by Kate Baxter
Hellfire burned all around him. His opponent circled him, waiting for the opportunity to land a damaging blow. The crowd cheered, screamed, pressed toward the webbed silver cage of the battle arena as they tried to escape the undying flames. Ewan could think of no better way to go out. He hoped this fucking place and all the greedy creatures within it burned to the ground. The only thing that would make this moment more perfect would be the opportunity to take in the perfection of Sasha’s beauty one last time before he checked out.
“Ewan! I see her! She’s alive!”
From the right side of the arena, close to cage, Drew’s voice rose above the din to drill into Ewan’s brain. He scanned the crowd, frantic for a glimpse of her but unable to find her in the midst of so much chaos. It tore at his heart that he wouldn’t behold her beauty again. But she was safe, or at least, she would be when he was dead. She was alive. And that’s all that mattered.
Ewan dropped to his knees. The demon’s eyes narrowed and a confident smirk curved his lips. I love you, Sasha. His only regret, was that he’d never been able to say the words she deserved to hear aloud. I love you. Ewan’s eyes drifted shut as he waited for the killing blow. Time to leave this miserable life behind …
“Ewan!”
Sasha’s voice was a beacon that reached out to him. Ewan’s eyes flew open and he scanned the crowd. There! She wound her way through the press of people, alone. She waved her arms above her head as though to gain his attention. Silver cuffs circle her wrists but she showed no other sign of captivity. Not a single demon held her, stood near her, or followed her.
“Ewan!” she shouted again. “Fight, gods-damn it! Don’t you dare die!”
She was free? How? The demon came at him, hellfire blazing in both of his palms. Ewan didn’t have time to contemplate the hows and whys of Sasha’s apparent freedom. She wanted him to fight. And gods-damn it, that’s exactly what he was going to do.
Battle rage surged within him as Ewan rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding the demon’s killing blow. His opponent let out an angry snarl that only served to encourage Ewan as he allowed the battle rage that built within him to once again take hold. He held the strongest pull of it at bay, refusing to completely lose sight of Sasha. He was prepared to end this miserable bastard—and every last demon who meant to do them harm—but he had to know she remained safe. He’d take care of the threat in front of him first, and one by one eliminate every last one of Sorath’s minions, including the kingpin himself, when he was done.
He had so much life left to live, and he planned to spend every minute of it with Sasha.
“You’re going to pay for this, berserker!” the demon shouted. “You and that bitch vampire!”
The demon’s insults only fueled Ewan’s rage. His focus sharpened as he rushed at his opponent and took him down to the floor in a full-body tackle. The tables had turned and the crowd knew it. Those spectators unconcerned with the hellfire surrounding them roared and shared their approval as he laid his fists into the demon’s face, chest, and torso. Ewan’s arms moved in a blur of motion. The force behind each and every punch was meant to disable, to cripple, to debilitate. The demon was resilient, but not half as resilient as Ewan. Not half as strong. He lacked Ewan’s conviction. His need to persevere. Ewan was inexhaustible. Unkillable. He was a berserker warlord.
He didn’t know how to lose.
The scent of Sasha’s fear invaded Ewan senses. He looked up from pummeling the demon to death to find her engaged with the very same creatures that had taken her captive. She swung out with a machete, showcasing the abilities of a trained warrior. Ewan had never been so in awe of her, or so fucking scared for her. She needed him. Time to end this bullshit and protect his mate.
Ewan reached down and grabbed the demon’s head. He gave it a sound twist and the bones cracked as skin and sinew teared. The demon went limp beneath him as one last ragged, wet breath rattled in his lungs.
He was the king of the battle arena. Invincible. And now, he would make an example of the demons and show every soul present why he was a male worthy of not only their respect, but their fear. And with any luck, Gregor would hear about all of it and learn to fear him as well.
Ewan didn’t wait for the cage to be lifted. Instead, he reached for the webbing of silver bars and spread them apart with brute force until he’d made an opening wide enough for his body to slip through. He rushed through the crowd, shoving at any creature who got in his way. No doubt the outcome of tonight’s fight had pissed off a good chunk of the supernatural underground’s population. He’d deal with those bastards, too, if they had a problem with him. Later. Right now, he had more demons to kill.
