“What the hell? Who is that?” She almost dropped the sword, but in a flash
Demetri"s hand was wrapped around hers, keeping the handle of the sword in her
grasp.
“Priestess Katsumi, the soul of the blade. Don"t let her go. She is fusing with
you. Calm your heart rate and zone in on the sensor of the team.”
As soon as the request left his mouth, the face of the young man appeared in
the mirror. Dark rustled hair and deep grey eyes. Everything about this guy
swarmed about in her head—his past, his weaknesses, his strength, his secrets.
She even knew the name he went by during war.
“Quest,” she whispered.
“Good girl,” Demetri extolled softly.
In the midst of the battle, the Andausian sensor looked around searchingly.
His brows furrowed, his eyes shifted to silver. With on-point shots to the neck, he
decapitated three demons as he continued to peer around for the unknown
presence.
“He feels you, as you feel him. Once you send the surge to him, it will filter
throughout the rest of the group. But be gentle, my love. If you send too much, it
could kill them all.”
She bristled. “Aw shit. I, I don"t think I"m ready for this, Demetri. I"m
serious. This is too much.”
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“You must. They are greatly outnumbered and their spiritual energy is
waning by the moment. They will not be able to win this battle without your
help.”
The pressure was killing her. Demetri and the spirit of the sword had this
strong faith in her, and the so called force she had within, but she couldn"t see it,
nor feel it. All she could feel was anxiety.
“Dammit, this is so messed up,” she sobbed.
“No, it is not. It is your evolution. As I"ve said before, you won"t go at this
alone. We are one, remember? Your pain is mine. My force is yours. Just trust me,
darling.”
“I am channeling your force, my lady. Hold fast to Lord Demetri and strike the mirror
with my blade,” Katsumi commanded.
“Brace yourself. This will be a bit jolting,” Demetri warned.
He dropped his hand from the handle of the sword then placed both over
her belly. Searing heat spewed out from his touch and her muscles tightened.
Spirals of forbidden ecstasy rose within and lapped at her sensitive nerves.
Gasping in the foul air, she kept the heavy blade leveled with all her might.
In preparation for the incoming power surge, the Andausian sensor
stretched his arms out.
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A jolt of power zipped through her, drawing out a startled yelp. White
flames erupted from the ceiling. She tilted her head back and watched fire circle
aggressively. It expanded then formed the shape of a dragon. A violent wind
rushed through the suite, knocking furniture over, but she and Demetri were glued
to the floor like statues.
Roaring, the creature opened it wings and dove into her body. Her back
arched and her eyes crossed. Deep within the will to take action was there in full
force.
“Yes, yes, that"s it, my lady. Strike now!”
At the command of the mysterious sword, she rear back and swiped the
blade across the mirror. The reflective glass sliced in two then shattered into a
thousand shards at her feet.
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Chapter Eleven
Battle Angels
“Quest! What are you doing man?!”
Steel smashed a demon in the face with the butt of his automatic and
slammed another"s head through the wall, casting puzzled glances at his friend.
Frozen where he stood, Quest stared into nothingness with his arms spread.
Jade did her best to ward off the demons trying to attack him in his motionless
state, but she could only do so much, especially when their real objective was to
get her.
“Lo siento. Qué es este?” Quest murmured through a mental message.
“Dude, what"s up with Quest? No hablo español,” Spade jested.
Steel frowned. If the other half of his team were dealing with more demons
regroup.
“Spade, Blaze, Copper, move in! Our boy is stunned. Something"s „bout to go down.” Steel
commanded.
“Roger that!”
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Demolishing demons in his path, Steel advanced toward Quest. “Snap out of
it, playboy!”
Suddenly, a steam of light opened in the wall. Demons nearest the beam
went up in flames. The bright specter coiled into a symbol of a dragon. It expanded
a line of light along the perimeter of the wall then released a strike like lightning
directly into Quest"s chest. His body was launched across the corridor into the
wall.
“No!”
Steel started to run toward him then an unknown flood of energy steamed
rapidly through his being, dropping him to his knee.
From his peripheral, he saw Jade fall to her knees. Unable to rise to assist his
sister, he ground his teeth and withstood the intense sensation that engulfed him.
It momentarily strained his strength, but filled him with such overwhelming
force he thought he"d have an orgasm right there on the spot. What was only
seconds felt like hours. The spiritual wave of power seemed like it would pour into
him forever, but before he could drop the other knee, it stopped.
Steel scurried to his feet and rushed over to Jade. Wide-eyed and mouth
agape, she stared up at him when he yanked her up right.
Delirious chuckling snapped their attention to Quest. Grinning, he pushed
up from the ground then rattled his head. “Don"t even ask.”
