise. All of the monsters are dead, they’re gone now. They can’t hurt you again. My name is Kirby. My friends and I came here to help you. We’re going to take you somewhere safe where there is plenty of water and food.” One of the kids perked up so she continued on. “There is sunshine up there. I’m going to take you out of here. I promise I won’t hurt you.”