* * *
Sasha’s heart had leapt into her throat as she’d watched Ewan go to his knees, prepared to die. For her. He couldn’t possibly have been willing to sacrifice himself and at the same time betray her to Gregor. Could he? There had to be an explanation for it all and she was more than willing to hear him out. They simply had to survive the night first.
The stench of sulfur floated around her and Sasha’s senses switched to battle mode. She’d disrupted the demons’ plans and no doubt they’d try to kill her for it. That wasn’t going to happen, though. Not tonight. Not any night. Sasha refused to bow. She refused to give up. And she refused to accept anything other than victory. She was the daughter of a warrior. The protégé of an assassin. Sasha Ivanov would show her foes why they should fear her. She was the bringer of death and these demons were her prey.
Sasha held the machete aloft as she adopted a defensive stance. In the background, Ewan fought for his life and she had to trust he’d come out the victor. She had faith and that’s all that mattered. Together, though separate, they would eradicate this threat.
“Fucking bitch! I’m going to gut you before I burn you to ash!”
The demon she hadn’t managed to kill on the street came at her, hellfire blazing in his palm. He threw the orb of supernatural fire at her and she narrowly missed it, though she felt the lick of flames on her cheek. The fireball smashed into the far wall of the building, erupting into a third fire that only added to the chaos around her. Spectators began to flee the building, most of them unwilling to risk being burned to death in order to witness the outcome of the fight.
Smart. The more of them that evacuated the space, the better.
Several more demons joined the melee, and Sasha prepared for the attack. She was outnumbered, but the odds didn’t bother her. She’d been in dicey situations like this before. She could handle this.
“Sasha!”
She looked to her left to find a shock of blond hair moving toward her from the crowd that flowed in the opposite direction. Lucas pushed his way through the obstacles that separated them, armed with a pair of daggers and an angry expression that made him look anything but innocent. She let out a sigh of relief as she said a silent prayer of thanks. She had no idea how Lucas had found her, but she was damn glad he had.
“Aim for the throat!” she shouted over the roar of flames and commotion of the crowd. “They’re most vulnerable there!”
The demon advanced on her with a wide sweep of his arm. Sasha ducked and jabbed with the machete, catching him in the gut for the second time that night. They were strong and resilient, but demons weren’t exactly the best fighters. They should’ve stuck to wielding hellfire and left their weapons at home. She pulled back her arm and swept the blade to her right in an uppercut, driving the blade through the throat of a second attacker. The male’s eyes went wide with surprise and the hellfire died in his palm as he crumpled to his knees. Sasha wasn’t about to leave him simply wounded and able to heal. She let out a shout as she sliced the blade through the thick muscle of his neck, severing his head from his shoulders.
“You’re going to die, vampire!” the demon she’d gutted twice in one night shouted.
She spun with a wide sweep of her arm and cut his head from his shoulders as well.
Sasha hated shit-tal
k.
The scent of sulfur flooded her nostrils. Hellfire raged around her, incinerating everything in its path. It wouldn’t be long before it consumed the building entirely, but it didn’t stop the demons from attacking. They were immune, after all. Sasha had only one choice: stand and fight. She only hoped she didn’t burn to death in the process.
Lucas entered the fray, fast and nimble, the silver of his daggers glinting off the bright, multicolored lights of the fires. He jabbed and parried, swung wide and cut down with his massive arms, bringing as much damage as possible to the two demons that had converged on him. Sasha didn’t have time to watch the show, however. Trouble was headed her way. Three more demons attacked, and outnumbered, she needed every ounce of focus to keep from getting burned or sliced open with one of their wide-blades.
A battle dance ensued. Sasha was more agile, quick, and graceful, able to deflect the demons’ blades as well as avoid their hellfire. She rolled away from the attack and scooped up one of the dead demon’s machetes. A weapon in each hand would be much more effective even if the machetes were awkward and cumbersome. It was tough to fight with any finesse, but did it matter? Survival was more important than providing a good show.
“Lucas! To your left!”
