“Do as I do,” I instructed him as he lowered his side of the net into the water.
Corson leaned against a tree, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his legs before him. He stared at us for a minute before his gaze lifted to survey the woods. A few birds chirruped. Shadows played across the mossy river banks as the trees swayed in the summer breeze. Most of the trees were barely taller than me, but a few older ones towered over the others.
Erin and Hawk stood on the shoreline, watching us intently as the water flowed into the net, carrying a food supply with it. Cool water splashed my face. The feel of it brought forth more memories of home as I savored this opportunity to do something normal again. The life pulsing within the stream’s unfathomable blue depths flooded me with strength. Kobal was right, I needed this day of recovery more than I’d realized.
“Okay,” I said to Vargas after ten minutes. The jerking on the net within my grasp convinced me there had to be something stuck within it. “Walk slowly toward me, keeping the net on the ground. We have to fold it in, like a sheet.”
He moved cautiously toward me as he carefully maneuvered the currents. Only four feet away from me, his foot slipped out from under him, and with a startled cry, he plummeted into the stream. He bobbed up almost instantly, spitting water and cursing as he wiped the water from his eyes.
I bit my lip to keep from giggling. Corson, Erin, and Hawk had no such reservations as they all laughed loudly and Hawk even pointed.
“Screw off,” Vargas muttered and sloshed through the water to retrieve his end of the net. He cast a scathing glance at the three on the shoreline before taking up a position across from me again. “I’m going to kill all the fish.”
That statement was the end of me holding back any longer. I glanced away from the irritated look he shot me as I tried to stifle my chuckles while setting my net up once more. “Want to try coming toward me again?” I called over to him after another ten minutes passed.
He took a deep breath but carefully maneuvered through the current toward me again. When he made it, we clasped the net together and dragged it toward the shore. Hawk and Erin came forward to help pull it onto the riverbank. Water poured out from the net to reveal a rock bass, two largemouth bass, and what I believed was a carp.
“Fucking A!” Vargas shouted as he tossed a flopping bass into the cooler Hawk held open for him.
“See what happens when you stay on your feet,” Hawk quipped as he closed the lid of the cooler.
“Like you could do any better,” Vargas retorted.
“Oh, we will,” Hawk replied with a shit-eating grin. “All Erin and I have to do is remain standing and we’ll catch twice as many as you.”
Vargas flipped him the bird before reclaiming the net. “Let’s go,” he said to me. “We’ll catch way more than those two.”
“You can go about twenty feet behind us, but to the other side,” I said to Erin as Vargas and Hawk bickered back and forth about who would catch more fish.
“Will do,” Erin said and climbed into the stream with Hawk on her heels.
“My money’s on you two,” Corson said to me as I slid back into the water.
“Smart man,” I tossed over my shoulder.
The next hour passed in a rush of teasing and complaints.
“You’re using your power to catch them,” Hawk accused me when Vargas and I hauled another catch of fish onto the shore. Erin and Hawk had switched positions with us a half an hour ago and stood at the front, but Vargas and I were still catching more. “Light attracts fish, you’re shooting sparks or something under the water.”
“I am not!” I retorted.
“Prove it.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?”
“Keep your hands above the water.”
“No problem.” Returning to the water, I pinned the net down with my foot and lifted my hand into the air. I wiggled my fingers at him when he turned to watch me over his shoulder. “Still going to kick your ass.”
Hawk glanced at my other hand holding the net above the water. “Just keep ‘em where I can see ‘em.”
“Was he right?” Vargas whispered to me. “Are you somehow attracting the fish?”
“Of course not,” I replied. Vargas and Corson both gave me disbelieving looks. “I’m not!”
“Someone protests too much!” Hawk called over his shoulder.
“Oh, shove it,” I replied.
Keeping myself carefully balanced on the slippery rocks beneath my feet, I waited until it was time to go back to the shore again before lowering my hand to grip the net. Lines of concentration etched Vargas’s face as he carefully made his way toward me.
He was only five feet away when the world around me became completely still. Vargas faded away, and all that remained were the trees swaying in the breeze and the things sliding like shadows from tree to tree as they moved silently through the woods toward us.
I’d seen these hideously strange creations before from a distance. They were the same demons we’d continuously fled from while we’d been making the journey to the gateway. Lanavours. That was what they were called, and they’d found us.
My vision receded to leave me in the present once more. Vargas stood directly before me; his deep brown eyes troubled as he stared at me. I couldn’t hear his words, but I knew he was speaking because his mouth was moving.
“River! Are you okay?”
I blinked at him as his words finally pierced through the lingering haze of my vision. “We have to go,” I blurted.
“What?”
“Go! We have to go, now!” My hand was still clenched around the net when I turned and scrambled toward the shore. “They’re coming!” I gasped to Corson.
His citrine eyes searched the forest for danger, but the woods remained deceptively calm. The foot-long, white talons hidden in his body exploded from the back of his hand. “Who’s coming?”
“Those things we’ve been avoiding, the lanavours. They’re in the woods, coming our way.”
