The Demon Within (A PeaceKeeper Novel Book 1)(42)

"Thanks."

Caly smirked, giving her a jaunty salute. "No problem."

Despite her wound, Brie kicked the blade, sending it spinning back through the air and into the flesh of another demon who tried to sneak up on them.

The two girls grinned as if playing a game; one as bad as the other. "Watch your backs." Ruman spoke through tightly clenched teeth, snagging the back of a shirt as a demon streaked toward Caly, jerking the creature off its feet and slamming him into the ground.

Caly grunted, and dispatched the small demon in front of her. "I thought that was why you were here."

Ruman marched toward Caly, ready to wring her neck. A kick sent the demon in front of him sailing through the air. Never once did he take his gaze off her form. Beneath the haze of worry, he saw her as she was born to be.

Each movement was smooth, much like a dancer. She was efficient, no wasted energy. Beauty in motion. Similar to Brie, she easily dispatched the nearest demon. But she was human, she was vulnerable.

In a leap, he tackled a demon that slunk close to the floor, trying to inch up while Caly had her back turned. The demon shifted under him and melted away. Unwilling to give up his prey, Ruman slammed the body hard against the tiles.

The creature shimmered and reformed, shrieking loud enough to ring his ears. Vicious claws struck out. Without a weapon, his only way to kill the creature was by ripping him apart.

Then he saw the metal blade Brie had kicked a few feet in the distance. He stretched, his muscles burned. His fingers touched the pommel, pushing it further away. He grabbed for it again, managing to palm the knife.

Although his flesh didn't dissolve, the metal withered his hand. He struck fast, praying he had the strength to penetrate the demon's tough hide.

The blade lodged in the demon's chest, deep enough to annoy but not kill. The creature hissed, his teeth elongating, snapping at Ruman's face. Great globs of spit flew, and the rotten breath choked him.

"Need help?" David's feet came into view.

"I got it." Ruman twisted the blade, scraping along the ribs before it sank deep, reducing the demon to ash.

With a heavy thump, Ruman hit the ground hard enough to lose his breath. The blade he held clattered next to him. Cradling his hand, Ruman rolled to his back and faced his unexpected ally.

The cavalry has arrived. A movement drew his eye.

"Behind you." Ruman yanked David's legs out from under him, barely saving him from being beheaded. Ruman vaulted to his feet. Like the others, the demon looked human enough to pass, but underneath where the rage simmered, Ruman could see the creature's face waver, contorting with hatred. The body grew round, appearing bloated and waxy, almost like the creature had stood too close to a fire and melted.

Ruman grabbed the creature's arm and twisted his body, tossing the massive blob over his shoulder. The demon squealed when he landed on the spear David held. In a puff of gray dust, the demon disintegrated. David blinked in surprise, spitting out a mouthful of powder. Ruman extended his hand, silently helping him to his feet.                       
       
           



       

The second team poured into the building and some of the anxiety that churned in Ruman's gut eased. The overwhelming odds seemed a little more manageable. He might be able to get Caly out of this alive yet.

Desperate to find her in the commotion, he plunged into the fray. A sharp sting on his arm and a fierce burning jerked him around to face the new threat. Four light lines crossed his upper shoulder. The only thing that prevented the claws from cleaving him down to the bone was Caly.

She stood with her back to him, fighting a djinn three times her size.

Protecting him.

And losing. A particularly nasty blow rocked her back a foot, but she didn't go down.

The demon looked at him and snarled, sensing his prey was about to be snatched away. Before Ruman could reach him, the image shimmered and contorted in a grotesque display of muscle and bone. A large gray wolf materialized, its fur matted and missing in spots, teeth yellow. From the feral look of the beast, he would guess a ghoul, a malicious species of djinn who normally frequented the Valley of Death and delighted in dining on flesh. One of the few demons who could transform into something else without a host.

The animal's muscles bunched, those beady eyes aimed at Caly with a single mindedness that wouldn't be denied. Caly braced herself. Acting instinctively, Ruman leapt forward, taking the brunt of the weight intended to snap Caly's neck.