The fireball came out of nowhere. Lucas dove to his right, narrowly missing the hellfire, but it put him in the path of an oncoming demon. The male’s blade sliced along Luca’s torso and Sasha cringed as crimson bloomed from the wound to stain his shirt. The wound appeared superficial. He’d heal, but a few more cuts like that and the blood loss would take its toll. Sasha needed to cut down as many demons as possible so the odds were more even. They wouldn’t last for long, outnumbered by at least five to one.
Pain exploded down Sasha’s left side as the sharp edge of a blade sunk between her ribs. She’d been preoccupied and missed the demon who’d come from behind to ambush her. He leaned into the act, his face mere inches from hers as he drove the blade deep. Sulfur burned Sasha’s nostrils as his lips spread in an evil smile that showcased the sharp points of his yellow teeth.
“You’ve fucked with my plans, vampire,” the demon seethed close to her ear. “Now your lover is going to watch you die.”
Sasha brought up her right hand to deliver a downward cut with the machete when the demon twisted the blade in her torso. She cried out as it tore through skin, muscle, and scraped over bone. The machete fell from her hand as blood gushed from the open wound. Damn it! She’d been so careful. So vigilant. That the demon had gotten the drop on her hurt more than the damned hole he’d opened up between her ribs. She doubled over and went to one knee as she dragged in ragged gulps of breath. He’d missed her heart, thank the gods. She’d heal. She just hoped the wounds closed up before he was able to deliver a second blow.
A fist connected with the demon’s face, sending him sprawling a good ten feet away. Sasha brought her gaze up, up, up to find herself staring into the face of the most enraged berserker she’d ever seen. Ewan was magnificent in his anger. Black consumed the whites of his eyes and bled onto his cheeks. His muscles pulled the skin that ran with bulging veins tight over his frame. His breath heaved in his chest as his lip pulled back in a snarl. He was the embodiment of death. Destruction. And the demons would be wise to leave the city and never come back.
He took her breath away.
Sasha hugged her right arm around her waist. The wound had begun to heal and she regained sensation in her arm. She was diminished, but not out of the fight, so she scooped up the discarded machete, prepared to give Ewan whatever backup she could.
The sound of urgent shouts and the clash of blades drew Sasha’s attention. Bodies swarmed through the outcroppings of hellfire toward where she, Ewan, and Lucas fought. Saeed, Diego, Cerys, and countless dhampirs flooded the space to join the fight and put the demons down. Sasha drew in a shuddering breath as emotion swelled in her chest. After everything that had happened, all of the bitter words and anger, they’d come to her aid. Her family hadn’t turned their backs on her. They were here for her. And maybe even for Ewan.
The tables turned in an instant. No longer the outnumbering force, the demons quickly fell. Not even their hellfire could protect them. A renewed burst of energy cycled through Sasha’s veins as she reentered the fight. Her blades sang through the air as she hacked, cut and stabbed. Ewan’s ferocity knew no limits as she ripped demons to pieces with nothing more than his bare hands. Gruesome. Violent. She’d seen him fight this way in the ring countless times. As though he were possessed, unable to control his own actions and running on autopilot.
One by one, the demons fell until not a single one was left alive. The building had emptied of casual spectators and all that remained were four vampires, twenty-five dhampirs, and one very enraged berserker.
Whatever force held Ewan in its grip had yet to release its hold. The demons were dead but the fight hadn’t drained out of him. and as Saeed approached Sasha from her right, Ewan charged at the vampire and took him to the floor. Sasha raced to Ewan’s side desperate to keep him from killing Saeed, who was more than prepared to drive his blade into Ewan’s throat as retaliation. Panic overtook her, made her lightheaded, as Sasha gripped Ewan by the shoulders and shouted, “Ewan, stop! You’re going to kill him!”
Nothing could stop him. Not even her words. He was lost to the battle rage and Sasha feared there was no bringing him back.
CHAPTER
34
“Ewan, stop! Please!”
