Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (80)
Onyx cried out in pain. A roar of fire bloomed and exploded around him, like an atomic bomb. The hydra assholes jeered as if they’d accomplished something grand. Wolf and I rushed to our friend’s side as he lay on the singed gravel, clutching his arm. In a breath, my darkness located the lesser demon who’d landed the blow. I rippled pain through his insignificant form slowly, agonizingly. He screamed and writhed on the ground as I knelt by Onyx. “I got him,” I said to the werewolf. He howled, long and eerie. I’d learned over the years that even the length of the werewolves’ howls conveyed information to the pack, though I never knew what they were saying. Finally realizing their numbers were dissipating and dawn was approaching, demons bounced through the trees, aiming for their escape. They’d hide in trees and caves until night, when they’d grab hikers, stray pets, and burn campsites. These legion’s strength was in their collective consciousness. Separated, they weren’t much stronger, or smarter, than the average ghoul. For millennia, lesser demons like this were wielded by stronger forces. Archdemons, Devils, whatever other darknesses lay beyond that, too. Legions were foot soldiers of something greater. Something that didn’t want to get its hands dirty. I pressed a palm over Dragon’s shoulder to stop the bleeding. “I’m fine. Don’t let the pack see me like this, goddamn.”
“Bleeding out and still concerned with what a group of wolves thinks about you?” I asked, swirling my darkness over the jagged wound, using my poison to draw out the demon bile. Dragon hissed in pain.
“He’s always been a vain motherfucker,” Wolf remarked before lunging at an escapee, shaking it ferociously until it halted its futile struggle. Then everything grew silent. Wolf relaxed and trotted over, shadow trailing behind him. “They’re toast now. Let’s head home. We have much to discuss.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, Mom.”
Onyx groaned as he sat up. “That reminds me, I’m going to fucking kill you, Ghost. What happened to, no one touch her. She deserves better. I’m not claiming her?”
Wolfgang growled low in his massive, furry throat.
I looked to them both, incredulous, as I shifted back to human form. “Not my problem if you expected a demon to tell the truth.”
Their answering snarls sent a chuckle through me as I stalked to the abandoned pickup truck beneath a nearby tree. Wolf had stashes all around town for when he’d shift and need clothing after changing back. We went through a lot of jeans. I tugged on a pair that were a little too loose and shrugged on a black hoodie. Wolf joined me and silently did the same, sans shirt.
“If you two weren’t so eager to swing your shifter dicks around every time a baby demon popped up, you wouldn’t be left with your bare asses out in the woods,” Onyx grumbled. He looked to the sky, clutching his shoulder. I wondered if he missed his home, his parents, whoever they might be. Onyx was born an immortal and not made, like I was. His power was a deep and untapped well, along with his mind.
“That’ll take a few hours to shake off,” I said. “I got most the poison out, but those gashes are a bitch, even on an immortal.”
“Could heal faster if you’d offer me a quick bite. What do ya say, pup?”
Wolf bared his teeth. Standing at full human height, he was still bigger than both Onyx and me. He tied his long hair back in a low ponytail. “All brawn, huh? What was that you were saying before you got your ass kicked by a baby demon?”
“Can you two cut the shit,” I interrupted. “We need to debrief and figure out what in the hell is going on. Give him what he needs, Wolfgang.”
With an exasperated sigh, Wolf walked over to a smug-looking Onyx, who’d paled slightly from the venom, making him look more vampiric than ever. “Neck, please, sweetie.”
Wolf bent down slightly as Onyx took hold of his broad shoulders. “Make it quick, no pleasure sucking.”
“But pleasure sucking’s all I know,” he jeered before moving at lightning-fast, predatory speed. His fangs sank into the werewolf’s neck, who grunted upon impact.
Gulping down mouthful after mouthful of blood, as if chugging a beer, he detached after a minute’s drink. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he offered Wolf a small smirk. “Thanks, man.”
Wolf ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck that horny vampire shit.” His arousal was evident through his loose gray sweatpants.
“I’d take care of that,” Onyx purred. “But you said no pleasure sucking.”
Wolfgang adjusted his cock and huffed, stalking into the forest toward town. “Come on, assholes.”
As we hit the town square like it was our own fucking living room, which, it might as well have been after two hundred years, I paused. I couldn’t sense Blythe unless my smoke was directly on her or I tasted her emotions. Which fucking annoyed the shit out of me. I could sense every being in this town, where they were, who they were with, except for her. Just another byproduct of my abilities being on the fritz. Thankfully, they were back in full, an even stronger force now. So, the fact I still couldn’t sense her was irritating to say the least. But from the square, I should have been able to taste her. “Blythe isn’t at Lamb’s Blood. Is she at Fenrir with the wolves?” I asked.
Wolfgang and Onyx shot each other worried looks. Wolfgang rubbed his neck, massaging his two new puncture wounds. “Look, man, we were in the midst of battle. I knew she needed to get to safety, but also knew I needed to get back to help you dumbasses.”