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I stood and saw a shimmer as a portal opened just beyond the trees on the road Black-clad Te until I lost sight of the sla cloth as I slid face-first down the roof straight toward the gaping ed forupside down Ti forto shard, and ti heat crackled into ht on a fiery horn just before I slid off the head of the fire deainst ained ripped the horn and jerked The volcanic flesh around the base cracked My tail wrapped around the other horn Ignoring the sizzling of my own flesh, I bellowed and jerked on the first horn with both hands The horn tore loose, blood like lava dripping fro hard, my tail instinctually whisked me backward The creature’s fist slaled upside down by ed for h the air Somehow, I pushed off the fire de away just in ti in the top of the head Rocky flesh crue lava beneath

Still hanging on with ainst the fire de horn At the peak, I jurip on the uprooted horn, and drove the point into his left eye Orange fluid jetted from the burst orb Intowardhorn with both hands, I jerked hard, baring the ed chunks froh Ceasing its atteripped its fellow ainst the side of the mansion Steam hissed as ice and fire came into contact The mansion’s stone façade could take no ht, I leapt to the deck,the effort the de on its co with theirit At the far end, I leapt to a tree, dugbark and drawing deep gouges I hit the ground in front of a startled battle e He fired a stream of blue orbs at me I ducked and rolled beneath Came up beneath the man and hit him with an uppercut

Bones crunched and his body flew up about twenty feet before thudding back to earth in a lifeless heap I had no tiht splintered a nearby tree Athe attacker down in a flurry of claws, fangs, and a spray of blood A wave of screaiant cat, shredding its flesh like moldy cloth Dark blood spurted froie

Pro tip: Stay out of the way of those death waves

I dodged through trees, found another ainst a stump Ahead, I saw the deht to regain control I picked up a nearby log a few feet in length, and hurled it at thehim backward into the brush The other y fro trees, and slicing the man in half like deli ham

Flicking into incubus sight, I watched as the glowing tether crackled with energy The runefar, but no one controlled it now A bellow rose from the direction of the house I looked in ti at each other with raw abandon, everything else forgotten Lightning flashed fro shards of volcanic flesh froh the air

Templars appeared from the trees, lancers and swords at the ready They saw me, but thankfully seemed to knoasn’t a threat--just a dener could ever hope to fashion A beefy figure appeared and touched his neck Theto reveal the square jaw and piercing violet eyes of Michael Borathen

"We incapacitated the summoners on the other side," he said "We have to hope the dee each other until their power runs out and banishes them"

"Sir," said a female voice from one of the Templars, her face hidden behind the mask "Exorcists are on the way They should be able to control the de words as usual

My shoulders sagged with relief I suddenly felt so very tired But I also felt safe enough to push backdown to my relatively diminutive six feet Michael tossed me a black belt from within his pack I secured it around ale ars beneath the jeans, and I tore off the ragged reround after retrieving my phone from a pocket Maybe they’d be useful in a Paris fashion show, but I was done with thees?" I asked,to the mastermind behind this assault "Is Maulin Kassus here?"

"I don’t know," Michael said "The OPFORs fled e engaged Soot to be here," I said "He’s got to!"

I raced through the woods, looking at the scattered bodies of brotherhood es in aarea It only tookthenated to counter de de the power from the runes until theto elemental forms, as their demon spirits were sucked back into the demon real and hoping to find the man responsible Elyssa found me, took me by the arm, and directed ht settled in, Michael came inside and reported

"Maulin Kassus isn’t here," he said "He roaned, feebly atte to pound the table The world blurred, and I slu heavy in every inch of my body

"Justin, you need to feed," Elyssa said "Please"

Fighting back useless anger, I nodded It was over We had won

But we had also lost

Chapter 37

It took all my effort not to drain Elyssa Her shoulders shuddered as she fought the sexual urges caused by er, I stopped, afraid I would hurt her