Sons of fucking bitches! Of course, the demons had to be bigger and badder here in Xilon's world. Otherwise, he and the other dragons would've tossed them out on their leathery asses.

The giant demon inhaled through its snout-like nose, its red eyes widening. “You have Renjerian blood in you.”

How the hell did it know that her Grams had given her some at the hospital? Wait, Xilon had smelled it too...did her breath stink? “So what?”

She tightened her hand on the sword, unease spreading through her. Demons were hard enough to kill when they were minion-sized. Her gut said this big bad one was gonna be like going up against an army. Sweat trickled down her back, but she refused to let her legs shake with fear and fatigue. Her walking stick lay on the ground between them. Please let my ankle not give out on me.

“You will spawn my children.”

“Oh hell to the no, I won’t,” she yelled even as dread crawled through her soul. Memories of her parent’s mutilated bodies of once the demons were finished with them tormented her. Ash’s mom had sent her off to camp the week before. When no one picked her up, she took a cab.

The house was dark and smelled of spoiled milk and skunk. Her mom's body flayed open across the dining room table. Blood coating the tile so thick that Ash slipped in it trying to get away. Her father in his recliner, head severed and black locust pouring out if his neck.

Ash had run all the way to Grams house six miles away. By the time they returned, the demons had spread through the city. It was then that her Grams told her everything she knew about the dark-side of dragons, the demons they’d come to Earth to help purge. Ash absorbed everything she could about devils and how to kill them and exorcise them. The day her parents died was also the day she stopped believing in dragons.

She faced the huge demon, her sword ready. “Sorry, but I’ll have to pass on become demon spawn fodder.”

The creature snarled and rushed at her. She swung her sword low. The blade sliced across the demon’s thigh, but didn’t draw blood. What the hell?

“Looks like your blessed blade is tainted.” The demon laughed.

Shit! When she had made her cane earlier, she must have removed the magic had enabled the sword able to harm demons. She might as well wave a plastic weapon at the beast. But she couldn’t give up. Not now, not ever.

“Take her.” The demon signaled to dozens of minions pouring down the side of the mountain.

Ash punched the towering devil under its chin as hard as she could. Pain shot through her fingers and she was certain she broke something. The demon blinked a few times, but didn’t pass out like she’d hoped.

More smaller devils careened over the rocky mountain trail toward her. She was outnumbered and no weapons.

“I will die first before I let you have me.” She gritted her teeth and jabbed the nearest minion in the stomach. It rolled to the side, hissing. Another leaped at her from a boulder, but she ducked low and it crashed on the other side of her.

Xilon! If you’re still alive and can hear me, I could use some help. Now!

Five more short demons circled her. Their leather wings fluttering behind them. Except their cloven feet never left the ground. One grasped her arm, its black claws digging into her skin.

“Fuck! Get off me!” She slammed the hilt of her sword into the creature’s face.

It backpedaled, but snapped its teeth at her. Another latched onto her good leg and she hobbled until she managed to kick it off.

Two demons jumped on her back and sank their teeth into her shoulder. Pain cut through her flesh causing her to scream in agony.

No! She hit them with the sword, but they wouldn’t budge. Lancing pain sunk into her from their bites and she stumbled to her knees.

“No use fighting, little warrior.” The giant demon bent down in front of her and lifted her head by her chin. “You will make me many sons like me until your bones are ground to dust.”

Ash spat in his face.

His slap across her cheek stung and she tasted the coper taint of blood. The demon licked her wound with its long, red tongue. “Yes, you will breed with me and make half-demons like me. Stronger and smarter than these.”

Holy fuck! There were different types of demons? And this giant had sprung from something different than the other demons originated from? No, she didn’t want to know what foulness birthed such a creature.

If he was better than the lowlife demons she’d fought most of her life, what would happen if there were more of them? If they got to Earth? She needed something to kill it with.

Jerking away from him, she rolled onto her back, crushing the smaller demons latched onto her underneath her weight. She tumbled over onto her hands and knees. Where’s my sword?

A foot away, her silver weapon laid. She scrambled after it, screaming when a demon bit the back of her thigh. She kicked its face. Snatching the sword, she raked the blade across her palm. This had better work.

“By all the old gods and new. By the dragon blood of my forefather and the magic of my voodoo ancestors, I bless this weapon to destroy my enemies. To vanquish demons.” She didn’t have time for all the chants and incense or the holy water and blessings of priests. If this didn’t work, she’d run herself through with the sword before she let the demon touch her again. Her heart hammered in her chest, stealing her breath. She couldn’t turn out like her parents. Her body shook and she couldn’t stop it. Images of her parents’ deaths ragging through her mind. Fear paralyzing her.

The demon laughed, its height blocking the sun from her sight. Then the memory of Xilon, the first proud, magnificent dragon she’d ever seen filled her thoughts. He and his kind would fight until the death against these bastards. He wouldn’t give up. And for some reason, she wanted him proud of her. To show him that a human could be just as strong as a dragon.

When the demon reached down to snatch her up, she thrust hard and deep into its gut. A stream of smoke spiraled from the wound as the blade sank in deep.

“Wha—!” the demon shrieked and the minions around it covered their ears, trembling.

Ash yanked the sword out, its blade soaked in greenish-black blood. Her breathing ragged. Not waiting around to see if the demon healed or not, she struck another demon nearby, but the blade did nothing. Just like before.

Shit! Her blood and prayer hadn’t been enough to truly cleanse and bless the blade. She had nothing to fight this thing with. It was too big and powerful.

And even if she got lucky and it died, there were too many minions for her to fight off in her current, weakened state. Dread coiled like a freezing knot in her stomach.

No, wait. The sword sizzled in her hand as the metal melted. What the hell? The demon had said the giants like himself were stronger. Was this what he had meant? That he could do this to her weapons? Or was it the fact she’d rushed the job out of necessity and a fully-charged weapon was needed.

She dropped the weapon as the acid blood ate all the way up to the handle. Fuck, that was my favorite sword.

Before her the demon sank down to his knees, grimacing. But as the giant held onto its injury, its bleeding was already stopping.

Time to go.

She snatched up her walking stick and shambled across the ground. She had to get out of there and to safety. Behind her, the demon roared and icy terror snaked down her spine.

“You will never escape me, little warrior. I’ve tasted your blood. You have until sunset to come to me willingly. Or I will make you mine!”