Sinister Seraphim of Mine (Overworld Chronicles Book 8) by John Corwin Page A
Authors: John Corwin
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Brightling saw our group coming. He snarled. "You filth! Animals! I will burn you all for what you've done to me and my sister."
Something flashed from above me, casting my shadow in stark relief against the ground. I dove sideways, shoving Elyssa and Nightliss out of the way as a wave of searing attacks from the flying battle mages scorched the earth where we'd been standing. Jeremiah was far enough behind us to avoid the attack.
I found my feet, threw up both fists and blasted Qualan with dual waves of Brilliance and Murk. His eyes flared wide with surprise, but he managed to dodge from the path in time.
"What are you?" he yelled. "What manner of perversion are you?" He grabbed his sister from the ground and raced away through the woods.
"Get in the damned portal, you morons!" Shelton yelled at the Darkling boys who stood frozen with shock. "Now!" he roared.
The boys scooped the still unconscious noms from the ground and ran into the portal. Amid a series of deafening attacks from above, the rest of us dove through the opening. Elyssa and I crashed into one of the Darklings, sending him and his nom cargo sprawling in a heap. Jeremiah was still in the forest on the other side. An explosion rocked the ground behind him and sent him tumbling through the portal and into the mansion cellar. Shelton shouted a command and the portal winked off.
For a long moment, the only sounds in the room were of heavy breathing. The male nom groaned, stretched, and sat up, looking around with mild confusion. He laughed. "Whoa, man. Guess that party was even wilder than I remembered." His eyes locked on Elyssa who lay across his lap, her head on my chest. He looked at me and grinned. "High-five, man! We totally scored last night!"
I groaned.
Jeremiah climbed unsteadily to his feet. He was spattered with dirt like the rest of us, thanks to the battle mages, but he looked otherwise unhurt. I stood, helped Elyssa to her feet. Her cut was healing slowly, as was mine. I'd learned the hard way several times that magical injuries took much longer to heal than good old-fashioned stab wounds.
"I need blood," she said in a ragged voice. She'd obviously strained her dhampyric strength to the limit.
The male nom got up, brushing off his hands. "Um, so like, uh, where are we?"
I thought about knocking him out to save the questions for later, but simply said, "Everyone follow me."
Amazingly, they did.
"Son of a ball-licking goat," Shelton grumbled as we headed upstairs to the main hallway. "I should have known your definition of a recon mission would be pissing off a bunch of enemies and blowing up the forest."
"This time it definitely wasn't my fault," I said.
Nightliss sighed. "It was mine, Harry."
Bella, Shelton's girlfriend, waited at the top of the stairs. "I called Meghan to inspect your injuries. She'll be here shortly." She made a tsking noise. "Goodness, Justin, what did you do this time?"
I groaned. "It wasn't my fault."
Shelton chuckled. "Looks like Nightliss went all Justin Slade on this mission."
"Bella, can you tend to—" I raised an eyebrow at the male nom. The female was up and about now too, although she looked extremely groggy.
"I'm Dustin," he said.
"Do you know this woman?"
He glanced at her, narrowed his eyes. "I think I saw her at the party last night, but I don't know her."
"I'm Jessica," the woman said. "What happened? Where are we?" Her eyes widened. "Where's my purse and my cell phone?"
"Tell me what you remember," I said.
Dustin shrugged. "There was a big house party I went to. Some hot chick came up to me and we got to talking, so we went upstairs to, you know." He waggled his eyebrows. "Next thing I know, I wake up in a pile of bodies next to the hottest girl I've ever seen." He smiled at Elyssa.
My girlfriend returned a cold look.
"I really, really need my cell phone back," Jessica said.
"Was the party in Atlanta?" I asked.
Dustin and Jessica looked at me with surprise.
"Nah, man, it was at Georgia
Something flashed from above me, casting my shadow in stark relief against the ground. I dove sideways, shoving Elyssa and Nightliss out of the way as a wave of searing attacks from the flying battle mages scorched the earth where we'd been standing. Jeremiah was far enough behind us to avoid the attack.
I found my feet, threw up both fists and blasted Qualan with dual waves of Brilliance and Murk. His eyes flared wide with surprise, but he managed to dodge from the path in time.
"What are you?" he yelled. "What manner of perversion are you?" He grabbed his sister from the ground and raced away through the woods.
"Get in the damned portal, you morons!" Shelton yelled at the Darkling boys who stood frozen with shock. "Now!" he roared.
The boys scooped the still unconscious noms from the ground and ran into the portal. Amid a series of deafening attacks from above, the rest of us dove through the opening. Elyssa and I crashed into one of the Darklings, sending him and his nom cargo sprawling in a heap. Jeremiah was still in the forest on the other side. An explosion rocked the ground behind him and sent him tumbling through the portal and into the mansion cellar. Shelton shouted a command and the portal winked off.
For a long moment, the only sounds in the room were of heavy breathing. The male nom groaned, stretched, and sat up, looking around with mild confusion. He laughed. "Whoa, man. Guess that party was even wilder than I remembered." His eyes locked on Elyssa who lay across his lap, her head on my chest. He looked at me and grinned. "High-five, man! We totally scored last night!"
I groaned.
Jeremiah climbed unsteadily to his feet. He was spattered with dirt like the rest of us, thanks to the battle mages, but he looked otherwise unhurt. I stood, helped Elyssa to her feet. Her cut was healing slowly, as was mine. I'd learned the hard way several times that magical injuries took much longer to heal than good old-fashioned stab wounds.
"I need blood," she said in a ragged voice. She'd obviously strained her dhampyric strength to the limit.
The male nom got up, brushing off his hands. "Um, so like, uh, where are we?"
I thought about knocking him out to save the questions for later, but simply said, "Everyone follow me."
Amazingly, they did.
"Son of a ball-licking goat," Shelton grumbled as we headed upstairs to the main hallway. "I should have known your definition of a recon mission would be pissing off a bunch of enemies and blowing up the forest."
"This time it definitely wasn't my fault," I said.
Nightliss sighed. "It was mine, Harry."
Bella, Shelton's girlfriend, waited at the top of the stairs. "I called Meghan to inspect your injuries. She'll be here shortly." She made a tsking noise. "Goodness, Justin, what did you do this time?"
I groaned. "It wasn't my fault."
Shelton chuckled. "Looks like Nightliss went all Justin Slade on this mission."
"Bella, can you tend to—" I raised an eyebrow at the male nom. The female was up and about now too, although she looked extremely groggy.
"I'm Dustin," he said.
"Do you know this woman?"
He glanced at her, narrowed his eyes. "I think I saw her at the party last night, but I don't know her."
"I'm Jessica," the woman said. "What happened? Where are we?" Her eyes widened. "Where's my purse and my cell phone?"
"Tell me what you remember," I said.
Dustin shrugged. "There was a big house party I went to. Some hot chick came up to me and we got to talking, so we went upstairs to, you know." He waggled his eyebrows. "Next thing I know, I wake up in a pile of bodies next to the hottest girl I've ever seen." He smiled at Elyssa.
My girlfriend returned a cold look.
"I really, really need my cell phone back," Jessica said.
"Was the party in Atlanta?" I asked.
Dustin and Jessica looked at me with surprise.
"Nah, man, it was at Georgia
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