Obsidian Kiss

four

The demon released an awful screech and stretched, its torso lifting as a face pressed against the taut skin of its stomach, like it was trying to break free from within.

Synth latched onto her arm, sharp nails digging into flesh and breaking skin. The pinch of pain jerked Lav into action. "Run!"

At her exclamation, the strange face of the creature wailed, honing in on them. They were already on the move in the opposite direction as the demon's pounding footfalls gave chase.

If only the halls weren't built so narrow, they could've flown. She kept her wings tucked close to her back as she thought of the feathers clenched in Synth's hand. Somehow her gut knew that the angel had witnessed something horrific happen. To someone.

Don't think about it. Focus.

Synth hadn't relinquished her hold on Lav's arm, which made it a little difficult to run. A female shout suddenly came from above. That was the fourth floor. Someone was still up there.

She immediately thought of Ellra and Athena. Were they okay? They didn't reside in the same dorm wing but still, if one demon was here then there was a good possibility of more lingering about.

The thought had her legs pedaling faster down the hall. A sharp left turn revealed the bay window overlooking the cliffs and the raging sea below. A new dusk had fallen, the skies swallowing the sun up. She'd slept through the whole day after taking that pill - and quite possibly her last day, if that demon got a hold of her.

Damn. How lame would it be if she died? Without having even made it a full century in her immortal life?

Obsidian wouldn't allow a demon to kill him.

No, he'd slay the demon in all his dark galore. But first, he'd protect those around him. That scream from the fourth floor beckoned her. Daring her to try and become even a fraction of the warrior he was.

That's right, Lav, channel your inner warrior. She might not have had the balls for it in the Elite Guard sense but if she treated it as a dare...

Her left hand tightened over the ice pick. The screeching of the demon grew even closer as their feet pounded down the stairs leading to the kitchen. Neither of the girls wore shoes. Guess it hadn't been a priority in panic mode.

A shortcut in the kitchen would take them through to the back entrance of the building and outside. Well, it would take Synth outside.

Lav had made her decision. An adventure on the fourth floor awaited her. When the sight of the beaded curtains hanging over the open kitchen came into view, she ripped free from Synth's hold. The angel didn't falter, she knew where the exit was.

"I'm going upstairs!" Lav shrieked as the demon thudded into a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

Synth shouted something in response - probably calling her a maniac for not leaving with her - but it was lost over the howling of the not-so-friendly beast. Ear damage was seriously the worst. Upon realizing that Synth had fled out of reach, the demon prowled to meet with Lav. Come and get me.

The lounge area was beside the kitchen and exactly where she wanted to be. She unfurled her wings in the spaciousness of the room and soared up. The main stairwell of the east wing was connected to the lounge area and it allowed for her to shoot straight up past every bedroom floor with ease. Ha, take that. She had the upper hand against a demon.

And look at her, being chased in stairwells twice in the span of twenty four hours. Would that make Obsidian jealous that he wasn't the only one she played with? A girl could hope.

Creaking sounds came from below and she mistakenly glanced down. Long arms swung from one banister to the next, following her like a monkey swinging from branches except much creepier and with the speed of a missile. An image flashed of those spindly fingers plucking a handful of her feathers and dragging her down.

Yikes. Can't make Obsidian jealous if you're dead.

She beat her wings faster, the third floor rushing by in a blur and then angling herself directly into the narrow entrance of the fourth floor. Her feet hit the ground once more since the space was too tight to continue flying.

"Hey!" She sprinted past open doors and empty rooms. "Anyone here? Because now might be a good time to leave!"

Lav was going to flip shit if no one was up here and this ended up being a suicide mission. Synth had better spread stories about how brave I was. Beginning to regret her heroic act as she passed the last bedroom door on the floor and not a soul was in sight, she all but jumped out of her skin when someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Fuck!" Whirling around, Lav came face to face with an angel she'd never seen before. The girl was tiny, practically a pixie with oversized wings that matched her pale hair.

She seized Lav's arm with the same terror in her eyes as Synth. Except she was trembling enough to make Lav stumble. "Her wings. Her wings are all that's left." And then she burst into tears.

Yeah, okay, whatever that meant.

"Listen, we've got an ugly demon chasing us so maybe save the crying and trauma for later, kay?" To be fair, Lav couldn't have said that more nicely even if she wanted to.

Because she wasn't an Elite Guard and she'd made the decision to come save the pixie on her own terms. So, yeah, screw it. Attitude was her poison for the night.

The eager demon scrambled into her line of vision. It came to a halt and sat up on hind legs. That's when things got super freaky. It sprouted wings.

Tearing flesh sounded as they emerged from its spine. Rather than turning away from the unfolding horror, Lav was rooted to the spot and compelled to watch.

The unyielding space of the hall was not accommodating of the demon's new appendage. With a sloppy flap, the wings stretched and pierced through the walls on either side. They were almost three times the span of her own. Two extra tips on each side resembled spears and the feathers...no way.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised.

"Move, move, move!" She shoved the pixie angel into the closest open room and followed her inside. A crash sounded but she didn't dare peek back as the walls quaked around the entire fourth floor.

They needed to get out. Fast.

And the quickest exit was Lav's favorite one: a window.