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Moxie dropped the picture when the house shook. Had the demon from the cave managed to get loose? She ran out to find Rada taking the stairs two at a time as he ran toward her.
“Moxie.” He grabbed her holding on tightly.
“What happened?” She placed kisses along his chin, trying to calm him down.
“There’s an attack at the border.”
“Kilryn?” She didn’t flinch. She’d been waiting for him to attack.
“And...”
“Botis? Hell!?” They were attacking together? What were they going to do, pull on her like a freaking wishbone to see who got the bigger half?
“You’re kidding, right?”
“According to Silas, they are both out there.”
The sounds of yelling and cursing made her tilt her head toward the stairs.
“What’s happening down there?’
“That’s Asa. He can’t leave the barrier, and he’s making his displeasure known. Silas already said he refuses to take the barrier down so the fight can come to us. That leaves him here making sure the demon in the cave stays put.”
Her palms itched. She wanted to grab her rifle but that would be like taking a knife to a gunfight.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t fight like this,” she hollered over her shoulder. She was shoeless and not dressed to run if she needed to. The demons couldn’t get through the barrier, so she had a few minutes to change. It was a luxury that didn’t always happen. Five minutes later, she was back in the hall with Rada.
“That barrier won’t last forever. I have to do this. I can’t let everyone here be fodder in my fight.”
“We have to do this together.”
“There are two of them. We can’t win, hell I can’t win. I won’t have you die with me.”
“Moxie.” He grabbed her arms, then made her head tilt back until she was looking into the unyielding eyes of the beast.
A shiver ran down her spine, reminding her of the male she met in the beginning.
“We are a package deal. Either we both live or die, but we do it together. Understand?”
She understood; there was an ache in her heart that said he spoke the truth. The mourning cry coming from her heart told her that today they died. She’d do everything in her power to take the demons with her. They ran down the stairs to find Lael and Rose and Silas and Leif waiting for them.
“Where’s Asa?” Rada looked for his older brother.
“I’m right here.” He walked into the foyer. “I’m going to calm the townspeople down, then watch the cave demon. Do. Not. Die.” He almost shouted the words before he gave Rada a rough hug, then Lael and Silas.
“How many times have I told you about hell beast breath?” Silas complained.
There was momentary laughter in the room, allowing them to prepare themselves for the coming battle.
“Kickass and take names we need to know who we’ve gotten rid of.” Asa slipped out the front door.
“Ready?” Silas asked, looking around the foyer. When they all nodded, he took them to the edge of the border.
“I vote next time we take a car. It’ll give us that much more time to live,” Moxie said.
“I second the car,” Rose agreed.
“Why are there six of us and twenty of them?” Leif asked.
“Demons love overkill.” Rada explained.
When the border shook again from the power, the demons were throwing at it. They couldn’t wait anymore.
They crossed the border in three sets of two. The demons swarmed them the minute they were through.
Moxie built a shield while looking around for Kilryn and Botis. They were the ones she needed to defeat to end all of this.
Botis was in the air lounging like he was sitting in his favorite recliner watching the game. Kilryn was on the opposite side of the road watching.
Before she could decide who to go after first, her shield was destroyed from her lack of attention. She was drawn back into the battle happening around her.
“I hate all of you!” she screamed, weaving together the light that came to her willingly. She shaped it, shooting it out like arrows with the deadly accuracy of bullets.
When her first round only slowed them down, she felt the hate in her heart grow. They were trying to take everything she found away from her. She would not lose her family; that’s what they were to her. The last chance she had to have a family. The fire that rolled through her stomach seeped into her veins, stoking the heat of her hate. Her hands danced together like the perfect ballet pulling together a second round of lethal shots, moving them through the air like a lightning strike.
The demons leaped in front of her strikes, opening their arms to accept the power she was pouring out.
She dodged running from a demon coming after her until she found a ditch to throw herself into. Her breaths came in heavy pants as hatred tried to take over her heart. When someone jumped in the ditch with her, she turned to kill them before realizing it was Rose.
“It’s pretty intense out there.” Rose gasped for air.
“Intense? Nothing I did was helping. Did you kill any of them?”
“They’re energy. They can’t be killed just sent back to the plane they came from.”
“I want them dead.”
“That’s why they won’t die.”
What?” Moxie looked at her, thinking that maybe she was hit in the head while fighting.
“You’re fighting hate with hate. Guess what the demons eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They probably have it for their midnight snack, too. You can’t win that way, and neither can we.” She looked up before sinking back down, cursing.
