“Come on,” I mutter, looking at my fingers. “I call forth the fire from Hell.”
Nothing happens.
I hold my hands up, heart racing, and try to summon hellfire again.
“Dammit.”
The ground trembles, and another root-monster sprouts up just feet from me. I pull in energy and bring my hands out in front of me, telekinetically pushing the thing backwards. Binx snaps it in half.
“Thanks,” I pant and look around the yard with my heart in my throat. Ruby is surrounded, backed into a corner without the machete. “Go,” I tell Binx, who can get there faster than I can.
“Ruby!” I call. “Duck!”
I feel something surge inside of me, and blue flames spark along my fingers. “Burn!” I shout and send a fireball at the creatures. Two catch on fire, hissing and screeching as they burn. Binx blocks another from attacking Ruby, and I reach past the piles of smoking ash for her hand. I pull her away right before another swipes a thorn-covered hand in our direction.
She staggers forward, limping, and I realize that one of her legs has been cut.
“Come with me,” I say, holding out my hand and sending another creature tumbling back. I’m still weak, both from losing so much blood and from almost being strangled.
Scarlet bounds over, clearing a path for us. I hook my arm around Ruby’s shoulders and help her to the porch. She sinks down, unable to keep going, and I turn, looking for Lucas.
He speeds through the creatures, swinging the sword so fluidly it’s like he’s dancing. They fall in waves, sending dark embers and ash whooshing into the air.
Two twist together and send their vines flying at Lucas. They wrap around his arms, jerking the sword back.
“Lucas!” I scream and start to run forward. But he twists around, breaking the creature’s hold on him. In a swift movement, he drops down and brings the sword back, stabbing the creature in the stomach. He brings the blade up, cutting the thing in half.
Then he’s up again, kicking another in the chest. It flies back, knocking into another. He brings the sword up and spins, cutting them both in two.
A root-monster comes at me, and I bring my hand up without thinking and send a ball of fire right into its chest. It bursts into flames, and I turn away, ducking my head under my arm as pieces of bark rain down on me.
Lucas chops down more creatures, and there aren’t many left. They’re slowing down, yet another pops up from under my warding. I send another ball of fire at it, and then I notice something—or someone—else.
They’re standing in the threshold of the woods, watching us. And then it hits me. Someone is controlling the monsters.
“Scarlet,” I yell and take off running. The hellhound bounds over, sprinting ahead of me. She sees the figure in the woods and speeds forward with a growl. Suddenly, she halts, coming to a dead stop. Unable to stop in time, I trip over her and go tumbling across the dry grass.
I can feel him moving closer, and the energy coming off him is dark and oppressive. It’s pulling me under cold and murky water, and everything inside me is numb and dying.
Scarlet whines, and I scramble up, pain webbing through me. The hellhound is sitting still, head tipped to the side as she looks at the person before us.
My breath hitches when he steps from the shadows, moonlight bathing his face. He looks like an older man, dressed in a brown dress robe.
But I know this isn’t a human.
He’s a demon, and judging by the golden crown on his head, he’s a powerful one.
I hold out my hands, bright blue magic sizzling around my fingers. The demon looks at the light, and his face goes slack. Then he steps back into the woods, disappearing into a puff of smoke. The oppressive feeling is gone, and a weight is instantly lifted from my chest.
“The fuck?” I ask, whirling around. Lucas slices through another root-monster. There aren’t many left now, and with the demon calling them forth gone, we should be in the clear.
For now.
“Is he gone?” I ask Scarlet, who sniffs the ground where the demon stood, growling. Swallowing hard, I let out a breath, hands trembling. Scarlet comes up next to me, and I hold onto her shoulder for support as we go back to the house.
Freya and Pandora knock another root-monster to the ground. The machete is in the grass a few feet from it, and I push off Scarlet, dropping to my knees to get the weapon. I scramble over and bring the blade down. The root-monster goes up in flames, and I fall back, panting.
The world is spinning around me, and all I want to do is lie back and fall asleep. My eyes flutter shut, and I force myself up, watching Lucas cut through the last of the creatures.