“You have to do me a favor,” said Tengu. “Go with my friend here. He’ll take you to the other people we’ve rescued so far.”
Leila saw a handsome man with faded blue eyes and medium-length blond hair approach them. “Marquis Andras?” Her heart had started picking up the pace again.
“No, Leila. You remember me… Sophie told you about me. I’m Kain.”
She let out a breath of relief. Yes, she did. She did remember him. “Is Petro all right?”
Kain thought for a second, then he remembered Sophie mentioning this name. He was the guy who had stolen the shaman’s phial. “He’s waiting for you. Come.” He offered her his hand and she took it.
Tengu straightened his shirt and popped his knuckles one by one. “Well, back to work.” They had probably caught over half of the demons and taken almost all prisoners to safety. Giving them a head start had played against the demons. They never had the chance to feed on human energy, so they were pretty weak to begin with. “This is almost too easy.”
He heard Nyame’s voice coming from his right, so he went left. The last thing he wanted was to work with h
er. He saw the demon who had been onto Leila struggling to stand upright while a Spprigan was jumping around him and cheering loudly. Tengu smiled and took hold of the demon’s collar, immediately compelling him to comply.
“What have you got there?”
Alexi’s voice startled Tengu. “I thought you were taking care of the humans.”
“I did. They’re all safe. I counted them.” Alexi stepped closer, wanting to give him a hand with the demon he had just caught. He gasped when he finally took a good look at his face. “Duke Gremory…”
That was when it struck Tengu: Duke Gremory, Alexi’s nemesis. He grabbed the demon’s arm and pulled him back, shielding him with his own body. “Alexander… Don’t do anything rash. We have to take him to Lure Academy to question him, and he has to be in one piece for that.”
Alexi breathed in and out a couple of times, trying to control the urge to launch himself at the demon and rip his head off. Tengu was right: they had to question him first. Of course, not even after that would Alexi be allowed to do anything to Gremory, but at least he knew the demon would rot in a cell for the rest of eternity.
“It’s okay, Tengu. I have more important things to worry about. Kain and I are going back for Sophie.” They didn’t want to leave her alone with the Count in the first place, but they were forced to. Sophie had assured them she could handle him. Taking the prisoners to safety and seizing that entire horde of demons had to be their priority. She was strong enough to resist a while longer until Kain and Alexi could return to the chalet. She had promised them she wouldn’t give herself away, as it would have been almost impossible for one cambion to take on such an ancient, powerful Ke’let demon.
“Go. I’ll wrap things up here.”
Alexi threw Duke Gremory one last glance, then turned around and started running back to the chalet. His old lover was too deep under Tengu’s spell to recognize Alexi, but the cambion knew they would soon have a little chat.
?
The moment they were back inside the chalet, Casimir had Sophie pinned against the wall, trapped under his weight. He dived down for a kiss, but she kept her lips closed tightly, unwilling to give in and allow him to absorb her energy. His lips moved down her jaw, then stopped on her neck, where his sharp teeth bit her lightly.
“Relax, lovely Sophie,” he whispered in her ear. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
She placed her palms on his chest and tried to push him away gently. “I… I’m not ready…” She doubted he would stop or even slow down because she asked him to, but she had to try. His powerful demon aura had enveloped her completely. With her shield down, she would pass out in minutes, and she couldn’t let that happen. She wondered where Alexi and Kain were right now and hoped they’d soon come for her.
The Count pulled away for a second and looked deep into her eyes. The fake patience and kindness on his face were gone, and Sophie knew she was in trouble.
“I’ve been waiting for this since I first saw you. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to be around you and torture myself with small bites of your delicious energy? Oh, this game is over, Sophie!”
His strong hands grabbed her shoulders, and Sophie gasped at the unexpected pain. Casimir started lifting her up the wall, and soon her feet were dangling in the air. His aura attacked her full force, and she felt her energy leaving her body in waves, as if a powerful vacuum was sucking the soul right out of her. She struggled and kicked at his legs, but there was no way she could escape his grip. Where were Kain and Alexi? She couldn’t think about them now, she couldn’t wait for them to come and rescue their damsel in distress. She was no damsel. She was a cambion with her own demon sigil and her own lethal aura. If she wanted to stay alive, then she had to lift up her shield and fight his attack.
The fresh, sweet scent of cherry blossom took Casimir by surprise. He lost his focus for a second, let go of her arms, and took a step back. The confusion in his eyes was soon replaced by rage.
“You’re no human! You’re a cambion! You fooled me all along!”
Sophie was breathing heavily. She eyed the door, wondering if she should make a run for it or stay here and fight until one of them ended up drained on the floor. The temptation of giving the Count a taste of his own medicine was overwhelming, but she doubted she could defeat him by herself. She was a new cambion, he was an ancient demon of an extinct race.
“You’re no match for me, little cambion,” he said in a low, threatening voice. “Who are you working with? Or has the Pantheon sent you on this mission alone? Either way, you’re dead.”
He launched his aura at her, but Sophie had already recovered and made her decision: she would fight Casimir no matter what. The demon sigil on her stomach burned bright, its glow visible through her dress. She focused her thoughts and emotions, gathered her power and aimed it right at the Count. He was strong, however, and the only thing her aura managed to do for now was to keep him at a safe distance. She would need a miracle to penetrate his ancient shield. If only Irvene were here… She wished she hadn’t commanded the hellhound to keep Kain and Alexi safe and help them catch the demons.
The sound of the door banging against the wall startled them both. Sophie lost her balance and stumbled back, cursing under her breath. “Focus, Sophie… Remember what your mentors told you: don’t let anything distract you.”
“Lure Academy,” shouted Berith, her eyes filled with horror. “They’re here! They seized everyone and they’re coming… You have to run, master. Run!”