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Moxie turned to give her friends an encouraging word of wisdom to find they were gone. Rada was next to her in his hell beast form. She reached out and tangled her fingers in his fur.
“I sent your friends home. You won’t want them to witness your ultimate defeat.” Kilryn smiled at her like they were discussing the weather.
“What now? You two talk it out, and then we’re all pals?”
“No. Kilryn will try to win you first. I will stand back as he has the greater claim on your soul. When he loses, I will make you my queen.”
“Here’s where both of you made a mistake. No one has a claim on
my soul.” She clamped her lips closed. There was no belief that one would wait for the other, but she didn’t have the time to wait them out. Her energy was leaking, and she needed to be back inside the wards. That wasn’t going to happen as long as Kilryn and Botis were outside. Gathering her power, she split it in half, sending a bolt at both demons.
They laughed, shrugging it off.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Kilryn said before coming after her. Two hell beasts appeared at his side, running toward Rada.
“I’ve got them.”
Rada ran at them, leaving her to face Kilryn.
“I’ll enjoy adding him to my collection.”
She pulled at her power, weaving it together. Her fingers had a slight tremble as she felt the energy drain. She sent the full force of it at Kilryn, who sidestepped it by backing into a pocket of darkness.
“You didn’t really think we would fight here.” He reached out, making a yanking motion that caught her around the arm, pulling her into a different plane.
The sky was black, not dark, black. The sun was a pale yellow that didn’t emit much light.
“Beautiful place, no wonder you choose to live on my plane.”
“This is home.” He walked up to her tearing away the shield she erected to keep herself safe. “There is no safety here for you.” He smacked her, sending her to her knees.
“I cultivated you.” He reached out, taking her by the neck. “I put time into you making you a killer.” He picked her up, choking her. “Now you think you can just turn around and walk away? You owe me.”
He shook her as her feet kicked out. Her hands went to his, clawing at them in an effort to breathe. When her body stopped moving and her breaths became shallow, he threw her down.
“You don’t get to escape me like that.”
She flopped over on her stomach, dragging in deep breaths of air before raising her head.
“Kill me; I will never sell my soul to you.”
“You’re right.” He knelt beside her, his face coming close to hers. “It’s not worth what I might have to pay for it. You will sign it over to me willingly.” He stood and kicked her, making her clutch at her stomach.
“Can’t,” she said as she stopped gasping. She pushed to her knees before stopping to take shallow breaths. She pushed herself to her feet, only swaying a little.
“I gave it away. My heart and soul belong to my lover, my mate. You’re too late.” She reached out, gathering the light around her that was sharper than any she’d ever seen. It pulsed around her, cutting through her skin as she manipulated it.
“What are you doing?” He searched for someone helping her.
“I’m different, unique even.” She brought the light curling around her hands closer refusing to flinch as she watched it slice through her clothes. Holding it tight, she poured power into the light until it was as bright as the sun on her plane. She opened her hands, directing the light at Kilryn with her mind.
He raised a black shield that the light cut through until it wrapped around his body, taking him to the ground. She watched, dropping to her knees. The light was slow, but it cut through him, with each cut darkness spilled from his body until he was torn apart.
She flopped on the ground. She screamed when she felt hands on her.
“It’s me, Moxie. You’re okay.”
She rolled over to find Rada kneeling over her. “He’s gone. We made it.” She snuggled deep into his arms when he pulled her close. “Can we go home now?”
“Not yet, Love.”
“You called me love.”
“You own my heart and soul.”
“You heard?”
“He wanted me to hear you give in to him, but you didn’t. You won.”
“We won. Uncle Zeek was right. I need you; you help me.” She held up her hands that were covered with healing cuts. “Because of you, I was able to manipulate the light on that plane. My need for you goes deeper than helping me fight. I want to be around you. You’re the air I breathe and the warmth and love that soothe my soul. Everything is you and you are everything.”
There was a loud clapping in the background. They both looked up to find Botis staring at them.
“Thanks for taking care of my light work, and now you’re mine.”
She believed him when he said it wouldn’t have taken much for him to get rid of Kilryn. He didn’t because he wanted her weak.
“Are you scared of fighting me when I’m at full strength?”
“Evil.” He pointed at himself. “We aren’t in the business of giving humans an advantage even if it’s only in their heads.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Once again, she was pulled to a plane that wasn’t her own.
“My son.” He pointed to a spot that was on top of a pedestal. A small boy lay in a cage.
“I keep my word. If you win, he lives. If I win, he dies.”
Her son’s little face pressed against the bars of the cage, and she promise herself Botis would die for everything he put her and her child through.
He sent a shaft of light shaped like a spear at Rada. Moxie ran, jumping in front of him, taking the spear in her shoulder. “You protected him. I’ll never understand you, humans. The hell beast would have let you suffer before protecting you.”
He pulled on the spear, pulling her away from Rada. A flip of his wrist tossed her in the air where she hung like yesterday’s sacrifice. She was being attacked by imps no bigger than a two-year-old while she struggled to escape the force holding her.
Rada went for Botis attacking where he was standing, only for him to move to a different spot in a blink of an eye. He laughed, his darkness spreading. Moxie felt it striking at her flesh like a flame licking at her feet.
“You’re mine, Moxie, and I’ll take the hell beast as a wedding present.”
She wanted to talk to Rada to discuss their options, but she was scared to give up whatever small tactical advantage they might have.
Rada changed directions at the last minute when he was going for Botis. He charged and jumped at Moxie tearing the imps away from her. On his way down, he used his claws to dig at the force holding her tight. Both claws caught in the force holding his body in the air until he began to cut through. He couldn’t claw to the very bottom of what was holding her before he fell to the ground.