Words reached his ears as though spoken through a long tunnel, or from under water. Muffled and unintelligible. Incomprehensible to the singular focus of his mind. Ewan stared down at the male whose throat he gripped, seeing, but not comprehending. His was simply another body to put down. Another foe to decimate. Another threat to eliminate in order to protect his mate. Battle rage held Ewan in its grip.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
“Ewan!” Again a voice tried to break through the endless black and instinct that drove him. “Listen to me! You’ve got to snap out of it! Saeed isn’t a threat! Don’t make him hurt you!”
The words had more form this time, but Ewan was unable to grasp their meaning. His grip tightened, constricting the throat under his palm. He’d tear the male’s head from his shoulders and move on to the next. One by one until his mate’s safety was guaranteed.
“Ewan! Gods, listen to me!”
The urgency of the tone spoke to a part of his brain that had been switched off. He recognized his mate’s voice and some shred of awareness returned. Ewan gave a violent shake of his head in an effort to bring himself back into the moment. Sasha was trying to convey something to him, but his mind had shifted into autopilot a while ago and taken him to that dark place where memory and cognizant thought didn’t exist. He was in the full grips of battle rage and bringing himself out of it was a feat he wasn’t sure he could accomplish.
“Don’t hurt him! Please!”
His mate pled for someone’s life. Ewan gave another shake of his head as his eyes began to comprehend exactly what they were looking at. He held the vampire Saeed in his grip. A slight twist, and Ewan could separate the vampire’s head from his shoulders. His rival for Sasha’s love would be dead. Gone forever. Nothing would stand between them …
“Saeed, please!” Sasha tugged at Ewan’s fingers in an effort to loosen his hold. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Don’t hurt him! Ewan, listen to me! I’m safe. We’re safe. But we won’t be for long. You’ve got to come back to me! We’ve got to get out of here. This place is burning to the ground!”
It wasn’t the vampire’s life Sasha begged for. It was his. A grayish white glint of metal caught Ewan’s eye and he looked down to see the tip of a dagger pressed against his throat. The vampire was poised to drive the blade home. A quick slice would partially sever Ewan’s head. It wouldn’t take much for the vampire to finish him off. Sasha implored the vampire to spare him even though Ewan had his fists wrapped around the male’s throat.
/> Color bled into Ewan’s vision as conscious thought returned. The tendrils of heat that coiled within him retreated. He released his grip on Saeed’s throat and fell backward as the battle rage began to ebb and drain from his body. Sasha’s cry of relief drew his attention as he turned toward her. A small crowd had gathered around them. Sasha, Lucas, the other vampire and dhampirs from Saeed’s coven. Drew kept a safe distance from them all as he watched tentatively from the battle arena and the silver cage that began to melt as the hellfire ate away at it.
Gods. What a fucking mess. The bodies of demons littered the floor. Blood and carnage surrounded them. Ewan let out a shuddering breath as he took stock of Sasha’s disheveled form and the blood that stained her shirt and crusted her hands and arms.
She could have been killed. He could have lost everything that meant something to him tonight. Fear punched him in the chest and stole his breath. They’d come out on top, but if the vampires and dhampirs hadn’t shown up, the outcome would have been completely different.
Ewan pushed himself to stand and reached for Sasha. She flinched and took a tentative step back, her brow furrowed. Afraid? Her scent soured as her heart rate increased. He’d always known that once she saw what he truly was—witnessed the unchecked beast that lived within him—that she would run from him. Hurt sliced through him, sharper than the vampire’s blade. Sasha should have let Saeed kill him. Because there was no way he could live with her fear and revulsion.
Lucas pushed his way toward the center of the circle and began to shove the gawking bodies of curious dhampirs toward the front of the building. “This place is coming down around us! We need to get out of here!”
The iron rafters creaked as they melted under the heat of hellfire. A section fell just beyond the battle arena and Ewan’s gaze met Drew’s as his cousin turned and ran for the exit. He was in the midst of hostile territory and Ewan didn’t blame him for cutting a hasty retreat. Sasha might have been terrified of him. She might not have wanted to have anything to do with him. But that wasn’t going to stop him from getting her the hell out of here. Whether she liked it or not, she was his mate. And he was sworn, bound, dedicated to protect her.