Chapter Twenty-Three

 

CAM

 

Thea was in trouble.

Though they weren’t mated, Cam sensed it in a sudden flash the moment he entered the human world. A vibration rolled off her in waves; fear. He had never known or witnessed her feeling it that intensely before, not even when she’d faced four demons alone.

Sickening waves rose in his gut and put him in a near-panic. He couldn’t lose Thea, especially not to demons, not after what had happened to Karaya. Cam didn’t waste time. He headed in her direction immediately, grabbing his dagger out of his boot.

He followed the instincts of his angel-form, allowed it to lead him to her, while his panic bubbled just beneath the surface. He found her in a small apartment block on the south side of town and entered through the open door.

Inside, she was lit up with her angelic energy, in her angel-form. He drew a sharp breath in as he saw an Asmos demon across from her. His pulse sped up. She had never fought a higher-class before, not even with him around. He started to go to her but stopped himself. She wouldn’t appreciate him swooping in to save her. She didn’t think he believed she was capable, when she no idea how much he admired her strength. So he fought against his urges to rescue the woman he loved.

Thea was doing well on her own; better than well, actually. Cam kept his eyes on her, holding himself back while she led a brutal physical assault against the demon, her fist connecting with his jaw just before she brought her knee up to his abdomen. The demon grunted as he doubled over. Cam knew from experience how strong Thea was, how hard she could hit when she tried. The demon was suffering, at least, and Thea was on top for now.

He managed to tear his eyes away from the fight long enough to notice a small blond girl slumped onto the linoleum kitchen floor, stiff on the ground with her eyes closed. Keeping an eye on Thea, Cam went to her and probed her energy, checking her vital signs. She had been severely drained of her energy and seemed to have long-term scars on her soul as a result of constant draining, but she was alive. When he checked her eyes, they were rolled back. He grabbed a handful of clothes from a laundry basket in the corner, and plumped it up under her head, laying her body gently on the ground. Though she was pallid and he didn’t exactly like the sound of her light heartbeat, her breathing was slow and even, and her whole body seemed to relax when he lay her down. He slowly trickled angelic energy into her, but he had only been trained a little in the basics of soul-healing. After treating her as best as he could, he checked her over again and was satisfied her breathing was better. Cam stayed near her, crouched on the floor near where Thea and the demon fought.

As Cam watched, Thea levitated into the air with a flap of her beautiful wings and circled around the demon, who slashed at her with a blade. Cam winced but kept still, every muscle in his body tight. She could handle this on her own, it was clear. She was capable and he had to prove to her he believed that, no matter how much he wanted to go to her rescue.

Thea shot off spike after spike, pushing through the Asmos’ shield, hitting him in hard blows to the torso. He barely had time to build his demonic energy before she spiked him repeatedly, producing the weapons with both of her hands. When he came too close, Thea aimed a kick at the demon’s face and hit him under the chin, knocking him down to the ground. It seemed like that was it for a moment, but the Asmos grabbed her ankle and tugged her down. She landed on the floor on one hip, hard enough that she seemed to go limp.

Cam almost broke, his angel-form pushing him forward, no doubt wondering why the fuck he wasn’t intervening. But he watched in amazement as she shifted her body around to get the upper hand again, knocking he demon’s blade away. She had him on the ground, pinning him down with her body, her hands wrapped around his neck. He struggled out from underneath her, squirming like a snake to get away from her weight.

“Thea!” Cam called to her. “Finish him. You can do it.”

Thea glanced at Cam and for a half a second, her face lit up. She got up and stomped the demon in the ribs. The Asmos groaned but quickly rolled away and climbed to his feet. Her eyes trained on him as he stood. She hurled her fists at him in a combination of swings that knocked his head back to reveal his throat to her. As she went for his throat, trying to send a spike through it, Cam noticed the demon’s hand moving.

“Wait!” Cam tried to warn her that he was pulling out another blade but it was too late.