Claiming of the Demon King (ICS Book One)

Chapter Twenty-One - The Demon Could Kill

"Isn't she always? I care not for what the sorceress does." Pinching the bridge of his nose he dragged in a deep breath. "If Adora's name was bound is there no way to learn of her?"

"I can ask the elves. A member of the Ascended is part of the royal court. She may know more," Charles offered.

Jasper asked, "If this is true how would Vincent even know of her?"

Charles thought a moment. "Powerful seers have been known to see past the binding. I know the Mad One has such a seer at his disposal."

And Vincent was in league with the Legion. Shit! If they both sought Victoria then war was inevitable. His claws ached to fight, to protect. He would never let them take her.

"What I can tell you is the wolf is ruthless," Charles warned.

I'll kill him first. His neck pricked. A sense of unease settled in his stomach that had nothing to do with the conversation at hand. He looked over at Jasper. The demons amber eyes were shifting about the room. Did he feel it too?

Charles shifted forward in his seat. "Sebastian, there are deep powers at play here. Armies are forming on the outer planes, creatures that have not been seen in a millennium. A war is coming unlike anything we have ever known in times past."

Hadn't Nicolas warned him of the very same? "I've seen many wars, Charles."

Charles face was grim. "Not like this. There is a demon of death among the Legion."

Fuck! His fists clenched. "You know this?"

Charles eyes flickered black so quickly Sebastian almost missed it. "I've seen it."

A death demon, such a thing had given him nightmares as a boy. His sense of unease increased. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong...

"This war will come to your door whether you want it too or not," Charles cautioned sternly. "It may have already. If Gabriel did indeed allow Vincent access to his seer then he must seek the halfling as well. You know what he is capable of Sebastian, and just like Vincent he will not stop. Even still Lord Ivan marches on the demon clans, he will come for you eventually. You cannot run from this."

Damn it. The cage cracked, his inner demon demanded he fight. He was a berserker; his kind never cowered from a threat. They stood at the forefront and roared in the face of their enemies.

It was time he did so once more.

Leaning forward he shook off his unease, focusing on the vampire seated across from him. "If what you say is true we are talking about an apocalypse."

"We are." Cocking his head Charles smiled. "Are you ready to hear about the Ascended now?"

******

Victoria lay on her bed, frowning up at the ceiling. She felt...weird. She couldn't pin it down. She wasn't sick yet her stomach was in knots. Her skin felt cold and she had an overwhelming desire to run.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Sitting up she pushed the hair back from her eyes and glanced around the room. It felt like eyes were watching her. It was creepy as fuck.

Shuddering, she stood up and paced. She was being ridiculous. This was just because Sebastian had upset her. She was still pissed at him although her anger had quieted once she'd had a chance to reflect on what he'd said.

He was afraid for her safety, she knew that. And a part of her suspected he was unsure about letting her see her father. Did he worry she wouldn't want to come back?

As if she could stay away. Already she was longing to be by his side, for that connection. Was it normal to feel this way? She had no experience to fall back on but she doubted these kinds of feelings were normal. They felt too intense.

It didn't help that she was borderline in love with him.

Her neck pricked. Biting her lip she glanced around the room again. Okay, something was seriously off.

Her eyes zeroed in on a corner of the room. She found herself walking towards it, her breaths quiet. Her ears twitched, there was a soft sound. Breathing...

The empty space wavered. Victoria didn't even have time to scream before a hand shot out of thin air and clamped around her mouth.

She watched in horror as a hideous creature appeared right before her eyes. It was tall and thin, it's pale skin loose, stitched and patchy as if the creature had taken different pieces of flesh and sown them on. Its movements were jerky and unnatural, completely black eyes blinked at her as it cocked its head. A muffled scream tore from her throat.

It spun her around, wrapping an arm around her throat and dragging her towards the window.

It's going to take me. Adrenaline spiked, her mind kicked in. She thrashed her body, kicking her feet as she clawed at the hand over her mouth. The monster only tightened its hold, cutting off her air supply.

Too strong, she couldn't get free. She struggled even more, heaving her entire body. She needed to fight. She needed to be stronger. She knew if this thing took her away she would never see her demon again.

No!

A switch seemed to flip inside her. Her mind focused, her body surging with power. With a growl she slammed her head back, connecting with the monsters face.

The creature dropped her with a snarl. She fell to the floor moving fast. Rolling to her feet she bolted for the bedroom door. It caught her hair, yanking her back. She didn't think, turning on the heel of her foot she used the momentum to her advantage and slammed her fist into its face.

Bones cracked. She snarled with satisfaction as blood spurted from its nose and mouth. She could almost smell it.

Another hand grabbed her from behind. Before she could react she was being slammed to the floor. More of them appeared, nearly a dozen of them, surrounding her.

She screamed.

An answering bellow resounded through the castle.

The vicious creatures snapped their heads up. Too late. The doors burst open, nearly flying off their hinges. Sebastian lunged into the room like a blur. Before she could blink he had one of them in his hands, ripping its head clean off.

They turned on him. Sebastian fought them violently, ripping limbs and throats. She scrambled backward as one fell dead at her feet.

Suddenly Jasper was by her side with Charles. He pulled her tightly against his chest. "Victoria?"

She couldn't look away, couldn't stop watching as Sebastian slaughtered. If she'd thought he looked frightening against those hellhounds she hadn't seen anything. His eyes were glowing bright, his fangs bared into a snarl. One of the creatures tried to run. He caught it by the throat, roaring as he tore it apart with his claws.

She noticed that the vampire Damian was shifting around the room, disappearing and reappearing. The vampire was killing them as they tried to flee, his blood red eyes crazed. Their shrieks of pain made her cover her ears.

When the last body fell Sebastian's head snapped towards her. He advanced on her with a loud growl. Jasper let her go immediately, stepping back from her. Her eyes went wide as Sebastian reached down and hauled her to her feet.

He stared at her, those golden eyes blazing with emotions. Intense. Consuming. Her breath caught.

"Mine," he snarled. Then he snatched her up, hauling her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the blood smeared room.

AN: Eek what's going to happen next?! Hope you are enjoying the story so far!