Stepping forward, he grabbed my arm and pulled me from the water. Those talons brushed against my skin but didn’t cut me as he maneuvered me close to his side. Bending, he retrieved my guns from the shoreline and thrust them at me. Taking a deep breath, I got my trembling fingers to behave enough that I could secure my holster and snag my katana from the ground. I swung the sword over my back and settled it into place.
“Hurry,” Corson urged the others.
Vargas already had his shoulder holster back on and his guns in place. Erin and Hawk were scrambling from the water. They grabbed their holsters and slipped them on.
Hawk reached for the cooler of fish, but Corson stopped him. “Leave it.”
Hawk opened his mouth to protest, but the lethal look in Corson’s eyes silenced him. He set the cooler on the ground as Corson jerked his head toward the camp. “Silently,” he whispered.
I tried to tug my arm free from Corson, but he kept it locked within his grasp as he moved backward into the trees while his eyes continued to scan the shoreline. Free of the clearing around the stream, he turned and plunged into the woods, pulling me with him. He didn’t run but walked at such a brisk pace that I practically had to jog to keep up with him.
Water sloshed in my boots with every step we took. I was certain the wet sound could be heard from a mile away, but better wet boots than bare feet right now. Corson shoved branches and briars out of the way while he moved with the stealth of a fox through the brush. He’d be far faster without the three of us slowing him down.
“You should go ahead of us,” I whispered. “Warn the others.”
“Not leaving you,” he replied brusquely.
“But—”
“Shh.”
I stopped trying to protest. I knew he wouldn’t leave us behind, but the camp had to be told what was coming for them. Glancing back, I spotted Erin, Hawk, and Vargas behind us with their guns drawn. Their eyes frantically searched the forest as they stayed close on o
ur heels.
We were halfway back to camp when I felt something watching me. Turning, I spotted a slender figure standing within the woods. The rays of the sun filtering through the trees danced over its blue-gray skin. Despite the warm sunlight washing over it, something about the creature made my bones feel as if they were encased in ice.
“They’re here,” I breathed.
Corson’s head shot around. “Run!” He thrust his palms into the small of my back. “Go!”
Falling back, he allowed the others to move ahead of him while he took up the rear. My heart hammered and adrenaline pulsed through my body as I ran. Faster than I’d believed I could move, I leapt over and dodged the obstacles in my way. Branches created welts when they slapped against my skin. Briars drew blood as they snagged in my clothes and hair, but I didn’t slow as I rested my hands on a fallen tree and swung my legs sideways to leap over it.
The breaths of the others were loud in my ears as they ran behind me. No matter how fast we moved though, I could feel the lanavours closing in on us.
CHAPTER 9
Kobal
I finally managed to extricate myself from the horde of humans and demons after an hour of dealing with them. Some of the humans wanted to leave. Most of the demons wanted to jump into the pit and go to war now, a concept that only made the humans more uneasy as they feared being left here alone and vulnerable.
Once I declared we would be staying for at least another week and I didn’t want to hear another word, the demons immediately ceased speaking. I’d assured the humans we wouldn’t let them starve or outright abandon them here.
The humans had known better than to protest my decision, but I could sense their continued uneasiness in their increased heartbeats and the way their eyes darted nervously over the demons. It would only be a matter of time before they started bitching again. I’d gotten better at dealing with humans and their emotions since River entered my life, but they still irritated the fuck out of me most of the time.
Bale, Verin, Morax, and Shax had helped to calm them further. However, I didn’t know how long the tenuous truce would hold. At this point, I was more than prepared to start maiming humans and demons alike if it meant never listening to them speak again. Rubbing at the bridge of my nose, I stepped into the shadows of the forest and made my way toward the stream.
I needed a few minutes alone with River, away from all of them.
I’d only made it a hundred feet into the woods when I spotted River and the others dashing in and out of the trees toward me. A growl rumbled up my throat and across my chest. I burst into motion and ran toward them as Hawk and Vargas spun to take up a shooter’s stance.
Corson grabbed them, said something and tugged them back. They fell into a run again, racing to catch up with Erin and River. River’s eyes came up, relief filling them as they met mine. Leaping over a fallen log, I landed before her then swung her up against me. Her hands fell on my shoulders as her rapid breaths sounded loudly in my ears.
“What is it?” I demanded.
“Lanavours,” Corson panted from behind her. “A lot of them, Kobal.”
Rage burst hotly through my veins and my fangs burst free at the knowledge that lanavours were so close to her. I crushed River against my chest as I spun and raced through the woods. I jumped over fallen trees and ran over the top of a boulder before leaping off the other side.
“The others!” she cried in my ear as I thrust my hand out to keep branches from slapping against her. She squirmed in my hold, trying to break free as I ran faster. “Kobal, we can’t leave them!”
“Yes, we can,” I told her then grunted when she jammed an elbow into my ribs.
“No! Stop!”
“They’ll be fine! I’m getting you to safety.”
She continued to wiggle in my grasp, but I kept her pinned against me. “I’m not going anywhere without them,” she said stubbornly in my ear.
