Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen

17

Sharen rightedherself as she came through the portal and into the demon realm. Her head spun, but she gripped her weapon with certainty. Ready for a fight.

Bring it!

But to her surprise, no demons attacked.

Her gaze snapped to the battle a hundred feet in front of her. Ryder, his blood-red skin shimmering with sweat, fought the vicious Level 1 demons with absolute certainty. He’d called his demon blade to him, and his dark steel seemed to sparkle as he slashed out at the creatures. Many died at his feet, but more quickly replaced the dead ones.

He continued fighting, but his movements were clumsy. Like a tired warrior. When two demons leaped onto his back, he staggered onto his knees.

Shit.

Her instincts screamed to join him in battle. To use her Splicer to shred the beasts to ribbons. But even together, we aren’t enough to stop them. I need to try the spell.

Time to do something dangerous as hell.

Closing her eyes, she imagined the ancient spell, praying it was as powerful as the book had warned. She had no idea what it would do, but hopefully, it would be enough.

It has to be.

This magic… felt different than any she’d tried before. She sensed power gurgling out of her, the sensation prickly. Wrong. But she didn’t stop repeating the spell, no matter how her heart raced, because there was no other magic she knew that had any chance at defeating the horde.

Of saving Ryder.

Her pulse pounded loudly in her ears. She had to focus on the spell. Not on the hungry demons just a short distance from her. Not on the possibility that Ryder could be dying.

In her training, she’d learned that distractions killed.

And I’m not dying today.

Her weapon warmed in her hand. Opening her eyes in surprise, she watched as her Splicer glowed, a deep blood red. After a second, flames erupted along the sharp edge, dancing dangerously.

The blade seemed to pulse. As if it had a heartbeat of its own.

Whoa.She’d never seen anything like this before.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her focus onto the hundreds of two feet tall demons. The dark red creatures were everywhere, encircling Ryder. He fought gallantly. Even with demons on his back and his chest. Gashes covered his red flesh, and there was a wildness to his expression that said he knew he wouldn’t survive the day’s battle. And yet, he kept fighting.

Hold on, I’m coming!

Pointing her weapon to the side of him, she decided she couldn’t risk attacking the demons directly, not with Ryder so close. First, she needed to see what the spell would do.

Willing the magic to obey her command, she fired.

Flames raced along the ground from where she stood, leaving a bright trail. Beneath the fire, the white sands melted, caving in. Black smoke billowed above the hungry flames, darkening the bright sky.

She took a step back, shocked by the heat, by how the heavy scent of smoke filled her nostrils. The demon world always felt so surreal. Like a nightmare. But at that moment, it felt more real than any other moment of her life.

As if the human realm was a dream.

It took the demons a minute to notice, and then the flames reached them. They screamed, high-pitch wailing sounds that made every hair on her body rise. The little creatures went tumbling into the abyss created by the flames, falling into darkness.

The demons attacking Ryder stopped. Their gazes went to the ever-widening gash in their world, and raw panic twisted their strange faces.

That’s right, time to run, shitheads!

The flames continued to spread, melting the earth, and widening the cavern. And for the first time, she realized that she had no idea how to stop it. Or how to control it.

But that’s a problem for another time. All that matters right now is that I save him.

Ryder.

As if he heard his name in her thoughts, he turned and looked toward her. Their eyes met across the flames. Shock filled his expression, followed by a terrifying desperation. He tore through the remaining demons and circled around the cavern. A few demons followed him, but he turned, picking them up and tossing them into the flaming abyss with a roar that seemed to shake the ground.

When he reached her at last, to her surprise, he picked her up and pulled her into his arms. “What the hell are you doing here? And what happened to your arm?”

My arm?Adrenaline had almost made her forget the cut from the angel’s blade. “It’s just a scratch.” Best not to think about that now. What matters is saving Ryder.

His hold on her gentled. “I told Elaina not to let you return. I have no hope of getting back through.”

To her surprise, she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. “That’s why you were an idiot to come here in the first place!”

“I had to save you,” he whispered against her hair. “But you returning for me changes nothing, if I step back through the portal, it’ll tear me to pieces… sending me back to the lowest level of our realms. You have to go back without me.”

Pulling away from him, she touched her chest, which still glowed softly with the angel’s powers. “An angel helped me. She gave me enough magic to hopefully take you back to our world.”

He touched the glowing space on her chest, his expression one of wonder. “Angel magic? I can hardly… why would one help us?”

She smiled. “I guess a couple of demons stole her heart too.”

Behind them, a demon leaped onto Ryder’s back.

Sharen cried out, and acted without thinking, driving her Splicer through its neck. The demon hit the ground without a sound.

She looked back at the horde. Most were still panicking over the growing flames spreading through their world, but a few were staring right back at her.

“We should go,” he said. “Now.”

She nodded and turned to the portal. “Our enemies may be waiting on the other side.”

He stood straighter. “And the angel’s magic might not be enough to take me through in one piece.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you sure—“

“There’s no other choice.”

He took her hand, squeezing it in his much larger one. Something wondrous coursed between them, something that made her feel an unfamiliar fluttering in her heart. Looking at him one last time, at his stunning face, she sent a prayer that what she was doing would save his life.

That he would arrive in one piece.

And then, they stepped through the portal.