Chapter 50

Kade prepared for the impact. There was nowhere to go so he readied to feel the demon’s talons slice through his skin. He had the dagger in his hand, ready to plunge it into the heart of the demon. If he was going to die then he was taking the ugly sonofabitch with him.

Yet the searing pain of being impaled on the razor-sharp claws never came. Dante had descended on Kade with all his fury but when he was a hair’s breadth from the were-wolf, something sent the giant beast sailing backwards. Kade watched in confusion as the demon crashed into a wall but not before he took out one of the supporting columns sending chunks of concrete flying like shrapnel. The whole building shuddered violently when the beast hit the wall, cracks spreading across the plaster like fork-lightning from where Dante impacted with the wall.

“Kade!”

The beta snapped out of his daze, silver eyes snapping to the owner of the voice only to widen. Where Lucien had once stood was a creature similar in size to Dante’s true form but very different in every other way. Huge tattered bat-like wings stretched out from the bony body. His limbs appeared too long for his body and the skin of his face was drawn against the skull giving him the appearance of a mummified corpse. The skin was pale but there was a pureness to it even under the scars that littered every part of the creature's body. The only thing that hinted at this being Lucien were those dark eyes, mirth still glimmering in them like candle flames.

“Distract him now!” Lucien called over as a ball of light filled his hands and a book appeared that looked older than some of the ones Kade had seen in Dagmar’s cottage. “I need to start the summoning.”

“What the fuck have you been doing for the last ten minutes?” Kade shouted back.

“Preparing.”

It was only now that Kade saw the symbols smeared over the walls and floor in blood. There had to be dozens of them, covering every surface until they came to stop just behind Kade and about six foot from Dante. Kade realised now that Lucien had created a prison of some sort. The space where the symbols hadn’t been placed was now their fighting ring. No one inside of it could leave.

A roar of utter rage made the whole room vibrate and Kade’s head snapped towards the spot Dante had gone down. The hideous monster was now on his feet, swinging his wrecking-ball sized fists into the small crowd of fighters who had become caught within the spell. There were few fighters left now as dozens of bodies lay strewn across the floor like blood soaked ragdolls. Those now trapped in the small battleground were being flung this way and that by Dante’s fists only to hit the walls with a sickening thud or the invisible forcefield keeping them in.

Kade cursed, running straight for the demon, dodging the first giant fist swinging towards him. When the second fist came flying towards him, he ducked bringing the dagger up to plunge it into Dante’s wrist. The momentum of Dante’s own movement plus the sharpness of the blade meant the dagger sliced into his flesh and up his arm like a hot knife through butter. A screech of pain left Dante as his skin split open and blood spewed from the long wound in a fountain, spraying all over the werewolf and floor. Kade expected the wound to instantly close but it didn’t. In fact it seemed to render Dante’s lower arm useless but that didn’t seem to stop Dante. The demon used the useless limb still to knock Kade off his feet. The wolf felt his ribs crack from the impact and he barely rolled out of the way before a giant foot came crashing down where his head had just been.

Kade was on his feet in a second, slashing with the dagger while dodging blows as best as he could. Each nick or slice of the holy blade seemed excruciating to the demon and none of the wounds were healing. Dante was tiring which was just as well because Kade was growing tired himself. Despite the numerous wounds though, Dante was not going down. It seemed that the only way to stop him really was with the summoning spell or with the blade in his chest. Kade was certainly trying to achieve the latter option but Dante was well aware of that plan and was doing well to stop him.

But then came the mistake.

With the floor slick with blood, Kade found himself slipping when dodging a glancing blow. He landed on his crack ribs which in turn knocked the wind out of him. Dante was on him immediately, sensing the opportunity to over-power the werewolf.

“You’re more of a fool than you look if you thought you could stop me.” Dante grinned showing off rows and rows of sharp teeth. “Thalia is mine. This world is mine and there isn’t anything you can do to stop me!”

The demon sent Kade flying face first into a column, pain exploding through his body and the dagger flying. He hadn’t felt anything like this since that day in Afghanistan. His vision darkened and his body hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. He gritted his teeth against the roar of pain threatening to leave him when he felt Dante’s foot pressing down hard on his ribcage.

“You’re never going to see Thalia again, mutt.” Dante sneered down at Kade, pressing his foot down harder. “Maybe I’ll keep her once she has given birth to my children. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a pet. Or maybe I’ll sell her off, let someone else put that pretty cunt to good use.”

The demon stood back, leaning down to pick Kade up, tossing him away like a piece of rubbish. Burning red eyes turned on the fallen-angel who was still trying to complete the summoning spell. A cruel laugh echoed through the room as Dante walked over the bodies of fallen fighters from both sides. His amusement was only tempered by his rage and the feral glint in his eyes.

“Do you honestly think a pathetic summoning spell will stop me?” He growled. “I’ve been planning for this moment for years, Lucien. Don’t you think I’d have made sure your little tricks were ineffective?”

“Nice try, brother.” Lucien replied. “Even you can’t overpower an entrapment spell.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Dante smirked, lifting his good hand and punched it through the forcefield like it was nothing but glass.

The fallen-angel's eyes widened in horror. There was no way that Dante should have been able to overpower the entrapment spell. And yet the moment the demon put his fist through the field, it completely collapsed freeing the monster. Kade now lay in a broken heap on the floor behind the demon, leaving Lucien with no distraction. Well that changed things.

Lucien moved just in time to avoid being speared by his brother, the angel tumbling back while the demon crashed into a pile of already broken furniture.

"Dante, please!" Lucien implored. "We can end this!"

"The only thing I will be ending is this sorry excuse of a realm." Dante snarled. "And you will be joining in on that end. You and everyone who gets in my way!"

The brothers clashed with thunderous force. Despite Dante's wounds, he was still able to pack in some painful hits however the siblings tumbled violently, smashing into everything as they tried to get the better of each other. The force of them hitting the supporting walls and beams sent cracks running through the building, debris beginning to fall around them like bombs. Talons as sharp as knives sliced through Lucien's back leaving his wings in tatters. The fallen angel roared in pain, whipping around to kick his brother away but was too slow and found himself underneath the demon, a giant hand closing around his head and squeezing.

"Goodbye brother." Dante sneered.

Lucien felt his skull and facial bones beginning to give under the pressure, pain bursting through his whole head. Then, suddenly the pressure was gone. A faint beam of light burst through the darkness but it quickly grew in intensity until Lucien was forced to look up to see what was happening. Between his brother's fingers he saw the look of shock on Dante's face, his mouth open but no noise leaving him. It initially appeared a blade of light was protruding from his chest but once Lucien's eyes adapted he saw it wasn't light but the dagger. It's blade stuck out from Dante's chest right where his heart was and blood oozed from the wound. Then, the blade disappeared back through the wound. Dante's eyes glazed over, the light in them flickering out as he collapsed to the floor beside the fallen angel and above them both stood Kade with the bloody dagger in his hand.

"Knew, I'd get him." Kade breathed right before collapsing.