“Mine,” he said. The power in his voice rattled my bones and his smile yawned in front of me. He gave me a good shake and suddenly I was back in my human form. I was naked. All of my soft human flesh exposed. “That’s better.”
No. Not fucking better. This was bad. I tried to shift back, but whatever he’d done, I couldn’t reach my wolf. I didn’t have fangs or claws to fight with. I grabbed Astaroth’s hand trying to pry his fingers away from my neck, but he just laughed. His dark power slimed all over me into every pore of my body, every nook and cranny of my soul. I’d never be clean again. Never.
“Dastien!” It came out more croak than anything else, but I knew he could hear me. I wasn’t sure what I needed him to do. Wasting power on me right now wasn’t going to do him any good, but I was going to die if I didn’t get away.
A glint caught my eye, and I looked down Astaroth’s body to see the mason jar hanging loosely from his other hand. The spell was glowing inside. One smash and this would be over.
I tried to kick at it, but Astaroth shook me. His laughter pricked my skin.
Get the jar, I sent along our bond, and hoped he could get it. It was our only shot.
Astaroth tightened his grip and he grew larger. My feet dangled over the ground as I fought to get air in, but it was hopeless.
The dread of what to come swamped me. Tears ran hot down my face as I kicked out again, but it wasn’t working. Nothing was working.
You’re mine.
The snap was coming soon and I did the only thing I could think of.
I closed my eyes and started praying. God, please help me. I know I’m not perfect. If I’d had air in my lungs, I would’ve sobbed, but I couldn’t. If it’s my time, I accept that. But please, I don’t want to go with Astaroth. Please, save my soul.
Suddenly Astaroth hissed and the ground slammed into me as I fell.
I opened my eyes to see a light coming straight for me.
“You called.”
“God?” My voice was barely more than a croak. I blinked a few times before I could see that there was a form in front of me.
A rich deep laugh made my skin tingle. I knew that sound. It wasn’t God. It was Eli. “You’re not an angel.” But he looked like one, glowing in the night, somehow hovering off the ground, wearing his white V-neck T-shirt and light jeans.
“No, but I’m not a demon either.”
“Teresa.” Astaroth’s voice beat in my head, and I curled into a ball, covering my ears. My head felt like it was ripping in two, but I tried to look around. I wanted to know if he was coming, but I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t see anything beyond Eli’s glow.
The ground started rumbling again and the scent of sulfur grew stronger.
Eli knelt beside me. “How is he here? It’s not time.” The light around him was keeping the demons away, but they were still there. Fighting the Weres. We had to fix this.
“A spell. In a jar.” My throat felt like it was on fire as I spoke. Astaroth had dropped the jar when he dropped me, but it’d rolled back ins
ide the circle. It was maybe ten or fifteen feet away from me, but there were too many demons between and the jar. “It’s in the circle, but there are too many demons—”
“That’s an easy fix.” The power built around him—making him glow even brighter—until I thought it was going to blind me, and then Eli spread his arms wide. He held them there for a few seconds before swinging them together, clapping his hands. The sound echoed outward, and with it, the power rippled.
It suddenly felt like I was sitting under the sun on a hot summer day, but not too hot because there was an icy breeze that followed the heat.
The demons around us screamed and turned to ash.
My mouth hung open. Jesus Christ. Why had he waited so long to kill them all if it was so easy for him? And where the hell was he six weeks ago when we were fighting for our lives in Santa Fe?
Eli grinned at me. “Because I can only act when allowed. There are rules, which I follow. Unlike some demons.”
Astaroth was back in his circle. The smile wasn’t there, but he was still scary. And from the way he was rising off the ground, I had a pretty solid feeling he was pretty fucking pissed.
Astaroth dove at Eli and they fought. There was a flash of light, and I wanted to watch them, but the jar. I had to get the jar.
I struggled to get to my feet. My side felt like it was getting ripped open. The demon’s bite was still seeping blood and I felt spent. But I had to get up. Somehow. I had to keep fighting.