Page 49 (1/2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

AS THE DEMON SCREAMED in pain, Thane removed the horns on its head

As the demon cried and sobbed, Thane plucked out its eyes

As the dee hunks of the creature’s flesh

Black blood ran down his ar welts The scent of sulfur coated the air At his sides, the walls to the cavern dripped with bodily fluids froans he’d removed

"If you refuse to talk," he said, "I’ll reue before I kill you"

The creature babbled, but all Thane heard was, "Blah, blah, blah, please Blah, blah, blah, better than me"

"You think you’re better than me?" he lashed out "Or that I’m not any better than you?" Either way

Giving in to the rage, Thane sawed at the deh, and he ended up sawing through the creature’s throat The body slu it

Perhaps the next one would be-- There was no next one, he realized He’d killed theh his hair

He had arrived in Auckland two days ago, tracked a path of evil to the sluroup of homeless ht over the rights to a trash can, killed each other by sheer physical brutality, and the only survivor had then turned on the patrons of a nearby coffee shop, slaying three innocents before the cops arrived and gunned hi patrons were being questioned Two had displayed tempers that hadn’t fit the situation, and he’d ended up following the worst offender to an office building The male had yelled at everyone he encountered, and the employees had huddled around the watercooler to discuss how odd his behavior was

That hen Thane realized the truth De their leader--one of the six that had killed Ger thethe streets like hungry lions searching for gimpy prey He’d initiated battle and iotten away The other three he’d ed to injure so severely that they weren’t able to run He’d scooped theht them back here, to his cave

He’d spent the past few hours doing things that had once been done to his friends Terrible things Horrendous things The only things that brought Thane any otten no answers

Where was the leader?

Frustrated, he flew up, up, up to the opening of the cavern, then flattened out to dart through the narrow passage Light spilled inside, chasing away the darkness and showing the way to the surrounding forest Withinriver, the tall, lush trees and the snowcapped mountains

The scent of sulfur dissipated and the cri itself as well as his body The heat dropped off hiainst hi could wash away the feel of defeat

A rustle sounded behind him

He summoned his sword of fire as he turned--but there was no one there The sun was in the process of setting, casting rays of pink and purple, the sky a darkening blue The clouds were thick and white, the stars just beco slowly, gracefully, his gaze tracking the surrounding area Butagain, he found no one

"Coht her at top speed Then, he leveled out and searched the clouds for any sign of ht he heard a whoosh He frowned What was that? Whatever it was, the sound of laughter quickly followed He changed course, only to find four winged warriors playing ball in the clouds One threw the ball, while another tried to stop hiht the ball, while another tried to stop hiht? Buthow happy they appeared How content

They weren’t part of Zacharel’s arnized one of the males Brendon was his name, and he had frequented Thane’s club onin the air sohly ranked deame paused, and all four looked over at him At first, they smiled But those smiles quickly faded as his identity was discerned

"You’re part of the Ar to despise that na here?" another snapped "This is our territory"

"Your kind isn’t wanted," Brendon said, peering down at his feet

The fourth rement and disdain, from his own kind, when they had no idea what had shaped him into the man he was They had no idea what he’d had to do to survive They had no idea the pain and guilt and shah he told himself he enjoyed his life, that he liked what he was And he did

He did Because he had to

The four closed in around hi him in He could have mentioned Brendon’s own proclivities and called him a hypocrite, and the others would have believed hi of truth But he remained silent He had many,with his friends

He kne iht me," he stated calression and assurance of success "And why’s that?"

"I have no honor, and you won’t like what I do to you" To prove it, he kicked out his leg, nailing the leader in the sto him hunch over for breath At the sa a sword fro out He clipped the bottos