Courts and Cabals by G.S. D'Moore (best e reader for academics txt) 📕

I could see the mighty, armored Fae go weak in the knees as Lilith poured power into her attack. The Fae started to wobble, and her weapons disintegrated as she gripped Lilith’s shoulders for support. I felt a moment of hope before the Fae conjured two more swords and rammed them into Lilith’s chest.

The mighty succubus roared, as both of them retreated. Pools of black and silver blood swamped the bleeding grounds along with the charred bodies of changelings. However, both women were the top of the supernatural food chain for a reason. Wounds were already healing, and although their massive chests were heaving from exertion, they looked like they could do this all day.

“You?” Aveena’s eyes found me again. “How are you still alive?” it was clear she thought her little knife trick should have skewered me.

I just gave her the finger. I was exhausted, had the biggest headache of my life, and that was the best I could come up with. It worked. She roared, and was about to charge when something happened. There was a loud, ripping sound, and the whole world seemed to lurch.

“What the fuck?” judging by the faces around me, I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

Aveena looked behind her toward where they’d enter the subspace pocket, just as another rip echoed through this mini universe. I fell on my ass, and the Fae’s attention zeroed in on my vulnerability. I could see the indecision on her face as she tried to make up her mind. Something was clearly trying to get in, and if I had my guess, succeeding. Aveena could either flee or kill me, but it didn’t look like she could do both.

Her next shriek was full of frustration. She’d made up her mind. The glamor armor dissipated as she shrunk back to normal size. With a final snarl in my direction, Aveena vanished. Lilith waited several seconds, her massive body crouched protectively around us before she smoothly transitioned back to her human form. Not that it helped her wardrobe.

I was momentarily distracted as her bare tits pointed at me like they were accusing me of this whole thing being my fault. “If that’s what it takes to get her naked,” I was willing to take that risk.

“We need to get out of here,” she snapped her finger so my eyes would move north. They settled on her eyes, and I could see, despite her bravado, that she was hurting. “Everyone, grab a hold of me.”

I was so tempted to grab a handful of her tit, but this wasn’t the time. I grabbed her shoulder instead. I saw Dani and Xamira do the same, but scanned the war-torn battlefield looking for Xander. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, where is . . .?” a hard look from Lilith, and my jaw snapped shut. I didn’t look at Xamira, but the perspiration on her face wasn’t all sweat.

“Fuck,” I groaned. Over half a dozen people were dead because of little miss princesses fucked up sense of honor.

Satisfied everyone was secured to her, Lilith stepped. The bleeding ground vanished, only to be replaced by bone-chilling cold, dark world.

“Don’t let go,” it sounded like she was talking underwater. I grabbed her shoulder tighter. She didn’t need to tell me twice. I wasn’t going to die in some stupid shadow land after surviving Aveena’s wrath.

We walked. I don’t know in what direction, or how far. Whatever this place was, it seemed to work on a different set of the fundamental laws of physics than the normal universe. It felt wrong, and at the same time, right. I didn’t have time to analyze why. In what could have been a few seconds, or a few hours, we reappeared in the real world. Sights and sounds assaulted us as harshly as Aveena’s blades; red and blue lights flashed, sirens blared, and men and women screamed,

“Is that a helicopter?” I wondered as a powerful beam lit us up like we were on America’s Most Wanted.

“Cam . . .” I never heard the end. My hand never left Lilith’s shoulder, and she dropped us back into the strange, dark world.

“Plan B,” she announced, and I saw Dani and Xamira nod.

This time, I counted the steps, and it looked like Lilith took seven before we dropped back into reality. This time, the lights and sirens were far away. I recognized the student car lot; although, I’d never had enough money to actually have a car here.

“Five minutes, mark,” Lilith stated, before dropping back into the weird world. This time with only me and Dani.

Lilith continued walking, this time taking nearly two dozen steps before turning to look at us in the eyes. “We need to move quickly. Do what I say and we’ll make it out of here alive. We aren’t out of danger yet,” she informed, and waited for us to nod our comprehension.

“What are we doing?” I was afraid the cold otherworld was like space and would make my lungs explode when I took a breath. It wasn’t comfortable, but it didn’t kill me.

“We’re running,” Lilith deadpanned. “Sorry, Cam, but I always knew this was a possibility if you won. You’ll have to get your GED online from where we’re headed.”

I just shrugged in response. I was alive, “and at least she has a plan.”

Aveena wasn’t through, and if the lights and sirens were any indication, it felt like the whole world was after me now. I looked down at myself and made a mental note to find some pants sometime soon. I was still in my birthday suit and covered in a lot of dried blood. That alone would lead to a lot of unwanted questions.

Lilith stepped and the chase began.

Chapter 28

Vernon felt the subspace pocket fail under the Commander’s third strike. A hole in the very fabric