“Nice try.” Botis’ voice rang through the clearing. “Did you really think I’d bind her with something you could tear apart? Now where was I?” He flew upward, leaving Rada on the ground fighting the imps he pulled off Moxie. They doubled before coming after him.
“He’s rather pesky. I’m surprised you would put up with a mate like that. I guess when you’re desperate, you’ll take anything that comes your way.”
“If that were true, I would have accepted you years ago.”
“Oh.” His hand went to his heart before he bent over. “Right through the heart. That barbed tongue of yours is acidic. Good thing I’m above words. Did I mention I’m evil? I probably came up with the barbed word. As my queen, that tongue will come in handy.”
“Why me? I’m sure you have lots of sycophants who would die to be your queen.”
“Very true, but you have something none of the others do.”
“Pray tell, enlighten me. I‘m dying of curiosity.”
“Watch how you speak to me.” He smacked her across the cheek, making her body spin midair. “Look what you made me do. You’re to be my queen. I want us to be civil with one another. Especially since I’ll be planting my progeny in your body.”
“Over my dead body.”
“There is a chance you may die in childbirth. Demon spawn can be hard on the body. You have your mother’s hair.”
“What?”
“You asked why you. You look like your mother, the original female I picked to be my queen. She escaped me in death. I mourned for her. Then that fool Kilryn got to your father. I sat back and waited. I knew that man wouldn’t sell his soul. I didn’t realize Kilryn would be stupid enough to have him killed. No matter, you’re mine now and unlike your mother, you won’t die.”
Her parents sacrificed their lives to keep her out of the hands of demons. She wasn’t going to go against the one thing they wanted for her. She closed her eyes, giving up, allowing her body to grow slack. Then she reached out for the power Rada poured into her as he clung to the force holding her. His claws went through it enough to allow his power to seep into her body as well as weaken the force holding her.
She breathed in, taking that power to her core. Strengthening that part of her where all her energy lived while taking in the foreign energy around her and shaping it to use as her own. She flexed her muscles, carefully breaking the bonds slow enough to keep Botis from noticing. He was going on about winning and what would happen to her child, when the force holding her broke, dropping her.
Rada caught her, having killed the imps who were distracting him.
“You people never know when to give up.”
Moxie showed her teeth. She’d always wanted to be a part of you people. Score.
Botis settled back on the ground. Rada ran towards him, his form changing mid-leap. Moxie came at him from the opposite direction like it was a coordinated attack. Botis leaped at Rada, pushing darkness as sharp as a sword into his soul. Moxie leaped onto Botis’ back, riding him like a wild bull pulling at her. She tugged on the arm trying to tear her mate apart.
Botis threw her off as Rada twisted maneuvering his body enough for him to get away. A scream of rage came from Botis.
“We’re not that easy to beat.” Moxie picked herself up. “Rada’s soul is entwined with mine.”
“Then you’ll both die and everything you love.”
“No!” Moxie screamed putting every bit of her draining energy into the bolt she sent Botis’ way. She knew that it wouldn’t reach him in time. She watched as seconds slowed to become minutes in their passing. Botis turned, sending a shaft of darkness at her son. It encircled the cage then exploded, taking everything with it. The plane they stood on shook, taking Moxie to the ground. Sobs came from her as she pushed herself back to her feet.
Botis shot her a look of victory. “Now it’s your turn.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks as coldness seeped into her body.
“We will mourn our child together.” Rada’s hand touched flesh, channeling heat into her broken heart.
“Together.” She promised.
Botis looked from one to the other before backing up. He went to leave the plane, but nothing happened.
“You wanted me? Now you’ve got me.” She ran at him, pulse after pulse of power-hitting against his shield until it crumbled. It came from her heart and soul. The light around her listened to her commands becoming the one thing he couldn’t fight against.
Rada moved him, grabbing him with his mouth, using his claws to tear at him. Moxie went old school falling to her knees and reigning blows over his defenseless body. When her strength gave way, she was bloody. There was an arm torn apart and lying above Botis’ head. He had deep claw marks in his gut showing the intestines that hung out. Still, he breathed.
“Fools.” His breath rattled in his lungs. “You can’t kill me. I’ll be back when you least expect it. There’s no winning, just eventual death at my hands.”
Moxie weaved together a sword, one she could see and feel. She wanted him to see his death coming.
“Don’t, if you do that, he will disintegrate but come back. Look.” She turned her head to find Bullet lying with his head on his paws.
“Bullet, you can’t be here; it’s dangerous.”
Her precious teacup poodle padded over to where they were. He looked at Rada and then waited. Rada picked Moxie up and moved back.
“He wants us out of the way.”
“This has got to stop you are not the poodle w...” The words dried up as she watched her teacup poodle become a massive dragon in front of her eyes. His purple scales became red.
Botis screamed. “Save me! I didn’t kill the boy. He was stolen from the compound. Call of the Fevrin, and I’ll help you find him. I’m Botis demon of...”
Bullet caged him in a material that didn’t allow sound through. Then he channeled an acidic substance into the prison. They watched as Botis’ body came apart in the transparent prison. When it was done, a window was opened to a place with heat that blasted out at them, singeing Moxie’s eyebrows. Bullet dropped his body through the door. The cage that held him prisoner, disintegrating as the ashes of his body settled into the fires of what looked like hell to her.
Bullet turned around and looked at Moxie before becoming teacup sized. She limped to him, picking him up to hold him close.
“I love you, thank you.”
He made a small noise before jumping into Rada’s arms. Rada laughed, “I’ll tell her. He says that demon will never bother us again, and he’s ready to go home.”
Moxie looked at the area where her son should have been before nodding. She wanted to go home, too.