Queen of Night (Thorne Hill 6)

He stumbles back, throwing out his hand as he falls. The sound of a whip cracking echoes through the quiet night, and pain radiates across my cheek, stinging from the invisible lashing. I counter with no hesitation, sending a blast of bright blue energy into Bael’s chest. He cradles the jar against him, more afraid of dropping it than he is of getting hurt.

Right. He needs it to perform the ritual to bind my powers. Not today, asshole.

Scarlet is back on her feet, circling Bael with her fangs bared. I need to take off her collar and give her a fighting chance. I flick my eyes to her, and Bael take the millisecond distraction to his advantage.

He forces another wave of dark energy at me, and I hold up my hands just in time to block it. Blue light loudly crashes against the dark magic, sparks raining down on the forest floor.

“You will never own me,” I say through gritted teeth, pushing as hard as I can against Bael’s hold.

“Are you sure about that?” Bael suddenly lets off the blast of magic, and I stumble forward, recovering fast. Scarlet is back on her feet and races over, putting herself between myself and Bael. He shifts his eyes from me to Scarlet and to Kristy.

“That’s right, asshole you’re outnum—fuck!”

Bael tips his head and raises his hand. The ground trembles beneath us, and a root bursts from the ground, wrapping around Kristy’s ankle.

“Callie!” she screams, and I jump for her, grabbing her hand. The root yanks her back, ripping her from my grasp and bringing her over the Bael. She’s forced to her feet, and roots wrap around her legs like vines.

“Stop!” I yell, holding up my hands. No one else is getting hurt, especially my best friend. “It’s me you want. Let her go.”

“And where’s the fun in that?” Bael’s hoarse voice reverberates through the trees.

I exhale, breath clouding around me. “Let her go. She has nothing you want.”

“She has you.” Bael twirls is fingers in the air, and the roots start to tighten around Kristy’s legs and stomach. She fights against it, but it’s no use. The roots get tighter, snaking up to her chest now. “And you’re willing to do anything for her, aren’t you?”

“Of course, but you’re not getting me to agree to be your meat-suit or whatever it is you need me to be.”

“You will if it means letting your friend live.” The roots wrap around Kristy’s arms, forcing then behind her back.

“You’ll just kill her anyway.”

“True.” Bael twirls his fingers through the air and the roots around Kristy’s abdomen start creeping up to her neck. “But I’ll make it quick with minimal suffering.”

Scarlet lunges again, and Bael summons another root to erupt from the ground, wrapping around Scarlet’s paws, hog-tying her and flipping her over, rendering her helpless. If I could just get to her and take her collar off, she’d have a fighting chance.

Tipping his head, Bael raises another hand, bringing forth a root-monster, bigger than the others that attacked us before. I don’t have any weapons to stab it with, and I don’t remember the spell I need to invoke the divine properties of my blood.

There’s another energy shift, and Lucas runs past so fast he’s only a blur. He knocks right into Bael, shoving him down and wrestling him to the ground. Bael’s hold is broken on Kristy, and the roots start to recede into the ground. Lucas’s fangs break the surface of Bael’s flesh and thick, black blood oozes down the wounds, permeating the air with the heavy scent of brimstone and sulfur.

The jar slips from Bael’s hands, landing with a soft thud on the ground. Kristy madly pulls the roots away from her throat, gasping for air. I hold out my hand and run to her. My fingertips brush hers when two roots pop up from the ground, wrapping around Kristy’s ankles. It pulls her back, face skidding along the dirt, and strings her up from a tree.

“No!” I scream, rounding on Bael. I conjure an energy ball, throwing it with all my might. Bael turns, using Lucas as a shield. I scream again when the energy ball hits Lucas’s shoulder, burning through inches of his flesh and muscle. He grunts with pain, and Bael shoves him to the ground. The root-monster stomps past, roots and vines untwisting, reforming its shape to tangle around Lucas, binding him to a tree.

“This can all end,” Bael hisses.

“Not well,” I pant, holding my hands at my sides, feeling magic buzz around me. I’m strong enough to hurt the devil. Granted, Lucifer wasn’t trying to fight me, but I found the strength deep inside and sent a blast hard enough that it hurt an archangel, albeit a fallen one. If I can hurt him, then I can hurt Bael. “For you,” I add with a sneer, and Bael laughs.