It was her father.
Her dad had feathered wings and was wielding a broadsword, raising it above his head and swinging it down toward Ash’s neck. And Ash was throwing his body to the side, which was rapidly getting larger and redder, but he wasn’t moving fast enough.
Another scream erupting from her throat, Eva threw herself at him without thinking. Colliding with Ash, she knocked him to the ground, his body now fully in demon form beneath her, his blood staining her clothes.
He grabbed her and rolled them at the last possible second as her dad’s blade sliced into his back, spraying more blood. There hadn’t been time for him to pull back his strike.
If Ash hadn’t rolled her, her dad could have killed her.
Dan seemed to realize this, because a hoarse shout burst from his throat, and he stumbled backward, eyes wide with horror. Eva quickly turned her attention back to Ash.
He was huge now, around seven feet tall, his skin back to that vivid crimson. His shirt hung off him in tatters, torn by the sword strikes and the wings that had erupted from his back. Black horns parted strands of his silky hair, curving along his skull and swooping up to sharp points. His leathery wings were draped protectively over her, and his claws dug into the hardwood.
Their gazes met and locked briefly. At least, she thought they did—his eyes were solid black again, and it was hard to tell where he was looking.
Then his head jerked back, and he growled in an animalistic way at her dad who was approaching again with the sword held high.
“Dad, no!” she shouted.
Ash crawled off her and climbed gracefully to his feet. He raised his claws to his neck and tore the remains of his shirt from his body. Blood poured from his wounds, and she saw his breath coming in sharp pants against the pain he wasn’t accustomed to feeling, thanks to his curse lifting. How the hell was he still standing?
“Grigori,” Ash snarled.
Okay, that was weird, considering her last name was Gregory, not Grigori, and why he thought that mattered right n—
It sank into her shock-confused head. The wings. The sword.
DUHflashed in her mind’s eye like a blinking neon sign.
“You want me?” Dan’s voice was low, attention fixed on Ash, sword raised as he slowly backed across the room toward the exit. “Then come and get me.”
Ash growled in that feral way again, but remained where he was, his body angled protectively in front of Eva.
Dan frowned like he was surprised Ash wasn’t taking the bait, but his smile returned. “I’m on my way to kill your friends. Think I’ll start with Mephistopheles, since he’s the youngest—”
That got him going. Ash roared and launched across the room at Dan amidst Eva’s cries for them to stop. She didn’t know if she was shouting at her idiot dad for provoking Ash, or if she was shouting at Ash to please not attack her dad even if he was being an idiot.
Dan darted out of the den into the living room, moving miraculously fast, and Ash chased after him just as rapidly despite his wounds. Eva raced behind them, still screaming futilely at everyone to stop fighting. In the few seconds it took her to cross the room, she heard Ash’s enraged roar fill the air.
It was earsplitting, and Eva stumbled through the doorway with her palms over her ears. She skidded to a halt, and her mouth dropped open.
Ash was standing on a sigil drawn onto the floor, looking none too pleased about it. He was roaring like an enraged dragon and swiping his claws at her dad, who was swinging his sword, trying to stab it into the circle.
Somehow, Eva pieced together that her dad must have lured Ash out of the den so he would cross into the sigil he’d somehow drawn without either of them noticing his presence. And now Ash was trapped, and her dad was trying to kill him.
“Dad, no!” she shouted yet again, running across the room to intervene. Where was her mom and Ash’s brothers? Why hadn’t they come to help?
“Eva, get out of here!” Holding her back with one arm, Dan didn’t even glance at her. He continued trying to stab her boyfriend while he was injured and trapped. Ash gave as good as he got, swatting away the sword with those deadly claws and ducking out of reach.
“Stop, damn it!” She yanked on her dad’s arm with all her strength, trying to throw him off his game and distract him from trying to kill Ash.
For a moment, she thought she’d succeeded. He lowered his sword, stepped back, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then he spun, grabbed the hand on his arm, and slapped something cold and metal onto her wrist. She froze, staring at the metal blankly for a second, and then it dawned on her.
Her dad had just handcuffed her!
Ash figured it out too because he did the whole dragon-roar-of-fury thing again.
“What the fuck!” Eva shrieked in her dad’s face, struggling madly as he scooped her into his arms. He crossed the room and deposited her at the base of the staircase.