“They found our hidey-hole. I’ll draw them off you; take your time. It’s a good thing Lael feeds me and makes me run every day.” She got up with her hand around her jewels as she taunted the demons into chasing her.
You fight fire with fire, Moxie reasoned, except you didn’t. You fought fire with water. Hatred never won a war. It took timing, patience, planning, and sheer stubbornness. She looked over the edge of the ditch to find Rada. He was in his hell beast form. The longer she watched him, the more she felt her heart swell with the love he taught her to feel. There was also heat. When this was over, she wanted to strip him naked and remind him how beautiful he was.
Her eyes slipped to Rose. They were becoming sisters. Ellie and Malik were with Rose's friends keeping them safe, but they too were part of her family. She watched Lael in his hell beast form. He was providing back up for Rada. Together they moved with fluid grace that was beautiful. Then she thought of Asa making sure the demon didn’t escape the cave. How could she fall into the trap of hatred? It didn’t matter. She shored up her heart and her soul before coming out of the ditch.
She ran up to the demon coming at Rada from the side, falling to the ground to slide close to him. She let out a bolt of lightning that went through the demon, tearing him in half.
There was a scream that went up from the other demons to watch her, but all she could do was smile. This was no longer about hate. It was about protecting her family.
She found Rose, who did something with her jewels. Lael came behind her and beheaded the demon she took down.
Moxie cringed while going after another demon. She weaved her light together like it was a thin rope that couldn’t be broken, then used it to wrap up the demon in front of her as she concentrated on sending light through the second one. The light invaded his body, tearing him apart.
A demon came behind her knocking her down. He kicked her in the ribs while another went to stomp on her face. Leif was there pulling him off with a smile before he turned him around and hugged him.
He did realize they were fighting, didn’t he?
“Get off me,” The demon yelled. Leif held him tighter. “You can’t do this to me! Please, please.”
Moxie forced herself to her hands and knees and crawled closer. She had to know what was happening. When she got close enough, she could see where Leif’s chest was pushed up against the demon. She saw something seeping out of him.
What secret superpower did Leif have, and where could she get some of it. She held her hand out, worried that if she touched what was coming from him, it would kill. The closer she got the more fear she felt, she almost stopped, but Leif turned to look at her, his eyes encouraging her to touch.
When her hand contacted what was coming from his body, her eyes flew open as she tried to bathe in it. Leif was manifesting pure love. If she hadn’t felt it, she would never have believed it. That’s why the demons were staying away from him. They were physically stronger than him, but as long as love was seeping through his pores, he was like poison to them.
Pushing to her feet, she felt partially regenerated. The fight with the cave demon came back. He siphoned off part of her energy that was part of the reason she relied on hate to bolster herself. Rada raced across the road until he was standing by her side. She placed her hand in his coarse fur. The texture of it soothing her.
“There are four coming at us” She looked around to find more dead than alive.
“Take the two in front. I’ve got the other two.”
She pulled up a shield allowing them to get closer. She wanted to make sure they were sent back to wherever they came from, and she was still weak from the earlier fight.
“Just give up. Your life would be so much easier, happier,” one of the demons said.
“Who should I turn myself over to?” Her eyes were watching the demon while trying to keep the second in sight.
“Does it matter? Pick a side.” He whipped his hand up a long leather cord came at her, wrapping around her legs pulling her off her feet.
How had it gotten through her shield? She directed a long bolt of light at the cord, using it like a knife to cut through. The second demon was standing over her with a pair of handcuffs.
“Oh hell no, not even in your wet dreams.” She kicked out using her light to give her extra power in her feet. She pulled herself up, limping away. Rada was on his remaining demon when she turned around, her eyes flashing white against the blue of the day.
A memory of her mother came to her triggered by seeing her picture.
“Let’s play a game. You try to kill me while I pull you apart.” A demon ran at her, and she flipped her hand, turning and squeezing at the same time. His hands were caught, spread out wide like a jumper from a plane. When the other demon came, she used her other hand to do the same, his ankles were caught, spreading wide as he fell to the ground, unable to move.
She switched hands on the demons until they were both spread eagle on the ground, and then she stretched her arms wide on either side of her body, tearing them apart.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Rada looked at the bodies of the demons that were breaking down to dust.
“I have a vague memory of my mom doing it. She showed me the hand movements when I was young. I forgot them until I needed them.”
“Your mom was a badass,” Rose said, walking up to them.
“She was.”
“Are we done?” Leif asked, looking around.
“No, that was just the opening act.” Rose pointed out both Kilryn and Botis smiling at them.
“Oh, hell.” Leif snuggled close to Silas as they turned to see which demon would come at them first.