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“You"re kidding, right?” Spade exclaimed from outside the temple. “Damn that
dude! I"m asking! What the eff was that?”
Quest tilted his head toward the howling darkness of the corridor. “No time
to explain, buey. Break is over. They"re coming back for us.”
“Not good. Captain, we"re running low on ammo,” Blaze informed. “I know if we"re
almost out, you guys have to be running low in there. Looks like we"re going to have to start
blowing things up.”
“Oh kitty! You are so talking my language!” The excitement in Spade"s voice had
them all tucking away grins. “When all else fails, blow shit up!”
“Okay, we"re moving in. They are blocking the bloody entrance so it might be a while,”
Copper explained.
“Push through.” Steel ordered. “We have to be together if we"re gonna get out here alive.”
Ghoulish snarls echoed from the darkness. Shaking off the hazed feeling
that hung over him, Steel cocked his guns toward the black hall, as did Quest and
Jade. “And here we go again.”
“To the main hall!” Quest pointed down the opposite end of the corridor,
yanking Jade from the path of two anxious demons. “Clear a path!”
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Nodding, Steel kneeled, one hand and knee on the ground, a running start
position; something he"d done many times on the football field. “Stay with me! Don"t
let „em hold you back!”
Steel bolted down the passageway. Dark creatures were knocked all about
by his fast-moving, massive frame as he plowed through the infeste
d temple with
Jade and Quest swift on his heels. Finally, they cleared the barricade of demons
and made it to the main room of the temple. And it brought them to a screeching
halt.
“Jesus H Christ!”
In her hast, Jade shot past Steel, and instantly regretted it when her eyes fell
upon the gruesome sight before them.
Carnage.
The main hall"s floor was covered in bloody body parts, ghouls and harpies
feasting on them. She looked away and gagged. On the verge of vomiting, she put a
hand on her belly and the other on the wall, trying her hardest to will back the
liquefied bile working its way up her stomach.
“C"mon baby, keep it together. We"ve seen worse than this,” Quest urged, standing on
the other side of Steel.
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In the middle of the carnage, a group of huge demons were huddled around
something. Her eyes grew wide. The devilish creatures they battled were big and
burly in size, but these demons were twice their size.
Gargantuan.
The heat from Quest"s stare made her look his way. As soon as their eyes
met, he released a series of shots toward the crowd. Deep squeals and snarls
erupted from the huddle before they turned and narrowed their green glowing
eyes at Quest.
“Hoodey hoo muthafuckas! What ya"ll hiding over there?” he shouted.
She couldn"t help but stare at him like he"d gone crazy. Why in the world
would he fire into a group of huge, angry demons when he knew they didn"t have
enough ammo to defeat them? She glanced up at Steel, expecting him to intervene,
but shockingly he didn"t.
One of the creatures broke out of the group and barreled at Quest in full
demonic speed. It took all three of them releasing furious rounds to bring the
massive beast down. Once it evaporated, Quest shot at the group again, and this
time Steel joined in.
“Are ya"ll mental?” she exclaimed.
Ignoring her, they continued to fire, causing the annoyed demons to shriek
and shift around, slightly loosening the huddle.
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That"s when she saw him.
Trapped in the center, Father Hamiway swung a long scythe like the true
holy warrior he was. His robe, stained with a mixture of red and black blood was
shredded badly. His grey hair, soaked in blood and sweat stuck to his head.
“Father!” Jade screamed.
Every demon in the room turned in their direction. Fearful for her Father"s
life, she started moving toward him. A hand grabbed her upper arm.
She snapped around to glare at Steel. “Let me go,” she ordered through
clenched teeth.
“Jade we can"t go running in there without the rest of the team. As much as I want to go in
and wipe out those demons and save Father Hamiway, I can"t. You saw how hard it was for us to
take out one of them. We could only try to give him a little leeway to get out of the huddle.”
Ignoring reason, Jade made a futile attempt to yank away from his strong
grasp. “But they"ll kill him if we don"t move now! I will not just stand here and do nothing!”
“Niomi, stay where you are.”
The determined look on Father Hamiway"s face, the way he swung his
weapon—it took her back to the day they met. She was eight years old when a
band of rogue vampires came through her village in Africa, pillaging and
slaughtering. They"d raped and killed her family right before they drained her to
near death. The vampires would"ve surely finished her off if he and his Holy Squad
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hadn"t shown up. Back then, he"d been just the nice white man who saved her life,
but now, he was and would always be her father.
“Father this is crazy. Those things are going to kill you.”
“Yes, but not before they obtain the amulet.”
A round of gunfire rang out behind them. “Back up is here and packing a bitchin"
new trick! Boom baby!”
