Page 124 of Hell’s Weapon

“I’m coming too.”

I really don’t think it’s a good idea but I can’t stop him, and to be honest I don’t want to leave him behind either. Surely I can keep him safe. There’s so much chaos going on out there, no one is going to notice us searching for our other half.

“Can you shift?” I ask Milo, having the sense that he can at least blend in with the other giant cats.

He pauses for a second and looks like he’s going to sign something, but in a blink, Milo disappears and in the space he was just occupying is a sleek predator. I duck down to my haunches so I’m eye level with him. Gently I lift a hand to stroke a hand over the crown of his head, between his dextrous rounded ears that flick this way and that, no doubt trying to process all the sounds he can now hear with his heightened sense.

“Stay close okay?” I tell him.

His head dips once telling me he understands.

“Except, if this goes south, you need to get yourself out, alright? Head into the mountains and far away from anywhere the Angels will find you.”

Amber eyes narrow at me, his dislike of the plan B I’ve laid out clear. A giant black paw lands on my knee.

“I won’t leave you unless I have to, but if we run into trouble, I’m going to want to shift as well.”

More shouting erupts as the guard unit on the ground tries to re-organise after the explosion. The urgency to set eyes on Tacita heightens.

Garrick too.

Milo follows at my heels like a shadow. He moves silently, but jumps at any of the particularly loud sounds. I have a quick second of doubt that I’m doing the wrong thing by bringing him closer to the Angels. I have no idea where the fuckers are that are trying to break into his head but surely the closer they get, the harder Milo will have to fight.

Taking a quick look at him as we reach the main hallway of the Guards’ building, he is panting slightly, but that’s the only indicator of the pain he’s in. Our eyes meet as I grab the door handle and he gives me a nod.

“Let’s go help our girl,” I say as I swing it open and we’re thrust straight into the melee.

We make it about ten steps before we’re dragged into the fighting. There are way more Angels compared to Demons. Even so, the Demons are not losing any ground. I wish I’d thought about grabbing some weapons, but I can’t linger on that regret as a white winged guy lands right in front of us and goes to grab me. Dodging, I punch the fucker straight across the jaw on the rebound. We tussle for a while, but I soon realise I’m not strong enough to defeat him. He’s a supernatural being and I’m currently in my human form and with human strength.

He’s about to overpower me when Milo launches from the shadows of the Guards’ building. I see a flash of black fur before my opponent is screaming in pain, a panther shredding his back as teeth and claws sink deep.

I manage to get out of his grasp as Milo closes his jaws around one of the branches of the male’s wings, causing blood to fly as the Angel flaps in desperation. Milo gets dislodged, hitting the ground as the Angel takes off.

“Are you okay?” I rush to Milo. He’s crouched low to the ground, his tail flicking and his ears pinned to his head, a sign I think is anger, but he appears unharmed.

His flat tongue licks his blood covered jaws and I get a flash of the long canines he has in this form. He rises slowly and starts to look around. Taking that to mean he is fine, I stand too and decide to retreat to the side of the Guards’ quarters, to the safety of the shadows once more. We are going to have to be much more careful.

Attempting a head count, to identify all those that I know, I spot Rio in the skies. He looks covered in blood but is fighting with such brutality that you never would’ve guessed the guy didn’t always have his wings. Granted, he still lands on his arse more than his feet when landing, but in the sky he moves just as smoothly as the guards he’s fighting alongside.

Amongst those on the ground, the medic guy who saved Milo is fighting with potion bottles. Small clouds of gas explode as they smash on the concrete, momentarily rendering his opponents frozen, or screaming in pain, until he snaps their necks. It’s merciless, even for me.

Seffy is nowhere to be seen, and neither are several of the other contestants. I wonder if they’re still in the dormitories. Would there be some of the guards there as well?

Relaying my thoughts to Milo, we form a route before we head out once more, trying to keep as far away from the main fighting as possible.

Chapter 41

Tacita

“Garrick.” I cough, the dust in my lungs making my voice weak. Even with supernatural gifts, we’d been unable to move fast enough to avoid being buried in the falling debris of the main building. Having to pull my mask off in order to breathe better, I ensure my hood is in place to keep my identity hidden.

Shoving a particularly large bit of rubble, I wiggle myself free, moving to my hands and knees. It's hard to see anything with the dust cloud created by the falling building but I manage to make out the grassy plateau where the Angels we’d been watching had been, now there’s nothing but empty black scenery beyond the mangled fencing.

Fuck.

“Garrick?” I call again. There’s a groan from a few feet away, I instantly move towards it. Trying hard to block out all other noise and the ringing in my ears, I lock onto his heartbeat to find his exact location.

Moving sections of brickwork and plaster out the way, I uncover him. “Come on, get up,” I command, throwing a mangled piece of metal.