Blood Flows Deep in the Empire (19 page)

Dyletri caught a glimpse of Liz wrestling another
ceFtut
to the ground and flipping it over. The moment she stabbed the right spot, its legs all kicked out at once, and one last screech was ripped from its throat before it blew apart, its form dissipating into a black swirl.

Unwilling to let go of his plaything so easily, Dyletri stabbed the
ceFtut
under him again. He kept going, each stab punctuated by the motherfucker inside him that was laughing and having a blast at his predicament.

Aren’t you at least a little worried that you have a hardon while
riding that thing?

Dyletri growled, partially in disbelief that his psyche had split so profoundly—that there was another entity inside him, mocking him and having fucking fun while doing it. An entity that had once been one with him.

Was this what Zeniel had to deal with when it came to his other half?

“Dyletri, there’s more of them! Kill that shit already! We have portals opening up all over the place!”

Zen’s words reached Dyletri just as he stabbed the
ceFtut
he was riding. The blade slid through what seemed to be its ear. It was desperate, trying to stretch a neck it didn’t have to bite at Dyletri’s arms. Each snap of its teeth unleashed a wave of toxic air in his direction. Had Dyletri not looked around right then and realized that Zen was right, he would have decided to kill the thing anyway just to save his lungs the torture.

In one swift move, he jumped off the
ceFtut
and used the sword in its body to lift it over his head. It kicked its legs as he flipped it through the air. He slammed it onto the ground, not giving a rat’s ass about the fissures left in the concrete, and pulled his blade free.

He jumped on the
ceFtut
, puncturing the soft flesh under its chin before it could do anything else. Just like all the others, it disappeared in a puff of black smoke, its last screech echoing into the night. The sound mixed with the two dozen other screeches rending the air.

Four more portals opened around them, waves of
ceFtuts
pouring through.

“There’s no way!” he screamed. “No way the Aviraji aren’t behind this. They’re the only ones with enough power to do this!”

“I know that now!” Xreak stormed past Dyletri and slammed his spear right through two of the creatures. With a roar, he spun around, flinging the
ceFtuts
off his spear and into the fence blocking the entrance to a public pool.

The metal bent in before straightening again at Xreak’s will. Reminded, Dyletri looked back the sidewalk and willed the cracks left behind by the
ceFtut
to disappear.

“Kill as many you can. I need to try to close the
Kystm
before more of these portals pop up!” Xreak destroyed the two
ceFtuts
he’d just flung off his spear and jumped up into the air, zooming over to the other side of the park. He landed on his feet in one lithe move before taking off and heading straight for the
Kystm.

Dyletri unsheathed a second sword, extending it to its full height and merging his energy with it. An image of Ismini flashed through his mind unbidden. All he could see for two seconds was her skin. The blood that rushed beneath it. Her pussy, spread for him, wet and ready for his him. For his tongue. For his cock.

Imagine her soaked. At your command. Spread wide as you take her with your cock, drench her with your cum . . .

Motherfucking shit!

Another roar broke out of him, the sound rivaling any the
ceFtuts
was capable of putting forth. Desperate to eradicate the images and the voice tormenting his brain, Dyletri ran face first toward six of the beasts
,
his body lighting up from all angles as he pushed forward with everything he had.

Or everything he could spare, rather, because half of him was still very much back in his bedroom wrapped around that tempting little body. The same body responsible for the reappearance of his powers.

Sadly, another part of him was still ridden with guilt over what he felt. And for what he had done. But it was such a small part, a trifling atom’s worth in fact, that it merely served to fuel the rage within him.

As Dyletri stabbed two of the
ceFtuts
between the eyes and hurled them back several yards, it was really himself he was attacking.

His whole life, he’d been almost numb to everyone. A mere tool, detached from other women. He’d only ever felt for Dimithinia.

Until now.

He’d been hooked up to an engine of need, on full blast, gunning it against his will. Whatever he’d felt for Dimithinia, it came nowhere close to the magnitude of what he’d felt less than an hour before, back in his room.

With another woman.

The admittance of that was catastrophic to everything around Dyletri. Another war cry exited his mouth and waves of raw energy flew out of him.

In a blur of movement, he flipped two
ceFtuts
onto their backs and stabbed through their chins in one strike. It wasn’t enough. He needed more. He wished these creatures could fucking bleed so he’d end up covered in it. Dyletri ran through ten more of them before he blinked, and it still wasn’t enough.

Two new portals had opened. More
ceFtuts
emerged. It was like they’d been lying in wait, reproducing faster than rabbits in the lowest dimension for years. There seemed to be an endless supply.

Dyletri slammed into another one, hoping Xreak would get that
Kystm
closed ASAfuckingP. He was so busy flipping it over and stabbing his sword where it needed to go that he didn’t sense the other one coming at him.

At least not until its pounding feet and decayed breath were two feet behind him. Dyletri spun, ready to take that piece of shit head on.

He ended up frozen in place instead.

Gaping.

A feminine cry filled the night, its fury raw and potent, as a tiny blur lit up the sky overhead.

