Lucifer Reborn by Dante King (the reader ebook .TXT) 📗

into the crowd. The writhing strands of darkness wrapped around her waist, only to disappear a moment later, puffing into smoke. A wave of weariness washed over me, my vision blurring for a moment.

Damn it. Whatever power I’d tapped into, I’d just used it up. The tendrils must have been some kind of special move, a powerful ability I had to charge up and use sparingly. Maybe I’d get better at it the more experience I gained. First, though, I had to save Maddie. With the tendrils gone, I charged in, using my hands.

She’d seemed so nice a minute ago, I grunted, wrapping both hands around the cheerleader’s waist. She was just trying to help someone out in trouble…

I tossed her into the crowd with a grunt, pushing them back. Such a move definitely wouldn’t have been possible without my powers, and for the first time, I realized just how much stronger I was now that I possessed Lucifer’s favor. Yet it still wasn’t enough—more demons pushed in, completely surrounding us.

I found myself back to back with Christina. A worried look filled the blonde’s face as she unfurled her wings, raising to her full, demonic height.

“There’s too many of them,” she growled, glancing at me over her shoulder. “We should let them have her—”

“No fucking way!” I snarled. “It’ll be a bloodbath.”

Christina squared up and socked an approaching demon in the jaw, adding a rake across the face with her claws for good measure. Her expression lit up at the exercising of her new powers, a wicked laugh escaping her throat.

“Fuck, fine!” Christina reached for more of her power, swinging left and right as she waded into the crowd. “Let’s see what this demon body can really do…!”

I couldn’t help but be amazed as Christina joined the fray. She moved with a grace and speed that was inhuman, dispatching attackers as quickly as they came. In moments, she had three demons on the ground, one clutching at claw marks in his throat and another screaming at the damage her tail had done to his eyes. She’d always been a fierce woman, even back in college, but this? This was something else.

Did I do this? I wondered. Or was this something that had always been deep inside of Christina, just waiting for the right guy to bring it out? Was she just waiting for permission to be this bad?

Despite the odds, we were about to win the fight. Only a few more demons remained—and those that did seemed shocked to their senses by the ferocity on display. For a moment, my heart surged with triumph.

But we’d forgotten Mareth and Xora.

The succubus managed to hold onto herself, though she had to drop to the ground and claw at the grass in sheer frustration to keep from leaping into the trunk and tearing Maddie to shreds. The fragile friendship we’d managed to forge back at the diner saved Maddie from her claws—not to mention the red-hot threesome she’d had with me and Christina.

No such bond held Xora back.

The rusalka slipped past me, one leg into the trunk before I knew what was happening. I tore my eyes from the sight of Christina kicking ass, diving in after her as she reached for Maddie. Xora’s unearthly beauty remained, but those dark eyes had elongated into slits, scales springing to the tender flesh of her cleavage and throat. As the rusalka reached further into the trunk, her already-long hair grew even longer, twisting around her arms and legs like vines. No —like snakes. Maybe that’s what they were all the time, and Xora just had the presence of mind to hide it. Golden snakes hissed and wriggled into the trunk with her, blonde hair transformed into a living weapon aimed right at Maddie’s heart.

Maddie didn’t even have the sense to scream. She took one look at that face, the visage that had brought so many sailors to their deaths, and just sat there shaking, as pale as a piece of paper. She knew she was dead.

Worse, I knew. I crawled across the trunk, desperate to cut the rusalka off, but there wasn’t enough room. Even if I grabbed Xora, tried to haul her back, she’d get those claws around Maddie’s gorgeous throat and tear it open before I could stop her.

I’d failed.

With a final effort, I shot forward and reached for Maddie. If I couldn’t stop Xora, maybe I could drag the waitress to safety.

My hands touched hers. Maddie finally found the strength to yell, pulling away from the rusalka as her claws caught the light, but it was too late. I tensed up, expecting the spray of hot, arterial blood across my face as Xora lost control.

Mareth’s voice whispered in the back of my head. A trip I’m willing to take whenever you want. Along with anyone touching you…

As the rusalka’s claws came down on Maddie, I did the only thing I could think of: I opened myself to my subspace. The world shifted around me, transforming in an instant as what had been difficult the first time now felt as easy as thought. My fingers dug into Maddie’s palms, fear filling me. When I opened my eyes, would those hands be severed at the wrists, the only part of her left?

“Luke?” Maddie’s voice trembled. “What...where are we?”

I opened my eyes. Maddie lay next to me across a king-sized bed, staring in amazement at bare white walls. The rusalka’s claws had slashed through her apron and top, leaving horrific looking gashes—but the skin underneath was tanned and healthy. She hadn’t had enough time to touch her.

We were in my subspace.

I’d saved her.

Chapter 10

After the horror of being set upon by demons, Maddie took a few moments to compose herself. The brunette’s hands left mine, going to her knees as she smoothed down