"Get shagged!" he cried toward her. He was about to hurtle more insults when two more wolves slammed into him, knocking him down. He grunted as claws slashed his tunic. His blood dripped. He swung his spear, slamming its shaft against one wolf's head. He leaped to his feet and thrust the weapon, but a wolf grabbed the spear between its jaws and yanked it free. The two demons circled him, hissing. The human arms growing from their backs twitched, their hands opening and closing. Foam filled the beasts' mouths, oozing down to the ground. Weaponless, Dorvin reached down, grabbed a stone, and tossed it. The rock hit one wolf's head, only enraging the creature. It pounced, and Dorvin winced but refused to summon his magic, to let Maev win.

He roared and leaped toward the wolf, fists flying.

Before the two could slam together, the demonic canine yowled. Dragon teeth drove into its flanks, tugged it up, and tossed it aside. A spiked tail slammed down, crushing the second demon.

"Stars damn it, Alina!" Dorvin shouted. "I had them."

The lavender dragon hissed at the two wounded demons. Both creatures tried to drag themselves forward, to attack again. Alina torched them with a blast of flame. She turned back toward Dorvin and glared.

"You were going to die just to prove some point to Maev." She released her magic and slapped him. "Oaf of a brother!"

Dorvin rubbed his sore cheek, glaring at the druid. "I could have had them."

Laughter sounded behind. Dorvin spun around to see Maev trudging uphill, a mocking smile on her lips and blood on her hands. She pointed behind her where lay the corpses of three demon wolves.

"Well, well," she said. "Looks like I killed three demons, Alina killed two, and you, Dorvin?" She pretended to count on her fingers. "Oh my. Only one kill for you."

Both of Dorvin's cheeks burned now. He grabbed one of his fallen spears and thrust it into a corpse. "Both of Alina's were mine! I wounded the damn things before she torched them."

Maev nodded and patted his cheek. "Wounded, not killed." She mussed his hair. "Better luck next time, Dung Beetle."

"Go to the Abyss, Mammoth Arse."

She raised her eyebrows. "I could kill more demons than you there too."

He spat, shifted back into a dragon, and took flight. "Come on, girls!" He blasted smoke down onto them. "Enough dallying. We've got to fly west and find more Vir Requis, and hopefully not dull ones like you two."