A Curse of Flames & Blood

Chapter 3

Aerilyn

I jolt awake on high alert. I sit up and listen, everything is quiet. Too quiet. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I slip out of bed and grab the short dagger from beneath the pillows. I'm not sure what woke me, but something did. Something isn't right. I tilt my head slightly, listening for any sounds in the house. Ayla!

I make my way over to her room, heart racing and dagger raised, ready to strike at a moment's notice. I enter her room and see her safely in her bed. I release a breath. I move over to her side, touching her face gently, and pulling her blanket tighter around her. She stirs but doesn't wake up. I stay for a few moments longer, looking at her, before leaving her room. I stop short, from the corner of my eye, I see a shadow moving in the kitchen. 

I raise the dagger higher and move backwards back into Ayla's room. My eyes darting back and forth, looking for the intruder. The back of my knees hit her bed and I turn around and shake her awake. I put my hand over her mouth just as her eyes snap open. I put a finger over my mouth, signalling her to be quiet.

"Someone is in the house".

I remove my hand from her mouth and turn my attention back to the doorway, seeing a shadow swiftly moving past the opening. Ayla sucks in a breath and gets out of bed, looking for any weapon. I angle my body between Ayla and the doorway, bending my knees slightly, muscles tense, ready to jump on any threat. A clawed hand emerge from the shadows of the hallway, gripping the weak wooden door frame. The shadowy figure steps into the room and recognition floods me - the male demon that was angry about my disrespect.

I smirk at him with a confidence I don't feel, "Here to teach me a lesson for my disrespect, demon?"

He smirks and turns his attention to Ayla behind me, I move in front of her, "Attention on me, fucker". He growls at me and pounces. A second of panic hits me. I have never fought a demon before. I only know how to hunt. But to protect Ayla, I will fight dragons and demons alike. 

The demon hits me with a force hard enough to knock the air from me. He wraps his hands around my throat, "You will be humbled once you taste some fear". He shakes my body like a rag doll. My nails claw at his arm, before I spit in his face. He growls as he strikes me in the face. 

The hit is so hard that stars dance in front of my face. Ayla runs over and picks up the chair from the corner of the room. She brings the chair down over his back with a grunt. The demon lets me go, turning his attention to her, stalking towards her while she stumbles back in panic. I struggle to clear the stars from my vision, shaking my head violently, sending hair flying into my face. I stumble over to him and jump on his back. My hand finds a grip on his horn, legs wrapped around his hips. I sink my blade into the area where his shoulder meets his neck with force, I grind out,  "Eyes on me, demon".

He roars in pain and pulls me off his back, throwing me on the floor and knocking the wind from me. I lay in the corner of the room and watch the demon advance on Ayla again, when he bends over her and grips her neck, I am back on my feet and charge at him with my blade. I scream as I sink my blade into his side. The blade sinks deep between his ribs. He howls in pain before dropping Ayla and swinging at me with bloodied claws. His claws cut deep into my arm and I hiss, before pulling my blade back and sinking it back between his ribs twice more in quick succession. I lose my grip on the dagger, the handle slick with blood. 

The demon pushes me back hard and I knock my head on the bed post. Stars float in front of my eyes, but I shake my head, trying to clear my vision when I hear Ayla scream. The demon grabs her by the leg, claws sinking into her calf. I grip the bed post and stumble upright. As the demon pulls Ayla closer, she is kicking at him wildly, drawing his full attention. I rip the blade from his side and jump on his back once more. Gripping his ram horn tightly, my legs clamped around his hips. I sink my blade right into the middle of his throat. Shoving as hard as I can, until the hilt hits bone.

The demon falls to his knees, then tumbles over, but I still keep my hold on him. My body clinging to his, applying pressure to the blade. After a second of silence I let go and move over to Ayla, who is staring at me wide eyed, "Are you okay, Ayla?"

She shakes her head and I look back at her leg. Four deep gashes run down her calf. I lift my arm, sucking in a sharp breath against pain so fierce I can barely lift it. I wince as I force myself to move the injured arm, cutting strips of her bedding to bind her wound. I have just finished tying a strip of fabric around her leg when I hear a bump from the kitchen. 

I move my finger over my mouth, signaling Ayla to keep quiet and rip the dagger from the demon's neck with a wet slink sound. Sneaking down the hall towards the kitchen, I'm met with the other two demons from Simon's entourage. When they see me, they charge at me. The male demon shoves me into the wall, while the female sinks her sword into my stomach. I scream and lash out with my dagger. Cutting the female over the eye, sending her backwards with a screech. 

The male demon knocks the dagger from my hand before twisting it until I hear the distinctive crack of bones breaking. Agony sears up my arm as I scream. I swing my head back, hoping to hit him in the head, but he dodges my hit at the last second. I tilt my head and sink my teeth into his neck instead. He lets go of me and I fall to the floor.

The she demon advances on me again when her head snaps up to the hallway, where Ayla is standing, "Run!" I scream at her desperately. I watch as Ayla turns and runs, the she demon following. I struggle to sit up. My hand broken, the other arm useless and blood gushing out of the cut on my abdomen. With my clawed up arm, I grab the dagger from the floor before I feel the male demon bringing a foot down hard on my back. I scream in pain as my visions starts to darken. The male raining down hard stomps on my body again and again. 

I watch helplessly as the she demon drags Ayla into the room and signals to the male. Moving towards the door, taking Ayla with them. Helplessly, I crawl towards the door, struggling to form her name on my lips, before my world goes completely black.