Knowing Spade"s new trick involved something explosive, Jade shouted,
“Incoming!”
A golden orb flew over their heads, followed by string of grenades. Before
Jade could freak out, the sphere flattened and fell over Father Hamiway like a
protective sheet of armor.
Everybody dropped to the ground. A series of explosions rattled the huge
temple"s walls and floors. Jade squinted to see through the debris. Father
Hamiway was crouched inside of Spade"s dome-shaped force field. A pile of black
bloody mess surrounded him. But she knew better than to assume the battle was
over.
“Now Father! Move now, while they"re down!”
Father Hamiway nodded then ran.
“Spade, hold that shield!”
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Some surviving harpies tried to swipe at Father Hamiway. Their hands and
limbs were burnt off from the divine energy surrounding Spade"s barrier.
She cut a glance at Spade. To the side of the opening to the main room, he
held his hand out, glowing gold. Apparently, the jarring energy surge they"d
experienced had increased his spiritual ability and brought out the true strength of
his power.
Out the corner of her eye, she saw Quest spin around and cock his
automatic toward the darkness. “Three big ones in the rear!”
Her team members opened fire on the three sets of glowing green eyes
moving rapidly toward them. Copper and Blaze were flung into the air.
The screams of her female comrades, compelled Jade to take action. “Noo! ”
Her arms raised on their own accord. An unfamiliar surge of power zipped
through her body and emitted through her hands, sending the demons crashing
through the wall.
Stunned, she stared ahead, unable to move. She felt the force building
within her, fusing with her spirit. She glanced down at her trembling hands then
looked up at her teammates, who gaped at her, wide-eyed, in awe.
All her life, she"d been able to move objects with her mind, but never living
beings, let alone three massive demons. “My God,” she whispered.
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A hand dropped on her shoulder. She whipped around. Father Hamiway
stood before her, a weak, yet proud smile on his face. His bright grey eyes were
glassy and his usually peachy complexion was now pale.
“She has fused with you,” he strained out. “Everything is happening as it
should.”
“Father…” Worried, she looked into his colorless face. “Are you—” Her
attention was suddenly drawn to the ground. They were standing in a puddle of
blood. His blood. “Oh God, no!”
His eyes rolled back and he fell into her arms. The weight pushed her back
against the wall. “No, please God, no!” She held onto him, allowing the bulk of his
body to drag her to the floor. The team formed a semi circle around them to ward
off the demons. “Father, please don"t die!”
“I was dead…before you arrived…my precious, Niomi.” With his heavy
breaths, his chest rose and fell as he fought to hang on to the last strands of life.
“No, don"t say that! Don"t say that!” She ripped through the tattered shreds
of his robe, searching for the source of his blood loss. “You will not die! I won"t let
you!” She got to his torso, tore the robe completely open and found the
fatal
injury—a big, gaping hole right in the center of his stomach.
Jade ripped the goggles from her head, slid from beneath him and placed her
hands over the wound. His blood pumped rapidly through her fingers.
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Tears rolled down her cheeks and pain stabbed her heart. Even if they were
somehow able to get him to a hospital, they wouldn"t be able to save him. He
would die.
“They, they came up…from hell…and ambushed us.” He coughed, splattering
her with blood. She pulled him closer and pressed his head against her breasts, her
tears spilling onto his bloody face. “They somehow…they knew that…the
amulet…was here. How? How did they know that?”
“Stop trying to talk, Father. Save your energy.” She ripped her sleeve from
her arm, balled it up along with the tattered strips of his robe, and pressed it into
his furiously bleeding wound.
“There is no need for you to try to stop the bleeding, Niomi. This is the end for me. I have
done my part.” He pulled her hands from his wound and then slipped something into
them. “I don"t have much time.” Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. “So you must
listen very carefully.”
Her vision blurred. Her chest became tight, so tight she could hardly
breathe. The gunfire from her team and angry demon snarls blended into
nothingness. Again, her father was being taken away from her.
Father Hamiway squeezed her hand. “I need you to be strong for me, my beautiful
daughter. You must stay focused.”
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She shook her head violently. “No! I can"t, I can"t do this without you. Please, don"t
leave me father. I will die without you.”
A sad smile crossed his face, tears pooled in his weakened eyes. “My soul will
never leave you, Niomi.” He pressed her clutched hands to his heart. “Never. I will always
be with you.” With his bloodied hand, he wiped the tears from her face. “There"s
something very important I need you to do for me. The jewel you hold in your hand is a sacred
amulet. Secure it and guard it with your life.”
Sobbing, she nodded and slipped it in her side pocket.
“You must not let them obtain it. Her identity must stay hidden until she has fully shifted.