Page 44 of Blood and War

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Page 44 of Blood and War

Kellan ignored them. “Why did you run? Why did you leave?” He was angry with her, and rightfully so. She had disobeyed his order and fled the community.

“I couldn’t put them in danger.” She strained against his hold as another wave of pain surged through her, squeezing her eyes shut as each breath burned. “I-I wanted answers, and I thought leaving was the only...”

“KELLAN!” That same voice shouted, louder, breaking her from the conversation. She couldn’t see the beings over his large frame. Was too weak to try as her arms fell limp at her sides. Each breath throbbing, carving down her throat as if she swallowed a mouthful of glass.

“What the hell is the matter with him?” They scoffed. Female this time. “He took us in here, Gabriel. Now he’s abandoned his post—again. The demon's fate falls in your hands.”

Demon? Had Reim not gotten away? Gods, she hoped they were able to catch him. Hoped they would slaughter him where he stood, and get revenge for everything the creature had done. For every person he’d harmed and killed. Demitria was never one for needless violence, but she hoped he suffered endlessly. She tried to utter his name. To tell him the creature that had maimed her, but nothing moved past her lips save for another shallow breath that burned her throat. Sharp and excruciating as it moved.

“The Four Horsemen.” The demon lord spat, laughing as he did so, despite the strain in his voice. Like he’d been talking through a hold. “To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”

Twenty-Seven

KELLAN

“The decision is mine.” Kellan stepped away from the girl after gently setting her back down on the stone slab. “I will decide his fate. He will pay for what he’s done.” That familiar rage welled within. Burning a hole through him, igniting his blood. His body begged for the kill. To feel the flesh beneath the tips of his fingers as he ripped the demon to pieces. To hear the sound of his sword as it cleaved through the creature’s bones, one by one.

His gaze lingered on the girl before him for a short moment, and he knew he had to tread carefully to keep himself in check. Before he could change his mind, Kellan turned, stalking toward the demon being restrained by his brother.

“We’re supposed to be restoring the balance, not killing off more!” Gabriel’s words were usually final, whether they liked it or not. “WAR!” The putrid being struggled beneath his brother’s grasp, but Death didn’t budge, his weapon held firm against the demon’s throat.

From the corner of his eye, Kellan watched as the power behind his brother’s voice made the girl flinch. He ignored him still. Eyes deadly calm as he honed in on his target, willing the room around him to disappear. He didn’t recognize the DemonLord, but loathed him all the same. Curling his lips inward, the male snarled at him, baring a set of deadly fangs.

“What did you have planned for her?” He asked, hand resting dangerously atop the pommel of his sword as he strode closer.

“Why do you care, Horseman? She on your side?” The demon shifted his weight uneasily, but the blade of Gabriel’s scythe didn’t get any further away from his flesh. Kellan watched as a thin line of dark blood dribbled from his unnaturally pale throat. Tracking it as it splattered against the rock at his feet.

“I am the one asking questions.” The growl that erupted was near animalistic, and he felt it rumble through his chest.Dial it down.

“Are you abandoning your council? Are the Horsemen making a play for Earth?”

Kellan wanted to wipe that filthy smirk from his face. To cut him down limb from limb, but he refrained. Barely.

“Answer me, or your head will roll.”

With a sigh that weighed heavily in annoyance, he spoke. “The King is returning to Earth.” The demon stopped his struggles, accepting the deadly weapon before him.

Every bone in Kellan’s body froze at the name. The rage he’d been trying to keep in check nearly ready to explode as it hit a new high. “And who are you to hold this knowledge?” He said through clenched teeth.

“Aaron, Lord of the shadow demons.” The male stood taller, stepping further into Gabriel’s scythe. “He’s been looking for the girl, and I was to deliver her to him.”

Kellan brought his gaze up to Gabriel, the knowing look mirroring his own before dragging his away, meeting the piercing eyes of Eire and Kane. Uneasy. Weary. If that was true, none of what to follow was good.

“We have hidden in the shadows for far too long. It is our time to reign.” The demon laughed in a maniacal way, andit echoed throughout the cavern. “You’re all in danger. He’s already here.”

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

There was something so much bigger going on. Bigger than they were told. The council had withheld vital information from them. Demitria wasn’t the enemy they had been led to believe, because there was no way the council didn’t know abouthim.

“What does he want with her?” Kellan demanded, taking a step closer as his boots crunched something along the floor. He didn’t care to look.

The demon glanced behind Kellan before looking back at him. “Her soul. I was to break it before delivering her soul.” Gabriel tightened his grip on the scythe, pressing deeper into the demon lord’s neck. More blood dripped from the wound, pooling along the floor beneath him.

“They were eating her alive! That is no way to break a human soul!” The anger. He was going to explode. Red. So much red. He couldn’t see anything but red as his power surged within him, begging to break free. He could barely contain it, writhing through his veins, along his arms in dark tendrils.

“Do youfeelsomething for this girl?” The demon lord laughed, spitting at his feet. “How disgusting. How… interesting.”