When It Reigns (Cursed Reigns, #1)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

AERYN'S POV

The domed ceiling shattered in an explosion of glass shards as a chorus of high-pitched shrieks erupted, sending chills down my spine. A swarm of flapping wings and flashes of ivory bone flowed through the opening in a thick throng of horrifying chaos.

Instructor Bayer grabbed a bow and quiver of obsidian arrows off the wall and fired a series of shots at the demons as we all rushed toward the opening where the door used to be before my father had blown it off its hinges. Each of Bayer's arrows imbedded itself in its intended target – the narrow hole in the bone mask for the eye socket – taking down the demon. The obsidian was deadly to demons and killed them upon impact.

Penn pumped her arms as she sprinted next to me and screams of our classmates sounded behind us mixing with the solid thuds of flesh smacking the ground.

Misty yelped and grabbed my arm as she fell behind me, taking me down with her. I crashed onto a mat and bit the inside of my cheek when it bounced off the cushion. Wincing as the bitter taste of iron filled my mouth, I looked over my shoulder as a red whip extended from a demon shifter's hand and entangled itself around Misty's body. She screeched as the rope constricted around her and she writhed in pain. I dug a throwing star out from under my sleeve and threw it at the whip, severing it. Misty gasped as it turned to red ash around her, and the other end retreated to the demon wielding the power. An obsidian arrowhead shot through the demon shifter's eye from the back of his head, and I caught Bayer's eye as he spun, firing off a dozen more shots.

Leaping to my feet, I stretched a hand down to Misty and she grabbed onto it. Racquel raced over and ducked his head under her raised arm, pulling it around his neck as he shouldered her weight, yelling, "Go! I've got her!"

I released Misty's hand and turned on my heel just as a demon landed right in front of me. I ran straight into a chest plate of bone and my teeth rattled as I stumbled.

"Aeryn!" Penn shouted, skidding to a halt as the demon created a barrier between us.

Rough, calloused hands grabbed my arms to steady me, and talons dug into the soft muscles of my biceps. My eyes clashed with the violet ones rimmed in red, and my heart plummeted as the robed figure's horns created small tents in his raised hood.

"Princess," the demon hissed, flicking his tongue over his thin, pointed fangs budding with venom. His ominous hooked nose and horns curling towards his cheeks made me shiver.

"I'd say it's nice to see you again," I said, recalling the shifter I'd let live as the his lips tilted in a lopsided grin, "but it really isn't."

With that, I pulled my arm free from his grasp and dove my hand into my pocket, removing the iridescent dragon scale. Frost fire erupted next to me and the demon retreated a few steps back as Serene burst from the neon blue flames with a mighty roar despite her petite size. She dipped her head and I threw my legs around her neck, wrapping my hands around her horns as she rose to her full height. Jaw opening wide, she growled and snapped her teeth at the shifter.

"Don't fear your own, Powerless One," the shifter said, causing goosebumps to break out along my arms.

A streak of wings flew by and collided with the demon, tackling him to the ground. The two tumbled and their limbs intertwined as they grappled. One came out on top, pinning the other beneath their weight. The stiff ponytail had come loose, and thick, dark strands of hair dangled around her face as she leaned forward, clamping a hand around the demon's neck. The red outline around his violet irises intensified, bleeding into the purple hue as Penn squeezed with both hands and peeled her lips back to show her own fangs.

Staticky, gold lightning bolts in the shape of arrows whizzed by my ear and Serene twisted her neck, turning away from Penn to target the demon who'd aimed at us. Her white hair cascaded over her shoulders and her blood red eyes fired their own daggers at me from across the room as she threw a yellow scale on the ground.