And he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

She was so amazed at his skill that she forgot to look where she was going. Her foot caught on a fallen branch and she went down hard.

The hair on her nape stood up so fast it hurt. She rolled onto her back just in time to see the demon she’d injured lift its sword to slice her in two.

Even if she got her daggers up in time to parry the attack, it wasn’t going to be enough to stop the blow. There was too much power behind it, and she had nowhere to go.

She wasn’t ready to die yet, but she took comfort in knowing that if she did, at least she would die at home.

Chapter 15

Joseph saw the demon’s blow speeding toward Lyka’s head. As it did, the end of his world played out in his mind.

He saw her die, saw her bleed out into the ground where so many of the Slayers had perished. He saw Andreas’s grief and anger, and the end of a treaty meant to save both of their kind from self-destruction. He saw the clash of the races—Theronai against Slayer. Both lost as Synestryn spread out across the countryside, destroying everything they touched.

Joseph couldn’t let that happen. He’d sworn to protect his woman with his life, and, in doing so, save Theronai, Slayers and humans alike.

He drew into himself minute sparks of power to speed his body. The pain of collecting that energy bore down on him, but he accepted it as the price for doing what had to be done.

His body wasn’t meant for this kind of stress, and as he raced over the ground, seeing no more than a blur of movement around him, agony consumed him.

The demon’s sword began its descent toward Lyka’s sweet throat. He could hear it humming as it sliced through the air.

She lifted her daggers to defend herself, but even a Slayer wasn’t strong enough to stop a blow from that heavy blade.

Joseph launched himself into the air. He slammed into the demon, knocking it sideways as the heavy sword made contact with her crossed blades.

He landed on top of the demon, feeling something hard punch his stomach. He ignored the pain and wrestled his way to the top. The demon’s face twisted with a grimace of agony, and it let out the screaming howl of a dying animal. Its black eyes frosted over, going snowy white. Beneath its pale skin, its veins pulsed with dark blood, which seemed to harden into stiff bulges along its limbs. Within seconds, it went limp as it died.

As soon as the threat passed, all the strength seeped out of Joseph. It took every ounce of energy he had to keep his sword in his grip.

Lyka scrambled to her feet and came to his side. He couldn’t find the energy to stand or even lift his hand to ask for her help.

“Joseph,” she said, her face going white and her pretty golden eyes widening. “You’re hit.”

He had no idea what she meant until he looked where she was looking. The hilt of a crude sword stuck out of his gut. The blade had gone all the way through him and he’d barely felt it.

He started feeling it now, though.

Joseph reached for the sword to pull it out, but Lyka stopped him, batting his hands away easily. “No. You pull that, and you’ll bleed to death. We need a Sanguinar. Fast.” She pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and dialed.

“Joseph’s been injured. We need help. Now.” Her voice shook so hard the words were barely decipherable.

He heard a man’s voice come through the phone’s casing, but couldn’t make out the words.

“No. If I move him, he’s dead. You need to send someone here.”

Joseph almost asked if it was really that bad, but a cold wave of pain tore through him, forcing him to grit his teeth to hold back a cry of pain.

He didn’t want Lyka to think he was weak. She already thought of him as soft from his desk job. To have her think he couldn’t hold his own in battle was unthinkable.

Whoever was on the phone with her spoke again, this time with a little more concern coming through in his tone.

“I’ll do what I can, but I’m no healer,” she replied.

The man on the line began shouting orders, presumably to someone around him.

Lyka clenched the phone harder. “Tell him to hurry, Nicholas. Seconds count.” She hung up and pocketed the phone. Her hands were shaking.

Joseph pulled in a slow breath so he’d have air to speak. “Good news?” he asked.

She knelt beside him, patting his shoulder gently. “Ronan is nearby. He’s on his way.”

Blood trickled down his spine, reminding him to hold very still. “Don’t worry about me. Keep an eye out for more demons.”

A wave of deep fear and worry flickered through him, and he knew instantly that it wasn’t his own. The luceria was channeling her emotions to him, as it was designed to do.

He only wished they’d been happier ones.

He found the tiny conduit that connected them. He could sense the potential for powerful magic to flow between them, but right now, there was nothing there but the potential for more. He’d never been bonded to a female Theronai before and wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but he let his instincts guide him as he used that conduit to offer her what little comfort he could.

“I’m going to be fine,” he said. “I’ve been through worse injuries than this and survived.” It was a lie, but one he was willing to give her if it eased her worry.

She got right in his face and bared her teeth. “Don’t you dare lie to me at a time like this, Theronai.”

“How did you know?”

She tapped her nose. “I can smell it. I can also smell your pain.”

“Sorry.” He pulled in too deep a breath and his abdomen erupted in pain. “I’ll try to keep my smells to myself.”

Her helpless frustration churned through their link. “Is there anything I can do?”

“You’ve already done all you can.”

“And that pisses me off.” She paced a few yards away, then stalked back. With every step she became more and more furious. After a couple of minutes, she came to a stop in front of him and stared down at his wound.

Blood wet the front of his shirt. The waistband of his jeans was becoming saturated. His body’s temperature had dropped, giving the cold wind plenty of room to suck the heat right out of the blood he’d shed. Each breath was becoming harder to draw than the last. He did his best to stay perfectly still, but his strength was fading, making him sway where he straddled the dead demon’s body.