Page 38 (1/2)

"Denise, now!" he tried to scream, but saltwater and sand filled his mouth His entire head was under water She couldn’t hear hione mentally to even understand

The creature’s claws bit into the ar Pain and pressure built through Spade’s body, but he didn’t let go It would have to tear him to pieces before he’d release that h Spade’s ears, unbearable even through the cocoon of water and sand Then that heaving, thrashing creature in his grip began to shudder, its claws no longer ripping into Spade, but sliding off instead The sea felt like it boiled around hi what little vision he’d had, until he saw nothing but frothing white And then the twenty-stone creature on top of hian to shrinkuntil it was pushed away and fresh claws dug into his skin

Spade let the other creature pull hiripped hiaze, but could stillbody at his feet Its eye sockets were blackened holes with that bone knife still sticking out of one of thee, ravenous zo its head toward him

"Get back, you don’t know if that’s her!" Nathanial shouted

"Yes I do," Spade replied, gently grasping the warped ar the needles of pain fro You can stop now Look at hi as that was Lovely, brave, gentle Denise Demon slayer

Those claws pulled out of his ar down as if ashamed Spade didn’t hesitate He pulled her into his e with irony that in the forht froht

"It’s all right, darling," he repeated, stroking her "It’s finished You can come back to me now, Denise, come back"

During the several ly of blood, Raum’s body had turned to bones in the surf and Denise had transformed back into herself Spade kept one foot planted on the remains of the demon as he drew off his shirt and covered her with it Most of her clothes had been torn beyond decency in her fight with Rauer size

"Spade," she whispered at last, tears sparkling in her gaze "You knew me Even like that, you kneas htly Overwhel with joy as the panic from the past few hours released its hold Denise was safe She hole He’d ask for nothing more out of life

"I couldn’t do it," she said, voice soft "I’ Oliver, but I couldn’t give Nathanial to hi inrevenge on you for those salt bombs, either"

"I don’t want to talk about that now" Yes, he was still upset over how she’d risked herself so recklessly, but he didn’t want to berate her at the lad that she was alive

She took in a deep, ragged breath "Spadethe brands are permanent now Only Raum could remove them, and he’s dead I can’t die as I am, unless you stab my eyes out with that demon knife, but I’ll stay like this If you can’t deal witha - a shape-shifter, I’ll understand - "

"Foolish girl," he cut her off, pulling back to look into her hazel eyes "According to what you just said, you’re safer now than you ever would be, even as a vaing shape You could transforain Whatever you fancy I’ll still be there, and I’ll still be ed him fiercely "I love you so much," she choked

Spade returned her erowing even deeper He meant what he’d said If Denise were a vampire, well, silver was easy to come by, but demon knives? The only one he kneas still in the bony eye socket of Raurind the demon’s reed from him