Fangs pierce his shoulder, muscles shredded under its powerful jaws. Nausea rose and he gritted his teeth. It was all he could do to contain the creature's massive claws as the wolf's teeth tore into his flesh.

In seconds, the ghoul disappeared. Grains of fine powder drifted over him, leaving Ruman clutching air and staring at Caly's beautiful face. Chest heaving, he sucked in a sharp breath and inhaled a mouthful of bittersweet sand. He hacked, clutching his shoulder as agony tore through him.

"You alright?"

Ruman saw her concern and waved her away. If Caly thought he was injured, she'd try to protect him, even if it cost her.

Caly waved her knife in salute and spun away. The recklessness he feared manifested itself in the way she threw herself into battle without regard for herself.

She was good.

Damn good.

But still only human.

The one called Felicia shifted to a fine mist and gathered over Caly's head, waiting to strike. She couldn't be allowed to touch Caly. Nearly indestructible in that form, Ruman scoured his brain for a way to bring her down without harming Caly.

He could flash in and out of the Between but his body wasn't equipped to remain insolvent. He had minutes at most before the pain became intolerable.

Resolve hardened, Ruman took a deep breath and shifted, his body falling through space. His form twisted, bones crunched, his flesh bubbled, dissolving bit by bit until only mist remained.

Pain tormented his body, threatening to overwhelm his mind. Each particle screamed in agony, fighting to reform. Ignoring everything but the need to protect Caly, Ruman joined the dark mass hovering in the air. Before he could surround Felicia, the putrid cloud smashed into him. He battled to stay vaporous as each touch threatened to drop him twenty feet to the floor.

Ruman bore the leprous touch, methodically entwining himself around each particle and bracing himself for the abrupt, jarring pain of shifting back.

As his bones and flesh formed out of the mist, he hauled Felicia with him. Crippled by the jump and the power it took to pull someone with him, Ruman staggered as gravity took hold.

With an evil smile, Felicia lashed out with her boot. The kick struck dead center of his chest. He careened backward into the elevator.

Searing heat slammed along his back, a fierce wave that increased with every breath like someone had ripped away a chunk of his flesh. Reaching up, he encountered the metal strip from the elevator cage protruding out of his shoulder.

Pain twisted through him, and he grimaced. Determined to guard Caly, he walked forward, ignoring the juicy sound of his blood as the metal slowly exited his flesh.

His vision wavered, and he fell to the floor as the last of the metal slipped from his body. His face cracked into the tile with a sickening thud. Cold stole up through the floor, his eyesight dimmed. He failed her.

"I got you," Brie spoke softly, but he didn't feel her touch as she pulled him to safety.

He focused on Caly, centering her image in his mind as death claimed him.





Chapter Twenty-five





"What happened?" The words were slurred. Fighting vertigo, Ruman struggled to make his body obey his commands. He managed to prop himself up on his hands and knees with his second try. His vision returned with frustrating slowness. Through blurred eyes, he viewed what was left of the apartment building.                       
       
           



       

"Caly!"

"Easy now." Brie grabbed his shoulder to steady him. "She's fine."

He battled to stand, frustrated at how easily Brie held him down while wounded herself. "How much time have I lost?"

"Ten minutes at most."

Ruman staggered to his feet, unsatisfied with the vague answer. Until he saw Caly with his own eyes, nothing would satisfy him.

"Stubborn," Brie muttered under her breath, but she took mercy on him and swung his arm over her shoulder, taking the brunt of his weight, wincing at the strain on her own injury. "She's over here."

Each breath shuddered out of his chest; pain sawed through his body as it fought to heal. Each shuffling step jarred his wounds, and he clutched his chest, trying to keep the broken ribs from doing more damage.

He jerked up short and forgot everything the instant he spied Caly.

Though bloodied, she continued to fight one of the few remaining demons with a single-mindedness that was as awe-inspiring as it was disturbing.

He pulled away from Brie to go to her.

"Whoa, big boy. You'll only be a distraction." Brie grabbed the back of his shirt, halting him with pathetic ease. "Caly saw you injured. She didn't see you die trying to save her life."