I didn’t look back. “Corson will keep them safe.”
Bursting into the encampment, I ignored the startled looks of those closest to us as I raced across the clearing toward the bar. Bale, Verin, Morax, and Shax were standing by one of the pickups, dividing what remained of the supplies. I veered toward them.
“Lanavours are coming,” I told them, my arms tightening on River when she renewed her struggle to get free.
Bale dropped the bag of potatoes she’d been holding, spilling its contents on the ground. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her show any distress over the centuries I’d known her, but her red-hued skin paled visibly at my words.
“Get the humans grouped together,” I commanded. “We’ll get as many of them into the bar as possible before the lanavours arrive, but there will be casualties.”
“There will be,” Bale muttered. “Where is Corson?”
“On his way. I’m taking River to the bar. I’ll be right back.”
Turning away from them, I ran across the clearing toward the bar. It was not the best place to put her, but it was far better than in this clearing or in one of the vehicles. It was the only real shelter I had to protect her. When the other humans joined her, they would be able to make a stand against anything that might get inside. They would also be able to get back out if something came out of the gateway.
“No!” River shouted and shoved her hands into my chest while her feet kicked against my knees and shins.
I ignored her protests as I took the stairs to the doors three at a time. I nearly tore one of the doors off its hinges when I shoved it open. It crashed into the wall with enough force to dent the plaster and silence the noise of the revelry going on upstairs. Skelleins approached the top of the stairs, their irritation over the disruption evident in the set of their jaws.
Placing River down, I snagged her wrist and jerked her back to me when she spun toward the doorway. Her eyes burned with anger; her chin jutted out in defiance as she glared at me. “You can hate me all you want as long as you stay alive,” I told her. “But you will be staying in here until this is over.”
“No, I won’t!”
“Yes, you will!” I snapped, causing her eyes to widen before narrowing once more. I rarely raised my voice with her, but she had no idea the amount of destruction the lanavours could rain down. I would not have her exposed to them.
“No, I won’t,” she hissed.
At the top of the stairs, some of the skelleins laughed, while others gasped loudly. Inhaling a calming breath, I restrained myself from hauling her upstairs and tying her to the railing of the bar.
Turning away from her, I focused on the skelleins. “Lanavours are closing in. Get ready to fight.”
All of their skeletal faces broke into grins. Most of them were only four and a half feet tall, some were smaller, some were taller, but they all relished a good fight.
“Well, alrighty then!” a male skellein with a bowler hat shouted. “It’s time to play!”
A loud whoop went through them. They all turned away from the stairs and darted back into the bar. Moments later, they reappeared. I pulled River out of their way as they waved their swords in a circle through the air and descended toward us.
They ran down the stairs or slid down the metal banisters in a clattering of bones before they piled out the door in a rush. Their cries echoed across the field as they raced out, scaring some of the humans and causing them to scatter in different directions.
I turned my attention back to River. “I’ll send Erin, Hawk, and Vargas in here soon—”
“You left them behind!” Sparks flew from her fingertips as her body thrummed with fury.
“And I would do it again to protect you! Now, stay here and help the humans who will be joining you, or go out there and almost certainly be the cause of someone getting killed. You didn’t listen to me with the canagh demons; listen to me now when I tell you that this battle is not for you! I will not abandon anyone. I will send as many here as I can, but I cannot have you out there, distracting me and every
one else who will seek to protect you.”
She opened her mouth to protest further, but closed it again as my words sank in. Her eyes slid toward the door, and her shoulders slumped. “Okay, I’ll stay.” She tugged on her wrist again. This time, I released it and took a step away. “What can these demons do?”
“You don’t want to know.” Gripping her waist, I lifted her into my arms and kissed her before setting her on her feet.
Her eyes were haunted when they met mine. “Be careful.”
Releasing a harsh bark of laughter, I pulled the door open. “They’re the ones who are going to wish they’d never come anywhere near here. If something threatens you from the gateway, get out of here, do you understand me?”
She blinked at me; her mouth parted in realization. “You think Lucifer may have somehow drawn them here after what happened yesterday?”
“It’s a possibility.” Lucifer certainly had the ability to telecommunicate with the lanavours. I didn’t tell her that though; there wasn’t enough time to explain to her everything her ancestor could do. “You will be able to see anything coming down the hall or hear it before it gets close to you. Leave here if something exits the gateway, River, and come straight to me. Don’t worry about anyone else, I mean it.”
I could feel her bristling over my command, but she gave a brisk nod. “I will.”
I studied her as she resolutely held my gaze. She never failed to challenge me and was one of the most stubborn creatures I’d ever encountered, but she would not argue with me on this, not after what had happened at the canagh nest. However, I knew she would stop to worry about the other humans no matter what I said.
Turning stiffly away from her, I walked out the door before I decided to stay to make sure nothing came near her. I couldn’t leave the others to face the lanavours on their own though. There would be a lot more deaths if I did, and I would never leave my followers to fight a battle for me.
The Road (The Road to Hell Series, Book 3) Page 7