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Tiny whimpers reverberated through the cramped spot, and my focus shifted to the kid beneath me, my hand running over her to check for injuries. A breath of relief exited my lungs despite the anguish it poured into my system. The iron shard had missed her.
“It’s okay. You’re fine,” I whispered, rubbing her arm to soothe her. “You’re not hurt, right?”
Her lips trembled as she peeked up at me. “You’re bleeding.”
A dry laugh escaped my lips. A balcony almost crushed her, and she was worried about me?
She was also correct. Blood puddled on the ground, and a briny, coppery scent filled the confined area.
Metal groaned and creaked as the balcony lifted off us, and air rushed over my back. I used my hands to push away from the ground, agony splitting my right side apart. The little demon girl unfurled and ran to a female with the same pink flesh and green hair.
“Mara, sweetie.” She scooped the girl up and held her tight, kissing her cheek.
Knots fisted in my chest, forcing my heart to squeeze into a tight ball to make room. No one had ever held me like that when I was a kid. Not one single foster parent or anyone cared enough to. Ever.
And this loving scene unfolded betweendemons.
“That looks bad.”
The man’s voice yanked my attention away from the mother and daughter, and my head lowered.Oh, shit. A metal rod the size of a yardstick hung out of my gut. “Yeah, you could say that.” A decorative ball dangled on the end that protruded out of my back.
I choked down the bile rushing up my throat. I’d have to push the rod all the way through to remove it.
A vicious roar erupted on the street, and the sub-demon raced in my direction again.
Fear yanked the air out of my lungs, and my muscles seized. I couldn’t run or fight with this thing sticking out of me. That bull would split me in half.
A demon the size of a linebacker—one of the few that helped lift the balcony—stooped, grabbed a fallen brick, and hurled it at the bull.
The projectile hit him right between the eyes, and his hoofs screeched to a halt, ripping up the stone street. With a bellow, the sub-demon staggered and fell to his side. Stunned. Not dead. He’d be on his feet and even angrier in no time.
“Here.” The closest demon, sporting orange tuffs of hair and yellow irises, grabbed the end of the pole. I tensed and jerked to get away from him. “Relax. I’m just trying to help. You saved my niece.” He ticked his head to the little girl as the linebacker crushed her in a bear hug.
That must have been her father. For shit’s sake. She had a whole family that loved her, and I had a line of cold or cruel guardians that raised me before I opted for the street.
Sharp talons grew on the demon’s hand, matching the horns trickling over his neck and shoulders. “Stay still.” With a high-pitched keening, he sliced the metal ball off, causing a flare of fire to whip through my side.
A dribble of sweat ran down my temple. “Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing the end of the shaft and yanking it out before I lost my nerve.
Scarlet flashed over my vision, and the crooked buildings spun. Vomit seeped up my mouth, but I choked it back, dropping the pole. Blood oozed out of the wound, drenching both sides of my sheer shirt. I pressed my hand over the front, wincing. That wouldn’t do much good when another gaping hole dug into my back.
The sub-demon stirred, his legs kicking out as he came to.
“You better get out of here before that bastard wakes up,” the demon warned, glowering at the bull.
He didn’t like that thing any more than I did.
“Thanks,” I repeated and staggered out of the rubble to the right. Pain pulsed through my side as I jogged around the corner and slipped into a narrow side street. My breaths came in quick pants, and my knees shook. The adrenaline quickly evaporated from my veins.
I stumbled into a rough stone wall as my legs almost buckled. Fuck. I needed to sit down for just a second. And then I’d find something to wrap around my stomach to staunch the bleeding.
The door of a small building squeezed between two larger ones swung open as if inviting me in. I eased inside where rows of wooden pews lined the room. A pulpit loomed in the front.
A church?
I staggered forward, leaving a trail of blood on the wall as I used it to keep myself upright. What the hell did demons worship?
Shadows spilled from every corner of the empty structure while the crimson streetlights cast an eerie glow through the windows and skylight in the center. I leaned against a stone pillar to catch my breath and take stock of my injuries. My throat ached—everywhere ached—from where Karn had strangled me, and the shallow puncture wound over my heart from his talon-tipped wing stung worse than a paper cut.
