Tanya looked in the pack. “Oh my God.” She lifted her gaze.
“What? Is it a severed head in liquid nitrogen?” Ray lobbed another cloud of angel dust and the demon staggered back. “One of you think of something. Our plan for Tanya to anchor me is shot to shit because the blood witches can’t drain its energy.
“I’ve weakened it, but not for long. Aiden, if you, Jared and Luke force it into the barn and into the summoning ring, the witches can close the broken circle and we can banish him.”
“Raven—” Tanya tried again.
“Capiria, is there any chrism oil left?”
The old witch nodded. “Not much, why?”
“If we aim it right, it might give us an edge.” She chewed on her lip and then looked at Capiria again. “Can you heat the oil so it’s even more fluid?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” She turned, ignoring the curses hurled her way as the demon shook off her last offensive. “Gabs. I want you to take the oil and fling it at the demon. Control the air. Blind the bastard, right in the eyes.”
“RAVEN!” Tanya yelled.
“What?” She whirled at the witch.
“It’s a celestial blade!” Tanya exclaimed. “In Tim’s bag!”
Raven blinked, shaking her head.”
“No joke. The stupid ass must have brought it thinking he could outmaneuver the demon.”
Raven blinked again, stunned. “How?”
“Who cares how? Don’t think, girl. DO!” Capiria lifted the backpack, holding open. “You’re the only one of us who can wield it.”
Aiden barked. The demon had straightened, shaking off the last of Raven’s energy dust.
Without thinking, she reached inside the bag and gripped the blade’s hilt. “Holy shit!” the words were an awed whisper. “It warmed to my hand, tingling in my grip.”
“Angelis Gloriana. It recognizes you,” Capiria replied.
Raven drew the dagger from the backpack and held it out for the others to see. The blade’s pronged claw glowed with purple light. “Holy SHIT,” she murmured again.
“There’s something you should know,” Tanya began. “A celestial blade can kill demons, but it can also be used to kill angels.”
“Very good, witch.”
Raven whirled with the blade in her hand, but it was too late. The demon had more than recovered from its painful hunch. In fact its skin shimmered, and its eyes flashed full red.
“Fuck! It took longer, but it absorbed my energy. What do we do now?”
Before anyone could answer or move, the demon held its hand out, and the dagger was ripped from Raven’s grip. It spun, blade over hilt, its pronged claw humming as it sliced the air. The demon’s hand shot up, like Arthur with Excalibur, catching the hilt with ease.
“You treacherous bitch! I would have made you a QUEEN!” The demon whirled with a snarl, hurling the blade straight for Raven’s heart.
Gabrielle called the lightning, sending bolt after bolt to try and knock the blade out of the air, but it sliced through each, deflecting sparks everywhere.
Aiden snarled, vaulting into the air. He twisted his body to block Raven, taking the blade to his chest instead. With a whine, he tumbled to the ground in a heap, blood pooling beneath his body.
“NO!” She rushed to his side, trying to stem the blood. “Capiria! Help!”
The old witch knelt by the wolf’s flank. “Tanya and I will do what we can for your mate, but you have to take the blade from Aiden’s chest and kill Thazos. You can’t help him now, Raven. Do what you must. Time is ticking.” She pushed the container of chrism into Raven’s hand. It was warm and loose, just as she asked.
Nodding, Raven pocketed the oil. She sniffed back her tears and then got to her feet. “I’m so sorry, Aiden. I love you.”
Wrapping her hands around the dagger’s hilt, she yanked the celestial blade from Aiden’s chest with a stifled sob. He barely whined, as Capiria and Tanya started their energy work.
“Raven! C’mon!” Gabrielle kept the demon at bay, churning the winds to hold it back.
Jared and Luke’s wolves snarled, flanking the two women.
“I guess it’s just you and me, Ray. Just like old times.”
Raven pulled the chrism container from her pocket and unscrewed the top. “While you’ve got the winds going, let’s anoint the bastard and see what happens.”
Gabrielle swirled her arms, making a scooping motion with her hands. The oil rose in a slick stream, rotating, ribbon-like in a rush.
With a yell, she flung the ribbon of oil at the demon. It corkscrewed high speed through the air, propelled on a whirlwind. Gabby cast her hands out, splaying her fingers. The motion splattered the hot, holy oil straight into the demon’s face.
Its screeched, clawing at its cheeks and eyes.
“Great shot! Babe Ruth got nothing on you, cher.” She smirked. “Think you have it in you to open a highway to hell, weather witch?”
With a laugh, Gabrielle slid into a defensive stance. “Easy peasy demon squeezy.”
The demon staggered in a circle, his face and eyes scorched. Its body crackled with violet-tinged energy stolen from Raven.
“You’re a parasite, Thazos. A bodysnatching, soul sucking insect. Asmodos is twice the demon you are because he was once an angel, but you? You’re nothing but a spawn. An insignificant side effect of an evil experiment gone wrong.”
With a snarl, it lifted its burned face in their direction. It sniffed, letting its forked tongue dart out to taste the air.
“Did you see that?” Gabby asked, stunned.
“Demons are like reptiles. They can see with their tongues through taste.”
His lips spread in an evil grin, and held his hand out for the blade in retaliation.
“Not going to happen this time, Thazos.”
It cringed whenever she used its name, but it was enraged. Tasting the air again, it
