Marked by Hades by Reese Monroe

the clouds. Thick, chilled air sifted into Yvonne’s bones.
    “That way.” Halena took off running.
    Yvonne hurried after Justin and Sadie, but their speed left her yards behind and gasping for air. The group came within sight, and Halena faced off with a seven-foot demon.
    “Where is it?” The demon’s deep voice rattled the trees around them. It sounded more as if thunder had just cracked through the sky.
    “Where’s Theophilus?” Halena stood her ground, Mavet daggers in both hands.
    The demon grinned, fangs showing through the darkness. “Safe and sound, hidden from you. My children are having much fun with him.”
    “Even trade. Dagger for Theophilus.”
    He glanced in Yvonne’s direction, but she ducked behind a tree as she worked her leather gloves off. The demon drew in a deep breath, and his eyes flared red. “Interesting.”
    Beside Halena, Justin bent his knees, dagger at the ready. Did he sense something?
    “There’s something else we want along with the dagger.” The demon looked in Yvonne’s direction again. “Or there is no deal.”
    “What? Get on with it, diable ,” Halena shouted.
    “We want our girl back.” He pointed at Yvonne. “Come here, child.”
    An invisible rope around Yvonne’s waist yanked her out from behind the tree. She clawed at the bark, shredding her fingertips. Anything to stop the movement.
    “No.” Justin roared and lunged at the demon.
    He buried his dagger in the demon’s neck, but the creature batted him away.
    Yvonne screamed.
    Sadie and Halena descended on the demon, chanting something in a language Yvonne had never heard. She reached Justin and was about to grab his hand when someone seized her from behind.
    Kicking her legs out, she groped for something to touch to see if it would kill the creature, but her arms were pinned to her sides. She landed her heel to his shin, but the demon merely grunted. Justin jumped up and tossed the dagger in their direction. It whizzed past Yvonne’s head and sunk into the demon’s forehead.
    He dropped her, and she leaped out of reach.
    “Hurry!” Justin yelled.
    Yvonne grabbed the demon’s hand, and in a blink, he was dust. She fell to the side and hopped to her feet. Another demon lunged at her, but Justin intercepted him. They rolled, and Justin’s bellow ripped through her.
    She understood why when she saw his shredded shirt.
    “Poison!” Sadie yelled.
    Yvonne attacked, colliding with the demon. She went for the creature’s throat, but he grabbed her at the wrist.
    Damn it, he was wearing gloves.
    “What do we have here? Fighting for The Great One now?” His gaze drifted to her shoulder. “Well, that’s an interesting development.”
    She squirmed, and even with her strength, she couldn’t break free. If only she could touch him.
    “That’s okay. We’ll take you anyway. You’ll help us find the last—”
    Yvonne kicked his groin with all her strength. Batting her off him, the demon roared, and she went sailing.
    This is going to hurt.
    The ground met her shoulder with a bone-rattling crack, but momentum took over. She slid another five feet, the twigs and rocks grating her skin. Her back slamming into the base of a tree stopped her fast enough, but it also knocked all the air from her lungs.
    Coughing through the temporary chest paralysis, she rolled over and to her feet.
    “That one got away,” Halena said with a gasp. “Damn it.”
    Justin came into view, and Yvonne ran to him.
    Sadie landed beside them, holding Yvonne’s gloves. “Here, put these on.”
    As she rolled on the leather protection, she scanned Justin’s battered body. “You’re cut.”
    He nodded as he coughed. “Shit. Why am I the one always getting sliced and diced?”
    “Halena, help him,” Yvonne yelled. “Hurry.”
    “Settle down, demon.”
    Blackness roared into Yvonne’s vision, and a dark rage swelled deep from her stomach. She reached for Halena, intent on strangling her to wipe that shit-eating grin off her