Tumbling in Time by Denise L. Wyant Page B

many hours are there in a day?” Tasha shook her head. Arikk had no doubt that her human brain was having trouble comprehending this information.
    “It’s the new math. Don’t ask me why or how, I didn’t change it.”Arikk frowned. “The ruling class of demons, the Areilous , changed a lot of things when they took over.” He kicked a piece of brick across the debris-strewn floor. “Just look at this place. You’d never know it was once a popular tourist destination. It’s no wonder anyone who had any sense evacuated the city.”
    Tasha’s jaw dropped. Her arm shook as she pointed behind Arikk. “Why is there a pack of purple . . . things headed toward us?” Her voice rose as she continued, “They look like Barney on steroids after a serious gym workout. And they have fangs. What the . . .” Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened. Arikk equated the graceful hulking beasts to a demon ballet about to turn violent.
    Tasha froze in place, her mouth wide open. If Arikk had to guess, it was their fangs that scared her. The sight of all that pointiness was enough to give him pause, and he was a seasoned demon fighter.
    Arikk pivoted and crouched, unsheathing his sword with a flourish. The Knights of the Roundtable couldn’t hold a candle to his form. “Damn, the Riishanuap demons caught up with me. Time to move.”
    Ducking and weaving through twisted pieces of metal and concrete, Tasha led the way as the pair hurried to put space between them and the demons. She was forced to halt in the dead end remains of an elevator shaft.
    “Here. Catch.” Arikk tossed her a small silver gun that pulsed with blue energy. He hurriedly scouted a defensible position.
    “Wow! Does this tiny thing pack a punch?”
    Arikk shook his head at the excitement in Tasha’s voice. He knew how much she looked forward to his gadgets.
    Arikk pushed aside a piece of sheet metal. “A little punch. Unfortunately, it only paralyzes these guys. It doesn’t kill them. Oh, and their bite is fatal to humans.”
    He watched as Tasha caught the gun and moved into a fighting stance, lowering her center of gravity over the balls of her feet, which were spread shoulder-width apart. She kept the gun down at her side and stepped behind an iron beam, perched atop a thick piece of concrete.
    Arikk hurriedly stacked a couple of broken concrete blocks next to a rusted out water heater. Once he was settled, he glanced back over at Tasha. “Here’s our quick and dirty strategy. You stun, I kill. Got it?”
    Nodding her acknowledgement, Tasha targeted her first demon. She and Arikk fought seamlessly. They engaged in such a smooth lethal dance it was as though they’d fought together for several decades instead of just a year. Arikk wanted to give a fist pump and let out a whoop for how well she handled herself; however, there would be time for that when they neutralized the last of the Riishanuaps . He quickly got his head back in the game; Tasha succeeded in paralyzing the demons while he swiftly removed their heads, the only method to ensure this breed of demon stayed dead. After the last demon sank to the floor and breathed its last, Arikk turned to Tasha, whose chest heaved from the exertion.
    “Somebody’s been practicing.” Pride shone in his eyes. “What do you say? Enough fighting for one trip?”
    She answered by leaning in and brushing a kiss over his lips. “Now that I know what I’m doing, this is almost fun.” She laughed, scrunching up her nose. “You stink. Like rotten eggs buried in a bag of sweaty gym clothes. Next time you might want to avoid getting that dripping yellow stuff on your shirt.”
    “Ha, ha, aren’t you the funny one? Don’t touch that yellow stuff, Sunshine. Their bodily fluids will burn like acid and mar your porcelain skin.” He looked her over, under the premise of checking for injuries. He licked his lips, barely catching the taste of her lip stuff. You’re in a bad way, boy, addicted to Tasha’s taste.