Katie's Hope

"Go back to the grass! Demons can't cross onto sacred grounds!" Sasha shouted, snatching her arm and hauling her up.

She dropped on one knee beside Toby, who was unconscious. Tears in her eyes, she whispered to him as she lifted him, tormented by the sound of his whimper. She half-stumbled, half-ran to the park area before tripping and falling flat. Toby rolled from her arms.

"I went as fast … as I could …" Ully gasped, reaching them. Following him was Kris, dressed in nothing but judo pants, as if Ully had dragged him straight out of bed. She crawled on her knees to Toby, heart hammering and hands shaking as she rolled him onto his back. The slash in his arm was deep, and maroon blood bubbled into the snow.

"Kris …" she whispered, a different kind of panic rising within her.

He swept the baby angel into his arms with one quick motion and trotted back into the castle. Katie was slower to follow, feeling lightheaded once again. Ully helped her up, and they both eyed Sasha as the Dark One's servant approached.

"I hate demons," he said with another look over his shoulder. She recognized the crazed look from when he'd attacked her in Hell and inched closer to Ully.

He motioned to the castle. Ully looked at her, even more pale than usual, and she retreated to the castle, worried sick about Toby and Rhyn, even knowing the half-demon could take out half the demons in Hell if he felt like it. The only two people she cared about in this godforsaken world were both fighting for their lives.

* * *

Rhyn tossed the demon against the wall with enough power to break its back. The full- blooded demon was slow to rise, and he waited. Jared changed to his human form and held up one hand, holding his back with the other.

"Truce," he said. Rhyn growled in response but switched to his human form as well. "You know, you're not too bad for a half-breed."

"I'm half Immortal, half demon. Means I can play in both worlds, unlike you."

"I see that now. Your monkey is safe. Why don't we call it a draw for now, half-brother?" "Only if you tell me what you're doing here," Rhyn replied.

He sensed the demon's pain behind its attempt at a chipper tone. Most who challenged him soon learned just how wild and deep his power ran. As both a demon and Immortal, he possessed the ability to wield both sources of power but not control them. At least, he hadn't been able to control them before meeting Katie. If this had been a pre-Katie battle, he'd have wiped out the state. He couldn't help but feel satisfied at besting a full demon and controlling his powers.