Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(106)

With a muffled murmur, Coby wrapped her arms around Belial’s neck and pressed closer. The bile rose in Lucy’s throat. He’d already sucked out her soul. What about Rafe? What will he do?

But Rafe stood in place, steely and confident. The only movement was his dark hair flicking with the wind. His reserve kept Lucy balanced. Her own six-foot-four bottle of Prozac. The strangest thing ever. Even as demons, angels, and humans collided, she remained still. Confident. Complete.

Alas, not all of them were so lucky. “You’ll pay for this!” Nostrils flaring, Nic bared his teeth. With a crazed gleam in his eyes, he swung his sword like a wild Norse berserker.

“Nic, no,” Rafe breathed, reaching for his friend.

With an angry growl, Nic wrenched his wrist from Rafe’s grasp and charged toward Belial. “Don’t you care for your sister?”

Rafe reached out to hold Nic back. “Of course I do.”

“Prove it. Destroy Belial.”

“Anger isn’t the way.”

“You coward.” Nic sneered and lunged toward Belial.

Both Rafe and Lucy dove for Nic. Without a backward glance, he kicked them away.

Belial shrugged and turned toward Rafe’s sister. “Jacoba, darling. Protect me.”

“Yes, my master,” her voice, haunting yet anguished, burned in Lucy’s ears. Palming a long jewel-hilted dagger, she spun toward Nic. A brief flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes, only to be replaced by stony indifference. She kept the weapon trained on him.

Nic stopped dead in his tracks. “Coby, no.”

“Do it,” Belial ordered, his voice commanding. “Show them who you serve.”

With that, the dagger sailed through the air, faster than she’d ever seen any weapon thrown before. Nic’s gasp cracked through bitter cold and shattered the air into a million pieces. Glancing down at the dagger now firmly implanted in his chest, he stumbled backward, confusion and sadness etching his face. “Why?” he managed with a soft groan. With that he fell to the ground and vanished into a puff of ice and smoke.

“I had to do it.” Her words, although succinct, held a cryptic edge. She locked gazes with Rafe. “If you don’t give Belial what he wants, you’ll be next.” With that, she turned away.

Belial smirked. “Do we have an agreement?”

“She’s truly lost.” Rafe’s voice, although a muffled whisper, packed a punch that sent her senses reeling. He grabbed Lucy’s hand, his grip tight. “Now I understand.”

Was he giving up on his sister? If he gave up so easily on her, what would he do with her? Grabbing the collar of his jacket, she pulled him to face her. He couldn’t give up. “She sent him back to Limbo. Big deal. She didn’t kill him. You can’t give up. Not now. Your sister needs you.”

“You need me more. The only way to defeat Belial is for me to let her go.”

“But she’s your blood.”

With his thumb and forefinger, Rafe lifted her chin. “Michael said Coby would have her time. I’m not so sure of that anymore.”

He couldn’t give up on his family, not after he helped her get hers back. “But there has to be a way.”

Rafe’s gaze flickered. Reaching out, he traced a finger down her cheek. “She’s been under Belial’s control for too long. She needs to be destroyed.”

She reached down and grabbed a discarded dagger from the frozen ground, the cold metal biting her skin. “You’d let him take your own sister?”

“She won’t ever be the same. She’s lost her position as a Paladin.” His fists tightened as the silver oceans of his eyes churned. “Trust me, it’s what Coby would want.”

“Sorry, I don’t agree with adult euthanasia.”

Belial coughed, pulling them from their conversation. “I asked if we had an agreement.”

Rafe’s despair urged her on. Belial was going down. If he was supposed to put his sister out of her misery, she wouldn’t be denied giving Belial the same pleasure. “I think we can only agree to disagree, you demonic dickhead.”

With that, she scooped up Nic’s sword from the snowy ground. Somersaulting through the air, she lunged for Belial. He needed to go down—now.





Chapter 30


“Lucy! No!”

Rafe’s plea, although loud, echoed faintly in Lucy’s ears. If he didn’t think he could save his sister, maybe she could. She had to.

“I have to stop him,” she ground out. With a quick thrust, she lunged for Belial.

Like a quick gust of wind, he spun away, the blade barely scraping his arm. He reached out and snaked his arms around her, yanking her against him. His chuckle, low and sinister, chilled her to the core. He plucked the sword from her hand and dropped it to the ground, his fingers steaming. Blowing a cold breath against his palm, he shook his head. “Let’s face it, Lucia. You’ll be my wife whether you want to or not.”

With a deep growl, Lucy struggled in his hold. Now she understood. She went after Belial in anger. Because she let her anger take over, she was back where she started.

“Like hell she will.” Rafe’s voice boomed, reverberating against the buildings.

Lucy snapped her head up to meet his gaze. Rafe’s gaze churned like two giant oceans, anger brewing on the surface. He stood with crossbow trained at Belial, aimed and ready to strike.