His eyes widened, and for a second, Dyletri almost believed the fucker inside him was playing tricks on him and he was hallucinating—that the small figure that landed on top of the
ceFtut
heading straight for him was one of the goddesses and his reawakening powers were superimposing the image of his sexy tormentor on to another form.

But as the milliseconds ticked by and the image before him remained unchanged, Dyletri was forced to admit who it was.

Ismini
.

Gods, even her name was enough to coagulate his thought processes.

She had landed right on the
ceFtut
that had been running at him, latching and holding on to its snapping jaw with her thin arms. She forced its mouth closed, and a sickening crunch echoed through the air.

The beast whimpered, shaking its head back and forth, trying to get her to let go. Her boots dug into the asphalt as she forced its head down. Then she flipped it over her head like it weighed nothing. The moment it was on its back, she flashed onto it, her multicolored aura enlarged and flaring out around her in a cacophony of cerulean, purple, and white light that burned brighter than ever.

It was awe-inspiring. He’d seen many goddesses in battle, but that didn’t matter. None of them had shit on her. She was amazing. But not quite herself. And she was kicking ass in a way no
human
should have been able.

She pulled a huge, glowing gun out of thin air and aimed it at the
ceFtut.
She didn’t even need to point it at the monster’s chin, just shot it between its eyebrows. The blast hit the creature dead on, not giving it a chance to scream. The thing was consumed by energy so powerful it rippled the air, and its molecules dispersed into nothing. It didn’t even leave the customary trail of black behind.

Mouth wide open, Dyletri did his best to breathe. He could bullshit himself left and right and pretend it was mostly the gun that had him shocked.

Yeah, that would work out real well . . .

All it took was a once-over from her and he was panting like a human fresh off a sprint. He took one huge hit of Ismini’s scent, which was magnified and aimed at him like that gun had been aimed at the
ceFtut.
Ismini was in black leather pants and boots, as well as a black midriff tank top and a too-tight leather jacket in the same color.

Dyletri’s body was almost split in two. Half of him tried to lunge for her, while the other half forced him to stay back. He grabbed on to the fence without thinking, until the sound of metallic screeching alerted him to the fact that he was about to take part of it with him.

Ismini whirled around and aimed the weapon at another group of
ceFtuts.
She blew them away just as Evesse ran past Dyletri. He watched long enough to see that the female brandished two more guns and used them to blow four
ceFtuts
off Zeniel. Her aura flared as she pulled the trigger, waves of red, black, and yellow swirling around her.

Dyletri couldn’t believe it. He wanted to demand an explanation, but then he turned and saw one of the creatures heading for Ismini’s back. He let out a cry that promised death as he flashed himself straight at it. Only one thought screamed through his mind.

There was no way he was going to let any of them sink their disgusting teeth into
his
woman.

No. Fucking. Way.

Chapter 17

Dyletri materialized right behind Ismini and wrapped his arm around her waist. He slammed her into his chest, not stopping to wonder if his armor was hurting her. Doubtful considering the little superwoman display she had just been putting on.

Holding her tight, he yanked her gun out of her hand and, in the next split second, blew another five of those fuckers away.

Nice . . .

He grinned manically even as Ismini squealed and tried to get the gun back.

“Dyletri? What are you doing?”

“I should ask you the same question.” He stared down at her as he took aim and blew another
ceFtut
to pieces. She twisted her body away, rubbing against areas of him that were dangerous for her right then. He tightened his grip on her and bared his teeth in a growl. “Stop struggling.”

She froze, her gorgeous eyes going wide at the sound of his voice. It had taken on two distinct tones again. Her scent spiked, hitting Dyletri as hard as Ismini’s
teret
had hit the damned
ceFtuts
. His breaths rushed desperately in and out as he stared down at her with lids so heavy he could feel them.

He tightened his arm around her and flattened his palm against her lower back. She was so small his thumb hooked around her left side as the tips of his fingers brushed her right. His mind filled with visions, all of them ending with him taking full advantage of her petite size.

He brought her closer, smirking at how her gasp slid into his ears. His incisors tingled as his blood heated. He could have her. Right fucking there—up against the fence he’d almost torn apart, actually.

His fantasies were becoming straight-up sordid until Ismini glanced behind him and gasped.

She raised her arm, and another huge ass gun appeared in her hand a second before she shot it. The blast flew over his shoulder, clearing hitting another
ceFtut
, but all he focused on was the way she’d materialized that thing out of thin air.

Like some fucking goddess.

She was glowing and fighting like one, too.

Okie dokie. Right.

“Come here.” He let go of Ismini’s waist and grabbed her arm.

“What . . . wait . . . the others?”

“Are fine!” In fact, the rest of the god and goddesses were now armed with
terets.
Evesse was materializing them and flinging them out like candy at children. It pissed him the hell off.

“Dyletri, what the fuck are you doing?” Ismini yelled, pulling back.

She managed to make Dyletri stumble a few steps with her newfound strength, and they both froze. She stopped in surprise. Him? He was just plain apoplectic.

His jaw twitched, and his face tightened as he pulled on her arm hard. He stomped his way past the
Gnetica
and across the street, not stopping until he had her alone in an alleyway.

Ismini tried yanking her arm out of his grasp. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”