Enyo framed his face with her palms and angled his head up, so his eyes locked with hers. “All is well. I am safe.”
Keras cursed in his head as he looked at her, as it struck him that he was no better than Esher, was afflicted in the same way. There were two sides to him, and the worst one came out whenever the one he loved was in danger, shot to the fore and tore down the better side of him, pushing him towards a mindless rage state.
Enyo hammered it home by continuing to whisper soft words, the same kind Daimon had been forced to use on Esher countless times to help him hold back the darkness. “I am fine. I will be fine.”
He nodded, sucked down a breath and exhaled it, waging a war of his own as the battle raged around them.
Fireballs sent waves of daemons flying, filling the air with the disgusting scent of singed flesh, and ice impaled those who survived the inferno, finishing them off and spilling their vile black blood. Lightning struck again, splattering the world with bits of bone and entrails, and rain hammered down to wash it away.
“Valen,” Keras barked. “Target the furie. Hit that barrier with all you have.”
Valen stopped with his hand wrapped around the throat of a female daemon, looked across at him and nodded. He tossed the daemon aside and lightning forked, blazing a path directly for her. She didn’t even get a chance to scream as it struck her.
The next bolt his brother summoned hit the barrier, causing arcs of purple to chase across the blue dome as it shimmered. Valen hit it again. And again.
Ares worked to protect Valen, giving any daemon who dared to turn their sights on their brother a fiery death.
Keras pulled down one final breath and straightened as he felt back in control, as he relied on his brothers to do the fighting while he orchestrated their attack.
Valen and Ares continued to work as a team, decimating the daemons and the barrier. Daimon and Esher were shielding Cass, using walls of ice and Esher’s power over water to devastating effect. Around them, daemons were dropping like flies.
Good, but bad.
Keras kept a wary eye on Esher, because his brother was weakening. Using his power to control blood and stop hearts drained Esher, and it wouldn’t be long before he wouldn’t be strong enough to keep fighting if he allowed his brother to keep going at his current pace.
Keras worked his way towards them with Enyo’s help, lashing out with his shadows and trying to ignore how good it felt as they burrowed into the daemons who blocked their path, draining them of their energy and killing them.
Trying and failing.
Pleasure rippled through him as his shadows tore at the daemons, as carnage surrounded him and he sensed more daemons arriving—more for him to kill.
To slaughter.
Bathing his hands in black blood.
The thought of that had heat washing through him, turned his head foggy as a desire to surrender to that need chased through him, building into a compelling urge that had him veering off course.
Heading for the two powerful demonic males who were trying to reach Cassandra.
Enyo moved into his path.
She shook her head. “Do not.”
The desire to ignore her was strong, and so was the urge to shove her aside and growl at her for daring to block his way and think she could control him, ordering him around.
He curled his fingers into fists and pulled back on those needs, refusing to let either get the better of him.
She was right.
Engaging the demonic males was futile.
As long as the spells that protected them were in place, there was nothing he could do to stop them.
It would be a bloodbath.
But it would be his blood bathing the battlefield.
The consequences of bleeding were too dangerous, had him clawing back control and playing it safe, even when he wanted to hurl himself into the fight. He glanced at his brothers, seeing in the strained lines etched on their faces that he wasn’t the only one having to hold himself back. They all wanted to be out there, in the thick of it, fighting with fist and blade at close quarters.
But it only took a drop of blood.
If the furie could get her hands on their blood, she would find it easier to open the gate, and not only that. She would have their powers at her disposal for a short time.
Even a short time in control of his shadows could prove devastating to this world.
To his brothers.
He had no doubt she would turn them against his family.
Against him.
Against Enyo.
He couldn’t bear the thought of that, so he eased back a step, showing Enyo that he wouldn’t engage the males unless it was absolutely necessary.
A bright wall of shimmering blue appeared to his right, blocking the axe of one of those daemons. The male’s crimson eyes narrowed on him and he bared fangs and flapped his wings, hunger etched on his rough features.
Keras bared fangs right back at him.
“I found her,” Cass said and his gaze whipped to her.
She disappeared in a wink of crimson light, and Daimon stepped a split-second later, a scowl on his face.
Esher snarled and dropped his right hand. A wall of water fell on the daemons crowding the space between him and the furie, sweeping them off their feet and sending them tumbling into the other daemons.
Ares took advantage of that, unleashing a huge wave of fire at the wretches. Steam billowed as it seared them, as their cries shattered the night and heat rolled over Keras.
Valen launched another assault on the barrier and this time Keras joined him, attacking it with his shadows as Enyo battled five daemons, driving them back. He focused on the barrier, on breaking it so they could reach the furie. Another ring on the gate emerged and he split his focus between attacking the barrier and commanding the gate to close.
Meadow twisted to face him, her eyes bright violet as they narrowed on him. She said something and the demonic males turned their sights on him.
Enyo didn’t want him to fight them, and he didn’t want to risk engaging them either, but it looked as if he wasn’t going to get a choice.
They shoved the daemons blocking their paths aside, picking up speed.
“I think I can do this.” Esher didn’t sound confident.
His brother drew down a breath and held his hand out. It shook, trembling violently as Esher closed his eyes. Keras waited, shifted his feet shoulder-width apart and flexed his fingers, ready to take on the daemons if Esher couldn’t bring them down.
Only it wasn’t the demonic brutes that his brother targeted.
Meadow gasped, her mouth opening wide as she clutched at her chest, as she fisted her hand against it.
The gate stopped resisting Keras, suddenly lurched into action and began to close.
He cast a glance at Esher. Sweat dotted his brow, sticking his black hair to it as he leaned forwards, as his head drooped.
All three demonic males turned as one towards his brother.
Launched at him on mighty roars.
Chapter 18
Keras raised his hand and a wave of shadows erupted from the grassy hilltop, rolling towards Esher as his arm dropped and he staggered backwards. The writhing black tendrils swept around him, encasing him as the three demonic brutes reached him.
To his right, the gate began to open again, the furie recovering swiftly now that Esher was no longer working his own brand of black magic on her, attempting to slow her blood and stop her heart.
Enyo leaped into the fray, her silver blade a bright arc as it slashed through the darkness, driving the three males back. Her sword clashed with the one the largest of the males wielded and she slammed her hand against the flat of her blade, shoved forwards with it to force him back, away from Esher.