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The cloud would hold them off, but would, eventually, fail Clouds such as this one were designed for co that had never bothered him before Actually, at any other tie, the chance for victory Now he experienced the tiniest shard of fear Annabelle could be hurt He hadn’t spent these past few days seeing to her survival just to watch her fall prey to his enemy’s evil

"Show me," he commanded the cloud

Beside him, a portion of air thickened, a ether He stiffened Annabelle gasped At least fifteen de at the outer walls in an effort to get inside They orked into a frenzy, foa at the mouth, desperate, their nails tipped with poison

"They came for me," she said, toneless

Zacharel snaked his free hand around her waist and tugged her into the line of his body "Hold on to o under any circuht them" Good There’d been a layer of determination that time

Still, he barked, "Can you fly? Or will you tumble to the earth without er hesitating, she wrapped her arht at his nape Soft breasts snuggled against the pound of his heartbeat, and their lower bodies pressed together He inhaled sharply, amazed he even noticed the sensations at such a tih," he said His hand lowered to her bottos wrapped around his waist

Their eyes ainst that otherworldly blue--a blue currently fogged with the determination he’d heard as well as the terror he’d sensed But she nodded, ready for battle

Brave girl

"At least you stopped snowing," she said

Had he? His Deity esture Zacharel would be sure to thank him for

"I wish there was another way," he said In this position, Annabelle would act as his shield He despised that on every level, but he had no other solution He couldn’t flash her away and return--ht--because he couldn’t flash Only a rare few could, like the wingless Koldo

What Zacharel could do was cae his body so that no one could see or sense hiree, so that was out, too

I need you--he projected first to Koldo because he could be the biggest help right now, then to every other member of his army He’d never done this before, wasn’t sure it would work, and cursed hi inside their minds Demons My cloud Battle

There was no time to await their responses, if they even kne to reply in such a ht him He hisk you to safety"

"What about you?"

Excellent question "Now," he said to the cloud, ignoring her, "I want you to leave this location Go souard the urn I’ll return to the heavens and find you"

Whoosh

The cloud was gone, taking the foundation at his feet, too Annabelle gasped, clutched hiloith piercing intensity De frantically as they struggled to understand what had just happened Zacharel swung his sword and beheaded the one nearest him With the flicker of the fla froht

They converged on hi, Zacharel worked his way through the into fla They did not fight honorably, but then, he knew that about theo," he said to Annabelle "Do not relax your grip"

"Got it"

When four swarh the sky, releasing Annabelle as announced to block the two de the sword to behead the two de hi from his waist and kicked at the de one in the eye

"Annabelle!"

"What? I didn’t relax rip," she said "Not with my hands"

A deht herself, and she yelped

Zacharel swirled his wrist back, then sliced forward, going loer… hi

"Behind you!" Annabelle shouted

He spun quickly--but not quickly enough Demon claws meant for his neck swiped out and connected with the side of one wing, causing a sharp lance of pain to echo through hiritted his teeth as he plunged through the daylight Annabelle released a shrill screath and deter back into h, he caught an air current and jerked to a stop