Page 1 of Moonlit Guardians
CHAPTER ONE
BARON
Delendren Glade
Seeing Silvanus riles up something inside me I thought I’d buried in the Veil. It’s been a long time since my anger bested me in a match of wills. And Pyre defending him? It makes my blood boil. If not for Pyre, I would have tried to take the god’s head and most likely would have died for my efforts—well, died again, anyway.
Eilish turns and sees us for the first time since our arrival. She stands across the cavern, maybe forty feet away from us. When she sees us, her eyes go wide.
“Be careful!” she yells. “He’s out of his mind with anger!”
I assume she’s referring to her father.
I can’t help but think of what Dragan must be feeling as we look at this hideous creature who was partly responsible for creating our lover. Eilish could become something like that—or more dangerous, if the darkness within her isn’t balanced with the light.
“How the fuck are we supposed to fight this thing?” I ask, ducking a nasty swipe of claws that goes right for my head. Dragan blocks another with his blade, but the Incubus’ talons are sharper than razors and tougher than any element I’ve ever seen.
Pyre’s magic is rising, I feel it prickling against my skin. He presses his back against one of the pillars, staying out of sight.
“We’ve got trouble,” he says.
“What kind of fucking trouble?” I respond.
Ear-piercing shrieks echo through the chamber, and torch light fills the many tunnels leading into the room. Pyre stiffens, turning his head to me. “Goblins. Lots and lots of goblins.”
I hear Eilish curse as she takes a blow to her arm, the fabric of her sleeve tearing open. The scent of her blood forces me to her. I dematerialize to the other side of the cavern, landing right in front of her. She pulls back in surprise as I reach for her arm and lick the wound shut. My saliva will help her wound to heal faster. Her blood scorches me with her power, giving me a boost of energy.
The Incubus growls, tilting its gargantuan head back as it sniffs the air. I approach the being with the intent to kill it, a spell roiling with green energy, but Pyre stands in my way. He hits Gildlorthoine with such force that I hear a loud crack as the beast’s head spins around.
The goblins flood the chamber and I cover Dragan as he tries to fight his way out of the swarm.
“We could really use Theren’s blood magic right about now,” I grumble.
Dragan, of course, disagrees. “Blood magic is worse than necromancy and whatever the hell you do. I’d rather swallow rusty razors than resort to Theren’s type of magic.”
“I wonder if you’ll say the same thing in another few minutes,” I answer as I eye the throng of goblins settling around us.
“My point of view won’t change,” Dragan assures me. “I don’t know what inspired Theren to pursue the practice, but it will push him toward the darkness just as it did his father.”
The gargoyle tosses a goblin into the air and I slice its belly open with my dagger before it hits the ground. A hot spray of sticky, yellow pus coats the pillars.
Fucking disgusting.
I cover my face to avoid getting any in my eyes. When I look up, it’s to see Pyre shoving Eilish out of the way. Gildlorthoine grabs Pyre by the throat and dangles his body in the air.
“PYRE!” Eilish yells. She runs at full speed, jumping from one chunk of fallen pillar to another. Her black succubus wings explode from her back and spread wide and she launches herself at her father.
Her dagger slices through his hand until he drops Pyre’s gasping body to the ground. I wish to help them, but I’m overcome by goblins. All I can do is watch as Eilish buries her blade into Gildlorthoine’s neck, pulling down on the blade as she drops back to the ground. A huge gash appears on one side of her father’s neck. She pulls her blade from his flesh as her wings begin to flap and she rises into the ground. The creature tries to turn around to see her but his tendons are cut on one side of his head and he can’t turn his neck. Eilish wastes no time in slamming her blade into the other side of his neck and she drags it down again, using her power and the knife to sever his head. It slides off his torso, leaving behind nothing but a stump as it rolls across the floor. Blood splashes onto Eilish’s face.
The body tips and she wriggles free just in time to avoid being crushed it.
***
EILISH
Incubus Cave
The gush of blood causes me to recoil—not out of disgust, but because killing my father feels like I’ve closed a door that can never be opened again. It’s the feeling of destiny shifting to form a new path, a path I had yet to discover but, still, I mourn his loss.
