"I wonder how many of yours we killed," the magic user said and she flicked her attention to him, eyes narrowing.
"If it's less than yours than it will be worth it," she growled and he smiled in response.
The leader seemed to be beside himself and while he was having his meltdown, she went for the magic man, swinging for him and her knives were deflected by the same blue balls of magic he had been throwing at her. The swords were growing cold, but she ignored them as she drove him back and then around, an idea forming in the back of her mind.
She pressed him, keeping an eye on the leader and when the magic user tripped, she took full advantage.
He had tripped over the nondescript man and as he fell, she stepped forward and both swords found his chest even as his back found the boards.
They lodged in the wood beneath him and then froze over. Immediately she let go and danced back, right into the waiting arms of the leader.
She yelped, trying to jump away but he had caught her, his gloved hand curling around her face, the other wrapping tight around her middle and trapping one arm against her body.
She lifted her free arm, clutching at the armoured hand even as the sharp guards bit into her skin and he strained.
Horrified, she realised he intended to rip her head off her shoulders and she let go of his fingers, driving her elbow once and then twice into his ribcage.
Her neck burned, her blood running down her face but still he refused to let go.
Stamping down on his bare toes with her boot heel that worked only after she had ground down, one of his toes breaking and he threw her from him, her body colliding with the wheel.
Turning, she found him coming for her, blood blinding her left eye and his fist flying for her gut.
She doubled over, allowing him to drive his knee up into her face and her back hit the desk with a loud thump.
He dropped onto her stomach and his fist rose high above her, driving down and barely missing her as she tilted her head to the side, clipping her ear but missing her face.
Throwing her foot off the boards, she hooked her ankle around the front of his neck and pulled, dragging him down into an arch and then hooking her other foot around her throat, locking him in place.
His sharp gauntlets tore through the leather of her boots and her skin, but she ignored it as she turned her foot and squeezed, cutting off circulation.
He strained, his body bent backwards and he changed tactic, instead going for her calf and his fingers dug into her flesh.
She screamed, his fingers finding the tendon and ripping it free, her foot releasing and he sat up, grinning manically at his success even as he licked her blood from his guard.
His fingers curled around her throat and she gasped, her nails digging into his wrist but she didn't have the sharp nails that she needed. No, that was still four away from where they were, and she was being choked out.
He leant his weight into it, crouching over her and she gasped for air, unable to suck any down.
He was so close she could have kissed him if she was still a Celestrial, instead she went for the only other idea she had and bit the tip of his nose.
He screamed, his jerk allowing her teeth to rip the tip of his nose off and she spat it out, shoving him off her and turning for the magic user. Crawling for him, she ripped the knife free of his frozen fingers and screamed as the leader caught her ankle and dragged her back.
Flipping onto her back, he loomed over her, dripping blood onto her and as his eyes flashed his murderous rage, she drove the knife into the side of his neck and he slumped on top of her, the knife cutting some vital nerves.
She whimpered as his weight crushed her, feeling his breathing slow and then stop as he died and she felt a sudden relief that they were all dead. She had taken out five royal assassins.
Rolling him off her, she pushed herself up onto her knees and screamed her triumph, knowing it was stupid, but she needed to voice her win.
Hearing footsteps, she ripped the knife free of the man's neck and turned, finding Daemon standing before her, his face livid and covered from head to toe in blood.
He took her in and then he was on her, clutching her to him and she clung to him in relief.
"Where's Uzo?" she demanded, and he cocked his head towards the deck.
Without thinking, she turned her head and her lips found his. The kiss shocked him for an instant but then he was kissing her back and pulled herself harder against him, relieved that he was okay, and they had all survived.
He pressed her back into the mast and she sighed into his lips, the sound making him shudder in delight. His fingers dug into her back and she traced her tongue along his lower lip, the motion forcing his lips to part and he groaned as she slid the smooth muscle past his teeth and he met it with his own.
Suddenly going rigid, he threw himself back from her, panting with eyes glowing that same golden yellow she knew all too well.
"You stop that," he demanded and she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
"Don't you want me?" she asked, her voice sounding small and he growled, his need almost radiating out of him.
"You know I do, but not now. Not yet," he was struggling with himself and she smiled, stepping closer to him and she saw him waver, the need inside him and his demonic tendencies driving him wild.
"Don't you want me to be loved even once?" she asked, and his eyes went wide at her implication.
She wanted him to be the first man she was with willingly, her body screaming for him and he swallowed hard to try and clear the dark thoughts from his mind.
"Not yet, not until I can't accidentally kill you," he whispered, and she considered him, finally nodding once in understanding.
He had once told her that mortals never survived him, and she was still mortal.
"But after? Once I'm not mortal?" she asked and he nodded, his hunger touching her like a physical finger on her soul. "Do you promise?" she asked, and he shivered.
"I promise," he whispered and she smiled, the tingle of his magic entwining them.
He went to her then and enclosed her in his arms, warm and safe as Uzo came out onto the deck and saw the carnage.
"I suppose you don't need to be a Fae to be an assassin," he said in wonder and she snorted, pulling him into the embrace.
"Daemon, the Creators are moving to close the gateways and shut off the human world, we are running out of time," she said and the demon cringed, exchanging a look with Uzo that she didn't understand.
"There is only one gateway left," Uzo confirmed and Daemon nodded.
"They might be aware of what we are doing. They might be hurrying," Daemon said and without a word, he pulled them through to Winter.
***
They stepped out into a small clearing that had someone standing around already, looking bored, though he smiled when he saw them.
"I was starting to think I was going to miss the party," the dark skinned man said, looking bored and amused by the sight of them. "I thought she was a brunette?"
"She normally is, but the Phoenix got to her," Daemon said, the man nodding his understanding.
"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty," the man said, making her start at the title.
"This is the Genii Loci," Daemon said and she frowned, thinking the name had been a species, not a specific being.
"Pleasure," she said warily.
"I'm afraid I am running out of time, so we will have to make this quick. You might consider joining me, a lot of big names will be there," the Genii said as he took her hand and his kiss was brief but wonderfully cool and dry.
The magic he spilled into her made her feel suddenly odd, like she needed to be sure they were both alone and safe. Glancing around, she making note of her surroundings in a way she had forgotten to do in the months since she had become a human.
"Thank you," she said gently, the Genii smiling warmly in response.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow us to accompany you to this party?" Daemon asked. The Genii beamed at them.
With a wave of his hand she felt magic swirling around her and her torn dress changed to one that was whole, longer with a train with the front filled in with fabric, becoming a front sheath instead of a cross.
It left her arms and back bare, but it curled up her throat and covered her far better.
Long gloves snaked up her arms and her hair pulled up into a pile atop her head set in with a silver tiara.
Turning, she saw both men changing as well, Daemon's clothes becoming whole again with the chains around his neck, his hair a tussled mess that triggered all the right things in her.
He caught her stare and he smirked, the rings in his ears and lip returning, dark coal lining his golden eyes.
His coat was long, patterned with silver with a thick lining of black fur around his neck.
Uzo's clothing melted into a black jacket and pants, simple and elegant that suited him very well, tight without being too tight and revealing in a way that made her only slightly uncomfortable, his hair ruffled and shortening. The colouring of the blue marks on his cheeks seemed to brighten sharply and he grinned at his new clothes.
"Let's go see Sobek," he said, and her stomach clenched as Daemon slid his arm around her. In the next breath they were pulled through to a massive foyer, the Genii getting there on his own.