City of Fire

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Ilona"

Ilona screamed as she was knocked off her feet, a large black mass springing from the ground. The figure was shrouded in black mist that twisted and writhed. It had no face, only a dark mass that thrashed as if it itself were alive. Long, sinister talons glistened from the overhead moon as the creature raised them, laughter echoing from where its face should have been. The laughs seemed to echo over themselves, never ending. Ilona stared up at it, her heart seizing inside her chest. It hovered above the ground, an immense size of shifting shapes that seemed to clash together to create a black mist. The eyes were the most terrifying. They shined an iridescent green, glimmering with unmatched glee at what it was about to do.

It raised its talons, seemingly to smile, before bringing them down.

Something snapped inside her, telling her to move and she did. She rolled clear, pushing herself up and coming into a fighting position. Her breathing was suddenly calm, her heart wasn't pounding and instead of shaking, she stood firm. The creature screamed in anger, turning around to face her. She ducked underneath its deadly talons, her mind picking out her options.

The noise of the creature would have drawn attention, but she couldn't take time to call her Guardians with it attacking her. She dodged another lash from the creature. It sliced a row of headstones neatly and Ilona blinked, panic pricking her mind. She pushed it away and forced herself to focus. She knew she couldn't cause it any harm, but if she could just get to the church then they'd have the upper hand. Ilona side stepped, trying to get the creature to turn but it only shrieked and lunged at her. The move was unexpected and Ilona ducked, barely missing having her head removed from her shoulders. The creature crashed into rows of tombstones, its talons flailing and spraying up dirt and rocks.

It snarled, an unearthly sound that seemed to have more than one played over the other, and twisted, lashing out at her. This time she wasn't able to dodge it and the monster sent her flying. She cried out as she landed; the force so jarring that she felt it in her bones. The creature cackled, looming over her and a shape in the distance caught her attention.

The catacomb...

The monster hissed, rising up on itself as the talons rose higher into the air. She knew it was going to finish her off and that she was out of time. Something deep inside her pulled, as if it were pulling on her very soul.

A name erupted inside her skull...

And she screamed it...

Ice shot from behind her, encasing the eyes of the creature. It shrieked, lunging forward blindly while swinging its menacing talons. Someone grabbed her good arm, yanking her back and against a warm chest as strong arms enveloped her. She knew who it was without looking.

"What is that thing?" She asked as it shrieked in irritation, whirling about to find its escaped prey.

"A Night Crawler," Zane whispered beside her ear, "it's a demon." He released her, pushing her behind him and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Get out of here while I deal with it." His words were cold but Ilona wasn't affected. She shook her head, her stance firm.

"No, I'm going to stand here and fight it with you. You're stronger with me here," she pointed out and raised her chin, suddenly realizing that despite everything she wasn't afraid of Zane.

And that she never would be...

He looked at her for a long moment, the shrieks of the demon echoing off of the headstones.