Joseph pulled sparks of power from the earth surrounding him to fuel his body. His skin tingled and glowed as he attacked, slicing off the head of Tracker Demon in one single blow.

The instant it died, Lyka screamed and siphoned off a huge rush of energy. Joseph fell to his knees under the strain of providing what she needed. A couple of seconds later, he saw Treszka’s head twist hard and keep twisting until her neck broke. Her body went limp and the taint of power around her dissipated.

The rest of the demons that she had controlled paused for a second in confusion before they realized they were free.

No longer held by the will of their queen, the demons charged.

Chapter 44

Lyka was better at killing than healing, but for Eric, she was determined to learn the skill fast.

As soon as she knew Treszka was dead, she popped a shield over herself and her brother and went to work.

Demons were scrambling outside the shimmering dome, but Joseph was on the job. Even though there were a ton of them, confidence radiated from him, reassuring her that he was in complete control.

She’d never seen a man fight like him. So much skill and carefully contained power. No rage or berserker attitude—just calm competence.

His confidence flowed around her, giving her the peace of mind she needed to focus on the task at hand.

She really didn’t know what she was doing, but she’d studied a little anatomy and knew that all she had to do was line up Eric’s tissues and keep him from bleeding to death while his body did the rest. Slayers healed fast, and while his body was taxed from what he’d been through over the past few days, he was strong.

“You can do this,” she told him. “Just close your eyes and relax. I won’t let you bleed out.”

Treszka’s bite held some kind of poison. Lyka wasn’t sure how she knew, but it must have had something to do with the connection she now had with her brother. Part of her consciousness was in him, monitoring his body for signs of what she needed to do next.

Joseph kept cutting down foes one after another. Reddish black blood spattered his skin, leaving angry welts wherever it touched.

Synestryn blood was toxic, and Joseph had only his jeans to protect him from the spray of his killing spree.

Inside the dome of protection, Eric shivered and panted, struggling to stay alive.

“That’s it,” she said as she kept pressure on his wound. “You’re almost out of the woods.”

At least she hoped it was true.

One of the demons got a hit in on Joseph, slicing his arm with a rusty blade. She felt the sting as if it had been her own flesh, but he didn’t so much as flinch. Each stroke of his sword was as graceful and smooth as the last.

Eric sucked in a long, shuddering breath and opened his eyes.

“Welcome back,” she said.

“Just in time to join the fight.”

“Joseph’s got it,” she said. “Just stay here and relax.”

“Hell of a fighter you’ve got there.”

“He sure is. And that’s not all he’s good at, either.”

“TMI, Sis. I really don’t want to have to kill him.”

Joseph cut down the last of the demons in the area and surveyed the room, looking for more. His gaze met hers, and she felt his love for her spill over her, warming her soul.

“If you two are done making googly eyes at each other, I’m ready to go,” said Eric.

She helped him to his feet, bracing his weight. “He needs some rest, but he should recover.”

“We’ll grab the kids and head out,” said Joseph.

Eric nodded. “I saw two of the young go that way.” He pointed to the opening on the far side of the cavern. Then he nodded to the door nearest them. “The rest are this way.”

“I’ll head to the west,” said Joseph. “You two start toward the exit and pick up the kids on the way out.”

“I don’t want to separate,” said Lyka.

Joseph glanced at Eric. “He won’t make it much farther. You have to get him out.”

“I can go as far as I need to go,” said Eric.

Lyka knew it was a lie. He was in bad shape—way too close to death for her to take any chances.

She nodded at Joseph. “We’ll meet you outside.”

“I love you,” he said, then ran off before she could recover from her shock of hearing the words aloud, much less say them back.

“Come on, Sis,” said Eric. He stared at the motionless demon queen, looking at her with an expression of loathing and regret. “I need to get out of this fucking place.”

They wove their way back toward the exit, passing piles of Synestryn bodies as they went. There were two more still alive, guarding the cavern where the young were being held, but Lyka made quick work of them, slamming them together so hard, their heads caved in against each other’s.

The young rushed out, hugging the adults and crying tears of relief.

Except for Kayla. She went to the demon bodies and began kicking them in fury. A string of filthy words poured from her mouth, but Lyka gave her a pass. After what they’d been through, the girl deserved a bit of leeway to vent her emotions.

Got the boys. Joseph’s thoughts filtered through her head easily now. She didn’t even think about fighting him. This telepathy stuff was way too handy for her to shun it. Sending them back to you while I guard their escape.

Through his eyes, she could see that there were still dozens of demons alive in this system of caves, and they were all gunning for Joseph. The scent of his blood was pulling them out of the shadows, but he was still going strong, holding them off with the help of the narrow tunnels to funnel them to him one or two at a time.

Lyka turned to Eric. “The young will help you get out. Joseph found the other two boys. I’m going back for them.”

The kids realized that this was their chance to shine and crowded around Eric to help him stay on his feet.

Lyka picked up the swords of the dead demons and handed them to the young. “Don’t be afraid to use these. Scream if you run into trouble. I’ll hear you.”

To be certain she would, she amplified her hearing with the help of Joseph’s power, and set out after him.

A few minutes later, she ran into the pair of Slayer boys. They still wore metal cuffs around their wrists and ankles, attached to broken chains. They were a little scuffed up, but basically both still in one piece.