Fire and Shadows (Ashes and Ice #2) by Rochelle Maya Callen

up. Giovanni was a whirl of ferocity. His swords expertly danced in the air in beautiful deft arcs. One other demon was on the ground in pieces, but two were still battling him, axes and swords in hand. I shuffled to my feet. I didn’t have a weapon, and my strength... it wasn’t anything against the two monsters of men. Giovanni didn’t lose a step or get nicked. I didn’t see hesitation or fear strain his face. But one against three... it was too much. He needed help.
    You don ’t need a weapon. You are a weapon. The whisper was a quiet urging in my mind. I am the weapon. I wanted to cringe, but instead, I looked down at my hands. What had I done with these hands? I had torn a demon into pieces. Giovanni was beginning to tire. I closed my eyes. Feel the energy, feel the void, feel the black essence writhing within them. I did. Like slithering snakes, they uncoiled and licked at me; their bodies oblivious to how their essence could glide away from them. They sensed me as a friend. They responded to the darkness in me. They were wrong. They should be running.
    Giovanni saw my approach and gritted his teeth , almost losing his step. “Jade! Get back!”
    Mention of me drew the attention of one of the demons and he turned and sprang at me. “Come here, you little bitch!”
    Giovanni roared . The moment of distraction forced his hand to slip, and with three quick deft movements, the two demons had disarmed him and he was on his knees staring at the point of a sword. He didn’t look afraid... he looked poised for more action. He would not be executed today. Neither would I.
    The demon’s sword soared in an arc past my side and I ducked away. Running straight toward him, I let the wildness in me unleash. I could feel my body shiver as a ripple of power strained against me. I collided with him and clawed my fingers into his gut. Not expecting my attack, he stared wide-eyed as I pumped poison into him. Spidery veins laced across his face just before his body wilted into a pile of ash. I felt it... power whipping around me wanting more. Wanting to be fed. The demons stared at me with wide eyes, unmoving. The two didn’t even have a chance. I reached forward, arms outstretched, palms out and calling. Their shadowy essences flinched away, but couldn’t ignore my command. Once I got my hands clenched around the black tendrils, I squeezed tight and yanked my arms apart; and their bodies went whistling through the air in a wide arc and cracked against the ground, just before being yanked back to the center to hover over us. I held them there. They cowered and begged.
    Something caught in my throat. Was this wrong? Was this... something else more powerful plowed through my thoughts , and with a snap, I yanked them back down to collide with the earth in a terrible thud. They were a twist of broken tangled limbs. I heaved in a huge breath and then looked at Giovanni.
    A whisper in my mind: one more victory... one more life to make me stronger.
    Giovanni must have sensed this, because he stared at me... not afraid, not fearful, but resigned. I looked around at the mess of bodies around us. I stood in the center of a massacre, an ugly massacre. I took in another deep breath. I did this to protect us. I did this to keep us safe. I wouldn’t do it again unless I needed to... I wouldn’t do this simply to make me stronger.
    Oh, yes , you will...
    I cringed. No, I won’t. I relaxed and let the claws that had grown retract. The shiver of power around me dissipated. “I—I didn’t know what else to do.”
    Giovanni stood in a breath and slowly rose to his feet , surveying the area. “You did what you had to,” he said simply. His eyebrows peaked up. “And you did a very thorough job of it.”
    Ashamed, I looked at the ground , the small bit that was just green and untouched by red. “I won’t do it again.”
    Giovanni took my shoulders. “Don’t be ashamed, Jade. This—this is power. A gift. Think of how many people you could