However Aiden responded was lost in the shrill, annoying-as-hell scream of an oncoming daimon. It was a pure, and this one looked jacked the hell up. Skin leached of all color. Eyes nothing but black pits. Teeth like a damn shark’s.

And it was time to play.

Meeting the daimon head-on, I slipped under its widespread arms and popped up behind it. Landing a kick in the back, I jumped on top of it as it fell, then slammed the dagger deep into its back. The daimon froze and then imploded like a mini-glitter bomb.

I threw myself into the fight. Could’ve taken that dumbass out with one jab, but nah. I needed to work out the pent-up frustration. I needed to get it out of my system.

So I toyed with them. Pure daimons I took out with a dagger quickly, but I waited for the halfs that were turned—the ones who were trained Guards and Sentinels. They knew how to fight. I went hand-to-hand with them, exchanging blows until each punch started knocking around the bitter emotions gnawing away at my heart. Every so often I caught a burst of power—Alex or Aiden using the elements—and each small surge of energy fueled me.

I turned, coming face to face with a female half with blood smeared across her mouth. One eye was gouged out, probably from coming face to face with another Sentinel. Real attractive.

Grinning, I lowered the daggers.

The half daimon opened her mouth just as blood burst from her chest. The pointed end of a Covenant dagger appeared and then retracted, and the half daimon dropped.

Solos stood behind her. Scratches cut deep into his left cheek. “Sorry. I owed her that.” He gestured at his cheek with the bloody end of the dagger. “Not looking to have a matching set.”

“No doubt.” Wiping my arm across my forehead, I glanced down at my chest. Flecks of blood covered me. “What the hell happened?”

“That cell outside of Rapid City grew—shit.” Solos dipped down as a daimon launched itself at him. He rose, slamming the dagger up. “As I was saying,” he said, shaking out his damp hair. “Fucking pure Guards couldn’t tell when they came to the gate—they were turned Sentinels. Let them right in and then the rest came out of the woods.”

Over his shoulder, Alex delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking the teeth out of one of the daimons. “What about the outer walls?”

“Overrun.” He grunted, catching a daimon and tossing him my way. “Complete loss, man. Complete loss.”

Catching the daimon with one hand on the shoulder, I introduced chest to dagger. Glitter bomb ensued.

“Oh, shit,” Solos said.