CHAPTER THIRTEEN
There were many ways to die a quick and painful death, and had he been older and lived a fuller life, Jake wouldn’t have fought it anymore and just told all his enemies to go to hell before dropping to his grave and being up and done with it.
Now, he still said go to hell, but he fought for every inch of his breath as the creature attacked him with a speed that threatened to slice him to pieces if he wasn’t careful.
This was the third one they’d battled in their time here, and it was the most dangerous one so far. The creature wasn’t as huge as the tree-like one in the beginning, but what it lacked in height, it more than made up in width as its dark brown shoulders brushed both hedge ends as it ran for him. Its legs were stubby but strong, and its body was covered in spikes that dripped with what looked like a sordid amount of pus that could contaminate you with a single touch.
But that wasn’t the worst part—it was when the creature rolled into a ball and acted like some kind of damn bowling ball ready to trample anyone in its path.
Right now, it was still running, and Jake did his best to run as far away as he could. He realized after a few minutes that he was going in circles again and wondered why he hadn’t seen Lucy at all. Was she hiding? Had she stayed in one spot he hadn’t gone to yet?
Was she unconscious somewhere?
The gray smoke had been inconvenient, but they had adapted by avoiding it the moment they killed the next creature. They also adapted to the sexual feeling in the air, knowing it wasn’t real.
Jake’s preoccupation delayed his reaction as the creature moved faster, then swiped at his arm. He cursed loudly, then shifted his arms to swipe back at it, feeling pain zing as blood flowed. He’d been battered and bruised for the past couple of days now, and hungry and sleepless to boot. Now, he was just pissed off and roaring to go, and he shifted without thought and swiped at the monster’s head—the only place not covered in spikes. He got in a scratch that only served to irritate the creature as it roared.
Then it curled into a ball and rolled towards him.
His wolf form ran and ran, barely missing the attack as he dove to the edge of one of the hedges. The creature would lose momentum at every turn, then gain it again at the next. It felt like hours trying to evade it, and even while he tried to keep quiet, the creature seemed to know where he was.
A plan formed in his mind and his wolf form sprinted ahead to make it come to fruition.
A blur appeared in front—another creature, similar to the first one. Jake’s momentum didn’t allow him to stop, and he crashed into it and felt pain radiate everywhere as he stumbled on his paws. He snarled and lunged at the tree-like creature, his teeth latching on to the creature’s hide. He felt sharp claws sink into his ribs and pry him off, then he was tossed to the ground where he crashed violently. He heard a snap and knew he wouldn’t be able to stand up. Jake closed his eyes and braced himself for the rolling creature’s attack, no longer able to get away from it.
Nothing happened. He heard shouting, and Jake’s eyes snapped open to find Simon battling the tree-like creature, and Robin holding a shield in front of them. The shield hit the other creature and stopped its rolling, and Robin pushed harder at it, creating a massive ball of power that coated the creature. It screamed in agony, and he watched pain cross Robin’s face before it flickered off, to be replaced by a deadly glare. The ball coating got smaller and smaller, squishing the creature until blood flowed out and it stopped moving. She crushed it completely until it winked out of existence, and even the blood was gone. Then Robin slumped, and Jake gritted his teeth and moved forward, ignoring his dislocated foot to catch her.
She seemed surprised by the movement and turned to him with a frown. Then she glanced at Simon, who had just finished killing off the fourth creature. Smoke came out again, which Robin eliminated with more magic. Footsteps sounded, and Jake tensed. But he smelled her before he saw her, and his gaze snapped in Lucy’s direction as she came running and kneeling towards him.
Worried eyes pinned him in place, and her face was filled with soot. But he’d never seen anyone so beautiful, and he doubted he would again.
Then Robin let her magic flow on his foot, and excruciating pain followed. All thoughts left his head as he yowled loudly, and all three of them hushed him to be quiet.
He glared at Simon and Robin, but couldn’t quite manage it with Lucy. Then, realizing he was being an idiot, he barked his thanks.
Five minutes later, the pain dissipated, and Robin stepped back with a look of exhaustion on her face. Simon frowned, pulling her up. “You once healed countless children on a ship. What’s wrong?”
Translation: why was she tired now, when she was only healing one person?
“It’s the air,” Robin replied almost reluctantly. “It’s doing something to me. It feels…weird.”
“Tell me about it,” Lucy muttered.
Jake’s wolf form tried to stand up, surprise filling him that no pain came at all. He eyed Robin in amazement, ready to thank her again with a nudge at her feet.
An unfamiliar voice spoke out before he could. All four of them tensed.
“It’s not weird, Princess Ana. It’s my actual home, where I feed off the energy from my prisoners to creature demons of my own.”
Simon growled angrily while Robin looked as calm as ever. Jake recognized the man as Jin, the ruler’s son they’d been trying to catch in the act earlier—except this time; he didn’t really look like Jin anymore.
He still looked Japanese, and still looked slim and tall and regal. But his white skin now had blue veins running across, and his almond-shaped eyes were pure black, with no white. When he smiled, sharp teeth appeared. His nails had grown black and sharp, too, and they rested at his sides now.
Instinctively, Jake stepped in front of Lucy to shield her. Simon and Robin formed a unit in front of them, and Jin watched in cold amusement.
“I should have known you were a witch. I’ve always hated witches,” Jin—the demon—murmured.
Robin still didn’t answer, and it almost felt like she was staring into space. It was Simon who replied for her, his voice full of contempt.
“So this is what you do? You trap people for your personal sexual high to create your idiotic demons?”
Jin smiled. “I feed on all kinds of heightened emotions. Fear and sex seem to be the most available. Sometimes I create charms, too, and use them to kill…so I can feed easily. It’s a good life. Humans are so gullible.”
Holy shit. This guy was the charms guy. From Simon’s slight eye flicker, it was obvious he hadn’t expected that either.
Jin kept talking. “I should have fed on the witch in the sauna, but her response wasn’t what I expected. I should have known from the very beginning that something was going on with you two.” The smile turned malicious, and his voice changed—deeper, scratchier. Jake watched as a black tongue came out, long and filled with the same ooze that was on that rolling creature.
Jake backed a step, pressing against Lucy’s legs. Simon stepped forward, but Robin pulled him back.
Then everything happened at once.
Two portals opened—one behind Lucy and the other behind Jin. She snapped her head towards them, pushing Simon as she did so.
“Protect them. Go,” she barked.
Then in a blur of speed, she charged for Jin and pushed with her magic, the force making Jin fall in the portal behind him. She turned to run back towards them—
Jin’s tongue came out and wrapped around her ankle, yanking her down to the ground with a thud. Robin cried out in pain as she was yanked in with Jin.
A curse sounded beside him.
Then Simon barked at Jake to save Lucy and get help before diving in the other portal with Robin and the demon.